Page 45 of Fall

“Yeah, man, but don’t worry. That girl loves you anyway,” he says, walking past me and patting my shoulder. When did my youngest brother get so grown up?

“Fucking hell,” I whisper to myself when I see Tilly walk into the corridor wearing a tight, black dress that Allie helped me choose for her. The dress is simple, just black, but the long slit up to her thigh just makes her look stunning. Her red hair is half up in a bun, and the rest falls down her back in curls.

“Harley?” she calls, like the damn siren she is. I find myself helpless in doing anything but walking straight over to her. Her eyes widen when she sees me and I can’t help but grin.

“You look so beautiful, Tilly,” I tell her, not knowing what else to say to her. ‘Beautiful’ doesn’t even seem like a strong enough word to describe how she looks. She is just something else.

“Thank you, and thank you for the dress. How did you know my size?” she asks, but it’s Allie who answers for me.

“He called me, and I knew your size from one look,” she says as she walks out of the lounge with Elliot at her side. Allie has the baby monitor in her hand, and she offered to babysit baby girl tonight so I can take Tilly out. Elliot was just dragged along, but he doesn’t seem too bothered.

“Are you sure about having her all night?” Tilly asks Allie. Allie comes over and hugs her gently.

“Positive, now go. If we have any trouble, I will call. You both deserve a night out,” Allie tells her, and she nods.

“I’m here, too, and baby girl loves me,” Luke comments, leaning against the wall.

“Only because you keep watching Minions with her.” Tilly laughs.

“It’s a funny film.” Luke shrugs and walks off.

“Let’s go,” I say to Tilly and take her hand in mine.

We walk out to my car, and I hold the door open. Tilly goes to get in and then changes her mind, turning and leaning up to kiss me gently and making me smile before she turns and gets in. After I get in, we start the ten-minute drive to the place I want to take her.

“Where are you taking me then?” she asks.

“We have to take another means of transport to get there first,” I tell her, just as I pull into the drive of the house I was looking for. I drive down and park outside the giant house, and Tilly gives me a questioning look.

“Trust me?” I ask her, and she laughs.

“More than I want to admit,” she says and then gets out the car. I get out and walk around the car, wrapping my arms around her waist as we walk to the front door. The door opens before we can press the doorbell.

“Harley, you all ready?” Mark asks me as he comes out of the house and shakes my hand.

“Yes, and thank you for doing this for me,” I tell him.

“Don’t thank me, I owe you anyway.” Mark waves a hand. “Let’s go get into the helicopter. My pilot is ready,” he says.

Mark is a good man who used to fight in The Cage and couldn’t pay back the debt he owed Arthur. A debt he owed Arthur for the lifesaving treatment his daughter needed and the transport to America as they couldn’t save her here. That was years ago when I was eighteen, and he wasn’t rich. I paid the debt off for him from my savings because I knew he would end up getting himself killed in The Cage; Mark isn’t a fighter. Mark then took his freedom and set up a very successful truck driving business. He paid me back the money two years ago and insisted on helping me however he could. This is the first thing I’ve asked of him because he is the only one I know who has a helicopter.

“Helicopter?” Tilly gives me a wide-eyed look, and I grin at her. I’m sure she can hear it from here, the noise is loud.

“Yes. The helicopter is going to take us to our date,” I say, and she chuckles.

“Always surprising me with dates I will never forget,” she says.

“I never want you to forget me,” I whisper into her ear as I wrap my arm around her shoulders while we walk toward the helicopter.

“I could never forget you, Harley King,” she tells me, having to basically shout it for me to hear as we get closer to the helicopter.

We lower our heads as we get into the helicopter as it’s already on. After we all have our earphones in and our seatbelts strapped on, the helicopter takes off and Tilly squeezes my hand tight in hers.

“It’s amazing up here,” Tilly comments as we fly across the countryside and toward London, where we are staying for the night.

I had bags with some clothes sent there yesterday, and everything we need to stay the night is already waiting for us. I know the flight is only forty-five minutes to get into London. Tilly comments about all the beautiful views there are; the city lights, the towns. All I can think of is how beautiful she is. I spend the whole trip watching her, the way her eyes widen and the happy smile she gives me sometimes.

“Landing,” I hear in our headphones from Mark, and the pilot nods.

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