The Risk Taker

by Cathryn Fox

  Fallon turns to give Dad a hug. “Barry,” she says, her voice shaky as he pulls her in. After the hugs, she drops to her knees.

  “Chase, can you say hello to Grandma and Grandpa.”

  “I want to swim,” Chase says and we all chuckle.

  “Chase, that is not polite. I asked you to say hello,” Fallon says in a disciplinary tone of voice.

  “Hello,” Chase says, and my mom carefully reaches for his hand, but it’s easy to see how excited she is, how much she wants to embrace him. But she’s going slow. We all need to go slow.

  “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how about a swim?” Mom says.

  Chase takes her hand, and as she leads him inside. We all follow. Fallon turns to me, gives me a smile that nearly stalls my heart.

  “Thanks, Jamie,” she says.

  “Fallon—”

  As everyone disappears around the corner, she puts her hand on my chest, and her touch goes right through, wraps around my heart in a way that’s almost frightening. Jesus fuck, I’ve missed her.

  “I know you don’t like me thanking you, but I really, really appreciate you being here with me right now. It made this reunion that much easier.”

  I lean against the wall and swallow against the tightness in my throat. “That steak better have a pile of onions and mushrooms,” I say working hard to keep everything I’m feeling hidden.

  She laughs and it brings a smile to my face. “Still motivated by food, I see.” She angles her head and looks me over. “Are you sure you’re not part Labrador retriever? You do have the same dark eyes.”

  I cock my head. “Ah, was that a sideways insult?”

  “No,” she says, and whacks my stomach. I capture her hand, and hold it as I feign hurt. “I love dogs. I even thought about getting one for Chase.”

  Dad pokes his head around the corner. He’s about to say something until he sees how close we’re standing. He disappears as quickly as he appeared.

  I drop her hand like it’s on fire—except I’m the one burning up inside—and inch back. “We’d better get outside before they wonder what we’re doing.”

  She nods quickly, and I push off the wall. She follows me outside and I find Mom and Chase at the patio table eating watermelon as Chase fidgets in his seat. The kid doesn’t like to sit still for long. I chuckle quietly. He’s definitely a chip off the old block.

  “Mommy, Mommy, look,” Chase says holding up a slice of watermelon bigger than his head.

  “Will you all be staying for lunch?” Mom asks hopefully, and I turn to Fallon, leaving this one in her hands.

  “We would love to,” she says and Mom gives her a big smile. This is good for Mom and for Fallon. They always liked each other, and I think a lot of healing might take place for both of them now that they’re back in each other’s lives. They both needed this. With Fallon’s father gone, Dad will be a good father figure for Chase too. It’s certainly not a role I can take on.

  I drop down into a chair and reach for a piece of melon. Everything about this morning, from hanging out at the pool, to snacking on watermelon around the table, takes me back to my childhood with my brother, who would likely be doing cartwheels off the diving board right about now. That memory brings a smile to my face but also guts me at the same time. Fallon sits next to me, and I hand her a slice as Dad pulls a chair out across from me. He can’t seem to stop smiling as he watches Chase.

  “The place looks great,” Fallon says to Mom. “I see you’re still working your flower gardens. Mine are in desperate need of love.”

  “You know I can help with that.” Fallon gives me a glance like she’s not sure how to break the news that she’s moving. I’m about to come to her rescue when Mom says, “Barry is retiring soon, and we thought that old place was just too big for us.” She rustles Chase’s hair, which is little too long, like mine. “But we made sure to get a place with a spare room for you and Chase if you ever want to stay over.”

  Dad takes a sip of his lemonade, and fills three more glasses. “That’s Marion’s way of saying you guys are welcome here anytime and if you ever need a babysitter, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Fallon smiles, and brushes her honey blonde hair from her face. Her brow is damp from the hot morning son. “That’s so nice. I’m sure Chase would love to spend time with you both.”

  “That’ reminds me, Mom. Fallon is also looking to sell.” Mom arches a brow, her eyes wide and worried.

  “You’re not leaving Seattle, are you?”

