The Fall Up

by Aly Martinez

  “I have to go. I’m going to be late.” I scrunched my hair one last time in the mirror before heading to the door.

  “You’re being ridiculous!” he called after me.

  “See you in two hours. I’ll bring back dinner,” I replied as if he hadn’t spoken.

  “No sushi!”

  “Then no dinner!”

  I smiled when I heard him curse.

  When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I found Devon waiting for me with a wide smile.

  “You look beautiful,” he said warmly.

  “Thanks.”

  “You know he’s just going to ask me to get him something besides sushi, right?” Devon said, fishing his phone from his pocket. He turned it to face me and lifted his fingers in the air to count down from three. No sooner had he tucked the last digit away than a text appeared on his phone.

  Henry: Can you bring me back something to eat that doesn’t taste like it washed up on a radioactive beach?

  I burst out laughing. “What does that even mean?” I asked as he shoved the phone back in his pocket, ignoring the text completely.

  “I’ve learned not to ask with Henry,” he replied, using a hand at the small of my back to usher me out the door.

  “Levee!” Morgan squealed when I walked into her hospital room.

  “Hey there, pretty girl. How have you been?” I replied as my heart wrenched in my chest.

  Little wires still dangled off her body, but her nasal cannula was gone and her color seemed somewhat better.

  Her mother stood from a chair tucked away in the corner and extended her hand for a shake. I hugged her instead.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I was thinking about Miss Morgan tonight.” I squeezed her blanket-covered foot. “So I decided to come up here and see how things were going before I head out of town for a while.”

  “Wow. That’s so sweet of you. We weren’t expecting to see you again. I’m glad you came though. Morgan’s been wanting to say thank you for all of the Henry Alexander stuff you left at the nurses’ station.”

  “Aww. That was no problem. Henry was happy to do it. I promise I’ll drag him up here one day. He’s not big on hospitals, something about the nurses not letting him eat all the red Jell-O,” I teased.

  Morgan rewarded me with a giggle. “I made Henry a thank-you card. Could you…maybe…give it to him for me?” she asked nervously.

  “Of course! He’ll love it.”

  I laughed as she all but clapped in celebration.

  “Mom! Get the card!”

  “On it!” Her mom, whose name my frazzled brain couldn’t remember, smiled as she moved to the other side of the bed. “Where’d you put it, sweetheart?”

  “I put it between two books on my shelf to keep the glitter from falling out.”

  “Ohhhhh, Henry loves glitter,” I exaggerated with wide eyes.

  That time, she actually did clap.

  Her mother laughed as she walked to the other side of the room. My eyes found her destination even before she did.

  A familiar hollowed-out guitar filled with books leaned against the wall.

  “Where… How…” I gasped as my heart pounded in my chest. “Is that a guitar bookshelf?” I asked as if it were an oasis in the desert that only I could see.

  “Yep,” Morgan chirped from her bed behind me.

  I stood frozen in the middle of the room, but for the way my chest ached, I might as well have been transported back to the top of the bridge.

  “Oh God,” I breathed.

  “Pretty cool, huh. My uncle Sam made it for me,” Morgan prattled on, oblivious to my impending emotional breakdown.

  “Levee,” her mother called, forcing me to drag my attention away from the guitar. “Everything okay?”

  “Did…um…Sam Rivers happen to make that?”

  “Yeah. Jeez. That little punk must be doing better than I thought for you to recognize one of his pieces.”

  “Actually…I know him. He showed me a picture of that bookcase on his phone once.” I cleared my throat to keep the quiver out of my voice.

  “You know Uncle Sam?”

  “Seriously?”

  They gasped in unison.

  I laughed to tamp down the tears I feared I wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer. Turning back to face Morgan, I pasted on a smile. “We’re… We used to be friends.”

  “Cool!” Morgan exclaimed.

  When my gaze shifted to her mother, her face was soft in understanding. “So…” I paused sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I’m about to sound really rude, but I don’t remember your name.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. It’s Meg.”

  “Sorry. I’m really forgetful sometimes.”

