Page 52 of Forever to Fall
CHAPTER 16
It had been a whoppingtwenty-four hours since Beckett and Mallory agreed to secretly date—a term that Beckett both loved and loathed. After they cleaned up dinner, they cuddled on the couch, watching a random Netflix documentary. When Mallory yawned and made to get up, Beckett pulled her back down to the couch.
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” he grumbled, kissing her temple and imprinting her scent to his memory. “You’re spending the night.”
Mallory melted into him, humming her approval of the invitation. “I’m not complaining, but how do you know I don’t have to work?”
Beckett wasn’t about to be a creep and admit he’d memorized her schedule, so instead, he said, “Lucky guess?”
“Uh-huh.” She nestled further into his arms and fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Beckett couldn’t think of anything better than this. Mallory in his space—literally in his arms—and nowhere they needed to be. He would do right by her, he would. They’d find a way to tell Evan that would salvage everything; he wouldn’t lose anyone else that he loved.
Their current tableau reminded Beckett of their earliest farm house sleepover. Beckett invited Evan for a regular sleepover, no big deal. But when Mr. Lawson arrived with his son, they had a stowaway. “You don’t mind if Mallory tags along?” he’d asked Gramps, already handing the older man his daughter’s pink duffle bag.
“Not at all. The more the merrier.” Gramps had slung that bag over his shoulder and reached out for Mallory’s hand. “C’mon in, sweetheart. I think Beckett’s Gram is finishing up some cookies.”
And that had been that. Mallory would cook and bake with Gram, and then run around with him and Evan. They’d build forts in the living room, play hide and seek in the orchards, and watch scary movies until someone screamed. As they grew older, Mallory continued to follow Evan on his playdates to Beckett’s, and whenever Beckett would hang out at the Lawson house, Mallory wasn’t far behind.
There had been so many little moments as kids, and especially as teenagers, that stacked up into this moment now. Mallory belonged with Beckett, and he’d known that since their first kiss in the orchard, the first time they shared a cookie fresh out of the oven, the first time he went to find her first instead of Evan.
They’d shared all their important firsts together, and now, Beckett was ready to be Mallory’s last. He didn’t want her doing this with anyone else, and the thought of another woman in his arms made him flinch. They had to figure this out, they just had to.
Mallory stirred, rolling over to face him on the couch. “We should probably go to bed,” she said, her voice coated in sleep. “No funny business,” she warned as she stumbled to standing.
Beckett rose and guided her toward his bedroom, his heart racing. “I’m a complete gentleman.”
Mallory leaned into him, his arm wrapped around her waist. “I know, and sometime in the very near future, I won’t ask you to be.”
Her words caused his footsteps to falter, and he walked right into the doorframe, stubbing his toe. “Oof.” He grunted, leaning down to rub his bare foot.
Instantly slipping into nurse mode, Mallory knelt to get a better look, all traces of sleep gone. “Let me see,” she ordered, peeling back his fingers, exposing a red welt. With his pale skin, it looked more menacing than it probably was, but Beckett wasn’t about to complain about the extra contact. Her fingers deftly moved over his foot until she was satisfied. “You’ll live.” She stood and faced him, placing a tender kiss on his cheek. “I’ll keep the bedroom talk to a minimum to avoid further injury.”
“I don’t care if I end up in a body cast, don’t stop on my account.” Beckett kissed her with more gusto than was warranted this late at night, but he didn’t care—and judging from how Mallory looped her arms around his neck, she wasn’t upset about it either.
In between kisses, Mallory said, “Maybe we should attempt some sleep? I think my day just caught up with me.”
Beckett pulled back, wrapping her in a hug before ushering her to the bathroom. “I keep forgetting you don’t get the luxury of working in your pajamas.”