  “No, just looking to downsize as well. I want to get a smaller place near a good school and close to the hospital. I’m going to be taking on some shifts. Just a few at first, but it’s time.” Both Mom and Dad go quiet as they nod in understanding.

  “She’s looking for a good realtor,” I say. “You were happy with yours, right?”

  “Oh, John Harrow is great. I have his card,” she says. “I’ll give him a call right now. See when he can stop by to assess your place.”

  “Thanks, Marion,” Fallon says, as Mom picks up her cell phone and punches in the number.

  “I need to get changed and cool off.” I wipe my brow. “It’s a scorcher.”

  Fallon stands and reaches her hand out to Chase. “Hey bud, you ready for that swim?” As mom talks to John Harrow, Chase takes another bite of his watermelon, and his face is all wet and dripping as he nods emphatically. Wiggling from his seat, he rushes to Fallon.

  “It’s all set,” Mom says. “He’ll stop by your place tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow is Sunday.”

  “Not a problem for him. He’s happy to help out.”

  “I really appreciate that,” Fallon says. “What would I do without your help?” She turns to me. “Jamie has been great.” She chuckles slightly. “He came running in the middle of the night when I called.” She crinkles her nose. “I heard a noise and it frightened me. He stayed over, even cooked breakfast.”

  I clear my throat. “There have been a number of break-ins in the neighborhood.”

  Dad leans forward. “Perhaps you should stay with us, or with Jamie.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but Jamie made arrangements for an alarm system to be installed on Monday.” She gives me a smile that pushes the air from my lungs and curls around my heart.

  “That’s our Jamie, always thinking three moves ahead,” Dad says and gives me a nod.

  “That’s what makes him such a great hockey player,” Fallon says as she captures Chase’s hand. “Okay buddy, let’s go get changed and get you in that pool.” She goes still and looks around. “Wait, where should we change?” she asks as she reaches for her duffle bag.

  “Come on,” I give her a nudge with my shoulder. “I’ll show you.”

  Dad turns to Mom and he leans in conspiratorially, whispering something in her ear as we head into the house. I really hope he doesn’t think there’s anything going on between Fallon and me. I can see how he could have misread the situation in the hall. I can’t imagine he’d be too thrilled to think his oldest son moved in on his youngest son’s wife a year after he died. I’m going to have to straighten him out about that.

  Fallon follows me down the hall, and I point to one of the spare bedrooms. “You guys can take this room. Mom still has some of my old clothes in the other one,” I say and jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll meet you both at the pool.”

  As I walk to the room, my cell pings and I pull it from my back pocket to see a text from my buddy Cole. I guess word that Fallon was home got around fast. The guys locker room is worse than a hair salon full of grandmothers. We could out-gossip them any day.

  Cole: Hey what’s up.

  Jamie: Just at Mom and Dad’s with Fallon and Chase.

  Cole: She home for good?

  Jamie: Far as I know.

  Cole: We’re all about to vacation at Wautauga Beach, until practice starts up next month. Why don’t you guys come? Chase would love it. He could play with Brandon. They’d have a blast. Zander
, Sam and Daisy are flying in from Boston too. So are Quinn, Jonah and Scotty. Katee and Luke are there now.

  Jamie: Not sure Fallon is up to that.

  Cole: Offer is open. Rider can’t make it, so his cottage is yours for however long you want.

  My mind goes back to the cottages on Wautauga Beach, Port Orchard. It’s a beautiful spot, with Mt. Rainier looming in the distance. A bunch of guys on the team all purchased property there years ago. Sara and I had planned on it, but it never happened. Cole is right, though. I’m sure Fallon and Chase would love it, and it would give Chase someone his own age to play with.

  But while it would be nice for Chase to meet Cole and Nina’s son Brandon, Zander’s and Sam’s daughter Daisy, and Quinn and Jonah’s son Scotty, I’m not so sure I want to go to the cottage and play house. Yeah, not a good idea at all. I’m have no problems helping Fallon get her house ready for sale and running errands, but holed up with her in a cottage for a week or more, probably not a good idea. I shove the phone back into my pocket, make my way to the other spare room and dig a pair of my swimming shorts from the dresser. I dress quickly and notice the other bedroom door is still shut tightly. I give a soft knock when I hear Chase inside.

