Page 49 of Their Stormy Reunion

I loved seeing her enjoy her dessert. Today was the first day her appetite seemed to have really returned. Plus, her mood had really evened out and improved since she was able to work.

“Yep, I picked it up from the diner earlier today.” I nodded.

“And you warmed it up and served it with ice cream,” she sighed in approval. “We should be eating this in the living room with Mom and Dad.”

“Fallon, it’s almost midnight,” I chuckled.

“It is?”

She looked over at her phone on the nightstand and saw the time. “How in the hell did that happen?”

“You fell asleep working on your tablet, and I didn’t want to wake you for dinner,” I told her.

She gave me a guilty look. “I feel bad that you’re over here babysitting me. You’re having to take vacation days, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“I should be good enough to take care of myself tomorrow.”

“Maybe. But your mom can’t take your dad to the doctor’s tomorrow or handle him the next day after his chemo treatment. You’ve seen how weak she is.”

I saw Fallon’s look of frustration and waited it out. Fallon had never been one who liked to rely on others. But it used to be, she didn’t mind relying on me.

“She fakes it when she comes into my room, but I can see how tired she is. Before the snakebite, I’d gotten her an appointment with a new rheumatologist.” This time she reached for her phone but couldn’t quite touch it. I snagged it off the table and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. She started scrolling through her calendar. “Mom’s appointment is on Tuesday the fifth. Shit, that’s three days from now.” She jerked up her chin and looked up at me with wide hazel eyes.

I gently took the phone out of her hands.

“I’ve got it covered,” I assured her.

“Michael, you’re not a member of this family.”

“What if I tell you I want to be?”

She squeezed her eyes tight, then opened them again. She didn’t say anything for a moment, then I saw a mask fall across her face, and she gave me a fake smile. One she probably learned at her mother’s knee. “So, you’re trying to tell me you like chaos?”

“Sunshine, I thrive on your kind of chaos.”

“But—”

“Seriously, Fallon. Don’t worry about this. I was a Ranger, and I work as a firefighter. Dealing with your cranky dad, a beautiful-cranky you, and your passive-aggressive mother is a walk in the park.”

She snorted. “Passive-aggressive about sums it up,” she said with a giggle, as she picked up her dessert. “But I wouldn’t just call Dad and me just cranky. I think there are more colorful words to describe both him and me.”

I smirked. “Maybe. But at least with you, I get to see all these cute pajama sets.”

“And Dad?”

I rolled my eyes. “His ratty pajama pants don’t do anything for me, but I hate to see him so sick.”

“Sit up here beside me,” she whispered as she patted the side of the bed.

“I don’t think there’s room.” She gave a guilty look at the other side of her bed. “Tell me, did your office look like this?” I wanted to know.

“Worse,” she admitted.

“How in the hell did you find anything?” I asked as I started scooping up all of the printouts, books, brochures, notebooks, sticky notes, tablet and a laptop and putting them on her childhood desk.