Page 98 of Wild Pitch
She nodded. “But your father wanted a surprise. He loved announcing it to me right after I gave birth. So I knew, but agreed not to tell him. Having open access to ultrasound equipment and making friends with the techs helped.”
“I always wondered why you guys didn’t have more kids?—”
If I could be half as good as either of my parents, I’d call it a success.
“Purely financial. If we had the means, there would have been half a dozen of you, at least. I think that’s why I love my job so much. I can be there for those moments when a new family begins or grows.”
I caught Luc’s gaze from across the room. My mom followed my eyes.
“Go to him, Kylie. I don’t know what happened between you, but if he’s willing to fix it, that’s half the battle.”
“But what if he hurts me, Mom?”
This was at the crux of my fear. If I jumped back into a relationship with Luc, I was opening myself up to being hurt again. Had I healed from the break-up? No. I suspected I never would, and having his child would make it nearly impossible.
“What if he doesn’t? What if twenty-seven years from now, you and Luc are surrounded by your family, and you’ve completely forgotten every single one of your reservations?”
“It sounds like you have some experience with this.”
My parents had always had a strong relationship, and I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen them fighting. If they had fought in front of us, they always apologized to each other, so we knew things were okay. Mom always said that fighting and arguing were normal, but hurting your loved ones and holding grudges were what led to relationship failures.
“Your father and I have always aimed to show you how much we loved each other. But it wasn’t a straight line getting there. And that’s not to say there haven’t been hiccups along the way.”
Luc caught me staring at him and gave me a tentative smile. God, he was cautious around me. I gestured toward the stairway and excused myself. Kelsey and Sam had opened their rooftop for guests, but even though it was spring, it was still chilly. New England weather could be stubborn and unpredictable, especially at this time of year. We were the only ones brave enough to go outside and had the roof to ourselves.
“Is everything okay?” Luc asked. Concern etched on his face.
I practically threw myself into his arms and buried my face in his shirt, inhaling his spicy scent. His arms automatically closed around me, and I felt his chin land on the top of my head.
“I needed this.” My voice shook, barely above a whisper.
“I needed this, too.” Emotion clogged Luc’s voice.
We stayed there for several breaths, after resisting him, I physically couldn’t let him go.
“My mother took a photo. I think you should see it.”
Pulling out my phone, I angled my body so he could see the photos while we still maintained contact. As he looked at the picture, I watched his face carefully.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful.”
Even now, in this busy photograph, the only thing he saw was me. Everything else was background noise, but he found me in the crowd and focused on me.
“You know what I realized?” I turned his face towards mine, hand on his cheek. My thumb rubbed roughly against the day-old stubble on his cheek. His eyes were wide, soft, and kind. This was my Luc; he was mine, and I would be no one but his.
“What, baby?”
God, his voice wobbled. Was it with hope? Or was he afraid that I would hurt him? I felt it then, the desperation that had brought him to the decision to end things. It was born in his fears that he wasn’t enough for me.
“We won’t figure out how to trust each other, or how to be together—if we’re apart.”
His forehead dropped to mine, eyes squeezing shut.
“What exactly are you saying, Kylie? I need you to be clear, because my heart can’t fucking take it if I’m mistaken here. If I let myself hope, and if I’m wrong?—”
As hard as the words were to form, I hated the fear emanating from Luc.
“I think we should be together. Before I saw this picture, I wondered if you loved me or were only here because of the baby. What I see here—it erased all doubt.”
