“My father set the whole thing up. He bribed those police officers. They were just waiting for the opportunity to strike.”
“I know.” I nod. “Actually, believe it or not, it was Link who put two and two together.”
“I was afraid you would think that I left because of what happened.”
“Not gonna lie. At first, I did.”
“I knew my father was capable of many things, but I never thought he’d be capable of doing something like that. I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I wrap my fingers around hers, keeping the other hand on the steering wheel.
Even though I was pretty sure her father had something to do with everything that went down that night, hearing her confirm it lifts a heavy weight off my shoulders, making me feel like I can breathe again for the first time in days.
“My father had you thrown in jail.”
“You don’t have to remind me. I was there.” I chuckle, lifting her hand to kiss across her knuckles. “If anyone understands what it’s like to have a powerful, controlling father, it’s me. I would never hold your father’s actions against you. You have to know that.”
“Still, I’m really so sorry. And I’m sorry I left the way I did. He told me if I didn’t he would make sure you ended up in prison. Getting in that car, while impossible, was a lot easier than imagining you sitting behind bars for years. He found my Achilles’ heel and he sliced it right open. I tried to figure out how to reach you, but he had me on such close watch I felt like I couldn’t do anything without him knowing. And I couldn’t risk him following through with his threat. I knew there was a way out, I just wasn’t sure how to take it. That is, until tonight.”
“What happened tonight?”
“I gave my father a taste of his own medicine.” She smiles to herself. “The party tonight was a celebration my father was throwing for Tom Parkin, the man my father has endorsed for mayor this fall. Well, as it turns out Tom is Austin’s father.”
“Austin?” I arch a brow, the name forever etched into my brain after Fallon told me what he did to her. Certainly it’s not the same Austin...
“Yep, that Austin. He was there tonight. He threatened me. And you know what, I’m glad he did. Because had he not, I may not have done what I did.”
It takes every ounce of restraint I have not to whip the truck around and head back to that house and beat the shit out of that mother fucker. And as badly as I want to, I know that’s the last thing Fallon needs right now.
No, what she needs is to feel safe. Safe with me.
“What did you do?” I ask when she pauses.
“I told my father what happened. He, of course, refused to believe that Tom Parkin’s son would be capable of such a thing. And it’s not that he didn’t believe it. But admitting he believed it would look bad for business. So, he did what he’s always done. He pretended like it wasn’t a problem. It was there, in that moment, that I realized he was never going to love me the way I deserved. So, for the first time in my life, I stood up to him. I told him that if he didn’t let me go, that if he didn’t let us be, that I would go public. That I would tell the world what Austin did to me and that when I told my father he tried to cover it up. I basically promised to single handedly ruin his entire career.”
“And how did it feel?”
“Incredible.” She lets out a heavy breath. “Better than I could have ever imagined it would. Because now I’m not cowering and hiding from him. I don’t have to look over my shoulder. I don’t have to worry about when he’ll show up next or what stunt he might try to pull. I really think I got through to him, and I think deep down he knows how serious I am. I’m finally free.” I glance away from the road just in time to see the smile that touches her lips.
“So it’s just you and me now?”
“Well, and Link.” She giggles.
“And Link.” I grin, finding it damn near impossible to keep my focus on the road when all I want to do is look at her.
I’ve gone through so many emotions over the past few days. Anger. Disbelief. Sadness. More anger. I hadn’t felt so helpless since I was a teenager. Because no matter what I did, I’d lose.
I couldn’t go to her. Hell, I didn’t even know for sure if she wanted me to.
But I couldn’t stay away from her, either. It nearly fucking killed me to do so these last few days.
But once I saw her text message, once I knew the truth directly from her, there was no way I wasn’t going to get my girl. And now she’s here, next to me. And all is right with the fucking world again.
Chapter Twenty-five
Fallon
Titus’ kiss is fire. His touch is like taking a torch to my skin, heating me from the inside out. I didn’t realize how much I had missed him; how much I had missed this. It seems impossible that I was able to get through the last four days not knowing if I would feel this again.
His hand trails down the side of my neck. Goose bumps erupt across my flesh as his fingers find my hair, twisting around the length before giving it one swift jerk. His tug is just hard enough that my mouth falls open on a small yelp.
And then he’s there, swallowing up the sound, making me open up fully to him. I’ve never felt anything like the way Titus kisses. He leaves no part of my mouth untouched, no part of my body unfeeling. He winds me up so tightly. When he finally lets go, I’m going to spin out of control.
“You know," he pulls back and whispers against my mouth, “we may never get out of this bed again.”
“Eventually you are going to have to feed me,” I tease, wrapping my hands around the back of his head and pulling him back to my lips.
He groans, tightening the grip he has on my hair.
“Fuck food.” He grins against my mouth.
After a few seconds, Titus pulls away, pushing my hair away from my face as he stares down at me. Seconds turn to what feels like minutes, and yet all he does is stare. I shrink a bit under his gaze, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
“What?” I finally ask.
