No matter what.

“Lucas, I thought you weren’t gonna show.”

Lucas turned quickly and saw his boss and captain standing beside him. “Mrs. Adler, Adler,” he said shaking hands with both of them. “I was running late tonight.”

“Oh, well I’m glad you came, did you happen to meet up with Fallon?”

“Only for a second, she’s very busy,” Lucas said with a grin as Shea Adler glared at him.

Shea and Lucas were still not seeing eye to eye. Shea thought Lucas should jump when he said jump, and Lucas couldn’t disagree more. He wouldn’t say they hated each other, but they did dislike each other.

A lot.

“Really? She is never too busy for me. Where is she — oh there she is, Fallon!”

Lucas turned to see his past lover stop in her tracks as she glanced their way. He could tell that she was wishing she was any place but there as she made her way towards them with the fakest smile imaginable.

Apparently Mrs. Adler was right; Fallon wasn’t ever too busy for her.

Good to know.

*********************************************

Fuck, f**k, f**kity, f**k.

Fallon sang as she made her way over towards Shea, Elli and Lucas. Elli wrapped her arms around Fallon and they hugged tightly before she broke away from Elli to kiss Shea’s cheek.

“Hey guys, enjoying the party?” she asked before she noticed that Lucas had his cheek out for her. She scoffed and turned back to Elli. Cold day in hell before her lips came anywhere near that man’s face. The sounds of Lucas’s chuckles ran down her spine as she tried to concentrate on what Elli was saying.

“I’m sorry, what Elli?” she asked when Elli just stood there looking at her.

Elli smiled, “So y’all know each other, right?”

Fuck. Shit. Hell. Damn it. Fallon mentally prayed for the Lord to take her anywhere but there as she tried to figure out what to say. She had already told Elli that she and Lucas had dated, why the hell was she bringing it up?!

“We used to date when Fallon lived in California.”

Fallon looked over at Lucas, hatred filling her eyes. How dare he throw their business out for the world to see! She wanted to keep what they had quiet!

“Oh really? When was that?”

“Seven years ago,” Lucas said again, and Fallon decided she was gonna kill Lucas Brooks. He must have not known that he was on his way to heaven because all he did was shoot her a cheeky smile.

“I didn’t know…” Elli stopped and looked back at Lucas. Fallon watched as the realization of who was standing in front of Elli sunk it. Fallon had never told anyone about Aiden’s father, but she had said once that it was some guy from California. Fallon felt like her world had just been pulled out from underneath her when Elli focused her eyes on her.

Elli Adler knew who Aiden’s daddy was.

Fallon’s eyes were wide and filled with worry as the two women stared each other down. She hoped that Elli knew not to say anything, not to utter a word about Aiden because she just couldn’t tell Lucas.

Not now, not ever.

“Um, well look at the time, I gotta go!” Fallon basically yelled as she started to back away, begging Elli with her eyes not to say anything. Elli nodded and Fallon almost fell to her knees to thank her.

As Fallon rushed off, she felt Lucas’ eyes following her every move. He made her self-conscious, and nervous. The same way he did nine years ago.

Yeah, this was not good.

Chapter 7

Fallon laid her face in her pillow later that night. She hated crying, she did, but after the night she had there was nothing left for her to do but cry. Why did she let Lucas affect her the way she did? He basically had won the whole time they were around each other. She knew that he was trying to get under her skin, and she had let him. She let him win.

After she promised herself she would never ever let that happen again.

Why did she do this to herself? Why couldn’t she just be over him? It had been so long, he was nothing to her anymore.

Right?

Right!

Yeah, they had a kid together but still, he didn’t even know! She had no reason to even deal with him anymore, or better yet talk to him. So why was she letting one night of seeing him affect her to the point of tears?

When her door opened, she wiped her face on the pillow before glancing over to see Audrey in the door way, still in her tutu dress. Fallon smiled sadly since Audrey looked so darn cute before moving her face back into the pillow. Audrey didn’t say anything as she tiptoed across the room, crawled into bed with Fallon and snuggled close to her.

“I heard you crying,” Audrey whispered, causing Fallon’s eyes to shut.

Great, if Audrey heard her that meant that Aiden could hear her if he was awake. Thank God he wasn’t.

“Sorry,” Fallon hiccupped before turning her face back into the pillow again.

“Why are you crying, Fal?”

Fallon slowly shook her head, she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t express the way her heart felt like it was breaking all over again. She thought she could be so strong through this, but she couldn’t. With just one look at Lucas, she felt like she was still the 21-year-old woman that ran all those years ago.

“Why ain’t I over him AA? Why?” Fallon said into the pillow. She wasn’t sure that Audrey heard her until she felt Audrey’s hand on her back, rubbing softly.

“I don’t know Fal.”

“I just don’t understand,” Fallon cried as she sat up looking over her. “Is it ‘cause of my secret or is it because I truly still care for him? How though? It’s been so long, and he hurt me so bad. How can I still care for him? I. just. don’t. understand.”