Page 41 of Fall With Me
“Any sane person would have run back to their room when they saw something scary like that. I stood frozen, unable to breathe or move. When I finally scrounged up the courage to ask my mom for help, she yelled at me, telling me to get back to bed and leave the adults alone. I changed out of my wet pajamas by myself and climbed into Carter’s bed with him. He was really good about taking care of me when our mom had stopped bothering to be a mother.”
Man, her mom did a number on her and Carter. Things with Willow weren’t great, but at least when she decided to come home, she wasn’t intoxicated.
My limbs are heavier with each sentence Chloe speaks. For a second time in a matter of minutes, my protective instincts roar like a lion shielding its pride. “It’s not often I’m left speechless, but I have absolutely no idea what to say here, except I get why you don’t like those movies. I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch one again without thinking of you.”
She reaches across the table, placing her hand on top of mine. “I didn’t mean to ruin anything for you.”
I shake my head. “Chloe, it’s impossible for you to ruin anything.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Really? ’Cause I’m pretty sure today’s outing didn’t go as planned.”
“Who says that just because it isn’t going the way you thought it would that it’s ruined? I’m not upset about introducing you to a new restaurant and getting you to agree to go skiing with us.”
She narrows her eyes at me, faking being annoyed. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you purposely planned on me getting sick.”
“That’s all on you, 007.”
She smiles at me, her eyes going soft like a loaf of pumpkin bread. My insides follow suit.
“I think it’s time you get a nickname, too.”
My brows rise. “And what name fits me?”
She taps her chin. “My brain is mush right now. I’ll come up with something. You’ll know it when I do.”
I grin. “I can’t wait.”
Chloe smiles playfully at me, her brows wiggling up and down.
Her smile is like basking in the glow of a campfire on a perfect fall night.
Chapter 19
Chloe
Dinner wasn’t a date, but if it were? Dawson aced the test. He’s easy to be around. He listens when I speak and knows how to make me laugh. Throughout our meal, we talked about growing up in Utah, our favorite hangouts when we were kids, and the best hamburger joints. We didn’t agree on who serves the best cheeseburger, so a taste-off was scheduled for another day.
“Are you the oldest in your family?” I ask Dawson as he turns onto the freeway toward my house.
“I’m the youngest, actually. Emma is eighteen months older than me, and Lucy is four years older.”
“Did you ever wish you had a brother?”
He laughs. “Constantly. I never liked being their doll, and they never wanted to wrestle with me.”
“Oh, you poor baby,” I mock.
“Did you ever wish you had a sister?”
My head wobbles back and forth. “Sometimes, yeah.” I really wanted my mom back more than another sibling. “But Carter and I got really close and, I don’t know, maybe because I knew having a sister wasn’t an option, I tried to appreciate what I had.” That’s not to say Carter and I didn’t have our disagreements or annoyances with each other. We fought just like any other set of siblings. But our circumstances were unique. When the only other person you can rely on is your brother, you form a tighter bond. Add our twin connection and we’re as tight as a metal seam.
“Do you want Finn to have a sibling someday?” Heat burns my cheeks like I just spent an hour doing cardio.Think before you speak, Chloe.
Dawson flashes me a smile. “Are you offering to help him out?”
“What? NO!” My head shakes as fast as a dog after a bath. “That’s NOT what I was suggestingat all.” Of course, an image of exactly what it takes to make a baby pops into my head and, of course, the person I picture doing it with is Dawson. I don’t hate it…
“That’s not what I heard…”
