Authors: Toni Aleo
This was about to go really bad, Lucas could tell by the look on Aiden’s scared little face.
“Are you my dad, Lucas?” Aiden asked once more. Lucas closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath. He didn’t want to do this without Fallon, but Aiden was leaving him no choice. He opened his eyes, looking down at his son, before slowly nodding.
Lucas nodded again, bending down so he was at the same level as Aiden. Aiden seemed to like when he did it before, and Lucas liked it too. He liked being on the same level as Aiden, he never wanted to seem like he was talking down to him.
“Yeah,” Lucas answered after a moment.
Aiden didn’t say anything as he stood there blinking at Lucas. Lucas didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything either. When Aiden’s eyes started to fill with tears, Lucas was brought to his knees, moving towards him.
“Aiden, buddy, don’t cry,” he said softly as he tried to grab Aiden’s hand. Aiden shook his head, moving away from Lucas again.
“Why didn’t you want me?”
A heavy feeling filled Lucas’ stomach as Aiden ran past him into the bedroom bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Lucas felt he had just been hit in the chest with a puck shot by Shea Adler as he slowly fell back onto to his hunches and then to his ass. When Aiden’s quiet sobs reached him from the bathroom, Lucas felt as if his were soon to follow.
What the hell was he going to do?
**********************************
Fallon’s mind was still going 900 miles an hour even with her being dead on her feet. The night before was a sleepless night because really? Who could actually sleep after rolling around in bed with Lucas Brooks? She was a complete mess. She had meetings out the ass that day and not getting sleep the night before was not good. She basically had to drag herself out of bed the next morning, just to make sure she didn’t see Lucas.
It wasn’t that Fallon didn’t want to see Lucas, it was more that she was scared. Scared that she might feel regret for what she did, or worse, that she wouldn’t. Fallon was a walking question mark. One minute she knew what she wanted, and that was to keep Lucas at arms length away. The next minute, she wanted to be on her back with him on top of her, ravishing her with his naughty mouth. Her body sang for his, and she really didn’t know how to handle it. Fallon knew for a fact it was a bad idea to get involved with Lucas, but why didn’t her body know that? Why couldn’t her brain and her body get on the same wavelength so that she could actually function when it came to Lucas?
It had only been a week of seeing him on a daily basis, and Fallon was a basket case!
Lord, what was she gonna do?
Fallon stood at the end of the long black, glossy executive table. Her father sat at the other end, his eyes on her, along with the eyes of the 18 other board members. Fallon was going over the mark ups for the campaign between the Assassins and Rocky Top since it was to start in a couple of weeks. She was also explaining the dates and when things would start running. Fallon was so tired, but she didn’t let anyone know that as she worked the room. It made Fallon feel good when one of the board members would nod or smile at her. It made her feel as if she was succeeding and after the week she had, she could use the good vibes.
“I see.” Fallon heard him say, then she heard a knock on the glass wall. She looked over and Kristi, the front desk girl, held up her phone, shaking it at Fallon. Fallon shook her head and looked out at the table.
Fallon turned, walking towards the computer that held her power point to explain the turnaround time for the ad to start running, when Kristi came to the wall again. This time, everyone looked to see her holding a piece of paper against the wall that said, ‘The guy says it’s an emergency.’
Emergency?
Aiden!
Fallon looked over at Rob and he shrugged his shoulder before opening her bag and looking down at her phone. When he looked up at Fallon, she knew something was wrong. Rob’s eyes were wide as he handed Fallon her phone. She focused to see that she had 38 missed calls from Lucas. Her pulse started to race.
“Take over,” was all she said before walking out of the meeting and dialing Lucas’ number. As she door shut behind her, she heard her father call her name, but she ignored him and went to her office. When she reached her office to grab her things, Lucas picked up.
“Fallon, I need you to come to my house. Right now,” Lucas said. He was breathing hard, and Fallon’s pulse picked up in triple time.
Fallon couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe. She thought she had prepared herself for this moment but it was supposed to be done together. She and Lucas putting on a front that everything was going to be fine and that Lucas did love Aiden, but it hadn’t happen that way. Her poor baby boy was locked up in some bathroom, probably crying, and Fallon knew that Lucas was just as bad. She could hear the hitch in his voice, and he was gasping for air. He was freaking out.
“I’m leaving now,” she said before hanging up. Fallon almost ran out the building, even with people calling her name, she didn’t stop. She had a little boy to get to.
A grown man, too.
**********************************
When Fallon pulled into Lucas’ driveway, she stopped to look up at the massive house. Even with her being worried beyond all belief, she still didn’t expect his house to be anything less. Lucas loved his things fancy and big. She used to tease him when they were together about his expensive taste. How did a regular blue-collar boy from Eaton Rapids, Michigan, get such expensive taste?
Fallon’s face broke out in a smile as she remembered the bashful grin that would come over his face as he would say, “Look at the girl I’m with. That should let you know right there that I like things beautiful.” She shook her head, stopping at the walkway and shutting off the car. She got out and ran up the walkway to the door. Lucas opened the door before she was even able to reach it. When her eyes settled on his, Fallon swore all the air she had in her body came out in a rush.
Lucas’ eyes were bloodshot, his face red, and his eyes frantic as he looked down at her. They stood staring at each other for a moment before he moved out of the way, letting her in.
