Page 8 of Fall Into Me

“Are you…are youlaughing?”

“No, ma’am.” I shook my head, knowing I should look away from her, but completely and totally unable to.

Everything. I memorized everything about this woman, and still it had not done her justice.

Closing my eyes had been a mistake the last time I’d seen her. When I opened them again, she’d been gone.

I watched now as her body went from rigid to mildly defensive. The way her crossed arms loosened, and her pointerfinger reached up briefly to the bridge of her nose before she dropped both arms to her sides.

I felt it more than I saw it happen. The way she let her eyes wander over me. I could categorically list the things that she would pick up.

My hair was shorter. The last time she saw me, it was longer, so long I used to keep it up half the time. Now, it fell against my nape in a tousle of dark brown waves, long enough to tuck behind my ears but too short for anything else.

I could have imagined it, but it looked like her hand twitched like maybe she remembered what it was like to run her fingers through it. Just like I hadn’t been able to stop doing, why I had ended up cutting it to begin with.

I knew she was taking note of the tattoos that hadn’t been there before. The ones that covered my neck. My hands.

I didn’t let myself take her in more than I already had. Even those few moments already felt like a mistake.

The woman in front of me might have loved me once, but she certainly didn’t love me now.

It felt like a handful of minutes between then and when the door behind me opened. The bell above it was sweet and light, cutting the tension that had formed like a knife through butter. A glance at the clock told me I was wrong, and it was now five p.m. on the dot. We’d spent almost thirty minutes just…staring at each other.

“Kid? I saw your car was still here, and I…”

I let my eyes fall closed, giving myself a moment tofeelthe shit that I had so thoroughly stepped in before stepping to the side and turning to the man behind me.

Calista’s dad.

“Hey, Dad.” Cali’s voice was a strangled croak.

I can honestly say that this was the first time I’d ever seen Calista Grey nervous.

It was night and day the way she went from doing her best to become a part of the wall behind her to taking the five strides to get her from where she was to where I stood.

Right fucking next to me.

“Fane?” Dallas Grey took his hat off and reached for my hand the same way he had the first time we met.

“Sir, nice to see you.” I shook his hand back, but he didn’t stop there. Instead, he pulled me into the sort of embrace that made you feel a part of something. Important. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like that and tried to keep the look ofwhat the ever-loving fuck was happening?off my face.

That was a lie I told myself often. I could sure as fuck remember. I could remember it down to the day. Down to thesecond.

“I did not expect to see you here! Cali didn’t say a single thing to us.” He stepped back with a grin on his face and a light in his eyes. A light that had been there the last time I had seen him. One that meant I was a part of his family.

One that should absolutely not be there right now.

“Oh?” I was impressed that my voice came out sounding normal instead of the high-pitched squeak I had been expecting. Not that I’d ever squeaked in my fucking life, but if I were a betting man, I’d have bet it would’ve happened for the first time right now.

“No, well, you know.” Cali slid a finger up the bridge of her nose again before flicking her eyes up to mine and away just as fast.

“It was a surprise for me too,” she said, giving her dad what I used to call herI want to crysmile.

“I’m surprised you could get time off work long enough to make the trip,” Dallas said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door he just came in.

I nodded, looking down at the woman next to me as if I could read what the fuck was on her mind just by wishing it. “Well,” I started, clearing my throat and reaching up to rub the back of my neck. “The, uh, the—“

“Mines,” she filled in for me, and I just stared at her while I collected myself becausewhat the fuck?

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