by Toni Aleo
Lucky kid.
He turned on the iPad and went to play a game just as the doorbell rang. Lucas glanced up towards the door and saw the silhouette of someone. He got up and padded to the door in his bare feet. He didn’t know who would be there and hoped it wasn’t someone that was going to care that he was only wearing a pair of pajama pants. He reached for the door and pulled it open to the last person he thought he would ever see after the afternoon he just had.
Fallon stood with a nervous smile on her face, a picnic basket in her hand and a bottle in the other. Lucas brought his eyebrows together as he looked down at her wondering what the hell she was doing there. She was wearing a pair of bright pink sweat pants and an extremely large black shirt that hung off her shoulder with a tie at the side, making it tight around her middle and loose around the top. He met her eyes again as he crossed his arms across his chest, giving her the same look he gave his opponents on the ice.
Fallon shuffled nervously before shrugging her shoulders. “I made you dinner. Can I come in?”
Lucas didn’t know what she was up to, but he loved her food. He also wanted to know what she wanted, so he moved out of the way and she passed by him, her scent leaving a trail behind her. He always loved the flowery smell of her but that wasn’t the only thing he smelled. It must have been the food. She stopped in the foyer as Lucas shut the door and started for the kitchen. Neither one of them said anything as they made the short trip to the kitchen. Lucas went to the bar and closed his iPad up in its case as Fallon laid her basket on the kitchen table. He turned to watch as she started to unload the basket. She took out a light blue tablecloth, laying it on the table and making sure there weren’t any wrinkles before placing two candlesticks and two wine glasses down beside two pearly white plates. Fallon turned back to the basket, taking out container after container of food. Once she was done, she ran her hands down her thighs before turning to look at him.
“What’s all this?”
Fallon looked down at the ground before looking up at him. “A start to an apology?”
Lucas looked away and took a deep breath. “Maybe an apology isn’t enough.”
“That’s why I brought the food.”
A grin tugged at Lucas’ mouth as he looked over at her. “It’s your favorite. My apple-bacon pork chops with stuffin’, greens, and my sweet cornbread.”
She had him at apple-bacon pork chops.
Lucas started towards her and a smile came over her face as she realized that he was going to eat. Even if he was wanting to kill her, all she had to do was pull out those pork chops and he would eat before killing her — not that he would ever want to kill her though.
Hopefully.
She turned quickly to take off the tops of all the containers before she served them both. The air became thick with the smell of brown sugar and apples causing Lucas’ mouth to water. She reached for the bottle of what looked like wine and Lucas shook his head.
“I don’t drink, Fallon.”
“I know, it’s a bottle of our company’s cider. It’s really good, and I thought it would go great with the chops,” she said before pouring them both a glass. Lucas looked up at her, watching her profile. He could tell she really had put thought into what she had put together for them. It was sort of cute and romantic what she was doing.
She was trying.
Lucas also noticed that she had washed her face, all her makeup from earlier was gone. Her hair was in a messy bun and as his eyes raked her body, he couldn’t help but look at her ass. It was such a fine ass. She glanced over at him, a small sweet smile on her face before she sat down and picked up her fork.
“Sorry your dinner date isn’t all glossed up. I changed to cook dinner and then I didn’t want it to get cold, so I just ran out the house,” she rambled.
When she looked over at him, he said, “You look gorgeous, Fal.”
And he meant it. No matter what she wore, or didn’t for that matter, he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. It killed him how she could go from a power suit to sweats to a mini dress and each outfit could have his mouth watering. She was simply breathtaking.
Fallon looked away, shaking her head. “Don’t say that Lucas, I don’t deserve it.”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t, but it’s true.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Okay, so maybe your ass looks big in the pants,” he said with a grin.
Fallon gave him a cheeky smile as she looked over at him. “My ass always looks big.”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, and I love it.”
