"I know. I guess I wanted to be the one to support you, and I wanted to spend time with you."
"I wanted to spend the time with you, too."
"So, what do you think about spending more time together?"
She considered that question for long enough that his gaze filled with worry.
"If you don't want to, I understand," he said quickly. "I'm not proud of anything I've done in the last year. And my future is very much up in the air. Maybe someday I'll go out on my own. Who knows? My future is still a big question mark, which is why I really shouldn't ask you to be a part of it. If you would prefer to end this now, I will walk away. I want you to be happy, Kaia. I want that more than anything, to be honest. But it's your decision."
Before she could answer, her phone rang. "Hi, Walter," she said.
"Reina has to get going," he told her.
"We'll be right there," she said, getting to her feet. "Walter is ready to leave."
"Did he say what happened?"
"No. But I hope this isn't the end."
"I hope it's not the end, too," he said heavily, sending her a look that told her he wasn't just talking about Walter.
Chapter Twenty-One
Walter couldn't stop talking on their way back to Oceanside. And Jax couldn't blame him. When Walter had said goodbye to Reina, they'd embraced for a very long minute, as if they couldn't bear to part. And the older man's gaze had followed Reina all the way across the patio until she disappeared from sight.
He had to admit the moment had touched him, too. Their love seemed like it might get a second chance, which made him wonder if he was also going to get a second chance with Kaia.
She'd definitely left things up in the air, and while she'd said she could understand why he did what he did, she'd also said she didn't agree with it. He knew she had a strong moral compass for right and wrong, which was one of the reasons he liked her so much, and one of the reasons he had stayed silent so long.
But he also knew that her level of empathy and compassion was high. Hopefully, that would make her consider not ending everything immediately. That was the last thing he wanted. In fact, he hadn't realized just how much he wanted the relationship with her until now. It was a deep-seated, aching need that he had never felt before. But a part of him thought he probably didn't deserve the second chance.
He shouldn't have enabled Wren the way he had. He'd never gone that far before; he'd never had to. But her actions in those couple of days had scared the crap out of him, and he'd been terrified he was going to lose her. That she would OD or kill herself, maybe even hurt someone else, and he couldn’t stand that thought. So, he'd done what he shouldn't have done, and he'd regretted it immediately. By then, it was too late. Everything was in motion. The only saving grace was that Wren had been forced to get help in order to ensure his silence and his protection.
He still didn't know if she would really go public with what she had done, or if she was just using that as a bargaining chip to get him back. Maybe it didn't matter anymore. He didn't know what kind of future he could have in music, even if Wren did take responsibility. He had talent. He'd once dreamed of being his own artist, but the odds were against him, maybe more now because of what he'd done, or maybe less because he did have a name, even if it was tarnished.
But he didn't want to be Jason anymore. He wanted to be Jax. He was starting to like this version of himself. He liked Kaia even more, and the thought of losing her was hard to stomach. They hadn't known each other long, but their connection was deep. He thought she'd felt that, too, but that might have changed now.
He shifted in his seat as Kaia interrupted Walter's long-winded description of his conversation with Reina to ask a question.
"Are you going to see her again?" she asked.
"Yes, didn't I mention that?"
"No. And I was afraid to ask," Kaia said.
"We're going to get together on Friday night. She wants me to come for dinner," Walter said, his voice filled with joy. "A long time ago, there was a night when she said she wanted to cook for me, but when we got to her apartment, we found her sister Anita with a man, and they didn't want company. So, we got a pizza, climbed up the fire escape outside her apartment to eat it, and talked all night long. I didn't miss the cooking, but I guess she did."
Jax's gut twisted at the emotion in Walter's voice, his emotional words making that long-ago moment come alive.
"I'm so happy for you," Kaia said. "I didn't want today to be the end; I wanted it to be the beginning of a new chapter for both of you."
"That's what I want, too," Walter said. "Reina and I were honest with each other. We both loved other people. We were happy in our marriages. We have children and grandchildren. We don't want our families to feel like they were second choice. You know what I mean?"
"I do," Kaia said. "And I think if you explain it just that way, they won't feel like they were second. You and Reina weren't meant to be all those years ago, but now you can see if the feelings are still there."
"I suspect you both think I'm a sentimental fool."
Kaia gave Walter a wry smile. "Trust me, when we first met," she said, "I only thought you were an ornery old man."
