Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
“I can do that,” Garrett replied with a smile. He glanced at the clock, then back to me. “Did you want to order something? I had to close early, but if it means dethroning Jenny as your favorite barista, I’m willing to whip up your usual.”
“Oh, no! You don’t have to do that. I was going to show my—I mean, this is Cole,” I said, gesturing awkwardly to him. “I wanted him to see your place, but you look busy. We can come back another time.”
Garrett appeared to be in the middle of setting up for some kind of event. A buffet had been assembled opposite the café counter, its silver chafing dishes waiting to be filled with food, and two of the oversize gaming tables were missing. In their place stood several covered high-tops. On the one closest to us was an assortment of tea lights, glass candle holders, and a utility lighter.
“We’re rented out for an engagement party, but it doesn’t start for another hour,” Garrett explained. “I don’t mind if you hang around for a bit. In fact, why don’t you grab a table at the back? I’ve got a surplus of apps. You can taste test them to make sure they’re worthy of serving.”
Cole watched him disappear into the kitchen, then turned to me, his lips pinched tight with displeasure. “You two seem close.”
“Really, Cole?” I grinned at him. “I’ll admit the man’s handsome, but he’s older than your father. What are you implying?”
“Nothing! I didn’t—that’s not what I meant,” he spluttered. “It’s strange, that’s all. How do you two even know each other?”
“He’s related to a friend of mine, but we only met last month. I stopped in here because it had the same name as a café in New York where Lucy and I spent a lot of time as kids,” I said, watching Cole turn in a slow circle as he checked things out. “Turns out this place is modeled after the one back home. Here, I can show you.” I walked over to the register and pointed to the photograph of the original Caffeinated Pursuit that hung behind it on the wall.
“What’s with the picture of Stuart Calhoun Junior?” he asked.
I had no clue who that was, but Cole was studying an image of Garrett next to a man in a racing suit holding the checkered flag, and I assumed he was a famous driver. “Garrett used to be the head engineer for a NASCAR team,” I said, and the frown Cole was wearing faded as
I spoke. “You should talk to him about it sometime. I think you two might have some things in common.”
The kitchen door swung open, and Garrett reappeared holding a plate piled high with food. He placed it on a table tucked into the corner at the back of the room, then wiped his hands on the server apron tied around his waist. “Let me know what you think,” he told us, then returned to setting up.
The last trace of Cole’s disapproval vanished the moment he spotted the fried mac and cheese balls, stuffed mushrooms, and gyoza. “This looks amazing,” he whispered as we sat down, “but who has an engagement party at a board game café?”
A smile tugged on my lips as I glanced over at the colorful wall of games. “Probably someone like your brother and Kim.”
He snickered. “Alex wishes he could be this classy.”
“He doesn’t need to,” I replied. Under the pretense of scooting up to the table, I shuffled my chair closer to Cole. He’d surprised me by taking the spot to my left instead of across from me, but it gave us both a view of the room. “Kim has enough sophistication for the both of them combined.”
“Not sure if that’s true since she’s dating him,” Cole muttered as he split a gyoza down the middle. Steam poured out from inside.
Lifting a single eyebrow, I almost pointed out that
I had dated Alex but caught myself at the last second. Reminding Cole of his brother’s and my relationship wouldn’t go over well on a good day, let alone now.
When he offered me half of the dumpling, I shook my head, too anxious to eat. He must have come to a similar conclusion, because he stared at the food for a moment before setting down his fork.
“Right,” he said, pushing the plate away. “Why did you bring me here, Jackie?”
My stomach fluttered with nerves, but I forced myself to take a steadying breath and plow on. “When I first moved here and you gave me a tour of the ranch, you took me to all your favorite spots—the loft, the stables, the waterfall. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about going horseback riding, but we watched the sunset together, and it was amazing,” I said. “You’re always doing things like that for me, and I wanted to reciprocate.”
Cole was quiet for a second. Then he said, “What things?”
“Pulling me along on adventures and pushing me out of my comfort zone.”
“Such as?”
“Well, last semester, you convinced me to cut school,” I told him. “You took me to that kinda cool but also creepy warehouse with your friends to take my mind off something terrible Mary said, remember? That was the first time I’d ever ditched class, got drunk, or played spin the bottle.”
He frowned. “And that’s a good thing?”
“Okay,” I said, wincing, “maybe that wasn’t a great example, but the only reason I found this café is that I left school grounds during my lunch period. Before meeting you, I never would have broken a rule like that.”
His gaze cut to me as I explained, his eyes shrewd and serious, and I couldn’t tell if I’d said the wrong thing again or if he didn’t believe me.
After what felt like an endless minute, he snorted. “So you’re saying I’m a bad influence.”
“No. My point is that you’ve been sharing aspects of your life with me from the moment I arrived. In the past two months, you showed me around the block party, snuck me onto the school roof, and took me stargazing.” I hesitated, then covered his hand with mine. “We’re here because I wanted you to see a small part of my world. I know it’s not the same as actually being in New York and that the game board stuff is a little gimmicky, but this is the only place in Colorado where I can feel close to my family.”
But sitting here with Cole made me realize something. From the moment I walked through the door, I’d felt a sense of belonging. This place was a much-needed home away from home, somewhere in Colorado that had more relevance to me than it did the Walters. It wasn’t perfect, though. Something undefinable was missing; possibly the soundtrack of the city—sirens blaring, horns honking, buses rattling by. There was a collective noise to New York City that seeped through the walls no matter where you were, and it made Colorado feel like a library in comparison. Also, Lucy had never set foot in here. A minor detail to get hung up on, but her absence felt like a constellation missing its brightest star, unnatural and incomplete.
As I looked at Cole, I felt that missing something now—it was him.
