Booker: Great. Now I owe Emersyn twenty bucks.
Booker: But more importantly, Gran’s telling everyone that Fallon’s heading to Europe in mid-December. I’m assuming either it’s not true, or I just ruined one heck of a Christmas present.
Ollie: Thanks for the heads up. And for not beating my ass. I really do love her, in case that wasn’t obvious.
Booker: I know you do. Take care of each other.
Suddenly, I know she’s at her grandparents’ house. I’d bet anything that her car is parked in their drive. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but there’s no doubt in mymind that Carol and Jim Nolan are causing some drama.
Maybe I should call Fallon or wait until she comes home. That might be the rational thing to do, but I think Wagner was right when he told me to trust my gut.
I could be wrong. She could be studying at the library. I could show up to her grandparents’ place and look like an ass, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
As I get in my car and drive toward Bellfield, I don’t know what I’m getting myself into, but the connection I have with Fallon is deeper than anything I’ve known before, and my head and heart both know there’s no going back.
The drive takes about half an hour, but soon enough their old, stately home comes into view. The circular drive is longer than a city block, so I park my car in front of the door. I’m not wasting anymore time.
I ring the bell and when her grandfather answers, he looks flustered. When I hear Fallon's voice at the top of the stairs, I slip past him and take the steps two at a time. I’m dying to rush through any barrier and get to Fallon, but I stop in my tracks in the middle of the landing when I hear what her grandmother has to say.
“It’s the right thing to do, dear. I know you’re upset now, but you’ll thank us one day.”
“I’ll never thank you for this,” Fallon says, her voice tired and raw. “I’m only agreeing because Ollie deserves better than this. He's the most incredible person I know, and I love him. I refuse to be the reason he loses hockey or the future he’s worked hard for. But if I do this, if I leave Ollie, you have to hold up your end of the bargain. You can’t tell the university what your private investigator found out.”
The words “private investigator” should be a red flag,or even “if I leave Ollie,” but my mind is stuck on the part where she said she loved me. I don’t wait for Fallon to finish, because I’ve heard enough. The only words that need to be said now are the ones we say to each other.
In two steps, I’m inside the guest room and facing Fallon where she sits on the bed.“You’re my wife, Fallon, the woman I love. You’re not leaving me unless it’s what you really want.”I sign the words as I say them so no one in this house is mistaken about my feelings for Fallon.
“Young man! What on earth are you doing here?” I swear to god, Carol Nolan clutches her pearls when she catches sight of me.
Fallon catches my eyes and the look on her face threatens to break my heart into a thousand pieces. “Ollie, you need to go. Please.”
“You think I’m leaving you here in tears? Think again, beautiful,”I say, sitting down beside her.
Fallon’s shaking her head.“My grandparents found out about your MyFans account. They’re quite upset and even though it has nothing to do with them and is none of their business,” she says, her words pointed, “they’re going to tell the Dean. You’ll lose your place on the team.”
Holy shit.
No wonder Fallon hasn’t been acting like herself. I know they love their granddaughter, but they are overstepping and I’m putting an end to that shit right now. I turn just enough to face Carol and her husband, who must have followed me upstairs.
“Do it,” I challenge, looking both of her grandparents in the eye. “Call the Dean. If you want to tell the school about my account, go ahead. In fact,“I say, withdrawing my cell phone from my pocket,“I’ll beat you to it.”
“Ollie, stop,”Fallon says, desperation in her voice.“You’ll get kicked off the team, maybe worse.”
I tip her chin up and sweep my lips across hers. “Don’t you know by now that I love you more than anything else. Yeah, hockey is a huge part of my life, and hell no, I don’t want to give it up. But if I have to choose between you and hockey, you’ll win every time, Fallon.”
“What about your dad and the job he’s offering? You told me once that he'd lose his mind if he ever found out about your account. You’ve wanted to work with him since you were a kid. You can’t give that up now.”
I kiss her once more because the taste of her lips is one of my favorite things in the world. “And you told me once that I’d built a brand from the ground up. That I don’t need to rely on Louis Jablonski when I’m a businessman in my own right.”
“But he’s your dad,” she protests.
“And I’ll always love him. But it took him twenty-two years to realize I’m a gem. It only took you two. You’re clearly the better choice.”
Her smile is watery. “Actually, it took me two minutes to realize your talents. We let life get in the way, and I’m not doing that anymore. I’ll play along. I’ll go on a trip. I’ll live here with my grandparents if I have to until they realize that distance and space won’t make me stop loving you.But I am not letting them blow the whistle and ruin everything you’ve worked for.”
I take Fallon’s face in my hands. “No, beautiful, we can’t live like that. I’m not giving you up for a couple months. I’m not giving you up for one night. Anyone who doesn’t understand what we have isn’t going to dictate how we live our lives.”
The smile that graces Fallon’s lips is my undoing, and when she clasps her hand around my neck and kisses me deeply, I know I’ll do anything to protect the life we’re building.
