by Toni Aleo
Yeah.
Fallon’s longing for nothing else while they were in Green Hills lasted until they came up to Kate Spade’s beautiful store. Fallon was in so much awe of the beauty in the window that Lucas laughed and dragged her inside.
They left with 19 bags.
“Lucas this is crazy! Please take it all back! I feel horrible.”
Lucas laughed, shuffling the bags he had in his hand. “I would think by now you would know that I love spending money on people I love. So get used to it cupcake, and come on. I wanted to go to that store Audrey liked. I need you to pick her out something she would love so that I can coax her into telling me about the dude I am going to kill.”
Love filled Fallon from the top of her head to the tip of her toes as she watched Lucas’ profile as they walked. “And you say I’m amazing.”
“I do, and I know I am. So basically, we are pretty much two amazing people, with an amazing kid.”
Fallon couldn’t agree more.
Lucas felt completely optimistic as he drove from Fallon’s work to Aiden’s school. Being able to spend the afternoon with Fallon was perfect, but getting an invite to dinner made his day. He couldn’t get enough of his two favorite people and he knew that the night ahead was going to be the start of many amazing nights. Things were looking as if they were going to go the way he wanted them to, which was straight to the altar and Fallon having another baby.
He couldn’t wait.
As Lucas turned onto Broadway heading towards Aiden’s school, his phone rang.
When he saw it was Levi, he answered. “Hey.”
“That was some kind of shopping spree you just went on.”
Fuck.
“Yeah, so?”
“So I think you need to be cautious of the money you are spending Luc. You have to pay your baby momma a good chunk of change every month, and you can’t be blowing money the way you used to.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “For one, Fallon is her name. For two, I make over seven million a year just from the Assassins, and then I have endorsement deals with Nike and Jockey. Why in the world do I need to watch my spending when I take my girlfriend to the mall?”
“So you were shopping for Fallon? Why waste that kind of money on her when she has recently received a huge check from you and is also getting a monthly payday?”
Lucas let out a frustrated breath. “I am going to pretend that you did not say that, and I am also calling Jessie tomorrow and asking her what my funds are looking like.”
Lucas hung up the phone and threw it on the seat. Levi frustrated him to the core and he wasn’t going to be told who and what he could spend his money on. He had saved a lot when he was in rehab and if he wanted to spend it on Fallon, Audrey and Aiden, he fucking would! No one was going to tell him different!
Lucas pulled in behind a Mercedes and let out another frustrated breath. This was what he worked for; he skated hard and worked hard at what he did to provide for the people that meant the world to him. How dare Levi try to tell him what he could and couldn’t spend his money on?
Fuck him.
Lucas was fuming, but when his eyes fell on Aiden’s bright happy face running towards his truck, all thoughts of Levi and money were gone and the happiness of seeing his son replaced them all. Lucas opened the door and met Aiden half way, hugging him tightly.
“Hey buddy,” he said as Aiden grinned up at him.
“Hey Dad! Ms. Lemar needs to talk to you,” Aiden said as a cute little blonde came towards them. She was young and the first thing Lucas thought was that she would be perfect for the new kid, Tate, on the team. Lucas was starting to like the kid a lot and figured that he might bring him with him to pick Aiden up one day.
As soon as he learned some English.
“Hi, are you Aiden’s dad?” she asked sweetly.
“I am,” Lucas said holding out his hand. “Lucas Brooks.”
“Hi, Melanie Lemar, Aiden’s teacher. It’s wonderful to finally meet you. Aiden talks about you all the time,” she said and Lucas smiled down at Aiden.
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“The reason why I needed to see you was that I need a signature on this form for Aiden. I think Ms. Parker forgot to send it back in,” Ms. Lemar said, handing him a bright green sheet. Lucas’ stomach sank as he tried to focus on the words. Not only was the color messing with his eyes, the words were freaking tiny! He glanced up at Ms. Lemar with a charming smile.
“I’m sorry, I forgot my glasses. What is this?”
