Page 27 of Forever to Fall
Nothing would happen, just like nothing ever seemed to happen between them. This wasn’t a movie where the heroine nursed the hero back to health. This was reality with a stupid man who took a careless risk. Mallory would keep him safe, and while she was at it, she’d protect herself. There were not enough stitches in all of Ohio to close the gaping wound on her heart, and she couldn’t afford to open it again. Even for Beckett Fox.
*
“Are you sure this isnecessary?” Beckett asked, wiggling in the wheelchair as Mallory pushed him into the fading twilight. The hush that surrounded them was in stark contrast to the chaotic melody of the ER. He couldn’t believe he’d spent the whole day in the hospital.
The accident had been a careless moment, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy with the result. Well, he wasn’t happy about having a hole in his hand and a sprained ankle, but he was thrilled to have some quality time with Mallory. Frankly, this seemed a small price to pay.
“Quit your whining,” she ordered as she parked him at the edge of the sidewalk. She pushed her foot down on the brake and held her hand out. “Keys, please.”
“What about your car?” he asked, not wanting to put her out more than she already was. Just like any other time he needed her, Mallory didn’t hesitate. She offered her time, herself, freely. It was one of many qualities he loved about her.
Mallory shrugged. “I’m in staff parking, so it’s free. You’re probably getting charged a million dollars an hour while we argue.” She wagged her hand in front of him again and added, “Keys, please.”
Beckett reached into his pocket and handed her the keys. “It’s the—”
“Gray Honda with the World of Warcraft bumper sticker?” She finished his thought, making him both smile and grimace.
“I swear, as soon as I upgrade, the sticker is gone.”
Mallory seemed undeterred. “You’re not the only gamer in Ohio, Beckett.”
“Yeah, but I’m pushing thirty and don’t want to look like a nerd.”
Mallory blinked, her expression shifting to serious. “But you are a nerd, and I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed about.”
A surge of warmth coursed through him at her words, but that fire was quickly doused when she added, “And isn’t Henry Cavill like a huge gamer?”
“I’ll be here,” he muttered, leaning back in the wheelchair and throwing his head back in the most dramatic fashion he could muster. If he looked like Superman, he probably wouldn’t be driving an old beater car and be single.
A few minutes later, they were in his car and merging onto the highway. “You want to go back to your apartment or the farm house?” She gestured toward the fork in the freeway ahead of them.
Beckett quickly mulled over his options. If he went back to his apartment, there wasn’t as much room. The farm house had his grandparents’ bed, plus the couch in the living room. By contrast, his apartment had his new IKEA sofa and double bed. Neither of those seemed particularly appealing.
If he was being honest, Beckett wanted Mallory back at the farm house with him, even if just for the night. She hadn’t seen the upgrades he and Gramps did before the cancer took over, and he wanted to show off his handiwork. Although his handiwork was also the reason they were in this mess, so she might not be that impressed.
“Um, I kind of need to make a decision here,” she said, lightly tapping the brakes as their exits approached.
“Farm house,” he said, hoping he wouldn’t regret the decision.
He wasn’t certain, but he thought he caught Mallory smiling at his directions. Maybe the house held a little magic for her as well.
The Fox family farm was nestled halfway between Columbus and Buckeye Falls. Low rolling hills surrounded the property, which used to be a sheep farm with orchards. As a kid, Beckett’s father grew up sheering sheep with his father while his mother tended to groves and groves of apples and peaches. But Mike Fox wasn’t cut from the same cloth as his parents. While his parents liked the quiet lifestyle, he chafed at the responsibility and bland routine.
Mike met Beckett’s mother, Alison, on one of his many trips down to Cincinnati. They bonded over their shared desire to make it in the world, and quickly fell pregnant with Beckett. They were young and broke, so moving into the small guest house on the farm was their best option.
Beckett didn’t have a lot of memories of his parents as a kid, mostly because they pawned him off on his grandparents every chance they got. His father took odd jobs all over Ohio to keep busy, and more importantly for him out of his family’s hair. Alison was never really at home with the Foxes, but Beckett had a few memories of them together. When he was getting ready for Kindergarten, they’d played hide and seek in the orchard.
“Come on, Beckett,” she’d teased, sprinting between rows of apple trees, their limbs heavy with the upcoming harvest. “You have thirty seconds to find me...”
“Should we get something to eat on the way?” Mallory asked, shaking Beckett from his trip down Memory Lane. “Or do you have food at the farm house?”
Beckett shook his head and adjusted his placement in the passenger seat. His ankle throbbed, but he was grateful it wasn’t broken. “No, there’s only a case of bottled water and random things. You want to get some Frizz and Freeze?”
Mallory beamed. “Oh, my God, do they still have the malt shakes with the pretzel straws?”
“Pfft, if they don’t, I’m not going.” Without thinking, he reached out and rested his hand over her knee. He wanted to be closer to her, to share in a memory that wasn’t tainted with his parents’ abandonment. Mallory didn’t pull back, but her leg jerked under his touch, causing the car to briefly lurch forward. Even in the fading light, he saw a flush creep up her neck.
Parking the car right outside the entrance to the old shop, Mallory turned and pointed. “You stay put. Unless you’ve developed a food allergy, I know what you’re getting.”