  “No need to apologize.” She leaned in and whispered, “I’d way rather you remember Morgan’s anyway.”

  “So, Meg, is Sam your brother?”

  “Oh, God, no. He’s my little brother Ryan’s best friend. I guess we kinda grew up together. I’ve known that kid since he was a pimple-faced geek.”

  I couldn’t imagine Sam ever looking anything but gorgeous, and disbelief must have read on my face.

  “I’m serious,” she insisted. “Before all of that ink, he was a dork. He sure grew up well though.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  I laughed again, and my cheeks blushed. “Yeah, he definitely did.”

  “He’s always been a good guy though.”

  He really is.

  I swallowed hard and glanced down at my heels.

  “Small world. You’ll have to tell him I said hi.”

  And that I miss him.

  And want to see him.

  And hold him.

  And be with him.

  “Sure,” she drawled suspiciously.

  I had to stop obsessing about him. Time to move on.

  Squaring my shoulders, I walked back over and sat in the chair next to the bed. “So, Morgan, show me this card for Henry.”

  For twenty minutes, Morgan talked my ear off. She definitely wasn’t shy anymore. I wasn’t even sure she took a breath. I only had an hour before Devon was going to drag me out of there—doctor’s orders. I kept waiting for Meg to chime in and give me an opportunity to move on to some of the other patients, but she just smiled and snapped pictures.

  “Maybe, when my hair grows back, it will be curly and we can be like twins!”

  “Maybe it will. But straight hair is pretty too. How about this? Send me a picture whenever it grows back, and I’ll send you a curling iron if need be. We can still be twins.”

  “Okay!” Morgan excitedly agreed as someone knocked on the door.

  “Come in!” Meg shouted.

  “Well, I better get going. That’s probably the nurse here to kick me out.” I leaned down to hug Morgan when a deep, panty-drenching voice filled the air.

  “Who’s stalking who now, Designer Shoes?”

  I closed my eyes, praying that he wasn’t there and equally hoping that my ears weren’t deceiving me. When I spun to the door, my chest seized as I found Sam standing with his hands in his pockets and a one-sided grin pulling at his sexy lips.

  I couldn’t help myself. The moment a text from Meg popped up on my phone with a picture of Levee and Morgan, my feet rushed from my house before my mind even had a chance to catch up. Her message scrolled through my head during my entire drive to the hospital.

  Meg: Dumbass, I’m not sure how you know Levee Williams, but get your ass up here. She almost burst into tears when she saw the guitar.

  By the time I came to my senses, remembering why I had stayed away in the first place, I was staring into her devastating, brown eyes from across the hospital room.

  Fuck my senses.

  Going to her was the right move—a fact I knew so deeply that I couldn’t believe I’d managed to stay away as long as I had. The hospital was neutral territory. It didn’t feel like I was forcing myself on her by showing up at her security gate, pleading for a piece of the ce
lebrity. I just needed to apologize and see how she was doing. I’d be okay if nothing ever happened between us again, but I’d regret it if I never got a chance to apologize.

  Then I’ll let her go.

  I had to. Self-preservation was a real bitch like that.

  Our gazes locked as we both silently apologized. Words weren’t even necessary. I could see it in her eyes, and I prayed that she could see it in mine.

  I tried to remind myself that I was only torturing myself, that I’d never be able to fully relax with a woman like her. And, God, did I need a chance to relax after the last few years.

  But, then again, she wasn’t Anne.

  She was Levee.

  More than that, I wanted her to be mine.

  As if she could read my thoughts, her chin quivered and tears sprang to her eyes. I tossed her a tight grin that said nothing but somehow also said it all.

  Her red lips split in a breathtaking smile that instantly quelled the anxiety I’d been living with for the last week.

  Jesus Christ. What is wrong with me?

  She was standing right in front of me, and my body ached to hold her.

  To feel her.

  To help her.

  To allow her to heal…me.

  Fuck it. I couldn’t let that go.

