Page 26 of Last Call

“Of course. Fallon is moving fast—again. She wants everythingnow.”

“That’s Fallon,” Billie said.

Andi nodded.

“Am I missing something?” Billie asked.

“No. I think Fallon is acting as much on fear as on excitement.”

“Fear?”

“Yes,” Andi replied. “I remember how excited she was when she and Liv built that house—so ready to create a life with Liv. It tore her apart when Liv left. And we both know how deeply it hurt her when Dean agreed to help Liv and Barb start their family.”

“What does that have to do with Riley?”

“Nothing and everything. They are building a new home—one Riley helped design—one built to add children to their lives.”

“I see where you’re going. It’s not the same. They already have Owen,” Billie said.

“True. But there’s this little gremlin whispering to Fallon that if she doesn’t make it all come together immediately, it will slip away.”

“It’s not like it was with Liv, though. She and Riley are married.”

“This isn’t about facts,” Andi said. “It’s about feelings. What did you say to me a few minutes ago?”

“I don’t know. What did I say?”

Andi chuckled. Simple moments reminded her why Billie was the love of her life.

“I think it was something about mirrors,” Andi said. “Isn’t that what you were trying to tell me? That my assumption that I’m regarded as somehow less because of my past is a reflection of my insecurities?”

“Yes, but how is that like Fallon pushing to have kids?”

“Fallon will always have questions about Liv. What if she’d agreed to leave with her? What if she’d pushed for them to marry sooner? Those questions don’t have answers. She’s filling in the blanks in her mind. And terrified history will repeat itself.”

“It’s not only about Liv, is it?” Billie guessed.

Andi smiled. “No. I suspect some of it is about me, too.”

Billie nodded. “Do you still wonder about Fallon?”

“Sure. Don’t you ask questions about the people you’ve loved?”

“I don’t think I was everinlove before you, Andi.”

Andi sighed. “But you ask questions?”

“I guess I do.”

“Billie,youare the love of my life. You know that. Everything in my past led me to you. I don’t have regrets. None. I can’t erase what I shared with Fallon. I don’t want to. And sometimes that’s difficult for us both.”

“I know. I think some part of her hoped maybe one day you would leave Jake,” Billie said.

“We both waited for the other to say something—to admit there was more between us than a convenient affair, beyond just friends with benefits. Neither of us did. Then Riley showed upand everything changed for us all. It hurt Fallon when I left Jake after we’d broken up. She was angry with me.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s the same question with no answer, Billie. What if she’d said something sooner? She’s afraid Riley will slip away.”

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