by Toni Aleo
“You like hurting girls,” Lucas sneered. He leaned in close almost touching Levi’s nose with his own. “Let’s see how you like the pain.”
Audrey took a hold of Lucas’ bicep and pulled as she cried, “Please Lucas, quit. Please. It’s fine.”
Lucas looked over at her and shook his head. “No, he isn’t going to hurt you anymore.”
“What the fuck have you told him, you bitch?!” Levi yelled. Lucas slowly looked back over at Levi and watched as Levi’s eyes went wide. Lucas then pulled back and slammed his fist into the space right beside Levi’s head. Audrey screamed out as Levi flinched and closed his eyes. Lucas couldn’t believe he was looking at the same person he had thought was his brother for years. He had loved Levi and when he heard or saw the way he treated girls, he didn’t care. He never knew that Levi was physical with them; he only thought he was an asshole. Finding out that he had physically hurt someone that Lucas personally loved was incomprehensible. Did he even know the person he had been living with for so many years?
Levi opened his eyes and Lucas saw fear along with some anger swirling in his blue eyes. Lucas took in a deep breath, trying to control his breathing and anger, while Audrey stood behind him, screaming and crying to let Levi go.
Lucas cleared his throat and said, “Are you seriously talking to her like that? Are you crazy? That’s Fallon’s sister, not only that, but she is basically my sister. Are you fucking crazy? How dare you?”
“I didn’t do anything to her,” Levi sneered, trying to get away.
Lucas shook his head. “I know that you hurt her and that you’ve said fucked up things to her. Let me hear that you do it again, Levi, and I swear I’ll fucking kill you.”
Levi shook his head. “I didn’t do anything.”
Lucas dropped his hand from Levi’s throat and took a step back. Levi’s hand came around his throat as he glared over at Audrey. Lucas hoped he wasn’t crazy enough to do anything to Audrey in front of him, but he wasn’t going to put it past him. He moved in front of Audrey, breaking their eye contact, and when Levi looked up at Lucas, he glared.
“I can’t believe you are picking some girl over me,” he spat out.
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t believe I’ve lived with someone I really didn’t even know.”
Levi let out an empty laugh. “You used to be the same way.”
Lucas shook his head. “I never hurt a girl in my life.”
Levi moved away from him. “No, you got lucky that Fallon likes it rough. I guess I went after the wrong sister.”
Audrey took in a sharp breath behind him and Lucas shook his head. “I suggest you get the fuck away from me before I put my fist through your head.”
“Whatever dude,” Levi said before leaving the room. When he was gone, Lucas turned to see Audrey looking in the direction that Levi had left in.
“Really Audrey? Levi?”
Audrey glared up at Lucas. “I told you to stay out of it!”
“And I told you I wasn’t going too! Are you crazy? I know Fallon has told you what kind of guy Levi is! What are you doing?”
“I love him!” she screamed before a sob ripped from her body. She fell forward, placing her hands on her thighs for support as tears rushed down her face. Lucas shook his head, running his hands through his hair and resting them at the back of his head as his eyes fell shut. What was he supposed to do? He knew that Levi was a douche and he would never love Audrey, he couldn’t. It wasn’t in his genetic makeup to love anyone but himself. That was who he was.
Lucas opened his eyes, taking a step towards Audrey before wrapping her up in his arms. She didn’t come willing but after a moment of seeing that Lucas wasn’t going to let her go, she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into the middle of his chest.
“Why doesn’t he love me, Lucas? Why?” she cried.
Lucas moved his hand along her back, hoping that it was soothing her because he had no answer to that. He didn’t even know what to say or what to do. When she looked up at him with the same wide eyes as her sister, Lucas found that he couldn’t breathe past the lump in his throat. He shrugged his shoulder, moving a piece of hair out of Audrey’s eyes before saying, “Because he isn’t your person, Audrey.”
“How do you know? I love him so much, maybe he just needs time,” she suggested but Lucas had already started to shake his head.
“No, AA, listen to me. You deserve better, stop this. Please.”
“I can’t,” she cried.