“I’m just taking it all in,” he says, tracing my cheek, along my jaw, and then back up to my forehead. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamt of this over the last few days. And even in my dreams you were never this damn beautiful.”
Words fail me, but thankfully I end up not needing them because his mouth comes back down over mine.
My heart beats like a cannon firing inside my chest. My body trembles under his touch. He strips me bare. He breathes me in. His eyes roam over my body like he’s memorizing every piece of me. He kisses my stomach, my collarbone, and the spot behind my ear that always makes me shiver.
And when he finally buries himself deep inside of me, I swear I see stars. Nothing in this entire world will ever feel more perfect.
I don’t know what to do with myself. My hands are everywhere—his back, across his ass, nails digging into his shoulders as he moves against me. I can’t get enough yet it’s all too much at the same time.
Then I’m falling, falling like I never have before, giving myself wholly to someone in a way I never thought I could.
I’ve never known passion like this. Love like this. Want and need like this. And when he finally stills inside of me, I want to lock my arms and legs around him and never let him go.
“Fuck, Fallon,” he pants, his chest heaving against mine. “I’m never going to tire of this.” He pushes up on his elbows to look down at me, a slow grin tipping up his lips.
“Me either.” I smile, pushing his hair away from his face to admire how incredible he looks hovering over me—face red, lips slightly swollen, and completely and utterly satisfied.
“I love you. I hope you know that.” His omission steals my breath. “I love you in a way I never thought I’d love another person. You once said I saved you, but in truth, Fallon, it’s you who saved me.”
Tears prick the backs of my eyes, only this time they’re happy tears. God, I’m so happy I feel like I might b
urst apart at any moment and confetti will go flying everywhere.
“I love you too,” I whisper. “So much.”
He kisses the side of my mouth, the tip of my nose, and each eyelid before landing directly on my lips. He lingers there for a long moment and then pulls back.
“I hope you know I was serious about never getting out of this bed again.”
“I think never might be a bit of a stretch.” I giggle.
“I could always handcuff your ass to the bed.”
I lean up and kiss his jaw before whispering, “I think I might actually like that.”
He groans in my ear, my words seeming to be his undoing.
And just like that, we slip back into the abyss, neither of us in any rush to rejoin the real world anytime soon.
——
“Holy fuck, they’re alive.” Link looks up from his bowl of cereal as Titus and I enter the room.
Titus throws his best friend the middle finger, dropping a kiss to my temple before heading toward the fridge. I slide into the stool next to Link, bumping my shoulder against his.
“Glad to have you home, puppet.” He grins at me.
“Glad to be home.”
“Everything good?” he asks.
When we arrived here last night, we caught Link up to speed on everything that had transpired, but we didn’t linger much beyond that. He, of course, had already put it together that my father was the one responsible for my sudden departure but Titus wasn’t so sure. I think Titus is used to people letting him down, so his gut reaction was to believe that I had walked away.
I know what the last few days were like for me, and I can only imagine what they must have been like for him. Not knowing the full truth and second guessing everything.
“Everything is perfect.” My smile takes over my whole face.
“How are you?”
“Me?” he grunts, watching Titus set a glass of orange juice in front of me before flipping his gaze back to me. “I’m good. Ready to get things back to normal.”
“Normal. What does that even look like?”
“You know, I’m not really sure.” He chuckles.
“Babe, you hungry?” Titus draws my attention to where he’s standing across the counter from me.
“Famished,” I admit.
His eyes dance with amusement because he knows he’s the reason I’m so damn hungry. After last night, where neither of us got much sleep, I definitely worked up an appetite.
“I can make you something,” Link offers.
“No need,” Titus interjects. “I got it.” He turns, pulling open the pantry.
“You got it?” Link eyes him curiously. “You know, Fallon, this mother fucker didn’t even know where the real plates were before you moved in.”
“That’s not true,” Titus argues. “I just pretended not to know where they were so I wouldn’t have to wash them.” He throws me a wink.
“I swear, I don’t even recognize this dude anymore. What have you done to my best friend?” He jabs at me playfully. “You know what, don’t answer that.”
We all laugh in unison.
As much as I missed Titus, I missed this just as much. The three of us spending a lazy morning together in the kitchen, poking fun at one another, laughing. This feels like family to me. This is home. I know that now more than ever.
“So what’s your plan for the day?” Titus asks Link, emptying some oatmeal into two separate bowls. My stomach instantly growls.
“Not sure.” He shrugs, his eyes following Titus when he turns and retrieves the milk from the refrigerator before pouring some over the oats. “What about you two?”
“I guess that’s up to Fallon.” Titus’ gaze swings to me.
“Me?” I question.
“Yeah, you.” He grins. “Anything specific you want to do today?”
“Hmm...” I think on that for a moment. “I can’t think of anything in particular. Is there something you’re wanting to do?”
“I did have one thing in mind, though it’s a bit of a drive,” he says, not elaborating.