  Not because of a garbage truck full of what-ifs. I’d told Levee once that I wasn’t perfect and I didn’t want her to be, either, but then, at the first sign of trouble, I’d hit the road to spare myself. I’d known from the first moment I laid eyes on her what I was getting into. I might not have known she was some super celebrity, but I’d known she was damaged. We’d met on the top of a bridge for God’s sake, yet there I stood as if I were surprised she had issues. I’d known it then, and I’d known it when I’d decided to take her to bed. But, worst of all, I’d known it when feelings above lust or worry had begun to spiral out of control. I hadn’t been sure what those feelings were, but I had known they were there.

  And I knew I wanted them to stay.

  I was a man, and it was time to start acting like it. I could survive the tumultuous wake Levee Williams would surely leave behind. But what I couldn’t survive was letting her walk away without even trying. In the span of five seconds, I’d thrown all of my apprehensions out the window and come to the decision that I desperately wanted something with her. I just needed to figure out a way to make her come to that decision too.

  “C’mere,” I whispered, hoping she’d at least give me that.

  A sob bubbled in her throat, but she rushed in my direction, not stopping until she collided into me.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she told my chest, and relief flooded my veins.

  Well, that was easier than I expected.

  I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head.

  “Don’t laugh at me,” she sniffled, squeezing me tighter.

  Of course, that only made me laugh harder. Her head tipped back, and a scowl covered her gorgeous, tear-stained face.

  Tucking stray curls behind her ears, I smiled down at her. “I’ve missed the view.”

  Her gaze jumped away. “I’m not allowed to go to the bridge anymore.”

  Using her chin, I tipped her head back. “Good,” I breathed, kissing her forehead.

  “You haven’t been going up there either?”

  “I’ve been there every night, but that’s not the view I’ve been missing.”

  Her cheeks pinked, and her eyes smiled.

  Her mouth didn’t.

  Because it was suddenly on mine.

  Her tongue invaded my mouth as mango overwhelmed my senses. Levee. My whole body slacked as I slid a hand down to her ass.

  “Uhhh…” Meg’s voice stole my attention and reminded me that we weren’t alone the way I so fiercely wanted to be.

  Levee giggled and tucked her face into my neck.

  “Hey!” I greeted Meg awkwardly.

  “Nice to see you too, Sam.” She rolled her eyes then flashed them to Levee’s back in a silent question.

  I shrugged. “Well, it’s good to know your loud-mouth brother at least takes attorney-client privilege seriously.”

  “Shut. Up,” she whispered. “Ryan knew about this and didn’t tell me!” Her face morphed from humor to anger.

  “Yep.” I rubbed it in just to be sure Ryan thoroughly got his ass handed to him later.

  “Mom,” Morgan choked.

  We all looked down at her, including Levee, who spun in my arms. Morgan’s face was pale as tears welled in her bright-blue eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Meg asked, settling on the bed next to her.

  “Does this mean that Levee is going to be my aunt?” A trail of tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “Well…” Meg stalled then leveled me with an annoyed frown. “Sam? Levee? You got an answer here?”

  Levee blew out a sigh of relief. “Maybe.”

  Panic followed by a tinge of elation filled my chest as I swung an incredulous glare in her direction.

  She shrugged then went back to talking to Morgan. “But maybe not. You mind if I step outside with Sam and talk about that?”

  Morgan jumped to her knees and folded her hands in a prayer. “Oh, please say yes, Levee. Please. If you’re my aunt, you get to come to dinner at Nana’s every Sunday. And Christmas. Oh my God! Christmas is so fun. Sam always shows up smelling like smoke, but I promise I’ll put a toothbrush in his stocking in case you want to kiss him some more.”

  Levee bit her lips to stifle a laugh.

  “Uncle Sam, did you bring a ring? You need a ring if you’re going to marry her.”

  I threw my hands up in defense and slowly backed toward the door. “I have no idea what you are talking about right now.”

  Meg doubled over in laughter as Morgan’s expression turned murderous. “Girls need a ring! Come on, Sam. My friends would die if Levee was my aunt. Don’t mess this up for me.”

