AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you don’t ask the man, he can’t tell you yes or no.”
Well. Exactly. Didn’t her dad realize that was the point?
“He could tell me what he wants. He could maybe lead this instead of me.”
“He’s been hurt. Bad.”
“Sure. But as you pointed out, he’s the one that’s older.” She was annoyed that her dad was arguing this, and so sensibly. She should have just told him Walker needed to be shot.
“Yeah, but I’ll be honest. I never really worried about him taking advantage of you. But I did worry about you grabbing hold of him with both hands and making it undeniable.”
Her cheeks went hot. “Well, I did. I did that. Because I wanted him.”
“But not badly enough to fight for him? Come on. I thought I raised you better than that. If you’re going to do a foolhardy thing like fling yourself at the widowed man you’ve been in love with for half your life, then don’t you think you want to stay and punch up a few rounds?”
“What if he tries? And he can’t. And...”
She stood there, feeling bruised.
“It’s an excuse, isn’t it? To give it up.” She felt something crumble inside of her. Felt those mountains begin to break a little bit. “Because of Sky and Carter. Because of him. You’re right. I used it as an excuse. But Sky and Carteraremy boys. They just are. And if I never get to have kids, then I could be happy with that. Because so few people have been loved to the degree that I am. So few people. And it’s easy for me to say it won’t work for all those reasons, but you’re right. What I’m really not doing is putting it all on the line. It was one thing to hit on him. It’s another thing to tell him that I’m in love with him. That I have been in love with him. Because it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed that you knew it.”
The sympathy on her father’s face threatened to be her undoing. “I’m your dad. I love you. I worry about you. Of course I knew. Of course I did.” Her dad looked past her out the window. “Well, son of a gun.”
“What?” She turned and saw Walker’s truck coming up the drive.
She could see Walker driving, Sky in the front seat.
He’d come for her. He had really come for her.
Without having any chill at all, she raced out of the kitchen and out to the driveway.
He put the car in Park and got out, moving as quickly to her as she did to him.
She threw her arms around his neck, and just held him.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her back. “Frankie, please don’t leave me again,” he said.
“I won’t,” she whispered. “I promise. Walker, I don’t need to do the whole thing. I don’t need to get married. I don’t need to have babies. I just need you. And I would rather have you than a dream. I would rather have you than a fantasy. Because you have been better than everything I’ve ever imagined. I want quiet mornings. I want our evenings on the porch swing. I want you.”
He moved away from her and looked down at her. “Frankie, I don’t want to go out to bars. I don’t want other women. I don’t want that life.”
“But it’s all you’ve ever had. This...domestic thing. It’s... I don’t want you to feel trapped in that.”
“I’m not. If I know one thing it’s that... I’m always good to be Sky and Carter’s dad. I’m never going to not feel like my heart is out there walking around outside my chest. But I would rather love them every day and risk my soul than go through life without connection. I know how important they are. I know damn well how much they cost. I want to share a life with you. I want to marry you. I want to have babies with you, Frankie.”
“OhGod,” said Sky.
They both turned to look at their teenage audience. And then toward the house, where they had a paternal audience.
“I didn’t realize this was going to be so well attended,” said Frankie.
“Go on then,” said Steve. “Make it a good declaration, Walker, so that I don’t feel like I have to grab my shotgun.”
“Frankie, I realized something a couple weeks ago. That I was happy. Sharing the house with you makes me happy. I was really alone, and I didn’t ever dwell on that. I had you during the day. I had you there to keep me company. So it was easy to pretend. But when I had you really sharing my life, I realized I missed that. I missedyouwhen you weren’t there. You.”
“I understand that this isn’t your ideal life. I loved you forever. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
He cupped her chin in his hand and looked at her, his eyes blazing. “Don’t ever say that. Don’t ever say you’re not what I wanted. Life is complicated. And I don’t know what it would’ve had in store for me if Anna had lived. I just know that she didn’t. I loved her. I will always love the time I had with her. Butthisis my life. My life is not a series of what might’ve been. I can’t imagine my life being different because it’s not. My life is what it is. With Sky and Carter, my amazing sons who make me proud every day, why? Because you helped raise them. Because you are their mom. The one they have now. Because you are the love of my life, Frankie. The life that I have. This isn’t a do-over. This is my first time living with you. Loving you. That’s the only thing that matters. Not the life we planned, or the one we thought we might have. But the one that we get up and live every damned day. It’s the doing. The living. The loving we get to do now. That’s what fucking matters, Frankie. And that’s what’s real. You’re what’s real. You’re everything to me.”
