“Did we?” I advance on her, wanting to crush her to me, but I wait. She stomps past me into her bedroom, pulling her things out of her bag.
“I never said I was staying with you forever,” she adds, and it’s like a blow to the heart.
“Are you saying this was just a convenient, fun time for you?” I ask, my voice deceptively calm. “Am I the schmuck here, Fal?”
“No.”
“Because I’ve been over here, falling in love with you for weeks now, and you don’t seem to have an issue with just jumping ship the second something else comes along.”
“You…wait. What?”
“How does that surprise you?” I ask, dumbfounded. “I don’t invite people to shack up with me at my house. I don’t confide in them, let them submerge themselves in my life the way you have as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. I introduced you to my family. This doesn’t happen for me, Fallon. Not until I met you.”
“Noah,” she whispers, watching me carefully. She’s gone pale, and the shirt she’s holding falls to the floor. I hurry to her and scoop her up into my arms, relieved when she wraps herself around me, holding on tightly. “I thought I was in your way.”
“Bullshit.”
“I assumed.”
“Don’t do that,” I reply and lay her on the bed, covering her with my body. Her head is cradled in my arms, and my pelvis is nestled between her legs. “You talk to me about everything else, and you didn’t even consider that we should talk about this, too?”
“No,” she admits. “No, because I’m independent, and I thought having my own space was the right thing.”
I nudge her shorts down her legs and my pants over my hips, and when I’m free, I tip my forehead against hers.
“I don’t have a motherfucking condom.”
She smiles softly. “It’s okay.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods, and I don’t argue. I slide home, buried to the hilt, and have to bite my lip to keep myself in check.
“Never done this before,” I mutter.
“I disagree, we’ve done this plenty.”
“Not like this,” I reply and, still without moving, lay my lips next to her ear. “You’re mine, Fallon. Do you understand?”
“Oh, yeah.” She contracts around me. “I understand.”
“I’m not going to last long like this.” I ease out and back in, glorying in the feeling of her without the rubber separating us. “Damn it.”
She wraps her legs and arms around me, holding on tightly. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Her sweet words undo me, and I let go, crying out as the orgasm moves through me.
She’s still holding me as I recover, brushing her fingers through my hair.
“You’re not moving in here,” I inform her. “Jesus, this place is falling apart.”
“It’s a leaky faucet,” she says with a grin. “It’s hardly falling apart.”
I slip out of her, and once we’re cleaned up, I start tossing her things back into her bag.
“Noah, I told Jenna that I’d be moving in here,” she says, her hands on her hips. “I can’t just leave on the first day.”
Without a word, and with my eyes pinned to hers, I take my phone out of my pocket and dial Jenna’s number. I put the cell on speaker.
“Hey, Noah.”
“Hi, Jen. Hey, I’m just letting you know that Fallon doesn’t need your place after all.”
“Oh, I figured you’d just be there for the night,” she says with a laugh. “It was pretty obvious you came to take her back to your house. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. I can still pay you for the month if you like.”
“Hey, this is my responsibility—” Fallon begins, but Jenna interrupts.
“Nope, we’re good. Thanks, guys, and have a good night.”
“Thanks.”
I end the call and pull Fallon to me, kissing her silly. “You belong with me, sweetheart. Not across town, or even down the street. With me.”
“Thank you,” she whispers. “About what you said earlier.”
I watch the nerves settle into her green eyes and try to soothe her by running my hand down her back.
“It’s okay,” I reply. “You don’t have to say it back if you’re not there yet. I know it’s fast, but I can’t help how I feel. And I won’t apologize for it.”
“I don’t want you to apologize for it,” she says. “I just…I just need some time.”
“I’ve got all the time in the world.”
I watch as she finishes putting a few things into her bag, and follow her to the kitchen where she retrieves her kettle.
“Are you ready to go home?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah. Let’s go home.”
* * * *
“So she’s going to live there indefinitely,” Max says two days later. We’re having lunch at Ed’s Diner, enjoying burgers and shakes and catching up on everything that’s been happening. “I mean, I like her. She was sweet at the BBQ, and Willa enjoys her classes.”
“But?”
“It’s fast.”
I cock a brow. “Dude. You asked Willa on a date and proposed like four minutes later.”
“I’ve known her my whole life,” he says but shakes his head. “You know what? You’re right. Who am I to talk? I’m happy for you, and I do like her. She lights up when she looks at you.”
“Yeah?”
“You haven’t noticed?”
“I thought maybe it was wishful thinking.”
He laughs. “No, I see it, too.”
“How’s Willa? And Alex?”
Alex is Willa’s nine-year-old son. Max legally adopted him when he married Willa. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place at the wedding.
“They’re great,” he says. “We’re breaking ground on the new house this month. I’m hoping to move in next year.”
“Gray mentioned that you hired him.”
“Of course, I did,” he says. “Gray’s the best.”
“Did the other lake house sell?”
“Not yet. I’ve been holding onto it because Alex likes the movie theater.”
“We do have a movie theater in town, you know.”