“Oh! I’m sorry! It’s for our field trip next week to the Adventure Science Center! If you would like to volunteer you can sign here,” she said, showing him. Lucas smiled widely at her and signed his name, quickly also marking the spot for volunteering. It sounded like a great idea; he would even get Fallon to come, or maybe Audrey.
“Thanks so much, Mr. Brooks. Again, it was nice to meet you!”
“You too, Ms. Lemar, I’ll see you next week. Come on bud,” Lucas said with a wave. Aiden walked ahead of Lucas, jumping into the backseat before Lucas shut the door. Lucas got into the driver side and drove off towards Fallon’s house. Usually Aiden was talking nonstop but he wasn’t today so Lucas looked up in the mirror at Aiden and asked, “Hey, you okay?”
Aiden looked up at him, his eyebrows drawn in together. “Dad, you don’t wear glasses.”
Lucas cleared his throat nervously. “Um, well.”
“You told Ms. Lemar you do, and I have never seen you with them. I even checked your bathroom for contacts, you don’t have those either.”
Lucas nodded, his stomach turning as Aiden continued, “You never read to me, and you always ask me to read stuff.”
Lucas was looking out the windshield as his heart jackhammered against his chest at the thought of telling Aiden about his dyslexia. Would he laugh at him? Would he think he was stupid? Aiden was smarter than any regular kid and very perceptive. Lucas should have known that it wouldn’t take long for Aiden to catch on to Lucas’ disorder. Lucas was scared and like he knew Aiden would, Aiden asked, “Dad, can you read?”
Lucas cleared his throat again because his mouth was extremely dry all of a sudden. He slowly shook his head, swallowing loudly before saying, “Nope bud, I can’t.”
Aiden looked worry when Lucas glanced back at him. “Why not? Did Grandma not teach you?”
Lucas licked his dry lips. “She tried, but I have a disorder called dyslexia. It takes me a minute to read things because all the words jumble up and switch around.”
Aiden was quiet for a moment before asking, “Can I help you? Or can Mommy?! She taught me to read, she is the best.”
Lucas smiled as he nodded. “She is, but it’s hard, and I have to work really hard to learn.”
Aiden blinked twice before looking down at his cast. Lucas didn’t know what to say, so nothing else was said during the ride to Fallon’s house and that surprised him. He expected a lot of questions from Aiden and for him not to ask, he wondered if he was scared or something. When they arrived, Lucas parked the truck beside Audrey’s car and got out, opening the door for Aiden, but he didn’t move. Aiden looked over at Lucas with a look of worry before saying, “You shouldn’t give up Dad. Even if it’s hard, you can do it. You can do anything — that’s what you always say to me.”
Lucas got choked up looking into his son’s eyes as he repeated the words that his father used to say to him and now he said to his son. Aiden was completely right and Lucas really needed to listen to his father’s advice.
Lucas unbuckled Aiden’s seat belt and took him in his arms, hugging him tightly.
“I love you, Aiden.”
“I love you too, Dad,” Aiden muffled since Lucas was holding him so tight. Lucas laughed as he put Aiden down, patting him on the head before shutting the door. “So you’ll try?”
“I’ll try.”
Aiden grinned before he ran ahead to where Audrey stood in the doorway with a grin on her face.
“Well hell
o there, guys!”
Aiden smiled big before wrapping his arms around Audrey’s waist, “Hey AA! Can I have a cupcake?”
Audrey giggled, “Sure, come on. You coming in, Lucas?”
Lucas nodded, “Yeah, I need to grab some bags and I’ll be in a minute.”
Audrey sent him a smile but it didn’t reach her eyes before she turned and went inside with Aiden. Lucas hoped the things he bought Audrey would get her to talk. He hated that Fallon was worried and so was he. It wasn’t good for any of them, especially Audrey. He didn’t know who was hurting Audrey but it wouldn’t go on for much longer. He loved her too much to let anyone hurt her.
As Lucas made his way to the truck, he thought about what Aiden said and all of a sudden, he was crying. The tears came hot and fast, and Lucas basically choked on the sob that tried to leave his body. Lucas braced himself against the truck and took in shuttering breaths. Not only was Aiden compassionate and understanding, he wanted to help Lucas. Just like Fallon had wanted to.
