Page 47 of The Fall

“Mom, Aunt Tess said I don’t have to help. Can I play video games with Rowan?”

I stand up, my heart still racing. “Sure. I need to go help with the cooking anyway.”

I walk over to the doorway, Tate zooming past me to take a seat on the couch.

“I brought you a snack,” he says.

I turn around and see him handing Rowan a cracker and a piece of cheese.

“Nice. Thanks.” Rowan pops both things into his mouth and winks at me. “You ready for another whoopin’?”

“I might win this time,” Tate says.

“The first step is believing it.”

I think about what he said as I walk back downstairs, still smiling. Maybe that was my problem before. I never really believed something amazing could happen for me with a man.

I knew what I didn’t want. What I was unwilling to tolerate. But I had a protective wall up, my way of not letting myself get hurt again. And Rowan crumbled it without even meaning to.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rowan

Dom and Tesshave a huge rectangular dining table that seats up to sixteen people, so we all sit there for Thanksgiving dinner. I want to sit next to Cam, but I’m late getting into the room because Dom was talking my ear off about fantasy football.

Instead, I take a seat right across from her, giving me the best view in the house. There’s commotion all over the place. Sergei and Sam are throwing a football back and forth over the table. Dom’s dad is arguing about politics with Stella. Hannah is pleading with Tess to stop eating meat as Tess carves the turkey, Tess giving Dom a grateful look as he takes over the carving.

“We respect your views and buy you all the tofu you want; you need to respect our views, too,” Dom tells Hannah.

Wow. He’s making progress. Normally he’d make a smartass comment.

“Why is anyone a single-issue voter?” Dom’s dad is getting louder. “I’ve never understood that.”

“Sam, no more football,” Cam says. “Go wash up for dinner.”

“Aw, man.”

Sergei tosses the football onto a chair in the corner and sits down on the other side of me.

“I think we should teach Sam chess,” he says. “He has a good mind for it.”

“Yeah, good idea.”

“Why, because he’s a nerd?” Tate asks.

He’s sitting next to Cam, who leans over to speak softly in his ear, after which he mutters, “Yeah, I get it.”

“Tess, what’s this part?” Dom calls into the kitchen as he carves. “Is this the turkey’s penis? Aren’t you supposed to take that off before you cook it?”

“Disgusting!” Hannah cries.

“I’m not eating turkey penis!” Tate gives Cam a horrified look.

Tess comes flying into the room, food splashed all over her apron. “Dom, what the hell is wrong with you? They take all that stuff out while they’re processing the turkey.”

He shrugs. “Well, I didn’t know. I didn’t want to feed our guests?—”

She glares at him, daring him to continue.

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