Cyrus
Chapter twenty-six
Pretty Please
I’m willing to gamble another hit to the face if that’s what it takes to spend the day with Fallon and the kids.
Rubbing my hands together, I concede, I’m a masochist. I enjoy her feisty side too much not to play with fire.
Today will be fan-fucking-tastic. Liam and I climb up the steps of their front porch.
Our stride eating up the distance to the front door.
I’m not above playing dirty. I plan on utilizing our children to get her to agree to join me in the parade.
Afterward, there will be hours of unlimited and uninterrupted fun with them.
The last few days at work have been a nightmare: a string of pranks from some of the ornery residents has kept me running from house to house.
Someone’s been spray-painting tiny, provocative donkeys on gas flaps.
We’re chalking it up to a senior prank and moving on.
Between that and the usual run-of-the-mill cases, it’s been enough to keep me from spending as much time as I want with Fallon and the kids these past few weeks. Today isn’t getting interrupted.
I punch the doorbell this time instead of knocking; she always accuses me of having a ‘police with a warrant style knock.’ The chime’s melody floats around me, echoing throughout the house.
I know I’ve heard it before somewhere else.
The music is too soft to be the place where I’ve heard it, though.
I shrug it off. I’ll get around to asking Fal about it later.
Billy opens the door wide. Her hair is pulled high atop her head today. I smile at the phrase on her shirt.
‘Not friendly. I bite.’
“Nice shirt, kiddo.”
“Mom let me order it last week, said it’s the last shirt I can order before school starts this fall. She claims I have a shopping addiction.” She pulls her knot, motioning Liam and me inside. “Whatever that means. I love the zon.”
We trail behind her, hanging on every word. She suddenly spins around to face us, her topknot slipping loose as she animatedly asks, “Do you want to come look at the new tent we put on the trampoline for camp-out nights?”
“What’s a camp-out night?” Liam asks, frowning in confusion. Billy grins, her dimples showing, and begins to explain enthusiastically.
“Mom and I make popcorn, find special stars, watch movies with the projector, and sleep on the trampoline. But Mom said we needed to add a tent this year because of crazies, whatever that means.”
“Can I come to the camp-outs?” Liam asks.
“Duh, that’s why I chose the blue tent with the fish pattern.” She grabs Liam’s hand, and they take off, bolting through the house, whipping past Fallon, collision avoided barely.
We laugh, and I notice she has color in her cheeks as she glances my way.
She tucks a wild curl behind her ear, looking expectantly at me.
She’s exquisite in her high-waist cut-off shorts, a rock band tee tucked in the front, gold jewelry peppering her arms, fingers, and I note a toe ring.
I flex my hand before deciding to tuck it in my pocket so I don’t reach out for her.
With her body and those doe eyes, how am I supposed to focus on anything else?
“Cyrus, what’s on the agenda today? You can leave Liam here if you need to go do something.”
Sunlight spills across her face, catching on the faint freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose and high cheekbones. Her mouth curves slowly, confusion softening her expression as she notices me lingering on the porch a second too long.
Hell.
I clear my throat and force myself to move, stepping inside and shutting the door firmly behind me.
“Actually, I was wondering if you would like to take the kids to the caves today. Possibly grab a bite afterward. If the kids don’t leave us in the caverns and make a run for it, that is.”
I hold my breath as she nibbles her fingernail between her teeth, clearly debating it.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
The words land like a punch to the ribs, but backing down isn’t an option.
“It’s the rainy season,” I remind her gently. “The trails won’t be crowded.” I pause, watching her carefully. “And honestly, Fallon…when’s the last time you went?”
She stops long enough that a thought hits me square in the chest. Was the last time she went…with me? Something dark and possessive unfurls low in my stomach at the possibility. Time to play my hand.
“Liam asked if you were coming.”
The words leave easily, despite the flicker of guilt that follows. It isn’t exactly a lie. Liam had asked about Fallon earlier, and I’d answered for her before she ever had the chance.
Manipulative? Probably.
Do I care?
Not even a little.
I’ll play dirty if it means getting one day with her and the kids together.
Her eyes light up with surprise, and I’m completely drawn into the way her emotions deepen the emerald in her gaze. In that instant, I vow to myself: To spend the rest of my days ensuring her eyes shine with happiness.
“The caverns?” she questions.
I repeat, “The caverns.”
“Trying to bury us somewhere they can’t find us?”
“It’s a popular tourist attraction, not an abandoned coal mining shaft.” The joke earns me a small tip from her lips briefly.
“Very encouraging.”
I throw her misguided beliefs back at her.
“Are you ashamed to be spotted with me?” I implore, watching her closely. An almost imperceptible twitch flashes quickly across her face.
“Of course not.” She stammers.
“So why the hesitancy?” Our eyes lock, both unwavering. The tension crackles in the air around us as I wait for her response. Completely transfixed by how many emotions collide in her eyes. It’s one of her attributes that has always fascinated me. Her eyes will always say what she doesn’t vocalize.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten how fast gossip moves in this town, right?”
So, it’s not that she doesn’t want to spend time with me, she’s worried about the repercussions of people finding out? Interesting. She isn’t saying no; I’m optimistic.
“Not a single fucking bit. In fact, it could be plastered on a billboard, and I wouldn’t blink an eye. If people have issues, that’s their fucking problem.”
She hesitates briefly before. “I’ll round up the kids.”
“Yeah, I guess they shouldn’t have taken off. Billy said something about a camp-out night?” Fallon’s hands fidget, and her gaze drops. “Don’t freak out on me, It’s impossible to tell them no.” She resembles a deer caught in a pair of headlights.
I reach for her, brushing my fingers lightly over her arm. “Fallon…breathe, babe.”
She flushes at my slip-up with the endearment, and I watch, fascinated, as she rubs her palms along her shorts before continuing.
“We wanted to add some things here for Liam to feel more comfortable. We want him to feel welcome…”
I clear my throat, swallowing the surge of something I can’t name. She continues.
“We decorated a room upstairs near Billy’s. They picked everything out and ordered it all the last time he was over. We may have added a few additions out back to make the space reflect both kids, and not just one.”
I clear my throat again, my reaction reflecting in Fallon’s eyes. Liam has always wanted a bigger family; she’s gone out of her way to show him that he’s theirs. She really is too good for this world. Pure gold, even after everything. I’m not worthy enough for her.
“I would have paid for everything,” I start roughly, and she waves me off.
“Please don’t feel obligated. I rob old ladies at card games once a week. This one’s on the house.”
“Menace, you’re not gonna let me live that one down, are you?”
“Not in this lifetime.” Her laughter slices through me as I follow her to round up the kids. It’s intoxicating, reckless, and entirely hers. And her talk of a lifetime? It makes my pulse spike and my body tense. This woman’s going to be my destruction, and I’d let her.
The kids burst into the room, practically vibrating across the floor. “Are we going to the caves today?” they ask, pausing next to us.
Fallon beams, graceful and warm, nodding. “If you guys want to go, we should head out now.”
“How did you know we were debating going?” Fallon asks Billy.
Liam rocks back on his heels, a devilish smile playing on his face. “I told her she needed to come with me immediately and help convince you to come with us today.”
Fal ruffles his hair. “Well, in that case, lead the way, little sir.”
We fall in line behind them. My hand drifts to her backside, familiar and automatic. She stiffens under the touch, subtle but unmistakable.
“Sorry,” I murmur, letting my fingers linger a moment before pulling back. I sigh. She isn’t going to make this easy on me.