  Levee barked a laugh. “Yeah, Sam. Don’t mess this up for her.” She flipped her hand up for a high five, which Morgan enthusiastically returned.

  “Don’t encourage her,” I whisper-yelled at Levee, but the huge grin I was hopeless to hide gave me away.

  After offering Morgan a quick hug, Levee headed toward the door, bumping my shoulder as she passed. “Come on, Sam. We need to talk about this ring.” Just as she got to the door, she shouted, “See ya later, Morgan!”

  “See you at dinner on Sunday!” Morgan casually called after her.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the exchange, and as the door clicked behind her, I heard Levee laugh as well.

  I quickly kissed Morgan on the top of her head then pulled Meg into a hug. “Thanks for the text.”

  “You have so much explaining to do,” she bit out but immediately started shooing me out of the room.

  I wandered into the hallway, where I found Levee whispering with Devon.

  “Sup, big man.” I clapped his meaty shoulder, looping the other arm around Levee’s waist.

  He glowered at me, but his words were for Levee. “We need to go. Time’s up.”

  She shyly peeked up at me. “You want to maybe…come back to my place for a little bit so we can…talk.”

  “Yeah. Sounds good.” I dug my car keys out of my pocket, and Levee’s whole face lit up.

  “I’m riding back with Sam!” she announced, bouncing on her toes.

  “No,” Devon snapped.

  “Yes.”

  “No,” he replied firmly.

  “Yes,” she repeated with a smile.

  “I’ll take you both back, but no way in hell am I letting you go with this guy alone.”

  Offended, I jumped in. “Hey! What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

  Neither of them acknowledged me.

  “Too bad you don’t get a say in that.” Levee grabbed my arm and dragged me away, leaving Devon cursing behind us.

  As we marched down the hall, I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I�
�m parked in the back lot.”

  She slammed on the brakes and groaned in frustrated. With a quick U-turn, we headed back toward a hopeful Devon.

  He opened his mouth as we got close, but Levee interrupted him as we breezed past.

  “Nope. Still riding with Sam. Don’t forget Henry’s dinner.”

  “Goddammit,” he seethed through gritted teeth, but Levee seemed unfazed.

  Well, okay, then. I guessed she was riding with me.

  “FUCK. ME,” SAM moaned when I mounted him just as he slid behind the wheel of his Jeep.

  “If you insist,” I mumbled, crushing my mouth over his; smoke still lingered on his lips.

  “Levee,” he warned as I dropped a hand to his zipper. Grabbing my wrist, he attempted to stop me, but I retaliated by gliding my hips over his stiffening dick. “Shiiiiit.” He gave the fight up and kissed me, thrusting a hand into my hair to use it for leverage.

  With a gentle tug, he turned my head and latched onto my neck—nipping and sucking his way up to my ear. The bite of his hand in my hair sent blood rushing to my clit while his breath against my ear forced chills down my spine.

  “Come back to my place. It’s closer than yours.”

  “Okay,” I answered without a single second of hesitation. I’d go wherever he wanted just as long as he was going too.

  Shocked, he held my gaze. “Are you allowed to do that?”

  “I’m a big girl, Sam. I’m allowed to do whatever—or whoever—I want.” I went back in for another kiss, but Sam lifted me off his lap and deposited me onto the passenger’s seat.

  “Put your seat belt on,” he growled, adjusting his pants.

  Sam’s Jeep was exactly what I would have expected from him. It was older but in perfect condition. There were no windows or doors to shield us from the sure-to-be freezing wind, but the idea of freedom was more than worth the price. A loud beat from his speakers filled the air the second he started the engine.

  “Sorry.” He turned it down as he slammed the five-speed into reverse. Tossing his arm around the back of my seat, he zipped us out of the parking spot and onto the streets of San Francisco.

  With my hand on his thigh and the wind whipping through my hair, Sam navigated us back to his place. I was going to look like a shivering, matted poodle by the time we got there, but I couldn’t have cared less. Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. I didn’t ever want to leave that moment. And that was the first time in as long as I could remember when I could honestly say that.