Page 125 of Last Call

“You just saidyoudidn’t want to go first.”

“I didn’t expectyouto agree with me,” Billie said, half-laughing.

Dave raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t bite, you know.”

“He’snew,” Fallon said.

Becky giggled.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Riley said. "You've both changed dozens of diapers." Riley walked over. “Happy to warm up the crowd,” she said as she scooped up the baby. She settled into the chair beside Becky’s bed, adjusting the blanket that swaddled baby Billy. “There. Nobody exploded.”

Fallon watched her. "He likes you."

“He’s asleep,” Billie pointed out.

“Exactly,” Riley said. “Best time to get in a snuggle.”

Fallon crossed her arms loosely and leaned against the windowsill, her gaze fixed on the two of them—Riley, calm and glowing with the tiny bundle in her arms. He looked a bit like a football, all wrapped up. Or maybe that was just Fallon. Something bloomed in her chest—big, impossible, andreal.

“Two weeks,” Fallon murmured.

Billie exchanged a smile with Andi that told her Riley had confided in Andi about her plans.

The baby let out a soft sigh and drooled onto Riley’s shoulder.

Riley looked down, then glanced up at Fallon with a crooked smile. “Well, he definitely takes after his namesake."

"He takes after Billie?" Fallon asked.

“I'm sure he will. I'm talking about the dramatic entrance, the milk obsession, and now the drooling. Classic Fallon.”

The room burst into laughter as Fallon groaned, then rolled her eyes. "I don't drool," Fallon said.

Andi snickered.

"I don't!"

Billie looked away.

"Billie drools!" Fallon said. "She was drooling when we woke up this morning!"

Riley giggled. "Your family is crazy," she told the baby. "Trust me, that's a good thing." She stood and handed the baby to Andi.

"Yes. It is," Andi agreed.

Chapter Nine

July 15th

Fallon lingered by the jukebox, her eyes sweeping over the pub as emotions swirled within her. Change. It was everywhere. It stirred something within her that longed for the past. Memories flooded her mind—fleeting, intangible, but powerful. She had kept the bar nearly identical to when it was the Middle Ground, clinging to the familiarity. Her gaze drifted to the corner where her father used to sit. What would he think of all these changes? She wished she could ask him. He would have adored Riley, of that she was certain. He likely would have told her she was “crazier than a two-dollar bill” for buying this place at all. She never expected it to change again. It felt right, letting something new inside, yet it also felt so wrong.

Carol reassured her that moving the counter was probably the most practical decision she could make, given its wild history with coeds—or Andi. Her friend's lighthearted ribbing momentarily soothed Fallon’s apprehension about revamping the pub as they awaited the plans for a new event space next door.

She sank into a nearby booth, torn between wanting to hold onto the past and eager to carve out something new. She surrendered to the cascade of memories, hoping to imprint them—and the pub as it was now—deep within her mind.

She smiled softly, remembering the night her life changed forever. She’d thought her life was settled then. It felt that way. That night started familiar, surrounded by people she’d known all her life. Happy to be close to Andi. But not content—not fulfilled. It required something unexpected for Fallon to find her way home. She would always be grateful for two things: Andi’s seductive call that kept her inside the pub, and Riley’s car breaking down in the middle of a snowstorm.

“Get out of here before the snow starts accumulating,” Fallon told Carol.

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