Lucas wanted to smack some sense into her. Didn’t she understand that Levi was using her? How do you tell someone that without breaking them? But Lucas knew that even if he did, she wouldn’t believe him. She was just as stubborn as her sister, if not worse. Lucas knew that if a man ever placed a hand on Fallon, she would kill them in a New York minute, so why was Audrey waiting it out? What for?
“Audrey, he is using you.”
“No,” she said shaking her head. “He loves me, he is just scared or something. I have to try because if I don’t, I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life.”
Lucas’ heart broke. How could someone so beautiful think that?
“Audrey, there are other men out there…”
“That don’t want me. I’ve tried and I always find these assholes. So yeah, sue me for trying to change him, sue me for believing that he’ll change for me. That he does love me.”
Lucas shook his head again. “Audrey, I’ve known him most my life. He isn’t going to change. I promise you, he isn’t. I’ll help find you find a good man. I’m on a team with 26 single guys! There has to be one of that team!”
Audrey shook her head. “I want him.”
Lucas’ shoulders fell in defeat. He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to change her mind, so why waste the breath? She backed away from him and moved a hand through her hair as she looked everywhere but at him. Lucas took in a deep breath and was still dumbfounded that Levi was the one that hurt Audrey. He was still angry and wanted to hurt Levi, but what would it do? Audrey was so engrossed in him and convinced she could change him that it would do no good. She needed to realize the error in her ways. Lucas couldn’t do it for her, neither could Fallon.
Oh fuck. Fallon was going to kill Levi.
“Fallon is going to kill him,” Lucas said quietly, “and you know it.”
Audrey looked up at him with her eyes full of tears. “You can’t tell her. Oh God, please Lucas, promise me you won’t.”
Lucas shook his head. “No way. If you don’t tell her then I am. I can’t walk around with this on my conscience! She’ll kill me for knowing and not telling her.”
Tears spilled over Audrey’s cheeks as she took a step towards him. “Please Lucas, I’m begging you. I’ll tell her. I promise. I just have to wait for the right time. Me and Levi are still working things out. This was the first time in weeks that he called me a bitch. We are making progress, I promise.”
Lucas shook his head. “Audrey you have to tell her. I can’t keep something like that from her.”
Audrey nodded her head, running her hand along her cheeks before saying, “I promise I will, soon.”
Lucas couldn’t believe he was about to agree to keep this from Fallon. Maybe it was the desperation in Audrey’s eyes. Her eyes were so sad, and so full of hope that Lucas didn’t think he could tell her no. Or maybe it was the fact that Lucas hoped and prayed that, for Levi’s sake, he did change because it was obvious Audrey loved him. She wasn’t a stupid girl, so she had to see something in him. But if Lucas heard or saw Levi even looking at Audrey wrong again, Levi would answer to him.
Audrey deserved better and Lucas didn’t believe for a second that it was hard for her to find a man. She was perfect in his eyes and if she gave him the chance, he could find her someone with no problem. She was every man’s dream, just like her sister. Lucas loved Audrey, and he would do anything for her, but even with his love for her it was still hard to agree with her request. Lucas took in a deep breath and shook his
head in disbelief before looking up at Audrey. “You have a week.”
**********************************
Fallon noticed that Lucas was being uncommonly quiet as they all rode out to the airfield. She had tried several times to start a conversation with him, but he wasn’t really paying attention. Fallon thought maybe he was nervous about the upcoming playoffs but that wasn’t like him. Lucas was never nervous and she knew something wasn’t right.
Fallon moved her hand into his and when he glanced over at her, she smiled. “I’m gonna miss you.”
The side of Lucas’ mouth pulled up as he squeezed her hand. “I’m going to miss you more, baby girl.”
“Daddy, I’ll miss you!” Aiden declared from the back.
Fallon watched as Lucas’ smile grew before he said, “I’ll miss you more, bud.”
Lucas then brought Fallon’s hand to his lips and kissed softly. He placed their hands in his lap and took a deep breath in as he turned onto the street that brought them to the airfield. He parked and let go of her hand to get out. Worry filled Fallon as she got out and went to meet him at the back of the truck. Was it nerves that made him quiet or had she done something? She thought back to the last couple days and everything had been perfect. They were back to their old ways, and even though it scared Fallon, she was okay. Great even. She had missed the love they used to share and having another chance at it was a blessing.