“I’m up for a drive.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Well, okay then. But only if you’re sure.”
Link makes a sound that sounds an awful lot like a whip.
“Fuck you, man.” Titus gives Link a playfully irritated look.
“Just saying...” He holds his hands up in front of himself.
“God I missed you two,” I announce, happiness welling in my chest. And I did. I missed all of this.
“We missed you more.” Link nudges me with his elbow. “Besides, this fucker was unbearable without you, so thank fuck you got your father squared away, ‘cause I was thinking I was going to have to find a new place to live.” He winks at me.
Titus shakes his head, turning to stick one of the bowls of oatmeal into the microwave.
“I wish you would do that anyway,” he mutters under his breath, still loud enough that Link can hear him.
“Hey! I heard that!” He leans back in his stool, his hand flattened against his chest. “You wound me, T. You wound me.”
“Ignore him.” I giggle. “He’d be lost with you and he knows it.”
“Did you hear that? Your girl says you’d be lost without me,” Link gloats.
“Don’t let it go to your head.” Titus turns, shaking his head.
I smile, feeling like I haven’t been able to stop since the moment we got here last night. Everything about this feels right. More than right. It feels perfect.
I knew from the moment that I met Titus Driscoll that he was going to change my life. I just didn’t realize how much or how quickly it would all happen.
He’s given me so much more than he will ever know. Not just a home, but a family. And the strength to finally stand on my own two feet. I like to think I’ve had even a fraction of the impact on his life that he’s had on mine. Without him, there’s no telling where I’d be.
——
“Where are we going exactly?” I ask, my head turning back as we pass a highway sign that says Atlanta, fifteen miles.
We’ve been driving for nearly three hours, yet he still won’t tell me where he’s taking me.
“You’ll see.” Titus grins at me from the driver’s seat.
“You do that a lot, you know.”
“Do what?” He plays like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.
“You’ll see,” I mock in my best Titus impersonation which I completely bomb.
Titus drops his head back, laughter rumbling through his chest.
It’s so crazy to think that just yesterday I was at the mall with Christy, feeling like my life was over. And now here I am, the man I love at my side, the open road in front of us. It’s like a dream...one that I never want to wake up from.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going... again?” I pout.
“It isn’t that much further. Patience, babe. Patience.” He throws me a quick glance before his gaze goes back to the road.
“You suck.” I slouch in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest dramatically.
“If memory serves, you suck, and quite well I might add.” He leans away when I playfully swat at him. “Babe!” He laughs again. “That was a compliment.”
“You better be taking me somewhere good to eat at you’ll see, because I’m starving.”
“I think that can be arranged.”
I lean forward, turning the radio up a few notches before settling back into my seat. I hum along to the words, tapping my hand on the door as the wind blows through my hair.
It’s a beautiful day. Hot, but beautiful. The sun gleaming overhead and not a single cloud in the sky.
Twenty minutes later, we find ourselves walking the streets of downtown Atlanta. I’ve never been here before and the size of the city is a little overwhelming, if I’m being honest.
For not being here for nearly a decade, Titus seems to know exac
tly where he’s going. He weaves us in and out of the various people cluttering the sidewalks before finally veering to the right, tugging me inside a shop moments later.
“Titus.” I gasp, realizing instantly that this isn’t just any shop, but a gorgeous gallery. There’s art everywhere. Sculptures displayed on stands, paintings on the walls. It’s incredible.
“I thought maybe you’d like to see the gallery where Ellen had you featured.”
“Seriously. My painting was hanging here?” I say in disbelief.
A part of me is still convinced that Ellen bought the painting and paid the gallery to send me a check. Because really, who spends more than twenty bucks on a no name artist?
“Pretty incredible, isn’t it?” He smiles down at me. “Come on, let’s look around.”
“Okay.” I nod excitedly, following him through the main room and into a secondary room nearly twice the size of the first.
“Hi there.” I jump when a woman dressed in a dark pant suit and heels, her auburn hair twisted up in a professional bun, appears seemingly out of nowhere.
“Hello.” Titus is the first to respond.
“What brings you two in today? Is there something specific you’re looking for or are you just browsing?”
“We’re just look...” I start to say, but Titus cuts me off.
“Can you show us what new pieces you have?”
“Of course. You can follow me.” She gestures to the far-right wall. “We just put this new piece on display yesterday. I have to say, I’m in love with this artist’s work.” She stops, but it isn’t until Titus steps out of my line of sight that I’m able to see what painting she’s referring to.
“What the...”
It’s my painting. Mine. The red heart that I was supposed to send Ellen before everything happened. How did it get here?
It’s unmistakable. And when my eyes slide to the corner where Fallon is scribbled onto the canvas, it’s confirmed. Fallon. Just Fallon. It felt right to me. Like the name of a real artist.
This is my painting...
“Incredible, isn’t it?” The lady misreads my reaction. “She’s from the states but spends a lot of time painting in places like Italy and Paris.”
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