Page 115 of Forever To Me

“You’re fun,” she adds, nudging my arm. “And you keep my dad on his toes, which is chef’s kiss entertainment.”

I laugh softly. “Glad to be of service.”

She turns serious, her eyes meeting mine. “You’re not leaving, right?”

My heart stumbles.

I want to give her a simple answer. I want to say no, of course not, but I can’t make promises I’m not sure I can keep. “I don’t know, Mack,” I say softly.

Mack frowns like that’s the wrong answer.

“Well,” she says firmly, “you should stay. Because we need you.”

Her words settle like stones in my chest, heavy but grounding. I swallow the lump in my throat.“I think I need you too,” I whisper.

A throat clears behind us. I jump, twisting around to find Maggie standing in the doorway, arms crossed, her silhouette framed by the soft glow of the porch light.

Walker pulls up down at the dock on his boat, and man he looks good. He ties up the boat and heads up the lawn, taking in all of us on the porch. Hesitating like he’s trying to decide if he wants to say what’s sitting on the tip of his tongue.

Mack grins like she’s been caught red-handed but doesn’t care. “Told you,” she says, way too smug. “Violet should think about sticking around.”

I shoot her a look. “Mack.”

She shrugs, sips her float, and then says, “You’re welcome.”

Maggie's gaze lingers on her for a second, then shifts to me. "Y'all just having a girl’s night without me?"

"We waited up for you," I protest. "Plus, how was bingo?'

She shrugs, "It was boring, so I left early."

Which means she wasn't winning.

Mack’s gaze bounces between us, grinning like a lunatic, and she finally hops to her feet.

“Well, I’m going inside,” she announces, “because this is getting awkward in the best way.”

“Mack,” Walker says.

She turns back and gives him a quick hug. “Have fun, you two.”

"I'm heading up to bed. It's old lady time," Maggie grins.

The door clicks shut behind her, leaving just me and Walker, standing in the soft glow of the porch light. The silence is heavy now, filled with everything unsaid.

"I don't want you to go, either. If anything I think matters," he says softly.

"Never said I was going anywhere," I say softly.

His mouth turns up and he looks relieved.

"I really like your kid, Walker," I admit.

"Just my kid?" he asks. His jaw ticks. I see it—the way his fingers flex against his knee, the way his whole body goes still like he’s bracing for impact.

I lick my lips, my heart pounding. "I like you too," I whisper.

His eyes darken, his entire focus narrowing in on me like he’s trying to memorize every detail of this moment.

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