Aiden stood beside Lucas with his arms wrapped around his legs while Lucas grabbed his bags. Fallon took one of his bags and smiled when he looked up at her. He smiled back, chucking her on her chin before picking up Aiden and wrapping his other arm around Fallon. The bag Lucas carried kept hitting Fallon in the side but she didn’t care. She had a dreadful feeling in her chest and she didn’t know why. She didn’t understand what was going on and it killed her not to know.
A crew member met them half way and took Lucas’ bags before walking briskly back to the plane. Lucas wrapped Aiden up in his arms and kissed him loudly on his cheek.
“So what are you going to do while I’m gone?” Lucas asked.
Aiden smiled. “Do my homework, practice hockey, clean my room and watch the Assassins win.”
Lucas nodded, a wide smile on his face. “Exactly, and take care of Mom, okay?”
“Okay, make sure you practice reading on the plane Dad. I packed your workbooks in your bag.”
Fallon’s heart swelled at the look Lucas and Aiden shared before Lucas pulled Aiden close, kissing his temple. “I love you, bud,” he whispered.
“I love you too, Dad,” Aiden choked out. When he pulled back and Fallon saw the tears rolling down his cheeks, she had to fight back her own. Aiden had become used to having Lucas around — so had Fallon — and she knew it was going to be hard on both of them for the next couple of days. Lucas had reassured her that they only had another two months and then it would be the three of them for the summer, no interruptions.
Fallon couldn’t wait but what if he was second-guessing them? He had been acting so weird since coming over to the house to get her. What if he didn’t want it to be the three of them anymore? Why did she always doubt his love? Why couldn’t she trust him? She needed help.
Lucas placed Aiden down and looked over at Fallon. “Hey, make sure you call that real estate agent for me, please. Odder has been staying in the team condo and it’s driving him crazy, or at least I think it is. I can’t understand half of what comes out of his mouth,” he said with a laugh.
Fallon smiled as she nodded. When Lucas had come to pick them up, he noticed that her neighbor was moving out and asked Fallon to find out the details. She loved Tate and would love for him to live beside them. “I will. I’ll call tomorrow during work.”
“Awesome. I’ll call you tomorrow, make sure you answer my call,” he said with a wink. She giggled as he pulled her to him. His hands moved along her hips to the middle of her back, where he pulled her in closer, kissing her nose. Fallon closed her eyes as her arms locked around his neck, pressing her breasts against his strong chest. When his lips met hers, all of Fallon’s worries left as quickly as they had come. He gave her long, drugging kisses, his hands tangling in her hair as his lips moved with hers. There was no way he was second-guessing anything when he kissed her like that. She knew he still wanted her, and boy, did she want him.
She had to trust him. Had to trust their love.
When they parted, he kissed her nose with his eyes still shut. “I love you baby girl. I’ll call when I land.”
Fallon’s legs went weak at the sound of those five words. She had craved them when she and Lucas were younger and loved the feeling she would get when he said it. It brought such joy to her heart to know that it still affected her the same way. Fallon was so close to saying them back, but this wasn’t the moment. She wanted to tell him when it was just the two of them. Not when they were in an airfield with Aiden at their feet. So Fallon nodded, tightening her arms around his neck so they were closer before saying, “Please do. I have a feeling I’ll start missing you once you walk away.”
He smiled against her lips before kissing her one last time. “Okay, baby.”
He parted from her, giving her one more smile before leaning down to kiss Aiden. When he stood up, he cupped Fallon’s face once last time, and then turned for the plane. Fallon was proud that she hadn’t cried in front of him but when his back turned and he started for the plane, she let the tears rush down her cheeks. She would never get used to this, never. It was like watching a piece of her walk away and it honestly broke her heart. She couldn’t understand how she went so many years without him because now that she had him, she was never letting go.
Never.
