Page 98 of The Moments You Were Mine
Theo slid to a stop when he caught sight of Cranky and Sweeney.
Sweeney lowered to his haunches and held out his hand. “Hey, little man. I’ve missed your lucky high fives.”
Barreling into Sweeney with a smile, Theo slammed his tiny hand into my friend’s palm with all his might. “No high fives. Mine are five fousands. I give five fousands!”
Sweeney shook his hand as if it hurt. “You sure as heck do.” He surreptitiously slid Theo a roll of Starbursts he’d pulled from who knew where.
Cranky reached down and held out his palm. “Don’t leave me hanging, bud. I can’t be left behind in the lucky dollar race with Sweeney.”
Theo smacked Cranky’s hand too. “The pain. Oh, the pain.” Cranky fell on his ass, dragging Theo with him. “It hurts so good, man. Hurts so good.”
Theo burst into laughter, tucking a second roll of candy into his pockets. Before Will had died, I would have added my own candy to Theo’s stack. I’d have filled the kid with sugar and then sent him back to his dad to deal with. Now, I’d be the one who had to calm him down when my teammates left and he was riding a sugar high.
When I looked up from the shenanigans of my teammates and Theo, I caught Fallon’s gaze. She was smiling, but she looked washed out again. Exhausted. And all the humor and lightness of the moment deflated for me. She needed rest.
“Okay, fun and games are over,” I said. “Fallon needs to get back to bed.”
“I’ll happily take her to bed,” Cranky said, setting Theo aside and snapping to attention with his innuendo hanging in the air.
Fallon laughed. “You know, Cranky, the way I feel right now, it wouldn’t be fair to you. You’d only get half of me today.”
“Half of you, sweetheart, is ten times better than most women.”
“No one is taking Fallon to bed but me,” I growled and then wanted to slam my fist into my own face as every single pair of eyes in the barn jerked to me, including hers. Kurt and Sweeney barely held back their smiles, Teddy and Chuck frowned, and Cranky let out a huge laugh.
Ten minutes ago, I’d been relieved to see my teammates show up, and now I was ready for them to get the hell out of Rivers so I could figure out the rest of my life. And that singular thought brought to the forefront exactly what my subconscious had already figured out about my future.
Those fleeting flashes of family I’d always denied wanting were suddenly exactly what I craved.
Chapter Twenty-six
Parker
SELFISH
Performed by Jordan Davis
FOUR WEEKS AGO
HER: You and Theo are on my mind. I just wanted you to know I’m here for whatever you need.
HER: And before you respond with some fifth-grade-boy innuendo. That wasn’t an offer of sex.
HIM: I’m not sure I’ll ever have sex again. I don’t know how Will did it.
HER: Had sex after Theo?
HIM: Trusted anyone else not to pull one over on him.
PRESENT DAY
Before I could maneuver Fallon outof the barn, Andie and Kevin joined us. Her hotel manager had a tablet out, ready to give Fallon an update on which of the staff had agreed to stay while the ranch was closed. While I also needed the names to pass along to the new security team for investigation, I could do that later. Right now, it was more important to wrap things up so Fallon could get back to resting.
I stepped close to her and dropped my head to whisper, “Five minutes, Fallon. If you’re not done in five, I won’t give a shit about saving face for you in front of your employees. I’ll pick you up and carry you out of this barn without a single qualm.”
Her head turned, our lips coming dangerously close totouching, and my entire body tightened in anticipation. But the flick of annoyance in her eyes told me, even if the situation hadn’t, that there wasn’t a kiss coming.
“How many times do I have to remind you that you’re not the boss of me?” she growled softly.
