Authors: Toni Aleo
Why was he telling his boss all this? What was wrong with him? He never told people his business, but here he was losing his damn mind.
Lucas nodded his head. He knew that Aiden would be a good kid, Fallon was a good person — minus the withholding information business.
Mrs. Adler didn’t say anything, and since Lucas didn’t know what to say, he just sat there. She kept her hand going up and down his back, and then she stopped. She got up, leaving the room as Lucas ran his hands through his hair. Lucas looked up and saw that Shea was still standing there, staring at him.
“I’m good if you are because I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other from now on,” he said. Lucas nodded as a smile pulled at the side of his mouth.
“Yeah we’re good,” he agreed before looking down at his bare feet. When he saw Shea’s Converses come into his view, he looked up to see Shea looking down at him with compassion in his eyes.
“It’s hard at first, but it will click and you will never love someone the way you will love him. I’m here if you need someone,” Shea said, tapping him on the head before moving away. Lucas watched as he walked towards the door that led out into the hall.
“Thanks Shea,” Lucas said. Shea looked over his shoulder and smiled before walking out the room, leaving Lucas alone with his thoughts.
It had been three days since Lucas had seen Aiden. Fallon hadn’t heard from him or from a lawyer. She would be lying if she didn’t say she was nervous as hell. Since he was a hockey player, getting his number was extremely hard and since she didn’t want Elli to know what was going on, she didn’t call her. It was a mess and all she could do was sit back and wait.
And she hated waiting.
“Mommy, I need sugar,” Aiden said, knocking Fallon out of her musings. She had been doing that a lot, ever since she watched Lucas walk away with no word at all.
“Yes, of course,” Fallon said, handing him the cup that held the sugar. Fallon watched as Audrey came into the room, going to the fridge.
They hadn’t spoken to each other in three days.
Fallon hated fighting with Audrey, but she’d be damned if she apologized. Fallon didn’t feel like she had done anything wrong, and if Audrey had an issue with helping her then why didn’t she tell her earlier? Why let it go seven years to the point where they were screaming at each other and calling each other names?
“I am. You should help,” Aiden said sweetly. Audrey sent a look towards Fallon, but Fallon ignored it, pouring milk into a measuring cup.
“Okay buddy,” Audrey said with a grin, leaning against him as she picked up the spoon that would be used for mixing. Fallon handed Aiden the next cup and the cookie-making process proceeded in complete silence.
God, Fallon hated this. She hated a quiet house, she’d rather scream at Audrey than have her give her the silent treatment. So she swallowed her pride and looked over at her sister.
“Elli? Difficult? I don’t believe it,” Audrey said with a confused look on her face. Usually Elli was easygoing, but not with the campaign.
“She is making me use him,” Fallon said with a look. She didn’t want Lucas in the campaign. She didn’t want to work side by side with him. She didn’t want to hear his take on things, she didn’t want to be around that cocky smile, that sexy body, and most of all she didn’t want to see other females on it either.
“What’s weird?” Aiden asked as the doorbell rang. Audrey gave Fallon a look and Fallon shrugged her shoulders. It was late, and they weren’t expecting anyone.
He stood with Levi beside him, but Fallon couldn’t even take her eyes from Lucas’ to acknowledge Levi. Lucas’ eyes were so dull, so sad, and Fallon couldn’t catch her breath as she looked up at him.
“We need to talk,” Lucas said, knocking her out of her trance.
Fuck.
Fallon had flour on her nose and basically all over her. She wore a very low cut blue shirt that showed off her beautiful, perky breasts. Her jeans hung low, tight along her thighs and he was pretty sure if she turned around, her ass would have his dick hard with just one glance.
He wasn’t here to check her out though, or to try to get her in bed. He came to talk about his son.
“Obviously Fallon, come on,” Lucas said.
“Oh, well. Uh, we’re kinda busy, you should have called,” she stuttered, causing his eye to twitch. His eyes always did that when his temper was about to snap, but he knew he couldn’t yell at her so he took a deep breath in.
Lucas took in the sight of the gorgeous little boy. Aiden looked so much like him that it blew his mind. How did he make a person that could be his twin? When Aiden smiled, it took Lucas’ breath away.
He smiled like that.
It was his lady-killer smile, and it filled Lucas with such pride to know his son could do it at the age of…Yeah, that was sad, he didn’t even know how old his kid was.
He reached out, taking the boy’s small hand in his massive one. Aiden’s grin was infectious, and Lucas couldn’t fight the smile that formed on his face.
“I’m Lucas James Brooks.”
