Page 42 of Broken Butterfly
“Where’s our boy?”
“Still asleep,” I reply and take a sip of coffee. I reach over and take Fallon’s hand in mine. “Fallon, seriously, thank you for everything. I will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for me and what you’ve given to me.”
Fallon chews on the side of his lip and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so lost. “I guess this is it then.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ry’s here now. You’ll be leaving to go back home with him.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” I tease, causing Fallon’s icy blue gaze to harden. “Fallon, I’m not going back yet.”
“What?” he says in disbelief.
“If I recall, we still have Venice, Amsterdam, and Sydney left on our adventure.”
He stares at me in confusion. “You still want to go? What about Ry?”
“He can come with us if he wants to. I really hope he wants to. But if he doesn’t, I’ll understand. However, I’m still going to go with you. I’ve got money I can access from the trust that Daniel and Drew set up for me. I can pay my and Ryder’s way for the rest of the trip.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not taking your damn money, or Ryder’s.” Fallon turns to face me in his chair so that our knees touch. “Are you serious? About the rest of the trip?”
“Totally and completely,” I say, and lean over to hug him. “These weeks on our adventure together have meant the world to me, Fallon. You mean the world to me, and I want to finish what we started. That is, if you want to.”
“Fuck, kitten,” he relents. “If you’re sure and Ry can handle it, then hell yeah. Let’s finish this thing.”
I squeal and bounce in my seat while still hugging him. Fallon lets out a laugh that warms my heart. “You’re still coming for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” I remind him.
“What’s going on?” Ryder says from the portico that leads to the patio, his gaze fixed on me and Fallon hugging.
I stand up and quickly make my way over to him. “You’re up,” I comment happily, eye-fucking the hell out of him because every inch of Ryder Cutton is gorgeous, even though at this moment his hair is sticking up all over the place and he looks exhausted.
Ryder’s light brown eyes soften as he watches me approach until we’re standing toe to toe. “Good morning,” I happily sing as my hands explore his expansive, bare chest and my thighs clench with a desire to have him inside of me again. Ryder reaches down to grab the back of my thighs, pulling me up to straddle his waist and proceeds to kiss the daylights out of me.
“Good morning,” he says when we finally pull apart. He nips me tenderly on the tip of my nose and looks over my shoulder.
“Hey, man,” he says to Fallon who has been watching us. Ryder carries us over and sits down with me in his lap. I adjust slightly so I can see Fallon. Ryder reaches for my coffee and drinks it down in two gulps. Fallon slides his cup over and Ryder thanks him, then guzzles that one down as well.
“I think I’m going to need about a gallon’s worth today. Jetlag sucks ass,” Ryder complains. “Thanks for the lift over.”
Fallon barks out a laugh and shakes his head. “My personal jet is not an Uber, fuckwad.”
“I’m so happy you’re here,” I tell Ryder, and because I can’t help myself, I start kissing a path up his neck to his ear.
His hand that’s cradling my thigh gives it a squeeze, and I’m about to pull Ryder back inside and up to the bedroom when he says, “Babe, I need to talk to Fallon. Do you mind giving us a moment?”
I’m about to ask what and why but decide to trust him, just like he’s putting his trust in me. I kiss him lightly on the lips and tell him that I love him. I ruffle the top of Fallon’s hair and call him Nutter Butter when I pass by him. He throws up his hand, giving me the middle finger.
Once I get to the doors that lead back into the house, I hesitate for a second. With my heart hammering thunderously beneath my ribcage, I shove aside the worry that’s creeping up my spine and make my way inside the house. I guess I can keep myself busy making us something to eat while the two of them talk.
I watch Elizabeth go and I know she’s worried about why I would need to speak with Fallon in private.
“I don’t know if it’s the weeks we’ve been separated, but she is even more beautiful than I remember.”
Fallon makes a humming sound and rubs his thumb across his bottom lip. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a stick of gum, something he’s done a lot since he stopped smoking.
“She’s been through a lot. She’s in a good place right now. Settled and happy. You being here makes it perfect for her. I told you she just needed time and distance.”
“Thank you for being there for her. It seems you were exactly what she needed. But things are about to become very hard for her. She left a lot of angry people back home.”
