Page 10 of Forever to Fall
“Mallory! Are you okay?” His fingers gingerly dug into her skin, keeping her steady—and slightly swoony. Suddenly, she understood all the historical romance heroines who fainted at the sight of the hero. She was one batch of smelling salts away from needing a fainting sofa.
Unable to stop her feet, Mallory turned to his voice like it was a siren’s song. She kept her hand on the back of her head, the other balled at her side. She would not touch this man, she wouldn’t. It would be tantamount to touching the center of the sun. She’d get burned; she’d be destroyed.Again.
“Beckett?” She said his name in question, although there was no denying it was him in the flesh. Finally, she dragged her gaze up to meet his, and her stomach plummeted. It had been two years since they’d seen each other, but Beckett looked perfect. His tortoise-shell glasses were still crooked and a little smudged, an endearing quality that never ceased to make her heart flutter. His red hair was mussed, like he hadn’t bothered to run a comb through it. His warm hands still clutched her shoulders, anchoring her in place.
When he smiled at her, Mallory nearly combusted right there in the parking lot. The market would have to erect a memorial for her, complete with copies of gossip magazines and cheap candy bars. She could practically hear her brother’s eulogy, documenting her teenage-like obsessions.Yes, Mallory saved countless lives in the hospital, but what we’ll all remember is how she took a day off school when Brangelina announced their divorce.
“Mallory?” Beckett gave her a gentle shake. “Are you okay?”
Letting out a deep exhale, Mallory grounded herself. She stepped back until her legs hit the tailgate, breaking free of his touch. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She shrugged and turned back to the shopping cart and the rest of her bags. “I guess I’m distracted.”
Beckett hoisted a bag onto his hip, ready to help. “You want all this in the back?”
Helpless to stop him, she got out of the way and watched him load her car. His forearms flexed with the movements, cords of muscle making quick work of the task. When her cheeks burned crimson, she forced herself to look away.Real mature, Mal, drooling over a friend in a grocery store parking lot.
As Beckett placed the last bag inside, it toppled over and the magazines slid out. One of the headlines read,Exclusive Interview with Alien Baby of Taylor Swift. She couldn’t have been more mortified if an enema kit had fallen out.
Without saying a word, he scooped up her magazines and candy and tucked them back in the bag. When he straightened and faced her, she didn’t miss the smirk on his face. She crossed her arms and jutted out a hip. “You might as well just say it.”
His lips quivered before the dam broke and he doubled over. “I thought they determined Taylor’s alien baby was in fact a zombie baby?” His deep voice hitched with his laughter.
Mallory shoved his shoulder before joining in with the laughter. “Make fun all you want, but when these alien celebrity babies take over, you’ll be glad I know what’s going on.”
“You’re right,” he said, shoulders shaking. “When all the little old lady readers pass on, we’ll need a full report of the state of Elvis and the Elephant Man.” Beckett pushed his glasses up his nose with his pointer finger and smiled, one of his real smiles that she liked to catalog and save for later. They’d shared a million smiles like that over the years, and she treasured them all. A Beckett Fox smile was rare and meant to be savored, like the last Girl Scout cookie in the box.
“It’s good to see you,” he said, letting his hand drop to his side.
They stood awkwardly for a moment before she finally added, “Likewise. Evan said you live here now?”
Beckett nodded, his gaze over her shoulder. His eyes seemed unfocused, like he was looking for someone far away. “Yeah, but I still have some work to do on Gramps’s house.”
Mallory’s voice was low when she said, “I’m so sorry to hear about his passing. I would have gone to the funeral had I known.” She was dying to know why he had not told her or Evan about it, but that was not a conversation for now. They were in public, and everything felt too raw, too much on display.
“I should have called, but I wasn’t sure if you...” He let his words trail off, and Mallory was a little disappointed. They hadn’t spoken in a while, not since a misunderstanding broke her heart. Remembering that feeling of humiliation brought her up short, and more importantly, back to reality.
Her palms slicked with sweat when she realized how disheveled she must look with rumpled scrubs, a lopsided ponytail, and makeup that had melted down her face from hours in a hot hospital. “I should go,” she said, turning quickly on her heel and attempting to slam her trunk.
Beckett hurriedly stepped to the side to avoid getting his hands clamped. “Do you want to—” But he didn’t get to finish his question as she stomped around the other side of her car and slid behind the wheel. He had the grace to move aside so he didn’t get run over.
Mallory’s eyes burned as she fumbled to turn the car on. “Come on,” she pleaded as she drove away, nearly leaving skid marks in the market’s parking lot. From her rearview mirror, she saw Beckett standing in place, arms helplessly at his sides. She couldn’t read his expression, but that was for the best. He was a nice guy and probably didn’t even remember the last time they saw each other. She needed to do the same; push it down until she couldn’t remember having feelings for Beckett Fox in the first place.
Because Beckett lived here now, in the same small town she loved so much. They were bound to bump into each other again—and sooner than she’d probably like. Mallory needed to learn how to coexist with him, otherwise, her brother’s wedding and her day-to-day existence would be impossible to survive.
But then Mallory had another thought. What if she and Beckett could go back to normal? What if they could be friends? What if they acted like they did throughout their childhood? Those were some of her favorite memories, and Mallory hated the thought of losing them, of not having Beckett in her life.
She’d lost him for far too long already, and even after five minutes with him, her body burned to see him again. She wanted to know what he’d been up to, what had happened to his beloved grandfather. Mallory had too many unanswered questions, and she decided she was adult enough to get some answers. She knew where to find Beckett, and she would play nice.
*
Stumbling through themarket, Beckett tossed a few bags of lettuce, a random apple, and four boxes of cereal into his cart before he could think straight. Seeing Mallory again had been—a lot. There was no other way to describe it.
Somehow, she seemed both happy and annoyed to see him, which given their last meeting, he could totally understand. He had a million thoughts running through him, from potential apologies to asking what she’d been up to. Her sky-blue scrubs confirmed what Evan said about her job, but he wanted to know what Mallory the woman was doing. Was she seeing anyone? Was she happy? Did she ever get that kitten she always wanted? Was she seeing anyone? Did she still like to binge kung fu movies in her pajamas?Was she seeing anyone?
Beckett didn’t want to invade her privacy with her groceries, but the sight of the magazines and candy warmed his heart. That was the Mallory he knew. He’d bet his whole paycheck she was going home after a long day to read magazines in the bathtub while scarfing down a candy bar or two. When they were kids, Evan would lament her habit when he needed to get ready for baseball practice or needed a shower after a game.
Not having siblings, Beckett could not fathom not having free rein over his house, but he was jealous that Evan had so many sisters to keep him company. Growing up with his grandparents had been great, basically the American dream. After his parents’ divorce, neither parent wanted to stay in Ohio. His mom followed her new fiancé to his home in Boston, while his father decided he wanted a fresh start out west.
Beckett remembered sitting with his parents and grandparents in the farm house, everyone wearing matching expressions of trepidation. He was young, but he wasn’t blind. It was clear his parents were headed to Splitsville, but Beckett didn’t know where that would takehim.
