Chapter 39 #2
Fallon and I spent six hours in the recording studio and every minute of it was amazing.
It was everything I thought it would be.
And I have Fallon to thank for giving me one of my YOLO wishes.
I’ll thank him properly once I shove this burger in my mouth because I’m starving.
I brought a bagged lunch and snacks with me knowing I would need to eat every couple of hours, but a peanut butter sandwich and orange slices have nothing on a good grilled burger.
There was a Five Guys just down the block from the studio.
I could smell the delicious greasy aroma of fries and hamburgers as soon as we stepped outside.
Fallon and I are sharing a bowl of mustard to dip our fries in. He was reluctant to try it the last time we were at Ruby’s Diner when we were there with Jayson and Ryder. I can officially and proudly say that I have converted him over to the dark side. Or should I say, the mustard side.
The weather is warm enough that we decided to eat our food outside at one of the red patio tables the place provides for patrons. The large umbrellas are closed and tied, and the weak winter sun shines down on us.
“You have the most unusually blue eyes,” I remark, watching the sunlight play across Fallon’s face, causing his eyes to appear almost clear.
“Nordic ancestry.” He licks his thumb as he finishes his cheeseburger.
I can believe it. Fallon could easily slip into the role of a Norse god from mythology. He’s a perfect mix of Odin, the powerful ruler of all the gods; Magni, the god of strength; and Loki, the god of mischief.
An incoming text alert chimes from my phone and I check it. “Jayson and Julien are back home.” My fingers hesitate over the screen, but I turn it off and put the phone back on the table.
“It’s okay to ask how he’s doing.”
Fallon always sees right through me, and he is never one to mince words.
“It can wait. I want to enjoy the day with you. Thank you again, Fallon. There aren’t enough words in the universe that will express just how grateful I am for you and everything you do for me.”
He hates it when I thank him for things, but it never stops me. Just as I was expecting, Fallon scowls at me and I give him my biggest smile. I take another bite of my burger and then wipe my hands off on my napkin.
“Can I talk to you about something?”
Fallon dips a fry into the mustard and hands it to me. He is as bad as Jayson when it comes to making sure I’m eating for two. I’m going to be the size of a hippo in no time if I keep letting them push food on me. I take the fry but place it in my plate.
“You know you can talk to me about anything,” he says, moving his eyes from the fry back to me. Taking the not-so-subtle hint, I make a display of eating it.
“Has your dad said anything to you about me working at MP?”
Fallon sits up, alert and very focused on me. “Why do I have a feeling that this isn’t about the summer internship?”
The wind picks up, a gust blowing my hair in all directions and a few strands stick to my face. I brush them away. “It’s not. I, uh, asked your dad for a job.”
His face hardens and his mouth thins with displeasure. “What about CU?”
“I’m not going.
He mumbles a few curse words under his breath. “Why the hell not?” His question is like a paper cut. It stings.
“I’m popping out this baby sometime at the end of August. I can’t afford to do college and take care of a newborn at the same time,” I argue.
Surely, he has to agree with that logic.
“I won’t have to pay for daycare with MP’s childcare benefits for its employees.
I’ll have my own health insurance policy and I’ll be earning an income that will allow me to provide for my child so I’m not mooching off you, your dad, or Daniel anymore.
I’m going to sign up for online classes at FB Community College that I can do in the evenings after work. It’s a win-win.”
Fallon throws his paper napkin at me in frustration, but it bounces off my shoulder and lands on the table. “In what universe is that a win-win? You are the most pigheaded woman I have ever met. You’re going to college,” he declares.
“Eventually.”
Growling, he glares at me. “You’re going because I’m going with you. And I will drag you there kicking and screaming if I have to. You don’t have to give up your dreams, Elizabeth.”
What did he just say? “You’re going with me…to college?” I stutter.
Fallon has been taking a gap year and working alongside his father. He hasn’t mentioned anything about going to college. It would make sense. Wouldn’t he have to get an MBA or something if he plans to take over for his dad one day?
Fallon nods yes and something flashes across his eyes, but he blinks, and it’s gone.
He leans forward, his elbows propped on the table, causing his biceps to bulge through his long-sleeved shirt.
I knew he was packing lean muscle. I’d seen him shirtless enough times, but I can’t seem to tear my gaze away from how his sleeves look like the fabric is about to explode from the pressure of his arm muscles expanding underneath them.
“Secret for a secret.”
I lick my lips and raise my eyes to his. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask him but have held off because I wasn’t ready for the answer. “Why did you kiss me on New Year’s Eve?”
His answer is immediate. “Because I wanted to,” he earnestly replies. Then he adds with typical Fallon cocky confidence, “And I plan to do it again.”
All the air gets knocked out of me and I collapse back into my chair. “But I’m still in love with Ryder. My heart hasn’t given up on him.”
He nods in understanding. “I know that. I’m not asking you to choose, kitten.”
I open my mouth, then close it, then open it again. “Then what are you asking me?” Sometimes, it’s like pulling teeth to get a straight answer out of him.
“When we were in Barcelona, I told Ry that if he ever screwed things up with you, I wasn’t going to hold back anymore. I said the same thing to Jayson out on the hotel balcony.”
My eyes must look like dinner plates. “You said that to Jayson?” And he didn’t throw Fallon off the side of the building?
“I did.”
“But I’m pregnant,” I argue, not knowing what else to say.
His boom of laughter startles me. “Yeah. And?”
“Why would you want that? You could have any girl you want. Right now, you could walk back into the recording studio and the receptionist would be falling all over herself to get a chance to go out with you.”
Those ice blue eyes narrow under furrowed brows. “I don’t want any other girl.”
“But why?” I cry, still not able to wrap my head around it. “I’m a mess. My life is a mess. I belong to Ryder.”
God, the look he gives me makes my toes curl. “I like you messy. And you’re wrong. You belong to no one but yourself. So, the question you need to ask yourself, Elizabeth, is what do you want?”
Deflating like a punctured car tire, I slump in my chair. “I don’t know what I want,” I mumble.
“Yes, you do,” he whips out. “Stop being afraid. What do you want, Elizabeth?”
What do I want? That’s the problem. “I want everything.”
“Tell me. All of it.”
And I do.