Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Jessie
This man is insane. I don’t know how he pulled this off, but here we are, in a suite at the Yankees game with … everyone. Eva, Roman, Colton, Sawyer, Lincoln, Kylie, Dean and all of the babies.
Kylie, Eva, and I are sitting on the carpet inside the suite as we play with the babies, who are sprawled across a large blanket.
Kylie’s brother, Ben, is outside of the suite in the seats with the guys.
He is only fourteen years old, but a wise kid for his age.
He and Kylie have been through so much together, and it’s so nice to see such a happy ending for both of them.
I look down at Eli, who’s looking over at her cousin, Addie. She begins to babble and blow bubbles at her, and I can’t help but smile with affection at them together.
“Hey,” Eva says, pulling my attention. “How are you doing?”
“I’m hanging in there. Still a bit in shock, I guess.”
Kylie and Eva both nod their heads in understanding.
“I can’t imagine,” Kylie replies. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Just know we’re here for you whenever you need us.”
“Thanks.” I smile.
“You’ll get through this,” Eva says matter-of-factly. “It’s going to hurt for a while, but one day, the ache won’t feel so sharp. Sometimes, the things that break us open are the same ones that let the light in.”
We both look over at Walker, who’s laughing at something one of the guys must’ve said. He still manages to get my blood pumping without doing anything but be himself.
“He was a wreck when he came to me the other day,” Eva confesses.
“Was he?” I ask, my heart beginning to race.
She meets my stare. “Like I’ve never seen him before. I’ve never seen him cry. It broke my heart. He’s been tortured with this for years. He never wanted to hurt you.”
“I wanted to blame him at first. To label him as someone who would lie and hurt me. But he didn’t ask for any of this. He just … got caught in the fallout.” My throat tightens, and I force a shaky breath. “He’s made mistakes, sure. But this—what happened—it wasn’t his to fix.”
“Does that mean you two …” Eva starts, the hope in her voice evident.
I answer honestly, “I’m not in the headspace right now to do anything but heal. It’ll take time. I love him. I do. I always will. I just hope he’ll be patient with me as I try to process everything.”
Kylie smiles. “I get the feeling that man will do anything for you.”
I wrap that hope around my heart for comfort—something I desperately need right now. I just need to take life day by day.
Eli begins to fuss, and I take that as her cue to be fed and take a nap. I know Walker will get mad since he’s always making sure I’m not helping out of obligation, but I love my time with Eli.
I get her bottle ready and sit in a chair in the corner where we have her travel crib set up. As I feed her, my heart fills with so much love that it feels like it might burst. I love her so much, and I love her father.
Is this what my dad feels for me, even if I’m not really his?
I can’t focus on that right now. I peer down at the sweetheart in my arms. Something tells me this isn’t the end for the three of us. That there’s more in store for me and Walker.
I set Eli’s empty bottle aside and wipe away a stray droplet from her chin before laying her gently in the crib. She sighs, content, and my chest squeezes with love so fierce that it’s almost painful.
The noise from the stadium drifts in the suite’s open door—cheers, the crack of a bat, laughter. Life moving on.
I stand, suddenly needing air. Maybe a drink. Maybe … him.
When I step outside of the room, the afternoon sun hits my face, warm and grounding.
The guys are all lined up along the front row of the suite, beers in hand, teasing each other over whose losing money on a bet.
Walker’s at the end, his cap pulled low, a quiet smile curving his mouth as he listens.
For a second, I just watch him. The man who’s carried so much guilt but who still managed to show up for me, for Eli. Then I make my way over, heart pounding in a steady, uncertain rhythm.
He looks over at me as I stand beside him, surprise flicking across his face before it softens into something I can’t quite name.
“Hey,” I say, reaching for one of the drinks on the ledge.
He wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Hey, you. I was just about to come in and check on Eli. Does Eva have her?”
“No.” I take a sip of the beer. “I fed her. She’s sleeping in her crib.”
“Jessie, you didn’t have to—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“What did I tell you about this shit, Walker?”
He chuckles and adjusts his hat with his other hand. “Right. Sorry. My bad.”
“Thanks for doing this.” I look up at his dark, watchful eyes. “You didn’t have to go all out for me.”
“I didn’t do it to go all out. I did it because seeing you smile again … that’s all I want. I’d rent out the whole damn stadium if it meant you’d look at me like this.”
My heart stutters, and I swallow past the lump in my throat. The noise of the crowd fades until it’s just his voice and the steady thrum of my pulse in my ears.
“Walker,” I whisper, shaking my head, “you can’t say things like that to me. I’m still trying to find my footing, and if you keep talking like that … I’ll forget I’m supposed to need time.”
Something shifts in his expression—soft, sad, determined.
He leans forward, voice barely carrying above the hum of the stadium. “Then take all the time you need, Jess. I’ll wait. A lifetime, eternity—whatever it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”
He doesn’t realize how much I needed to hear that. Just to know I don’t have to rush through this cloud of emotions, and yet I won’t lose him in the process.
The crowd roars, and we both turn our attention to the game. Eva and Kylie come out after they have the kids asleep and each find their man in the line. Walker doesn’t leave my side the rest of the game, but he keeps it light.
We all laugh. We eat. We cheer.
It’s everything I needed. And he did it all for me.
When the game ends, we say our goodbyes. Walker clicks Eli’s car seat into place, and I lift myself up into the front seat of his SUV.
I begin to wonder if he’s going to drop me off at my place. It sounds awful, but I don’t want to be alone right now. Eventually, I know I need to face the noise in my head. I’m just not ready.
He grabs my hand that’s resting on his center console. “You want to come over for dinner?”
I let out the breath I didn’t know I had been holding. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
I’m so grateful that he’s willing to be patient with me—to give me time to untangle everything inside of me.
He really is an incredible man. After years of carrying this secret, trying to protect me, taking the blame I threw at him, and letting me push him away when I didn’t understand …
he still showed up. He always does. And now, he’s here again—arms open, waiting for when I’m ready.
When we get back to his place, he turns music on in the background and pours us each a glass of wine. We sit out on his terrace while Eli takes her nap in the stroller, our food on its way.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the silence between us isn’t heavy. It’s easy. Comfortable. The kind that says everything words can’t.
I glance over at him—this man who’s carried so much guilt, who tried so hard to do right by everyone, even when it cost him.
I used to see his distance as indifference.
Now, I see it for what it was. Love. Protection.
The kind of love that doesn’t beg to be seen, but stands steady when the world falls apart.
He catches me looking and gives me that small, knowing smile that still manages to undo me. And in that moment, I know. We’ll be okay. It’ll take time—healing always does—but we’ll get there.
Because it was never about perfection. It was about grace. About second chances. About redemption.
His redemption.
Our beginning.
THE END