Page 37 of Walk Off

“I think you’re right,” Hannah said.

“I hate you both.”

“Enough to tell us we’re wrong?” Hannah said.

Zara sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. “There is nothing to say.”

Celia felt bad for her. She knew what it was like to not want to talk about something. “We’ll leave you alone, but know if you ever want to talk, we are here.”

Zara’s expression changed, softened. “The same goes for you. We are here for anything you need.”

She knew that. It was one of the reasons she felt so bad about waiting so long to tell them the truth about Kyle. She didn’t need anyone trying to tell her it was okay. It wasn’t okay. She’d lied to her daughter about her father.

There was nothing okay about that.

Chapter 10

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Kyle

He was nervous. More nervous than he’d been the first time he’d played in the majors. And, that was saying something, since he’d thrown up three times before that game.

Standing in front of a crowd of fifty thousand people making play after play was nothing compared to meeting his seven-year-old daughter for the first time.

Celia had texted him her address and a time. That was it. Nothing else.

It was probably for the best. When they spoke, that led to them shouting, and shouting led to him wanting to bend her over the closest available surface to fuck her hard.

Yeah, it was smart that she didn’t try to initiate any more conversation. As it was, he wasn’t sure how he was going to be in the same room with her while he met Jasmine. He was trying to stay angry, to be mad at her, but it just wasn’t happening. Her vulnerability when they’d talked about her fear that he would take Jasmine from her was front and center in his mind. He would never do that. Children needed their parents. Especially if they were good parents. And despite Celia keeping his kid from him, he had no doubt she was a good parent.

Pushing his nerves away, he knocked on the door of the apartment. He was ready to deal with anything that came his way. Only he was surprised when Ruby answered and not Celia.

“Uh, hi,” he said.

“Hi, Kyle,” she said happily with a genuine smile on her face. “Come on in. Jasmine is excited to meet you. I swear she’s been bouncing off the walls and peppering me with questions since I picked her up from school.”

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