Fallon sat at her desk the next morning on the phone with the condo listing agent. The condo was decently priced and Fallon didn’t think that Tate would have any problem affording it. It was good for a young guy, and she knew that he would love it when he saw it. After hanging up the phone, she started checking her e-mails. A lot had happened over the weekend for Rocky Top, and Fallon was excited to get started. There were thousands of new orders and Fallon was happy to see that almost all her ad requests had been filled.
It was a great start to her day.
Fallon opened an e-mail and typed in Elli’s address. Since she had gotten the go-ahead from her father, she was ready to start work on getting the cellar opened but first she needed Elli’s approval. After typing out a long detailed email, she attached the reports and floor plans. Once done, she leaned back and eyed the e-mail. Was she really ready for this? It was going to be a lot of work and if it failed, she would not only have to deal with the disappointment from her father, but also from herself. This was her dream, and with one click it would be sent off to become a reality. Fallon had no doubt that Elli would approve it — it was a great plan — but still the fear weighed heavy on her heart.
The morning went on and Fallon still hadn’t pushed send. She was in the middle of filling out ‘Thank you’ cards when a knock came at the door and Audrey came in. Fallon smiled as she laid down her pen. “Hey you!”
“Hey,” Audrey said with a grin. As she walked towards the chairs in front of Fallon’s desk, Fallon couldn’t help but notice that Audrey looked amazing. She had on a pair of gray skinny jeans with a white, flowing ruffle shirt. Over the shirt was a grey blazer and around her neck was a turquoise colored scarf, but that wasn’t the best part of her outfit. It was the shoes. Lord, they were amazing turquoise-colored peep toe heels, and around the heels there was a grey ribbon that tied into a bow at the back. She looked too hot to trot and Fallon was beyond jealous. She should have picked that outfit out for herself!
“So, how’s work?” Audrey asked, crossing her legs and smiling up at Fallon.
Fallon giggled as she nodded. “Fine, sending out thank you notes, when I really should be hitting send on this e-mail.”
Audrey cocked an eyebrow at her. “Huh?”
“Dad gave me the go on the cellar projec
t,” Fallon announced. It felt amazing to say it out loud and when Audrey’s face lit up, Fallon had to stop herself from letting out a girly scream.
“That’s awesome!’
“Right!? Eek!” Fallon screamed. She couldn’t help herself and Audrey joined in, bouncing in her seat. “But, I can’t seem to send it to Elli. What if she rejects the idea?”
“She won’t!” Audrey gushed. She got up and came around the desk. Fallon thought she was coming to hug her or give her a pep talk, but she leaned across Fallon and hit send. Fallon gasped before looking up at Audrey in disbelief. “You’ll thank me later.”
“Audrey Jane! How dare you!”
Audrey giggled. “Again, you’ll thank me later when we are standing in the middle of Parker’s Wine Cellar.”
Fallon rolled her eyes. “You know it would be Rocky Top Wines.”
“Eww, no make it Parker’s, or Fallon’s. You’re putting the capital down, so shouldn’t it be yours?”
Fallon shrugged her shoulders just as her phone beeped. “A very sexy Lucas Brooks is on line one,” Rob gushed.
Fallon’s face lit up as she reached for the phone. She picked it up and just as she was about to push line one, Audrey stood up. “I’m gonna go, I’ll talk to you later.”
Fallon smiled, laying the phone down and standing up. She went around the desk and hugged Audrey tightly. “I love you AA, thanks babe.”
Audrey laid her head on Fallon’s shoulder, and held her tight. When they parted Audrey looked at her with a sad look on her face. She leaned up and kissed Fallon’s cheek before leaving the room without even saying bye. Fallon shrugged her shoulders and decided she would question Audrey later. She missed Lucas, and he was waiting for her. Fallon ran back to her desk and picked up the phone, hitting line one.
“Fallon Parker,” she said with a grin on her face.
“Mmm, I do love the sound of your name.”
Fallon giggled. “Hey you.”
“Hey baby girl, how you doing?”
“Good, you ready to play tonight?” she asked.
She picked up her pen, and started doodling little hearts around the date on her calendar as he said, “Yup, ready to kick some ass. Are you going to watch?”