Page 24 of Walk Off

He shrugged. He didn’t really want to hear the story, but anything was better than letting his mind wander in all different directions.

“When I met Ruby, she was not a fan of mine.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “I didn’t have the best reputation, and even though I wasn’t going out all the time anymore when we met, she couldn’t let it go. She hated most athletes, even though she worked for a soccer club. She got along with most of the other guys, but I was the exception. Turns out it was because she hated my partying ways, and the reason why, was you. She told me about Celia and how she had a baby by a pro ball player who used her and then walked away.”

That got his attention. “What?”

“Hold on.” He lifted a hand. “There’s more. She still didn’t fully trust me and one day at a gathering that Celia happened to be at, it all came out. Celia told me she’d lied to Ruby about you and what you were to her, because she was afraid of what she’d think. I’m not sure how much you know about their mom, but she’s a real piece of work who called her own daughter a whore when she found out about the pregnancy.”

That had Kyle’s back going straight. He may be angry with her, but no one got to talk to her that way.

“Long story short, she told Ruby it was a one-night stand with you and that you offered her money for an abortion.”

“I would never!”

“Calm down. Ruby knows that now. Celia confessed, and while I’m not going to tell you her reasoning—that’s for you and her to discuss—I can understand where she was coming from. Her lie almost made me lose the best thing that ever happened to me and she knew that. She came clean because she wanted Ruby to be happy. She knows what she did was wrong, and I’m not making excuses for her, but I think, at some point, you should let her tell you her story.”

“I want to, but I’m so angry and hurt. We were in love. Did she tell you that part? I loved her and I asked her to go with me when I got called up.”

Dallas sat silently.

“She could have told me. I would have stayed. I would have taken care of her and the baby.” He would have married her and they could have been a family. “I have a daughter I’ve never met.”

“Jasmine,” Dallas said. “Her name is Jasmine.”

“Jasmine,” he repeated the name, wondering what she looked like.

“Do you want to see a picture of her?” He said, like he read his mind.

“Can I?” All of a sudden he was excited. He was about to see what his daughter looked like.

“Celia was crying pretty hard when she got to our house, but the one thing she said to me when she asked me to check on you, was that I could tell you anything you wanted to know about Jasmine.”

She was worried about him. He wasn’t sure why that made his heart want to leap from his chest. He was mad at her and couldn’t let his heart forgive her for what she’d done. He took the phone that Dallas held out for him, staring at the adorable girl on the screen.

“That’s her yesterday at the wedding. I think there are about a hundred of them there. Ruby loves her so much and couldn’t stop taking pictures.”

“She was at the wedding?” How had he missed her?

“Not when you were there. She was the flower girl and stayed for dinner but as soon as that was over, she left and stayed all night with a friend.”

He continued to swipe through the photos taking in everything he could about the girl in the pictures. His daughter. She was adorable and had Celia’s deep blue eyes. Her nose, that was all Dulanay. He might not have family now, but he’d seen pictures from his aunt. Everyone on his dad’s side of the family had that same nose.

There was no doubt that he was her father.

Not that he’d doubted Celia on that. She might have lied to him for eight years, but she wouldn't lie about this.

How he knew that, and just seemed to accept it, was beyond him, but he did.

He spent long minutes looking through the pictures, categorizing her smile and facial expressions. She had so much of Celia in her, but every now and then in a photo, he’d see himself.

His chest ached to meet her and see her in person. “Does she know about me?”

Dallas sighed. “She will after today. Celia and Ruby are picking her up from her friend’s and plan to tell her. Celia said she’d lied too long and it was time she knew the truth.”

Kyle didn’t know what to think about that. The anger he felt for what Celia had done was still there. He wasn’t sure it would ever fully go away. But the part of him that had loved her, wanted to believe she had a good reason for what she’d done. The Celia he’d known would never intentionally hurt anyone.

Except she’d hurt him. More than once. First by leaving, and then by lying.

Maybe he hadn’t known the real her at all.

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