Everyone was silent for a moment as Aiden slowly nodded his head, the same big grin never leaving his sweet little face. “Hey we have the same name, except I’m Aiden and you’re Lucas.”
“Yup, okay honey, isn’t it time for you to go to bed?” Fallon asked, causing Aiden to pull away from Lucas. Lucas felt empty as the little guy looked up at his mother with his eyes wide, and his arms slamming against his side.
How did this little boy already have his heart with just one grin? Or was it three days ago, when he asked who Lucas was?
“Mom, it’s Friday!”
“That’s right Mom, gosh!” Audrey said, coming up beside Aiden. “Go get your shoes bud. Let’s go out for a while. Mommy and Lucas need to talk.”
Lucas looked over at Fallon, seeing that she was freaking out silently. Her eyes were wide as her mouth opened and closed like a guppy. Gosh, she was so cute.
“Really?! Awesome!” Aiden ran off with nothing more than a punch in the air. Kid was quick. Lucas smiled. He was probably fast as hell on skates.
Just like his daddy.
“Audrey, you don’t have to leave,” Fallon said through her teeth. Lucas couldn’t help but smile. She was so cute when she didn’t like the situation she was put in. Too bad he didn’t care because they had things to discuss.
“Yes, we do. Aiden doesn’t need to witness World War Three between you two,” Audrey said before she pinned Levi with a look. Lucas looked over to see his best friend checking out Fallon’s curvy sister. “Hey, you, you’re coming with us. They need to do this alone.”
Fallon’s face twisted with anger and maybe guilt as she looked over to see Aiden running towards them. When Aiden reached them, he grinned up at Lucas before looking over at Fallon.
Lucas smiled, he couldn’t help himself. He found another person that made his heart race. That must mean something because there was only one other person that could, and that was Fallon.
Lucas looked up at Fallon, and she looked sad as she bent over to kiss Aiden’s cheek. “Have fun, bud.”
“I will, love you, bye!”
After everyone left with goodbyes, Fallon just stood there with worry all over her face. Once she shut the door behind everyone, she glanced over at Lucas. She didn’t say anything as she walked off towards the kitchen. He followed her through the small home and was surprised that it was the place she lived in. When he had come there three days ago, he thought the whole building was their home but as he got closer tonight, he saw that there was another door and that blew his mind.
Why were they living in a little bitty condo?
He knew damn well Fallon had money, lots of it. She always got mad when he paid for stuff when they were together. She always said that she wouldn’t depend on a man. It was a refreshing, even though he paid anyways.
Lucas took in all the pictures along Fallon’s walls. Aiden graced most of them, but there were some of just her and Audrey. The sisters could have been twins. Audrey was just a little thicker. Lucas had never even seen a picture of Audrey or really knew much about her. Fallon never talked about her family when they were together. She would bring Audrey up but never told him about her. Then again, Lucas never asked — he was too consumed in Fallon, or his addictions.
Now he wanted to know everything because of Aiden and because he was still just as curious about Fallon as he was the day he met her.
When Lucas looked up, he saw that Fallon was pouring two glasses of wine. He didn’t say anything as he watched her hand shake. She looked everywhere but at him.
“I don’t drink Fallon,” he said quietly. She looked up before she stopped pouring.
“Oh,” she said before picking the glass up and throwing it into the sink, breaking it in the process. The loud sound of breaking glass made her jump before she looked back at him with a shocked look on her face. When she looked away, throwing herself into the closest chair, a smirk came across his face. Fallon then started to guzzle her glass of wine, and that caused him to smile fully at her.
Fallon shrugged her shoulders. “What is there to talk about? I don’t need anything from you, I don’t want anything, we’re fine,” she said in her snotty little voice.
Lucas had prepared himself for this; he knew she was going to be bitchy, and proud. That was Fallon when she didn’t know how to handle a situation. Before, when her dad would call when they were dating, she would be the worst person ever to deal with for at least an hour after talking to him. She always apologized, saying that she didn’t know how to handle being hurt or scared. She always lashed out at someone and even with that flaw he had loved her.
Still did.
“I just want to know my kid and,” Lucas held open his jacket, pulling out some paperwork that his lawyer had put together for Fallon. “And, I need you to fill this out. My lawyer needs some information, and I don’t doubt that Aiden is mine — I know he is — but we need a paternity test.”
“Whatever,” she said, snatching the papers from him and throwing them down on the table before crossing her arms across her chest. She had an I-don’t-give-a-fuck look on her face, and he knew that she was freaking out so bad that she was close to shaking. “So I guess you want to spend time with him, be a part-time dad and all that jazz.”