“You’re okay?” he asks me, his tone questioning and unsure.
“Yes.” I reach over to rest my hand on top of his. “I promise. I’m really sorry. I should have taken better care of myself. I was so focused on the girls, I forgot about myself.”
Jason’s eyes are narrowed as he looks over again. “You can’t do that, Fallon. I get you were taking care of the girls, but you have to take care of yourself too.”
“I know,” I reply. “You’re right.”
“You scared the shit out of me,” he says with a lowered voice so the girls don’t hear him curse.
My throat thickens and I swallow hard, trying to get rid of the lump that’s appeared. “I’m sorry, Jason. I’m better now. I’ll relax once you drop us off, and everything will be fine.”
He doesn’t reply as he looks away and shifts the truck into gear and drives us away from the zoo. His fingers are clenched tight around the steering wheel during the entire drive, and he doesn’t say another word to me. He’s frustrated with me, I can tell.
We pull into my driveway, and Jason unbuckles, surprising me. “What are you doing?” I ask as I unbuckle myself.
He ignores me, shifting his body backwards to speak to the girls. “Girls, head inside. Lennie, we’re going to play here for a while.”
The girls squeal in delight and quickly unbuckle andrun to the front door. I glance over at Jason, my eyes wide. “You can’t be alone right now,” is the only explanation he gives me. “Keys,” he says, holding out his palm. I hand him my house keys, and he turns off the truck, climbing out and grabbing the bags from the back seat. Slowly, I follow him, completely at a loss.
I know he’s probably stressed I almost passed out, but I’m fine now. There’s no reason for him to stick around if he’s mad at me. Brad used to stick the knife in and twist it every time he was upset with me, and make the argument drag on for much longer than it needed to. I don’t want that now. I want to relax.
I follow him into my house, and the cool air is incredible. I do a quick glance around to make sure it’s at least semi-clean, and thankfully, there isn’t any dirty laundry in the living room, or unwashed dishes on the counter.
Jason walks through the house with purpose, as if it’s not his first time here, and heads straight to the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” I ask as I rush to follow him.
“Getting them a snack. Go take a shower.” His voice is clipped, and he still won’t look at me as he searches through my fridge. “You still need to cool down, and a shower will help you feel better.”
“I’m fine, Jason,” I reply. “I can do this, go relax.”
He shakes his head, not meeting my eyes yet again. “Fallon, go.” When he finally looks at me for the first time since we pulled away from the zoo, there’s a mix of stress and emotion all over his face. “I’ve got the girls for a little bit. Please.”
“O-Okay,” I stammer, turning and leaving the kitchen. “Call me if you need anything?”
He agrees, and I head down the hall to my bathroom, turning the shower on. He’s right, I still am overheated,despite the water and sitting in the cool car. And I probably stink from all the sweat.
I take a quick, cool shower, not bothering to do much besides rinse myself and wash my sweaty hair. When I’m dressed in fresh clothes, my hair towel-dried, I head back to the sound of happy, squealing voices.
I’m shocked when I round the corner into the living room at what I see, though. The girls are dressed up in Presley’s princess gowns, with plastic tiaras on their heads, and clip-on earrings and necklaces adorning their skin.
That’s not what’s jarring, though. No, it’s Jason. He’s sitting next to them with his own tiara and earrings. I notice the game board in the middle of them, and realize they are playing “Pretty Pretty Princess.” It was my favorite game as a kid, and my mom still had my old game from when I was young. We had to replace some of the jewelry and add a few crowns, but the game was still intact, so I took it when Presley was old enough to play. She absolutely loves it, and clearly, Lennie does too.
Before they realize I’m here, I whip my phone out, snapping a few photos. It’s an adorable sight, and proves even more how much of an amazing dad Jason is. When he spots me, he immediately stands, telling the girls to keep playing and he’ll be right back. He strides toward me, turning me and placing his hand at the base of my spine, leading me into the kitchen.
Once we’re in the quiet of the kitchen, he spins me around to face him. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I reply. “The shower helped. Thank you. You don’t have to stick around, I promise I’m good now. It was a fluke.”
Jason sighs heavily, and tilts his head back. With themotion, he realizes he still has the tiara on his head, and quickly removes it, as well as the earrings.
"Why do you seem so frustrated with me? I'm fine,” I say, taking a deep breath.
"You're not fine. You should be more careful." His voice is tight, like he’s trying to hold back something he’s feeling, something I can’t quite place.
"Where is this coming from? Jason, what is going on? I told you, I’m fine.” I reach out, trying to grasp his arm, but he shakes his head.
“I can’t bear the thought of something bad happening to you, Fallon. What if I wasn’t there today?”
