Page 50 of Their Stormy Reunion

“I could find anything I needed,” she defended herself.

“Yeah, but how long did it take you?” I teased. I picked up my dish of cobbler off her dresser and then settled onto the bed, both of our heads resting against the headboard.

“Fine, I admit it. It was Dexter who kept everything straight. It’s tough without him. He was my executive assistant. He kept me sane and organized.”

“You had a male secretary?”

“Executive assistant. And before you start getting any kind of stereotypes in your head, he played college ball as an offensive lineman while studying project management. He started out with me as an intern five years ago. He was my right hand. People have been trying to poach him for the last couple of years. I paid him as much as I paid my Project Managers, and he earned every dollar. When I closed shop, a friend of mine hired him as his Chief Operating Officer at his start-up. Dexter was thrilled, and so was my friend.”

I could hear the pride in Fallon’s voice. “So, you like mentoring?”

“Yeah. I really do. It was the part of the job that was most rewarding.”

I shifted so I was facing her. “You’re going to make a fantastic mother.”

Pink suffused her face. “Maybe.”

“I’m serious.”

She looked down at her bowl. “I’m all done.”

I took the dish out of her hands and placed it on the nightstand on my side of the bed, along with my own. When I turned back, I found her staring at me. The air got thick as we assessed one another.

“What?” I asked.

“Can you be honest with me?” she whispered.

My gut clenched. Here we go. I wasn’t ready, but I so wanted to do this.

“Absolutely I’ll be honest with you.”

Her hazel eyes shone with grief. “What happened between you and Lindsay that night?” She whispered the question.

I grabbed her hands and pulled them into mine. They were ice cold, and I knew it wasn’t because she had been holding a bowl with melted ice cream. I looked down and brushed my thumb over her knuckles.

I looked back up and swallowed. “After you saw me close the door behind us, Lindsay bitched me out to high heaven. Told me I was the lowest piece of scum on Earth for having pulled such a stunt.”

She flinched, then waited, forcing me to continue.

“You know Lindsay, she’d always been a straight shooter. She knew exactly what I’d done and why I’d done it. She didn’t actually call me scum, Fallon. She actually told me I was a douchebag for setting her up to be the bad guy, and not having the fucking balls to break up with you like a man.”

Fallon jerked her hands out of mine.

“Oh.” It came out on a puff of air.

“She was right,” I admitted softly.

Fallon’s gaze shifted until she was looking a thousand miles away over my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Fallon. If I could go back in time, I would.”

Her eyes flew back to pierce mine. “Would you? Would you really? Because if you feel like that, why didn’t you call me after I left?”

I raised my hands, palms up. “Please?” I beseeched. I wasn’t sure if she would, but when she did place her fingers on top of mine, I felt like I had just won an Olympic medal.

“I don’t know why I didn’t call you,” I whispered my truth.

Fallon nodded, as if she expected that answer. “Do you now?”