“He’s in my room,” he said as she passed by. Fallon nodded as she stopped in the foyer, waiting for him to lead the way. When he walked past her, she couldn’t stop herself, she reached out taking his hand in hers. She had to comfort him, he looked so scared, so hurt.
And it was all because of her.
Lucas looked down at her, and Fallon squeezed his hand. “I’m gonna fix this, Lucas.”
“He said I didn’t want him.”
Tears rushed to Fallon’s eyes. God, what had she done? “I’m gonna fix it,” she reassured. He squeezed her hand and started off towards the stairs.
Her hand still in his.
Fallon took in the clean look of the dark brown walls with the white trim. It looked so classic, so beautiful. Along the wall by the stairs were pictures of Lucas growing up and pictures of him and Levi. Fallon scrunched her nose up at the sight of Levi. He used to be a nice guy, but now she was convinced he was a Grade A douche. How anyone could say Aiden wasn’t Lucas’ was an asshole. Levi was basically calling Fallon a liar, and she was no damn liar.
A keeper of information, yes, but
not
a liar.
When Lucas lead Fallon into his bedroom, Fallon only looked around for a moment at the beautiful shade of gray on the walls before she heard Aiden crying.
“I wanna go home,” Aiden cried. She then heard the squeak of his shoes on the floor before the door opened and Aiden attached himself to her waist. Fallon held him close to her as he rubbed his nose into her middle, his tears soaking her shirt. “I want to go home,” he said once more against her stomach. She looked back to see Lucas, leaning against the door frame. The saddest look was on his face, and Fallon’s heart broke for him.
“Okay, honey,” Fallon said quietly. Aiden looked up at her and she ran her fingers through his hair, moving it out of his eyes. “Let’s go.”
Fallon lifted Aiden into her arms, and he wrapped his limbs around her tightly. Aiden’s face was hidden in her neck as she walked past Lucas. She couldn’t look Lucas in the eyes. She was too embarrassed and too guilty to even try. She heard him walk behind them, and he even opened the door for her without a word. Fallon carried Aiden to the car, and after buckling him in she turned to see Lucas standing on the porch watching her. She looked back at Aiden, but he was looking at his hands. Fallon took in a deep breath, walked back down the walkway and looked up at Lucas when she reached the steps.
Lucas shook his head, running his hands through his hair once more before taking in a deep breath. “This is my fault. I should have chased after you, but nope, I was too fucked up.”
Fallon was toe to toe with him before he even finished the sentence. “This is nowhere near your fault, Lucas. I should have told you. I should have been a good woman and told you about your son. This is my fault and I’ll fix it.”
Lucas shook his head. “I don’t think you can. I think he hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He’s just scared. I’ll talk to him. I promise, everything will be fine.”
Lucas’ eyes filled with tears and Fallon found it hard to catch her breath. If he started to cry in front of Fallon, she was pretty sure she would pass out. Lucas never showed emotion before and in the past week that was all she had seen from him.
Maybe he had changed?
“Okay,” Lucas said with a nod. Fallon nodded back and reached for his hand, squeezing it with a small smile on her face. She didn’t even pull away when he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to hers. She basked in the feel of his lips, the warmth of his skin against hers, everything, because she still craved it. When he pulled back, she gave him one last smile before heading down the steps to go to the car.
Fallon’s mind was reeling.
Did she really just kiss Lucas while around them the world was falling apart? And why didn’t it feel like the world was crashing down around them when his lips were on hers?
Damn, she was messed up.
Aiden didn’t say anything the entire ride back to their house. Every time Fallon looked in the rearview mirror, he was looking out the window, his chin on his hand. All her past fears came rushing back to her, and she wished like hell that she hadn’t left Lucas’ house. At least she would have him there for support, but not now. She was on her own. The way it should be. She made this mess, and she needed to fix it. It was obvious that Lucas needed Aiden, and Fallon couldn’t help but think Aiden needed Lucas. She thought she could do this all on her own, but just in the past week she saw a difference in Aiden. He was happier.
And it was all because of Lucas.
When they pulled into the driveway, Fallon got out and let Aiden out, shutting the doors behind them. He slid his hand into hers as they walked up the walkway. Once inside, Aiden headed for the stairs as Fallon went to lay her things down. As she checked her phone before turning it off, she heard Aiden’s door slam. She took in a jagged breath and prayed for the strength and knowledge to do this. After sliding off her pumps, and running her hands through her hair, she figured she had stalled enough. She started climbing the stairs and with each step her heartbeat picked up in speed.
Questions filled her head as she took each step, getting closer and closer to her baby boy’s door. When Aiden’s blue door came into sight, she took in another deep breath before pushing the door open. Aiden lay on his side with his back to the door.
“Aiden?” she asked as she shut the door behind her.
“Yeah?” Aiden said, not turning to look at her. Fallon walked around the random toys on Aiden’s floor and decided that she would yell at him to clean up later. Aiden cleaning his room was at the bottom of Fallon’s list of worries. Fallon sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on the outside of Aiden’s thigh. Nothing was said for a few minutes as Fallon watched tears roll down Aiden’s cheeks and over his chin. She felt horrible and prayed that Aiden would understand that at the time she thought she was helping him.