I walk over to her, and lean against my desk, crossing my legs in front of me. “Tell me what’s going on.” Reaching forward, I cup her cheek in my hand. She leans away from my touch, and my heart drops.
“I can’t. Because if I do, I’ll lose it. I can’t lose it, Jason. I need to keep it together,” she snaps. I’ve never seen her like this before. Sure, I’ve seen her mad, emotional, crabby, but never like this. Never broken.
“Okay,” I concede. “Do you want me to go?”
She shakes her head. “No. I just, I needed a minute. I’m fine now.” Like she’s trying to prove her point, she stands from the chair and adjusts her dress. “Do I look okay?” she asks, quickly swiping under her eyes so fast I didn’t even see that there were tears.
“You look beautiful, sunshine,” I tell her honestly.
“Great.” Her voice is thick around the words. She steps around me and leaves my office without another word. I’ll definitely spend the next few hours worried about her, but I’m not about to force her into telling me anything.
I follow her as she walks down the short hallway back into the main room of the brewery. I watch as Lennie andPresley stand up to greet her, and follow close by. I keep my distance, watching her from afar as Beau stands up in front of the crowd, raising a glass. He surprises me, turning his body toward me, and smiling, saying, “Thank you all for coming, and Jason, thanks for letting us have the brewery for the night.”
I nod, realizing I don’t have a drink to hold up in response.
Beau shifts his gaze to Fallon in the corner, Presley standing right by her, holding the coloring pages. “And to Fallon, for whipping his ass into shape long enough to help plan the event.”
Laughter rings through the crowd, and I glance down at my feet, kicking at the ground. I’ve never been one for attention, but I turn my gaze to Fallon anyway, knowing there are eyes on us. She’s focused on Marley, a soft smile on her face, totally different than the blank look she wore only minutes ago. She offers Marley a small shrug, and then shifts her focus back to Beau as he continues to speak about his future wife.
He finishes his toast, and everyone raises a glass to them. I still don’t have one, so I raise my arm in support. From the corner of my eye, I see Thomas trying to sneak in. He has a haggard look on his face, dark-rimmed circles under his eyes. Shit. Work has been so stressful for him recently, and I wish there was something I could do to help.
The party continues for a few more hours, and the whole time, I keep missing Fallon. I truly think she’s avoiding me. Something had to have happened, and I’m worried about her.
It’s nearing eight-thirty, and Lennie needs to get home. She’s been clinging to my side for the last hour. I know she’s exhausted. Hell, I’m exhausted. Laila and the crew canhandle the rest of the event, but I don’t want to leave without talking to Fallon. Her mom, Elaine, came by about an hour ago and picked up Presley for the night. I make my way through the crowd, carrying Lennie on my hip as she rests her head on my shoulder.
Beau and Marley are sitting at a table with pretty much everyone. Josie and Andrew are next to them, and Thomas, Isaac, and Megan are sitting on the other side. The only person missing is Fallon.
Marley’s mom and dad took the twins home about an hour ago, giving Marley and Beau some free time on their engagement night.
“Hey, have you guys seen Fallon?” I ask them. They all crane their heads, looking around the thinning crowd to find her.
“No,” Josie replies. “She was running around a bit. I told her to sit down like an hour ago, but haven’t seen her since.”
I furrow my brow. Where could she be? “Can Lennie sit with you guys for a few minutes? I’m going to go find her.”
“Absolutely,” Thomas responds. “Come here, Lenners.” I love how over time Lennie has received an assortment of nicknames from all her family.
Lennie reaches her arms out for Thomas, and I drop her into his lap. Sure, she’s five and getting taller each day, but she’s still a little snuggle bug. Thomas has taken off all his work gear now, leaving him in a simple cotton tee, so she snuggles right in. In all honesty, I’d be shocked if she was awake in five minutes. I know I need to get her home, but this is important. I can’t leave, knowing something was up with Fallon earlier.
“I’ll be back,” I tell them. Megan stands as I turn away.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” she announces, but I have a gut instinct she’s going to tell me something.
I stride away from the table, and Megan follows. I head toward the restrooms, hoping I can be subtle. When we’re hidden in a hallway, Megan grabs my attention, saying, “She left.”
“What do you mean, she left?” I glance around me, like she’ll suddenly appear in the hall.
“Today is a hard day for her. I offered to go with her, but she said she needed to be alone.” Megan doesn’t look at me, only at the floor.
“Why is it hard for her, Megan?” My heart is pounding in my chest, a dull sense of fear creeping in.
“I can’t tell you. It’s not my story to tell. I was going to go over there as soon as I dropped Isaac off. She may want to be alone, but she shouldn’t be.”
“Fuck,” I curse, running a hand down my face. “You really can’t give me any more information?” I need to know what’s going on. If she’s hurting, I want to be there. I want to help her.
“I can’t. She needs to be the one to tell you, Jason.”
“Should I…” I trail off, not finishing my sentence. Even if I wanted to go over there tonight, I can’t. I have to get Lennie home and in bed. “Shit.”