  “Fallon, everything okay?”

  A pause and then, “I don’t think I’m going to swim.”

  “Why not.”

  Another pause and then, “I should have gone bathing suit shopping. I don’t know what I was thinking grabbing this one.”

  “I’m sure it’s fine. It’s just us,” I say. When the hell did she get so self-conscious? What happened to her over the last year or so? Did someone say something cruel to her. She never seemed like the type to worry about a few pounds, and fuck man, those pounds look good on her.

  The door slowly inches open and she’s holding her duffle bag in front of herself. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “Mommy, I want to swim.”

  “I know, bud. Maybe another day.”

  “I’ll swim with him,” I say before thinking it through. I’m not supposed to be bonding with these two.

  She gives me an apologetic look. “No, Chase is my responsibility…I just.” She glances down, but then the door swings open and Chase darts past us.

  “Chase, wait,” Fallon says and goes after him. I run to keep pace, and as soon as we get outside, Chase races to the pool.

  “Chase,” Fallon yells, and drops the bag. She grabs him before he jumps into the deep end. She goes down on one knee, and gives Chase a good hard lecture about the dangers of the pool. He pouts a little and she pulls him to her for a hug. It’s easy to tell how much she loves her son.

  “You need your water wings,” she says. “Stay right here and don’t move, okay?”

  “I’ll watch him,” I say as she comes toward me, and holy mother fuck, it’s all I can do not to let my gaze drop to take in her lush breasts and curvy hips. Drool is practically forming in the corners of my mouth. The bathing suit is tight on her, but goddamn, the way she fills it out, is messing with my ability to think straight. I shift slightly, heat coiling low and deep. No need for my folks to see my growing hard on. I sit down on the edge of the pool to cool myself down.

  I pat the side. “Come sit, Chase. Put your feet in the water.”

  As he drops down next to me, both Mom and Dad ease themselves into the water. Fallon comes back, her chest heaving as she blows into the water wings. Unable to help myself my gaze drops, and her eyes dart to mine. She goes perfectly still for a moment, her eyes narrowing, her body shifting like she’s trying to hide herself.

  I tear my gaze away and slide into the water, needing the cold water to push down the heat rising up inside me. She’s the last girl in the world I should be ogling. I turn to face my father, and from the look on his face, I’d gather he thinks so too.

  5

  Fallon

  By the time we make it home from the in-laws, Chase is so exhausted from swimming and playing with his grandparents—who he totally adores—his eyes are dropping out of his head. I give him a light dinner of mac and cheese and tuck him into his bed. He instantly falls into a deep sleep and I take a moment to kiss his sweet face before heading back downstairs, our wet bathing suits in my hand.

  I round the corner to the kitchen and find a restless Jamie opening and closing the back patio door, like he can’t decide whether to stay or leave. Either that or the latch is broken and he’s trying to fix it. Although I get the sense it’s the former and not that latter. But after we had such a good day together, I can’t quite understand why he’s so anxious to leave. Hot date? That thought hits like a brick, and dammit, it’s insane how much that sours my stomach.

  For God’s sake, get yourself together, Fallon.

  He turns when he hears me entering the kitchen, and he’s so handsome, his rock-solid presence so warm and comforting, it’s all I can do to breathe. My gaze rakes over his face and in the dark depths of his eyes I catch hints of pain, uncertainty.

  “I should go,” he says, his voice a harsh whisper.

  “Oh,” I say, not wanting think too hard on the disappointment taking up residency in my gut, or how much I really and truly missed him…need him. He inches back, and as the quiet of the house closes in on me, a sense of loneliness weaves its way through my body. For the last year it was just Chase, Mom and me and I got used to the quiet. But now, after spending just a short amount of time with Jamie, I hate the idea of being in this big old place alone. It comes right down to the fact that I like spending time with him. I always have.

  “Date?” I ask, not sure I want to hear the answer.