He laughs and shrugs. “Yeah, well, it’s not the same.” He checks his watch. “I have a conference call in a half hour.”
“I have to go back to work, too,” I reply and pay our tab, then follow him outside. “Since you still have the old place, we should have a pool night soon.”
“Absolutely,” he says with a nod. “And we can do a lake day with everyone. Boats and swimming. The works.”
“Sounds fun. See you.”
I climb into my truck and drive toward the house, my head already at work. I need to look in on the owlet that’s been so sick. I don’t know what’s going on with it. We’ve tried everything. Part of me wonders if its failure to thrive is because it lost its mother.
I’ve seen it in bonded pairs. It just tears out your heart.
I drive down my lane, but rather than driving past the farmhouse to the sanctuary, I stop cold, surprised to see a strange woman sitting on my porch.
I park and hop out.
“Can I help you?”
“Oh, you must be Noah,” she says with a smile. “I’m Lacey. I just came to see Fallon.”
“Are you a friend of hers?”
“No,” she says, uncertainty on her face. An uneasy feeling settles in my belly. “I’m her mom. I thought I’d surprise her.”
I feel my eyebrows climb in shock. “This will definitely surprise her.”
She swallows hard. “I know I should have called first, but she would have told me not to come, and well, I just thought it would be nice to see her.”
“Well, she isn’t here right now. But she should be here soon. Would you like something to drink?”
“Water would be nice.”
“Why don’t you have a seat on the porch, and I’ll get you some.”
It doesn�
��t feel right inviting her into Fallon’s home without Fal knowing that she’s here. I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing her mother.
Something tells me she isn’t going to be thrilled.
I hurry inside and grab a couple of bottles out of the fridge, and when I return to the porch, Lacey is sitting in a chair, nervously wringing her hands.
I see the resemblance now. Fallon is petite like her mom and has the same dark features. But Lacey’s eyes are brown.
“Thanks,” she says when I pass her the bottle. “So, are you her husband?”
How sad is it that a mother doesn’t know if her daughter is married or not?
“I’m her boyfriend,” I reply. I hear Fallon’s Jeep driving up the road. “I think that’s her.”
“Great,” Lacey says, but the nervousness is still there as she stands.
I watch as Fallon parks and hops out of the Jeep. When she approaches and looks up to see us, she scowls.
“Lacey?” she asks. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprise,” Lacey says, tossing her hands into the air. “I saw on Instagram that you’re in Montana now, and I thought I could use a vacation.”
Fallon rolls her eyes, but then she narrows them at me. “Wait. Did you invite her here?”
“Hey, this has nothing to do with me.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “In fact, I have a sick owl to see to, so I’ll leave you to it.”
I walk down the steps and offer Fallon the other bottle of water. I lean in and press my lips to her ear.
“If you need me, I’m right across the pasture. I can be back in twenty seconds.”
She smiles up at me.
“I’ll be okay. But thanks.”
“I won’t be long.” I nod at Lacey. “Ma’am.”
And with that, I leave, wondering what the conversation will be when I’m gone. I’m anxious to get back, just in case Fallon does need me.
Chapter Eleven
~Fallon~
I shouldn’t have accused Noah of inviting Lacey here. He wouldn’t betray my trust like that. I guess it was a knee-jerk reaction, seeing my mother after talking about her with Noah just a few days ago.
I don’t like coincidences.
“Hello,” I say and climb the porch, then sit next to her. She smiles, the lines around her tired eyes deep.
“Hi,” she says and licks her lips. “I know this is a surprise.”
“You could say that,” I reply with a nod. “What brings you to Cunningham Falls?”
She frowns. “Well, you do, of course.”
I tip my head to the side, truly confused. “Me?”
“It occurred to me the other day that I haven’t seen you since your grandma’s funeral,” she says, smoothing her hands down her thighs. It suddenly makes sense. “So I looked you up on social media and found your yoga business. Fallon McCarthy isn’t a super common name.”
“No,” I say while nodding slowly. “It’s not common. Where have you been living?”
“San Diego,” she replies. “For about a year or so, I guess. I met a nice man there. But, it was time to move on. You know how that is.”
I know exactly how it is, and it suddenly hits me that I’m more like the woman who birthed me than I thought.
“What are you going to do while you’re in town?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Well, I was hoping to spend all my time with you.”
I sigh. “Lacey, I have a business to run. I can’t really take time off to be with you all day. But there’s a lot to do around here. I’m sure you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. Where are you staying?”
She frowns. She expected to stay with me.
“I know of a vacation rental that just came open,” I say before she asks if she can stay here. It may be heartless of me, but I don’t want her to stay with me. “My friend owns it.”
“Oh, that would work,” Lacey says with a nod. “I’ll get her number from you.”
“Sure.” I break the seal on the water Noah gave me and take a long drink. “How did you find me out here?”
“It’s a small town, and like I said, you have an unusual name. I asked around and—”
“And it’s not a secret where I am,” I finish for her. “I haven’t changed my phone number.”
“I lost it,” she admits. “I changed phones a couple years ago and lost all the contacts in it.”