For once Lucas wasn’t embarrassed or nervous about his condition. The two people that mattered cared enough about him not to care about his disorder. Finally, Lucas felt like he could be himself and not have to try to be someone he wasn’t. He was a regular, good-looking guy. He couldn’t read but he played good, no great, hockey. He had a little bit of a temper and he was a recovering addict. He was in love with a woman that had him fighting tooth and nail to get past the wall she had put up, but it was okay because he loved her and he had the most amazing son in the world with her.
That was who he was, and luckily, he was blessed with people that loved all of him.
Lucas quickly moved his hand over his cheeks, taking deep breaths. He couldn’t go inside until he calmed down, so he took a couple more calming breaths before opening the trunk and getting all the bags out from his shopping trip with Fallon. After making two trips, he finally had everything inside and a smile on his face. Watching Fallon in the Kate Spade store was like watching her have an orgasm. It was hot, and that sexy half-lidded look came over her face every time she saw something she had to have. When that look came across Fallon’s face, Lucas bought whatever caused it to happen. He didn’t care how much it cost or how much she yelled and complained because no matter what, afterwards she would smile.
And he loved to make her smile.
Lucas was laying bags on the couch when Audrey came into the living with a curious grin on her face. “Ooh, whatcha get me?”
Lucas smiled up at her. “Actually, a lot. Fallon picked out most of it, and there is a bathing suit in there she got for herself.”
Audrey looked over at the three Betsy Johnson bags before looking back at Lucas. “I was joking.”
“Oh, well I’m not. Check it out, let me know if you like it,” he said. She eyed him suspiciously before reaching for the bags. The first thing she pulled out was Fallon’s new sexy bathing suit. She laughed and looked over at him. “Fallon’s?”
He gave her a goofy smile. The bathing suit was hot, but it was even hotter on Fallon. “Yeah, we are going to California next week.”
“She makes me sick with her perfect little body,” Audrey giggled as she threw the bathing suit off to the side before looking through the bag. When she pulled each item out, her eyes would go wide before she little out a little shriek. When she had everything laid out, she looked over at Lucas with a winning smile. “You know you’re my favorite, right?”
Lucas laughed. “So I take you love it?”
“Oh yes! I do!” she gushed before wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
“Anytime.”
Audrey giggled as she started picking everything back up and placing it back in the bags. When she was done, she sent Lucas one more grin before heading for the stairs, but he wasn’t going to let her get far. “Who is he, Audrey?”
Lucas could have been more subtle about it, but…okay, maybe he couldn’t.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “What?”
“Who has been hurting you? You might as well tell me.”
Audrey shook her head, her eyes wide as she turned to look at him. “No way. Everything is fine. I broke down and I’m good now. Don’t worry about it.”
“Tell me,” Lucas said, standing his ground.
“No,” Audrey said quietly, “and if these things are your way of getting information from me, take ‘em back.”
Lucas watched as she threw them down on the couch before crossing her arms. Lucas narrowed his eyes. “I bought those things for you because you are the sister I never had. With that being said, tell me who is hurting you because I’m going to kill him. You don’t deserve that Audrey — you are the coolest chick I know.”
Audrey nodded. “I love him.”
“I don’t care,” Lucas said with no sympathy at all. “You don’t deserve this abuse.”
“Neither do you, but am I telling you to leave Fallon? No. You and I both know she has not handled your situation right since the beginning. So before you go telling me that I deserve better, look at your situation.”
Lucas was taken aback by her anger. He knew she was lashing out because in a way, Lucas was attacking her about the situation, so Lucas swallowed his own anger and said, “Wow, Audrey. So you are saying that Fallon isn’t good enough for me? Or that Fallon abuses me? Because last time I checked, she didn’t hurt me during sex.”
Audrey’s cheeks warmed as she looked away. “She is mean and hateful.”