  “No,” he says quickly. “I just… It’s late.”

  Trying to make light of the dark mood hovering like a foreboding rain cloud, I tease and say, “Not too late for a barbecue. You’ve mentioned those steaks a few times since you bought them.” But as soon as the words leave my mouth, I berate myself for my selfishness. If he doesn’t want to be here, he should go. I shouldn’t be trying to entice him for my own needy reasons.

  I shake out the bathing suits, wanting to drape them over a chair outside. Jamie takes in a fast breath as his gaze travels down the length of my sundress to the skimpy suit in my hand. A suit I must have looked ridiculous in, judging by the way Jamie tore his gaze away as my plump breasts spilled from the too-tiny top. Talk about bulging in all the wrong places. Did I repulse him in it, like I did his brother?

  Dammit, Fallon, stop thinking about the negative things Ethan once said. The past is the past.

  “Are you sure you’re up to cooking?” he asks, once again avoiding my direct gaze. What the hell is going on with him?

  “Of course.” I step toward him and he stiffens. “Um, I just need to get by you to put these wet clothes outside.”

  His face relaxes, relief apparent in his eyes. “Oh, yeah, sure,” he says and steps to the side.

  Jeez, what did he think I was going to do? Jump him? If so, it’s easy to tell he’s pretty opposed to the idea. I open the door, and a blast of warm air hits me as I step out. My body brushes Jamie’s as I go, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think the quick intake of his breath had more to do with wanting me than not. I drape Chase’s small suit over a chair and my bikini top slips from my hands. I bend to snatch it up, but when a tortured sound reaches my ears, I slowly turn to find Jamie staring at me, his nostrils flaring, his gaze narrowing like he’s visually stripping me bare. He runs agitated hands through his too long hair and looks like a skittish animal about to flee.

  “Jamie?”

  “Yeah?” he grumbles.

  “Why…why are you looking at me like that?”

  He shakes his head, and steps outside, closing the distance between us with three long strides. “This suit,” he says, running the damp material of my bikini top through his thumb and index finger. My body comes alive as I watch him, imagining him touching me with such intense focus.

  “I know,” I say quickly. “I looked ridiculous in it.”<
br />
  He laughs, a deep hoarse sound that goes through me and zeroes in on the needy spot between my legs. “Oh, is that what you think?”

  “I noticed the way you looked at me in it earlier.” I lower my head, self-conscious. “Ethan told me I should have ditched it if I could no longer fit into it. It’s just that it’s pretty, and I can’t seem to bring myself to part with it…I guess I should have gone shopping.”

  His head rears back. “Wait, what the fuck did you just say to me?”

  Oh damn!

  “I’m sorry, Jamie,” I say quickly and mentally scold myself. “I don’t know why I said that about Ethan. He was your brother. I shouldn’t have…It’s just sometimes…”

  “Sometimes he made you feel bad about yourself,” he says, his voice a low rumbling growl that reverberates through me.

  It’s not a question, but I keep my head lowered and say, “Yeah, but none of that matters now.”

  He touches my chin, lifts it until our eyes meet. “It does matter, Fallon,” he says between gritted teeth. He gives a slow shake of his head, his dark eyes latched on mine. “It matters a hell of a lot.”

  “No, it’s in the past.”

  A moan that sounds like it was born of sexual frustration crawls out of his throat. “When I said you were perfect, I wasn’t lying.”

  I shake my head. “You don’t have to say things like that.”

  “You think I’m fucking lying?” he asks, his voice taking on a hard edge. Before I know what’s happening, he pulls me to him, and my stomach connects with his erection. His very big, erection.

  “Oh.” My heart picks up pace, my body reacting to the strong, aroused man before me.

  “Do you still think I’m lying, Fallon?” he asks, his voice infused with heat and need.

  Jamie is aroused, because of me?

  OMG, Jamie is aroused because of me!

  “Um, no.”

  “You’re beautiful, Fallon.” He touches my face, runs a calloused hand over my cheek. “If you weren’t my brother’s wife, I’d…I’d take you to my bed and show you just how sexy you are, in a bikini or out of it.”