Page 66 of Fall Wherever They May

Rummaging through the fridge, he pulls out a couple of vegetables, a container of thawed chicken, and a bottle of wine. He takes two wine glasses out of the cabinet, then fills both glasses before handing one to me.

Clinking my glass to his, I wink, “To a kid-free night.”

“To a kid-free night.” Cal chuckles, taking a sip.

When he sets the glass down on the counter, his lips lift into a left-sided smirk. I know that smirk; it’s a devious one. He grabs a cutting board out of the cabinet, seting it on the counter, then crosses the kitchen to the sink, where I follow. A smirk still graces his lips, and it makes me wonder what crazy thoughts are running through his head right now.

Once we’ve washed our hands together, he turns to grab a towel. As soon as he turns to hand me said towel, I flick the water from my hands at his face. A loud laugh escapes my lips when he grabs me by the waist and spins me around. He lowers me to my feet in front of the cutting board. “Don’t think I haven’t been keeping tally in my head of all the times you’ve been a brat. Your punishments are adding up.”

“Oh, promises, promises, Hotshot. You talk a big game, but you have yet to deliver on anything you’ve threatened. One might think you’re just talking out of your ass.”

“Yeah, you won’t be saying that whenyourass is on fire, will you?”

“Mm-hmm. Do it, then talk about it,” I wink.

From behind, he presses his body against mine and buries his nose in my hair. I brace my hands on the counter—my body on full alert. As he speaks low into my ear, goosebumps prickle along my skin, and a tingling sensation takes over myentire body. “I would like to feed you. You’re going to need all the energy you can get for what I have in store for you.” His fingertips trace down my neck. “I’m going to worship every inch of your body, then make love to you nice and slow . . .” The heat from his body leaves mine, followed by a loud crack that echoes throughout the kitchen and makes me jump.Fuck!My assison fire, but I’m completely aroused. Again, I feel his breath on my neck, and his body presses against me. “That was just a taste of what’s in store for you. Are you ready for me to deliver the punishment you’ve been begging for?” Sexually frustrated and aroused, I nod. His low chuckle fills my ear, “Be a good fucking girl . . . and cut those up,” he whispers, popping the p. Then kisses my cheek.Fucking tease.

I’m left panting as he moves away from me and sets the oven to preheat. It takes me a minute to collect myself, but I begin to cut up the broccoli and green onionslike a good fucking girlwhile he seasons the chicken. Once the task is complete, I set the cutting board next to him and lean back against the counter.

“So, any word on when your homeowners will be back?” He asks as he places the chicken in a baking dish, then scrapes the vegetables from the cutting board into a bowl.

I freeze and turn to him. “Oh. Oh god.” I panic, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Fuck! I have to figure something out pretty quickly. Time just kinda snuck up on me. I only have about a month left. How did I let this slip?”

Cal adds a mixture of rice, water, cheese, and a can of cream of mushroom soup to the veggies and gives it a good stir before placing the mixture on top of the chicken. Then he tops the casserole with cheese. He looks so sexy doing such a minuscule task. This is nice—just the two of us after a crazy day, laughing, playing, and bantering while we prepare a meal as a couple.

“That tends to happen when you’re as busy as we are. Any ideas floating around in that brilliant brain of yours?” He shifts his focus from me to his phone and sets a timer before sliding the device into his back pocket.

“Not yet. I guess in a worst-case scenario, we can just crash at River’s apartment until we can find something.”

“Or . . . and hear me out . . .” He says as we wash our hands in the sink, “You two could just stay here with me.”

My head jerks back. “What? Cal, that’s ridiculous. We just got together and . . .”

“And even still, I already know you're it for me. Both of you. I want you here . . . always. When I come home from away games, I want to come home to you and Tuck. I want to see his smiling face and hear about his day before he goes to bed, and then I want to climb in bed next to you every night I’m home. Is it really too soon, Aspen? We’ve been dancing around this relationship for months.”

Jason Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” plays low in the background. Cal wraps his arms around me. My hands reach up around his neck, and I play with the hair at his nape as he sways us back and forth. I can’t contain the smile on my lips as I look up at this amazing man. I want to say yes so badly, but I’m scared.

His eyes hold mine hostage. “I’m fucking obsessed with you. When I’m with you, the world stops spinning, and everything just goes . . . still. For years I’ve begged for peace, but I’ve quickly come to realize that you are my peace. You’re my comfort. My silence when the world around me is too loud. Angel, you’re everything.” He takes my chin and brings his lips to mine. It’s not a breathtaking, lip-bruising kiss, but a sweet one. “I hate every second we’re apart, so please, just promise me when the time comes to hand your keys to the owner, you’ll at least consider staying here.”

A happy tear slips down my cheek. “I’ll consider it.” The words leave my lips before I’ve even thought about what would happen if we moved in and then he decided he didn’t want us anymore. He’s shown me time and time again those thoughts are completely irrational, but they’re still in the back of my mind.

Cal takes both of my hands in his and removes them from his neck, kissing my knuckles before he lifts one of my arms and spins me around. I’m brought back to his chest, and we dance there in the kitchen for what seems like forever. This is a window into what my future could look like with him, what it would be like if we lived here. Going to Tucker’s games, making dinner together as a family, dancing in the kitchen. I love him. I think I’ve always loved him even when I thought I hated him. From the moment I saw him down on the ice with my son, I’ve become so completely in love with this man.

The timer on Cal’s phone rings, and he pulls it from his back pocket to silence the alarm. He pulls a bubbling casserole out of the oven, plating it up while I refill our wine.

We make our way to the table, and I take a seat next to his and dig into the casserole. When I bite into the cheesy goodness, I can’t help the moan that escapes my mouth. I’m not even a fan of chicken, and this is delicious. Cal gives me a heated look, then shakes his head as if to clear his mind of whatever lust-filled thoughts I assume he just had.

We eat in silence until we’re almost done. He clears his throat. “I, um . . . I spoke with my dad earlier today.”

I set down my fork, surprised that he finally adhered to my advice, “Yeah? How’d that go?” I take a sip of wine.

Cal wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Emotional. It was good to finally hear his voice. He said if we make it to the playoffs, he’s going to try to fly out to watch the game, that is if his team isn’t in the playoffs too. If that doesn’t pan out, he’ll for sure come down this summer.”

“That’s amazing. I’m incredibly proud of you. That must have been a tough conversation.” I rub his arm, then pull my hand back.

He scratches the back of his neck. “Well, it wasn’t easy. But I’m glad I did it. I’ve really missed him, you know?And. . . I told him that I can’t wait for him to meet the woman who pulled me from the depths of hell.”

My smile widens, but I’m still taken by surprise. “You want me to meet your dad?” I take the last bite of my meal as I gauge his sincerity.

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