Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SEVEN VIRTUES, NORTH CAROLINA
Unexplained weight loss should be discussed with your doctor. While it’s normally nothing to be alarmed about, it may require adjusting some medication. You always want to be your healthiest you.
—Fab and Delish
“There isn’t a big enough word to describe what he makes me feel,” I admit to my mother as we eat lunch at Blue Ridge Brews & Bites. I sip at their seasonal pumpkin ale before leaning forward to swipe a bite of pepper through their sunflower hummus before letting out a moan of pleasure.
My mother, amused, asks, “Is there any chance you’re pregnant?”
I still, just as I was about to pop another bite into my mouth. “What the hell would make you ask that?”
She inclines her head in my direction. “You’re devouring our appetizer like it’s our last meal.”
My face flames. “Well, umm…you see.” How do I tell my mother my boyfriend—if that’s what I call him?—wouldn’t let me out of bed long enough to down a few bites of food and drink a bottle of water.
Still, as the dawn burst across the morning sky and I studied his profile in the shadows of my bed, the peace that consumed me was immediate. Food was an easy sacrifice for having Ethan in my heart, in my bed.
“What are you daydreaming about over there, sweetheart?” Mama questions.
Pulled from my reverie, I grin. “One guess.”
She opens her mouth but before she can ask me anything, our mains are delivered. I happily dig into my cheeseburger and relish the burst of flavor from the fire-grilled meat as it hits my tastebuds. After wolfing down a few bites, I notice my mother hasn’t touched her salad. “Is there something wrong with your meal, Mama?”
A wan smile creases her lips. “Just not hungry, sweetheart.”
I frown, even as my burger hits the plate. “Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing that can’t wait. I want to hear everything about Ethan,” she encourages me.
“Ask away,” I offer.
For the next little while she does. Then she asks me a curious question. “What would you give up to have him in your life?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a lot riding on your relationship whether it succeeds or if it fails, Fallon. Do you stay in Seven Virtues? Do you take a job somewhere else? Does your relationship with Austyn have the same dynamic? What if you end up married to Ethan?”
I smirk. “I’d be her Aunt Fallon.”
She snickers. “Okay. I concede, that one is funny to consider. But what about things like children?”
Exasperated, I throw my hands into the air. “Mama, we’ve been together for a few months. Do all couples discuss these things within the first ninety days? Is there some sort of money back guarantee on relationships if you file for an incompatibility refund by then?”
She bursts into laughter. “You always could make me laugh, Fallon.”
I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. “Until you’re one hundred, I’ll have the chance.”
Her fingers tense around mine. “I hope so too, sweetheart. Now answer the question. What would you give up to have Ethan in your life?”
Giving the question the seriousness it merits, I think about it before I answer, “The answer’s simple—likely everything.”
A blinding smile crosses her face. “Good. That’s what I was hoping you would say.”