Page 34 of Needing You

My words failed me as I stood there, eyes trapped by his, stomach whirling and flipping under his intense stare. All I could do was offer him a shaky smile and a nod.

His face lit up, then he leaned in and pressed a warm, scratchy kiss to my temple as he grabbed my hand again and tugged me back into the kitchen. “It’s settled. They’re coming with us,” he announced, and of course, Jackson’s face morphed into a replica of the happy one I’d seen in the hallway.

Sure, Will and I didn’t know where we stood at the moment. But I did know that I lived to put that kind of smile on Jackson’s face, and doing the same for Will just became more important to me than I was prepared for.

16

WILL

Kate laughed at something Ellie said, her face a glorious, bright beauty across the kitchen.

And yeah, I was feeling poetic as fuck with her here. My son got along with my brothers like they’d never missed a day in his life. Of course there’d be snags in the future, but tonight? They seemed as excited as he did. Even Eric wore an expression verging on a smile. Either the end-times were near, or he was glad to meet his nephew, too.

I’d worried about Kate and my mom based on, well, every comment my mom had made since the day I’d told her about Jackson, but they’d evidently struck up a peace. Enough that Mom had invited not only Jackson but also Kate to Nashville. I didn’t know if she was trying to be the best wingman ever, but damn was she coming in clutch.

I wanted Jackson to meet Brenna and Connor, and I wanted him there for the wedding. I’d planned to bring it up a dozen times in the last week but had wanted to ask Kate about it, and now my mom had done the dirty work and saved me from tiptoeing around the reality that I wanted Kate there too.

More than that, I wanted her there as mydate, on my arm. Not just as my baby mama, but as my current and future woman, period. But that, I hoped, would come in time. And if the heated looks she’d been giving me all evening were anything to go by, I suspected she wasn’t averse to the idea.

Eric came to stand next to me as I dished up the green beans I’d picked out at the farmer’s market this morning. “Can I help you?”

I didn’t need to glance up to see his jaw flex or his stern face, but I did just to confirm.Yep.Any bit of that open, mildly welcoming demeanor only showed up around Jackson.

“I need to know you’re serious about Walker’s. That you’re here, you’re committed, and you’re going to give it everything. This can’t be a fallback or a last choice.”

Fuck, this guy didn’t ever give me the benefit of the doubt, did he? But the shitty feeling in my chest had more to do with the knowledge that I’d created this dynamic between us by running and staying gone. As much as I wanted to rage at him or shove him at least, I kept it simple and told him the truth.

“Being here is not a last resort for me. Even before I knew about Jackson, I came back to stay. To be here with you and the family and ideally, to be a part of Walkers. If my asshole air has made that unclear, that’s on me. But it’s time for you to start believing me.”

His dark eyes—the darkest of all of us—only stared back a moment. Then he nodded once and spun on his heel, plucking the basket of rolls from the counter on his way to the table.

Good talk, fucker.

“All right, soup’s on! Let’s eat.” Mom clapped her hands and raised her voice over the din of chatter, and everyone crowded the kitchen to help.

“I’ll take those,” Kate said, reaching for the bowl I still held.

“Thanks.”

Her hands slipped over mine in a move that created far more contact than necessary. She even bit that bottom lip I hadfeelingsfor, and I just about groaned.

“Anytime,” she said, leaving me to stare after her spectacular ass.

“Eyes up, young man. Time to eat.” Mom tutted as she walked past, but there was no censure there, only something like satisfaction.

I cleared my throat. “Yep. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, man. That’s a fantastic view. I’d be staring if she wasn’t the mother of my beloved nephew.” Sammy cupped his cheeks and batted his lashes like he was some angelic baby and not a man-child who’d just been ogling my woman.

Okay, notmy womanbut still. Sammy sure as fuck wouldn’t have her.

“You’re an idiot. And if I ever hear you talk about her like that again, I’ll—”

“Whoa, whoa. No need, man. Seriously, no need. Not happening, message received, territory marked.” He held up his hands, eyes wide, and backed away.

“Samuel Marcus Walker, you pick up that salad bowl on your way, or you’ll have yourself a time out.” Mom’s voice rose again, and Sammy scrambled to grab the bowl and act like he’d planned to all along.

I took my seat next to Ellie on one side and Jackson on the other. Kate sat across from me looking more at ease than she had even minutes ago. Jackson nearly cackled next to me, then covered his mouth as he laughed at something Sammy had said. At the end, Jake and Eric looked on with versions of the same grin, and Mom beamed over all of us from the opposite head.

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