“Well, I’ll give it to you again.”
I feel so disconnected from her. She’s a complete stranger to me. I’m not mad. I’m a little annoyed that she didn’t call first, but I’m not angry. I don’t feel much when it comes to her, and I wonder if that should make me sad.
“You know, if you don’t want me here, I can just go.”
She stands in a huff, and I stand with her but put my hand on her arm, stopping her.
“I’m surprised, that’s all,” I say, softening the tone of my voice. “And I had a long day. Why don’t we make some dinner, and I’ll call Jenna to see if she’s rented out her rental?”
Lacey smiles, and it’s like looking into a mirror twenty-years from now. “That would be nice. I can help cook.”
“Okay.” I lead her inside, and she smiles as she checks out Noah’s house.
“You have a beautiful home,” she begins, and part of me wonders if she’s going to try to hit me up for money. She never has before, but I know she used to ask Grandma for money when she turned up.
I hope—desperately hope—that’s not what this is.
“It’s actually Noah’s house,” I reply as I set my stuff aside and lead her into the kitchen. “I moved in a couple weeks ago when the house I was renting flooded.”
“What does Noah do for a living?” I glance over at her, and she holds up her hands in surrender. “I’m honestly just trying to make conversation, that’s all.”
“He owns the Spread Your Wings wild bird sanctuary,” I reply. “He’s a zoologist.”
“Cool. I can’t say I’ve ever met a zoologist before.”
“Me either.” I survey the fridge. “Looks like chicken Caesar salads for dinner.”
“Perfect for summer,” Lacey says with a smile. “I’ll chop while you cook the chicken.”
I’m shocked that the next half hour goes as smoothly as it does. We don’t talk much, but it’s not awkward, either.
Just when I’m about to pull the chicken off the grill, Noah walks in.
“We’re having chicken Caesars for dinner,” I inform him before he pulls me in for a hug. Damn, it feels good. I needed this.
“Sounds great,” he says. “I’ll go wash up.”
“He’s so handsome,” Lacey says when Noah leaves the room. “You snagged a hottie, Fallon.”
“He’s more than a hottie,” I say with a smile. “But, yes, he’s easy on the eyes.”
We set the table and sit to eat.
“How long are you in town for, Lacey?” Noah asks when he returns.
“Well, Fallon called her friend Jenna while we were cooking, and it sounds like the rental is available for three nights, so I’ll be here until Friday.”
“Nice,” he says with a nod. “Summers are great in this area.”
“I’m sure I’ll find things to occupy my time,” she agrees and looks over at me. “Maybe I can even talk my daughter into having lunch with me.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” I mumble and take my plate to the sink. Lacey and Noah help me clean up, but it’s quick. Finally, Lacey loops her handbag over her shoulder and walks to the door.
“I told Jenna I’d meet her in about thirty minutes, so I’d better go.” She watches me with sad eyes and finally reaches out to hug me. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
I watch as she climbs into her car and drives away. When she’s no longer in sight, I let out a long, slow breath.
“Jesus,” I whisper.
“Are you okay?”
I look at Noah, who’s standing behind me, his hands in h
is pockets. “Honestly? I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting that.”
I tell him how she found me on social media, and feel my frustration grow.
“She may have lost my number, but she could have sent me a message on Instagram. Anything to give me a heads-up.”
“Why do you think she’s here?”
“She says she just wanted to see me. That’s probably true. Like I told you, she usually grows a conscience about every five to six years and looks in on me. I guess this is that. She didn’t ask me for money.”
“Has she done that in the past?” he asks with a scowl.
“No, but she used to ask Grandma for it,” I reply and sit on the couch. Noah sits next to me and pulls my feet up onto his lap. He slips off my shoes and rubs my arches. “You’re good with your hands.”
“Did she get money from your grandmother?”
“I don’t really know,” I admit. “I remember them arguing because Lacey would ask for it, but Grandma couldn’t afford much. So, probably not. I think she was angry that Grandma left her things to me, but Lacey didn’t even find out Grandma had died until a good week after it happened. We had to wait to have the funeral until we could find her. She wasn’t daughter of the year.
“I inherited a small savings account, Grandma’s apartment, and her personal belongings. And let me tell you, even when I sold the apartment, it wasn’t a ton of money. But it was mine, and I know Grandma would want me to have it.”
“Then what she wanted is what happened,” Noah says. “Seems pretty simple to me.”
“Me, too.” I watch as he digs his thumb into my instep, and I sigh. “Should I feel guilty for not wanting her here? I know she wanted to stay here, and I immediately called Jenna. I know if it was your parents, you’d take them in in a heartbeat.”
“My relationship with my parents is very different from yours,” he reminds me. “She’s basically a stranger to you, and if you can’t say you trust her implicitly, then no, she shouldn’t stay in your home.”
“It’s really your home.”
He narrows his eyes on me. “Were you not part of the conversation the other night when we established that you live here, too?”
“I was,” I say with a smile. “Point taken. And while I don’t have a reason to not trust her, I don’t know her well enough to say that I do.”
Soaring with Fallon Page 11
