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“Regardless. I’m in love with her. There hasn’t been anyone else since your mom. Not until Frankie.”
“Wow. That’s intense.” He could tell Sky sort of hated knowing anything about Walker’s sex life, but oh well.
“Thanks. Being in love is kind of intense. I don’t know what to tell you. Raising kids is intense. I figured when you all got your asses out of here, I would have a different life.” He laughed. “I don’t want that life. I loved this one. The one with you and Carter and Frankie. It just took me a hell of a long time to realize that. Because as long as you were kids, as long as you needed Frankie, I got to have her. And now I don’t.”
He’d been on the edge of this yesterday, but there had been so much fear packed into his chest. There still was. But he’d had this idea that he couldn’t start over again. Get married again. Have kids again.
But there was noagain.
He and Frankie both had been stuck on this idea that they were in different places in their lives, because she’d never been married and he had. Because she hadn’t had kids, and he had.
But he hadn’t married her.
He hadn’t had kids with her.
It wouldn’t be a retread of what he’d done already. It would be the first time for him too.
Just like sleeping with her had been a first. The first time with Frankie.
“We’ve got to go get her,” said Sky.
“I could just text her.”
“Dad,”said Sky. “Haven’t you ever seen a romantic movie? How did you get one woman to marry you, much less get Frankie to fall in love with you? You have to do a grand gesture. We have to drive there.”
“I’m not feeling that up for cars right now.”
“Come on, Dad. It’s a metaphor. We’ve got to do it.”
Walker sat there. Feeling dumbfounded. By the feelings in his heart, by the simple wisdom of his son. “Yeah. All right. Let’s do it.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
FRANKIEWASMOONINGabout in her parents’ beautiful kitchen. The Montana home was gorgeous. Great views of the mountains and all that. Really, it was lovely. It was just her heart was broken.
“Are we going to talk about this, Francesca Jane?”
She looked at her dad and tried to smile. “About what, Dad?”
“About the fact that you came all the way to Montana without a real explanation, and looking sadder than a skunked dog?”
“Lovely.”
“Frankie,” said her dad. “I love you. And you know I’ve always worried about how much you were involved with Walker. But I’ve always trusted him to treat you well. Because I know he’s a good man. So I need to know. Is there a reason I need to go kill him?”
She shook her head. “No. Why would you think it’s him?”
“Because you’re in love with him, Frankie. I know. I’ve always known that. But I trusted him to be appropriate about it in—”
“He was. Always. Always. But I’m twenty-four, Dad. I’m not a teenager.”
“Meaning something happened between you.”
She closed her eyes. “Yes. It’s me. I... I instigated it, okay? He never would have. Because he is that good. But he’s also... What am I going to do, Dad? Am I going to ask him to start over? To marry me and have kids with me? I want kids. I want that life that I haven’t had. That one that I’ve gotten a taste of.”
Her dad looked at her, his gaze uncompromising. “Did you ask him?”
“No. I don’t feel like I can.”