“I…appreciate that, Jackie, but this and the article?” He pulled his hand away. “I don’t know. It feels—well, you’re the one who broke up with me, remember?”
“That was a mistake, one I regret with my whole heart.” I paused for a second to get my head on straight, not wanting to butcher my words. ” I’m so sorry, Cole. You were right all along. When your mom threatened to kick you out, I panicked because it reminded me that our relationship didn’t exist in a vacuum. Us dating affects the rest of your family, and—“
“Hold on,” he said. Confusion rearranged his features. “What does our relationship have to do with my family?”
“At the time?” I replied as warmth crept up my neck. “
Everything. I pushed you away so I wouldn’t lose them.” Even after it sunk in that I had a permanent place with the Walters, just thinking about life without them made me choke up.
“Lose them?” Cole repeated. His brows were drawn tight, and I could see the gears turning in his head as he digested my confession. “How would that even happen? I already told you—all of us will always be here for you.”
“Yes, thank you. I figured that out,” I said in a huff. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Garrett starting to light the candles, but I kept my attention fixed on Cole. “It didn’t matter what you promised, because they were your family first, and it scared me to think about what might happen if we didn’t work out. I know that sounds ridiculous, Isaac already told me so, but besides my uncle Richard, you guys are all I have left.”
Cole didn’t say anything as he studied my face. The silence that filled the space between us was so taut, it felt almost tangible, like I could reach out and shatter it with a single touch. His granite expression was unreadable and should have been concerning, but in that moment, my nerves drained away. Even if he decided he didn’t want to be my someone anymore, I could weather the storm; it was like he said—the Walters would always be there for me.
Finally, he spoke. “Okay, just so we’re clear—are you saying that we broke up because you like my family more than me?” The playful note in his voice sent a jolt of hope through my body. “I’ve been through my fair share of breakups, but I’ve never heard that excuse before .”
“Sorry,” I choked out, half sobbing and half laughing, “but can you blame me?”
“No, I get it. Benny is a stud.” He flashed me his trademark smirk but it disappeared in an instant. “I suppose there are a lot of worse reasons to be dumped.”
After reading his letter, I could see it now—the blink-and-you-miss-it moments when Cole’s insecurities reared their head. I rubbed at my chest as I remembered exactly how I’d prodded that self-doubt to drive him away. “You know you’re amazing, right?” I asked softly. My fingers twitched in my lap. I had the urge to reach out and brush his bangs out of his eyes, but he’d pulled away the last time I touched him, so I pinned my hands under my thighs and tried to reassure him with words. “I don’t care that you’re still figuring out who you are post-football, that was never who you are to me.”
“Feel free to keep going,” he drawled in a cocky tone that I would have rolled my eyes at under normal circumstances. “I won’t stop you.”
“Well, you’re a supportive older brother, an incredibly hard worker, sweet when you want to be, and, according to your zodiac sign, incredibly mysterious.” I said the last bit jokingly, and his mouth quirked. “But in all seriousness, I do really miss being with you, Cole. I never should have shut you out, but I didn’t realize how terrified I was until it was too late and I’d messed everything up. But I need you to know that I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Jackie,” he said, his pupils so dilated that they nearly swallowed the beautiful blue of his irises, “you’re forgetting my best trait.”
“Oh?” I tried to sound nonchalant, but it was no use—the frantic drumbeat emanating from my chest was so loud, I didn’t doubt that he could hear it. “What’s that?” Cole leaned over, curled his hand around the back of my neck, and claimed my lips in a bruising kiss. I melted into him, every nerve ending in my body lighting up as I looped my arms around his neck. My heart expanded, so full of joy and affection that it was subject to burst, and made the grief still lingering inside me recede into the background. Not gone, but bearable. That was what true healing was, wasn’t it? Acknowledging your pain but choosing happiness—and I was ready to choose Cole, over and over again.
When we pulled apart and I opened my eyes again, I could sense the atmosphere in the room was different—the lights had been dimmed, and all around us, the candles were flickering. They cast a golden warmth over the room, transforming the space into something more romantic than a board game café had any right to be.
“Weren’t you going to tell me what your best trait is?” I asked once I’d regained my composure. His ability to kiss me breathless was a strong contender.
“Obviously, it’s my minnow-racing prowess,” he said with faux haughtiness that made me laugh, but his eyes turned serious a second later. “Jackie, I want this, I want us, but you should know that I’m not moving back to the ranch. If I want to make a change, then I need to do this for myself. Plus, I’ve got my own bathroom at Will and Haley’s, and they don’t have any rules. Is that…will you be okay with that?”
His leg was bouncing underneath the table as if he were worried our new living arrangements would be a deal-breaker for me, so I nudged his foot with mine.
“No rules, huh?” I said, wiggling my brow suggestively. “I think I can get behind that.”
The bell above the café door rang, and both our heads turned toward the sound. A woman in a cocktail dress walked in followed by an older couple who looked like her parents. Garrett glanced over at us, and I nodded my head in understanding.
It was time for us to leave. We gathered our things—my purse and jacket, his phone and keys—and as the two of us made our way toward the exit, Cole glanced over at me. “Thanks for sharing this place with me, Jackie. I appreciate getting a glimpse into your life back home. I’d love to go to New York with you at some point.” He slung an arm over my shoulder and tucked me into his side. “If you’re ever interested in showing me around, I’d love to see more of it. We should visit Danny sometime.”
Something about his comment felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on how.
“Since you’ve always been my tour guide, it seems only fair that I take a turn,” I told him. “There’s a lot more to New York than the Caffeinated Pursuit.”
As I thought about all the fun spots I could take him, it dawned on me why Cole’s words stuck out. New York would always be my home; it was the place of my birth, the backdrop of my childhood, and the city of my heart.
But home was also where your family was, and the Walters were here.
That made Colorado my home now too.
—-The End