Page 76 of Walk Off

She sat up straight. “Absolutely not.”

“I can’t be away from you. I don’t want to be.” His voice cracked, making her calm down.

“I don’t want to be away from you either but, Kyle, I am not letting you be traded. You are the best player on the team, and from what I've been reading, they love you. There are rumors they’re going to give you a contract extension.”

He smiled. “You’ve been reading about me?”

“Of course I have. I love you and I want to know everything about you.”

He leaned in, kissing her lips lightly. “You are the best thing that happened to me. You and Jasmine. I don’t care where I play.”

She kissed him back, loving the way his lips felt against hers. “I care where you play.” She pulled back. “I told you before that I want you to have everything you deserve, and I won’t let you give that up for us.” He started to speak but she stopped him. “We didn't have the knowledge or wherewithal to make it work back then, but we do know. We, you and me together, with Jasmine, can come up with something that will work for all of us.”

His big hands cupped her cheeks. “God, I love you.” This time, his kiss was desperate and powerful. Like, if he didn’t kiss her, he might not be able to survive.

She knew just how he felt.

“What do you suggest?” he said after he ended the kiss.

“I think we should see how Jasmine feels about moving to Arizona.” She’d thought saying those words would be difficult, but shockingly, they weren’t. She loved him and wanted to be where he was.

“I can't ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering.” She didn’t know how Jasmine would feel about leaving Valley Falls, but she knew her daughter well, and was pretty sure, if it meant being with her dad, she’d do it. “I want to do this. Let me do this for you.” She shook her head. “For us.”

She saw tears form in his eyes and her heart grew. This big, strong, man was crying because of something she said.

“No one has ever cared about me enough to give up their entire life. That you would do this makes me love you more.”

She pulled him against her body, wrapping arms around him tightly. “Never again,” she whispered. “Never again will you be alone. I will always be by your side.” They stayed like that, in each other’s embrace for long moments. Hugs were something neither one of them got a lot of in their lives.

All that was about to change.

No longer were either of them alone. They had each other and they had Jasmine.

“What now?” he asked when he pulled back.

“Now, we enjoy our kid free night, and in the morning before you leave, we pick her up and ask her how she feels about moving.” It was as simple as that. At least to Celia.

He searched her face, pushing a fallen piece of hair behind her ear. “You guys can wait a while to come. Get things settled here first.”

She was shaking her head. “No, I don't think we can. I’m not saying we have to be together all the time, and I know you have to work, but I’m not staying here while you’re there. If Jasmine is on board, we’ll fly out tomorrow with you. We can take care of everything we need from Arizona.”

“What about your job and school for Jasmine?”

She laughed. “I’m pretty sure they have schools in Arizona. I’m sure I won’t have any issues getting her enrolled. As for my job,” she shrugged, “I’ll find something there. I’m not going to let minor details stop me from being with you.”

His face lit up into a huge smile.” We’re really doing this?”

“We’re really doing this.”

She hated all the years they’d lost but she was no longer going to dwell on it. Kyle was back in her life for good, and she wasn’t going to let anything change that.

In the end, walking away might have been the one thing that brought them back together.

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