11. Fallon
CHAPTER 11
FALLON
This morning I'm in the ranch office with my brothers. With the gala behind us, we’re all breathing a little easier. The guys are checking in about our week and droning on about ordering supplies. But I can't wipe the smile off my face.
I've been back in Sagebrush Creek for over a month, and it's finally starting to feel like home again. The past week has been good... Unbelievably good. Every morning starts with Anny's body pressed against mine. Every night ends up with her tangled in the bed sheets.
During the day, we tuck into our secret place in the old barn. We can't keep our hands off each other. But then it’s always been like that with us. We've made love in the greenhouse, on the back of my truck, and behind the drapes in The Velvet Spur. Hell, even the tack room got blessed the other night. But it's more than that.
It's the way she looks at me. The way she trusts me with her whole heart. I know I don't deserve her, but somehow I've got her. And this time, it's forever. Knowing she's mine drives me wild. Anny's become a permanent fixture in my world and I wouldn't have it any other way.
"Fallon, are we good with the new fencing for the back forty?" Alex's voice brings me back to the present.
"Yep, I'm just going to check my email now to confirm the shipping date."
Alex continues, "Great. We've got a booth at the Sow Much Farmers Market coming up. It's going to be a wine and cheese tasting from what I hear from Priya..."
He’s still talking, but all of a sudden, I can't hear him. I can't hear anything because a subject line in my inbox steals all of my attention.
Subject: Contract Opportunity -- Southern Knights NFL Practice Team
My heart stutters.
"Whoa," I mutter, and it must be out loud because when I look up, all eyes are on me.
"What is it? Geoffrey leans over my shoulder.
I spin the screen toward them. "The Southern Knights. I think it's real this time."
Alex straightens from beside the filing cabinet. "The Southern Knights football team?"
Callum whistles low.
I open the email, and my eyes race across the screen. It’s all there... scout interest based on my Euro league stats. An offer to join their full-time practice team. Housing in South Carolina. A six-month salary that makes my head spin. A straight shot at being rostered next season.
"Jesus," I breathe. "They want me. Again. Only, this time it isn't just a letter of intent, it's an offer."
Holden's already reading over my shoulder. "Dude, this is massive."
"This is what I worked for. All those years, all that shit in Europe... it wasn't for nothing. Did Priya make them do---"
"No," Bowen cuts me off. "Her dad is more of a silent owner of the team. She definitely doesn't know anything about this. She would have told me. This is you making an NFL team on your merit. Congrats, man, I know you've wanted this for a long time."
I stare at the email, and the room spins around me. "I could be back in pads with stadium lights, the whole thing." It's not just the possibility, but the validation that knocks the wind out of me. They were wrong to cut me the first time. It was worth it.
"I didn't think I'd get another shot like this," I say, scrolling through the contract again. "Full housing, salary, healthcare. They even offered a moving stipend."
Geoffrey whistles. "You could live on the beach, man."
"I could live anywhere. I mean, I'd be back in it," I say, heart thudding. "Full-time. Part of a real team. Something that matters."
"You've always mattered," Alex says, quiet but firm.
"Still, you know what I mean. This matters outside of our small town... It's huge."
I nod, but something feels hollow about it. My eyes drift to the window overlooking the ranch. The land is in my blood. My family is here. It’s the place where Anny moves through her day.
Danner leans forward. "Are you really considering packing your bags again?"
"I think I have to, right? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." I let out a humorless chuckle. Even as I say the words, something feels off. "I'm getting older in football years, this might be my last chance to chase this dream."
But as I say it, a knot tightens in my chest. Is this still my dream? Or am I just chasing it because it's the dream I thought I wanted? When I picture myself in that uniform again, why does it feel more like obligation than desire?
Then the room falls silent. At first, I wonder if it's something I've said. I don't know that I actually want to chase that football dream anymore. But they've got to understand that I need to at least think it through. I'm always going to end up back at the ranch with them. Then there's Anny. I don't know whether she would go, but I don't have time to ask. Because when I follow their line of sight, I turn to find her standing in the doorway.
The look on her face tells me she's been there long enough to have heard the excitement in my voice. We lock eyes and I know that look. It's the look of someone who thought they were being chosen and just found out they weren't.
She heard me talk about chasing my dream. But not once did I say her name, and it isn't lost on her.
Shit.
"Anny—" I start, but she just shakes her head. "Hey, I um…"
Her lips press into a straight line. Without a single word, she nods. Then she turns and walks back out the way she came. The door closes behind her with a soft click. My stomach sinks and I think I’m going to be sick.