“Because she is scared. I hurt her. For the past seven years we both thought I cheated on her, so yeah, she has every right not to be very nice to me, but that is beside the point. We are working it out, and you need to get your head out of your ass before you turn into one of those women who starts making excuses for his abuse. Get it together, Audrey.”
Audrey glared as her chest rose and fell with every passing second. “Stay out of it.”
“No,” he said simply.
“You’re an ass.”
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been called worse.”
“Why do you care?!” she screamed, throwing her hands in the air.
“Because I love you, Audrey and I refuse to let you worry your sister and me.”
Audrey eyes filled with tears as she looked down at the ground. “Just let it be.”
“No way.”
Audrey shook her head before turning and running up the stairs. When he heard the door slam shut, he shrugged his shoulders. Audrey could lash out at him all she wanted, he didn’t care. He would find out who was hurting her and when he did, Lucas hoped the guy was ready to meet his maker.
********************************
Fallon was on a roll.
After her shopping day with Lucas, she had gone back to the office and her creative juices were flowing. Ever since the day on the beach with Lucas when he told her about his alcoholism, Fallon hadn’t felt right about the whole campaign. Something had to change; she couldn’t have him drinking wine in thousands of picture when he was a recovering alcoholic. It just didn’t seem right. Not many people knew of Lucas’ condition, but Fallon knew and she didn’t like the thought of him being pictured with an alcoholic beverage in his hand. She was proud of what Lucas had overcome, and she wasn’t about to portray him as some playboy partier when he wasn’t. Before she had no problem because she thought he was all those things, but not anymore. He was a good, one-woman man and it still blew her mind how everything had changed so quickly, but she was thankful it had. She didn’t know what she would have done if she would have continued to think Lucas was a piece of shit.
She probably would have never fallen in love with him again.
Fallon had been working on the new campaign all week but nothing was clicking. That was until Lucas kissed her goodbye when he dropped her off at the office. His teeth grazed her bottom lip before he softly bit down. It was the most erotic thing in the world, and Fallon couldn’t get enough, but then he said, “Mmm…cher
ry slushy. It tastes better from your lips.”
It tastes better from your lips.
Rocky Top Wine tastes sensational, but it’s better from her lips.
Fallon couldn’t believe how perfect it was! It not only pulled in the male audience but it was going to pull in the female one, too! It was also better than their first slogan, and this one was going to work out way better with keeping the alcohol away from Lucas. Fallon had done all the prep work. Called up the artist to draw the sketches, and even called to fire most of the models for the campaign, since it would center on Lucas and one girl. Fallon felt on top of the world. Her only worry was her father, but since he was gone on a business trip until the day of the shoot, she felt confident that she was able to do this — no one to hold her back.
Fallon had a full smile on her face when Rob opened the door. When she glanced up, she smiled at his slick black business suit and newly cut hair. He apparently had a date with a lawyer and for once he wanted to look like a man. Man, did he succeed. When he wasn’t all glammed up, Rob was an exceptional looking man. His eyes were bright without the makeup and his body looked toned and sexy under the suit. He was a dreamboat!
“Lookin’ good, Mr. Slater,” she gushed.
Rob blushed as he grinned at her. “Aw, shucks, thanks!” Fallon giggled before he shook his head. “Crap, sorry, I got distracted, Mrs. Justice is on line two.”
“Oh!” Fallon yelled before picking up her phone, “Hello, Fallon Parker speaking?”
“Hey Fallon, its Grace Justice.”
“Grace! So nice to hear from you, how is everything?”
Fallon loved Grace. She was the most amazing party planner in Nashville and also Shea Adler’s twin sister. Since signing a contract with the Assassins to plan all their parties, Planning Your Moment went from great to awesome overnight. Grace promised perfection, and man did she deliver. Fallon was also very excited to work with Grace from the other end. She was always the supplier but now she was the host and she loved playing host. Fallon wanted to present the entire campaign in picture form to the board and the Assassins together. Fallon thought that there was no better way to do that than to have a huge party. It was not only going to celebrate the campaign but also the Assassins making the playoffs.