Page 75 of Don't Fall

Her brow crinkles and I can only imagine the things she’s thinking now. “Are you trying to trick us into going to group therapy at your beachfront practice?”

I laugh. “I’m not going to lie, you could all use it, but no. This is something different. Something I haven’t done in a while.”

“I’m game,” Scott announces. “I’ll even go along with the group therapy thing if you want.”

“The only reason you want to go to therapy is because you think he’ll tell you that you’re the sane one,” Drea jabs.

“Exactly.”

“I’ve got news for you, buddy. A sane guy wouldn’t come anywhere near me.”

I place my hand on Tessa’s back and gently lead her ahead. “She’s not wrong,” I tell him, hearing Tess chuckle to herself in front of me.

This time of night, we’re almost alone out here on the sand.

“I can never decide if being around Drea and Scott reinforces my desires to be single or makes me a little sad I don’t have someone who makes me act like a lunatic twenty-four seven,” she jokes, listening to those two squabble on behind us while we walk.

“I used to think people who fought a lot were super dysfunctional,” I confess. “But, I was in a relationship with someone for over seven years, and the whole time we were together we only ever fought twice. Big fights. Little disagreements here and there always faded before they grew into anything. Someone would express a dislike, the other would either accommodate it or we’d agree to disagree. That was the end of it.” I apply pressure to her waist, letting her know to step right when a big wave washes toward us. “Truth is, we were the dysfunctional ones. We couldn’t communicate. We weren’t honest. We weren’t real with each other at all.”

She nods thoughtfully. “Drea and Scott are the truest versions of themselves when they’re together. It’s like being loved by the other gives them the confidence to show even the darkest parts of themselves. Even to others.”

“I can relate,” I say, coming to a stop and directing her attention toward the house up ahead before she can ask me why. “This is the place.”

“This is your home?” she asks, pointing at it, just in case there’s any confusion about which place I’m referring to. It’s a big house sitting on a double lot, it’d be hard to get confused.

“This is my business,” I correct her, “my home is at the condo.”

Her eyes narrow skeptically. “Okay, mister. You’ve been making vague comments about this new career path of yours all afternoon, time to spill it.”

“I’d rather show you.” I take her hand and begin to walk her up the steps leading to the back terrace.

The floor to ceiling glass doors lining the back of the house are impressive enough to keep everyone silent until I can get them inside without having to answer any more questions.

“Wait here,” I tell her, releasing her in the center of the room and leaving her to stand there in the pitch black.

“Lane!”

I should have known not being able to control this would freak her out. “One second.” Even as I say it, I flip the switch and light spills into every corner of the open floor plan.

“Whoa.” Scott spins on his heel to take in the whole space. “It’s like...an art gallery or something?”

“Something,” Drea hisses, tugging his shirt and reining him back in, “Just shut up a second. I don’t want to miss whatever is about to happen.”

Tess still has her back to me as she stands face to face with the largest piece on display on her side of the room. This picture crushed me the first time I saw it. Now the only thing I see is the catalyst which led me here, and the only thing I can feel for that is gratitude.

“Tess,” I whisper, nerves getting the better of me. Maybe I should have told her sooner.

Moving but an inch at a time, she begins to turn away from the image and toward me. Her eyes only get wider when she sees what’s behind me. Her. And the one night that changed everything.

“Alexis Lane,” she says in a voice so hushed I only understand it because I already knew what she would say.

“I should have told you,” I admit, “but at the time I was so hung up on this idea that I needed to escape everything that I was to find what I wanted to become, I couldn’t bring myself to let the two bleed together.”

Her finger moves up to loosely point behind her. “Is that her?”

I nod, never taking my eyes off Tess. We both know she’s asking about the woman in the picture. The woman staring down at the ring on her hand with such disdain, it was clear in an instant she never loved me. Because that ring was my grandmother’s and the most valuable thing I had to share with her, but she could never see past the fact that I hadn’t spent an adequate fortune to acquire it. Because I had a fortune to spend, and not spending it on her was not an acceptable form of love to her. So, she moved on to Brant. Who understood her love language perfectly. Not surprisingly looking back. His mother has always been fluent in it, too.

“My sister’s the one who set all of this up. I was pissed when I first saw it, but then, I finally understood what she was trying to show me. All my life, I’ve been struggling to fit into the right mold and failing. I couldn’t meet my father’s expectations, because I refused to follow his footsteps into medicine. I couldn’t meet Olivia’s because I couldn’t conjure up the same interest in all the luxuries she lived for when I felt that most of them were wasteful crap. And worst of all, I couldn’t meet my own because I’ve been hiding behind stuffy clothes and pursuing my passions only in secret. Holding in my opinions and feelings. Until you. You came along and somehow, hiding became impossible. You could just...see. And the more you saw, the more I wanted to show you.” I take a deep breath in and hold it, trying to calm my racing heart. “I am the truest version of myself when I’m with you.”

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