Fallon’s cheeks warmed as she looked down at her food. Lucas picked up his fork and dug into the food. It was spectacular. Lucas let out an appreciative moan before he started to eat fast. “You don’t have to scarf it down Lucas, there is a lot left.”
“It’s so good,” he moaned before eating more. He hadn’t eaten much since breakfast, he thought he wasn’t hungry but he guessed it was that he didn’t want to eat the nasty food he made. Then again, he could be full as hell and still have room for Fallon’s food. He was pitiful.
“Good, I’m glad you like it,” she said quietly before returning to her plate.
Lucas ate the pork chop to the bone before he reached for two more. Fallon watched him with a small grin on her face before she started to eat again. After eating like it was his last meal, he leaned back, holding his stomach as she continued to eat.
He watched her for a moment before asking, “How’s Aiden feeling?”
“Audrey said he was fine, but he isn’t talking to me right now so I wouldn’t know,” she said sadly.
Lucas cocked his head to the side. “Why isn’t he talking to you?”
Fallon laid her fork down, leaning her head on her hand. “He heard me yelling at you. He said I keep was keeping his father from him and that …” she stopped and took a deep breath before dropping her hands into her lap, “and that he hated me.”
Lucas took in a quick breath, shaking his head. “He didn’t mean it Fallon. I’ll talk to him. I did the same thing when I was his age, and my dad gave me one hell of a talk. So Aiden has one coming. I’m sorry he said that to you.”
When she looked back at him, her eyes were full of tears. She took in a deep breath before saying, “I’m so sorry Lucas, I wasn’t thinking and it just flew out of my mouth. You know I say things I don’t mean when I’m mad. I had no right to say those things to you. I was just so scared and I lashed out at you, and I really am sorry. I didn’t mean any of it, so please Lucas, don’t hate me too.”
Lucas crossed his arms across his chest again, maybe protecting his heart, he didn’t know. He knew that she meant it, he could see it on her face, but it still hurt. He looked down at his empty plate and expelled a long breath. “You hurt me, Fallon. More so this time than when you left Sunday morning.”
“I know Lucas, and I’m sorry. Sorry for that and this afternoon. I’m a mess and I only get like this when it comes to you. I’m pretty sure I need medication ‘cause I’m probably borderline bipolar.”
“You are not,” Lucas said with a shake of his head.
Fallon took in a deep breath before looking up at him again. “I’m so sorry, I really am.”
Lucas nodded his head before reaching for her hand and kissing her knuckles. It was crazy how those six small words could cancel the one that she had said earlier. Maybe he was a sucker, maybe he was stupid, but Fallon could probably get away with murder when he came to him. As long as she looked up at him with those big caramel eyes and blinked back the tears the way she was doing now, he would always forgive her. He loved her, through and through.
“I’m going to show you something.”
Fallon raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“How to forgive,” he said with a grin. “I accept your apology.”
The tears that welled up in her eyes spilled over and she flung herself into his arms, almost knocking his chair back. He took her willingly and wrapped his
arms around her tight as she cried into his neck. “I was so scared you were going to hate me.”
“I could never hate you, Fallon,” he whispered into her hair. “Never.”
She pulled back, her arms still around his neck as she looked down into his eyes. “I’ve been miserable these past couple days.”
“You have?”
She nodded. “I decided this afternoon that I wanted to try, that I was ready to forgive you and move on.”
Lucas smiled. “Really?”
“Really. I’ve missed you so much. I should have never left Sunday the way I did. I did nothing but hurt us both.”
“You are right on that one,” Lucas said with a nod. He then narrowed his eyes at her, “You are not saying all this just to get on my good side right? You mean all of this?”
Fallon nodded as tears continued to spill down her cheeks. “Yes, I swear. I planned on talking to you this afternoon when you dropped Aiden off. I’m tired of living in the past. I just want to try and see if it works. I’m not guaranteeing it will — we’ve changed a lot — but I want to try.”
All the feelings Lucas was feeling before Fallon came over disappeared as love filled his heart and warmed his soul. He had been waiting for this moment for seven years, and as much as he believed it would happen, it still seemed unreal. He brought her against his chest tightly and kissed her lips hard. Her arms tightened around his neck as his did around her middle before they deepened the kiss. It was as if they were kissing for the first time, each passing of the tongue, each small kiss, everything was new and perfect. When they parted he leaned his head against hers, kissing her nose. “I haven’t given up on us yet, Fallon and I never will. We are going to make it, and we will be happy.”
Fallon gave him a watery smile before she kissed the side of his mouth. “What if it’s all about sex? That’s the only time we seem to get along.”
Lucas laughed. “It can’t be. If it was only about sex, I would already have you naked. This is about us. This is about an intense, deep connection we have. I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you Fallon, and I haven’t stopped. I started to fall for you all over again Saturday night and even with how this afternoon went down, I still feel the same way. I am never going to hurt you. I will earn your trust again because I am only going to love you and our son for the rest of our lives.”
Lucas let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. Where the hell did that all come from? He couldn’t believe that he just bared his heart to her again but he had, and he felt great. He needed her to understand that she could trust him, that she could put all herself into their relationship because he wasn’t going anywhere. He was hers for life.
Fallon eyes were locked with his as her hands came up cupping his face. “You went serious on me. I was just kidding about the sex thing.”
“Things between us are serious Fallon. I’ve lost you once and now that I have you back, you should just accept that you aren’t going anywhere.”
Fallon smiled. “We said we are going to try. You are declaring love and saying I’m not going anywhere.”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “I’m a confident, cocky kinda guy, I know what I want and I will succeed.”
She ran her thumbs along his jaw over the rough hair. “It all scares me because I don’t want to hurt you,” she said quietly. “What if I can’t trust you?”
Lucas looked deep into her eyes, seeing the fear but also the love in her eyes. She might not have said she loved him, but she did. She just needed to realize it — she needed to trust her own heart. “You can. You just have to allow yourself, and maybe I need to reassure you.”
Fallon leaned against him, taking in a deep breath. “How are you going to do that?”
“By loving you.”
She smiled and he returned it. “You make it all seem so easy.”
“Because it is, you’ll see.”
She ran her hands along his shoulders as she took a deep breath in. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
Fallon nodded. “So we are doing this.”
“We are.”
Fallon looked around and then smiled. “What a day, huh?”
Lucas laughed. “It’s one to tell the grandkids.”
Fallon giggled as she got off his lap and reached for their plates. He smacked her ass playfully and she flashed him a dazzling smile before going to the sink to wash their dishes. As he watched her, the biggest, goofiest grin sat on his face. He loved her so much. For her to try, to actually take steps to forgive him and want to trust him, what more could he ask for? Everything he had wanted was coming together for him. He had the girl, the amazing kid, and he was on his way to the Cup.
Lucas was a happy guy.
Chapter 30
“You haven’t seen the house yet, have you?”
Fallon looked at Lucas over her shoulder from the dishes she was washing and shook her head. “I’ve seen parts, but I haven’t seen it all.”
Lucas smiled and stood up, stretching his fine muscular arms over his head. His muscles bunched and relaxed with each move he made and the naughty parts of Fallon screamed for him. She felt so much better since she had come to his house. Not only was the dinner a success but she was pretty sure Lucas said he loved her. Not outright but in so many words. Such a fulfilling, wonderful feeling overwhelmed her, and when she thought about it, it took her breath away. When she allowed herself to let go, she was ready for their future. All she hoped was that what Lucas said was true. She wanted nothing more than to trust him and be able to live as a family one day. She wasn’t planning their wedding or anything, but it was a fantastic feeling to think of the possibilities of where their relationship could go.
“Well come on,” he said with his hand outreached for hers. She smiled as she dried her hands on a dish towel. She was excited to see the house. It was huge. Fallon turned and took his hand as he smiled down at her. He brought her hand up to his lips and lightly kissed the back before tucking it in the nook between his chest and bicep. “The house is big.”
Fallon snickered. “I’ve noticed.”
Lucas grinned down at her as he took her down one of the halls off by the foyer, “It would be good for a family.” Fallon cut him a look, and he smiled. “Just saying.”
“Yeah,” she laughed. When she looked up at the wall they were facing, she was staring at a humongous picture of herself. “Good Lord, almighty!” Lucas chuckled as Fallon’s eyes almost bugged out of her head, “Why do you have this? Jeez, I was so young,” she gasped as she dropped his hand and took a step towards the picture. Her long hair ran down her back and only her profile could be seen. As she looked up at her beautiful young self, she wondered how many people had seen this, and if they knew it was her.
“It’s my favorite picture.”
Fallon looked back at Lucas. She remembered the day like it was yesterday. It was the second morning of their summer vacation. She could remember the sun heating her back, the way the breeze tickled her skin, and the way she knew that it was going to be one of the best summers of her life.
And it was.
She gave Lucas a shy smile before smiling. “That was a good day.”
“Oh hell yeah, it was. Damn good day.”
They both shared a long heated look as Fallon thought back to that day. They had made love all morning before going scuba diving that afternoon. It was a fantastic day, one that she thought of a lot. Lust filled Lucas’ eyes quickly and Fallon became hot from head to toe before she laughed, pushing him away. She turned and went back down the hall as Lucas’ laughter followed her, going up her spine. There was something about that low chuckle that made a girl want to get naked.
Lucas came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist before placing a kiss on her neck. They walked around the whole house like that, Lucas showing Fallon his favorite parts before showing her the ice rink. Fallon thought it was a little over the top, but that was Lucas. He was a ‘go big or go home’ kind of guy.
As they made their way up to look at Aiden’s room, she couldn’t help but think it felt so great walking through the house in Lucas’ arms. He would only let her go for a second to show her something, and then he would be right back to holding her close. It was as if they were falling right back into the routine of each other. It kind of scared Fallon, but she pushed her fears away, telling herself not to live in the past. Not when the future looked so good for them.
They were coming down the hall from his office when Fallon heard giggling.
“What’s that?”
Lucas nodded towards the door. “Levi and his girls.”
“Ewww. That’s disgusting. You need to make sure you tell them to go get checked for herpes once they leave.”
Lucas chuckled as he shook his head. “Leave him alone. He doesn’t have herpes.”
“So you think,” Fallon said.
“He doesn’t.”
Fallon rolled her eyes. “You need to kick him out of here; you’re too old to be having a roommate.”
Lucas’ low chuckles ran down her spine. “I’ll kick him out when I have new roommates to move in.” Fallon glanced up at him and he gave her a cheeky grin, “Preferably you and our son.”
“Lucas, we’ve been datin’ for what? Twenty minutes? Relax,” she said with a flutter of her hand. It killed her the way he was so ready to move forward. She bet if he had his way, he would have her barefoot and pregnant with a hundred little baby Brooks running around them. Lucas knew what he wanted, and when he had his mind set it was hard to derail him. He was also impatient, he wanted everything at once, and Fallon wasn’t sure she could give it to him. She was trying — she really was — but they needed to date again, learn the new things about each other before jumping into something that could possibly end just as quickly as it started.
“Whatever,” he said before biting her earlobe. Lucas then opened a door to what looked like his room. The first time she had been in his room, she didn’t get to take in the beauty of it, and boy, was it beautiful. He had a large window that overlooked the whole backyard; alongside it were pictures of him and his dad with shelves that held his most prized trophies. Along the other wall were all his hockey sticks and she smiled when she saw the one she had gotten him so long ago. She grinned back at him as she ran her fingers down the rubbery surface. “You scored a lot with this stick,” she stated.