All We Know Is Falling: Fall With Me: Volume One (46 page)

My mouth dropped open and I looked to my mother. “What?”

She broke eye contact. “Um…two hundred years is a long, long time…things happen. Whiskey is a strong drink—You know what,” she held her hands up. “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“That’s fine. Don’t tell me. I don’t even care,” I lied. I’d pry that story from her sooner or later. Or I could just ask Hadley when Mom was gone.

After I was done eating Mom checked up on my stitches. And she gave me the okay to sit up. It was just a matter of my own pain tolerance. A pain killer wouldn’t do much for me. It would burn itself out of my body by the time it started working. Booze was my best shot but I didn’t want to do that. Best not to be drunk around Hale. I might do something I regret. Like shamelessly pull his clothes of and make an idiot of myself. I wonder if he has a happy trail. I really should know that…

“Rory?” Hale said like it wasn’t the first time he said it. I blinked until I was back in the room. Mom and Hadley were gone and Hale was dressed in his jammies.

“Huh?”

He smiled. “I asked if you needed help changing?”

“Oh. No I think I’m good.” I reached for the pile of clothes that Hale apparently put in front of me so I could go to the bathroom and change. He sat in bed next to me as I was sitting up. Then I decided I really needed to know. So I lifted his sweater up to his stomach. I smiled when I saw the little trail of hair I was hoping would be there. I dropped the fabric and said, “Okay. Now I’m good.”



In the morning I was already getting better. Sleep did that. I was okay walking on my own. Everything hurt but it was tolerable. Not enough for me to try school. So Hale stayed home with me and the family.

We were all still waiting for Miller to come back for me. I had a team of bodyguards with me now; there was no way he was getting to me. For the time being, I was as safe as I could get.

Hadley was nice enough to go back to the spot I was attacked and she found my phone. The case was shattered but the phone itself was fine. I was just glad no one took it. I didn’t feel like hobbling around a phone store today.

Hale was being a saint. He asked me how I was every five minutes like clockwork and he got me anything I needed. Even when I told him I could do it myself. He sat on the arm of my recliner while we spent the day together.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked some time later.

“I am. But I think I’d be way more comfortable if I was on your lap. Just my opinion,” I held my hands up, already in defensive mode. Mom and Hadley were in the kitchen, so I was safe with the inappropriate comments.

“I’m not sure how good an idea that is. You can never seem to keep your hands off of me.”

I cocked my eyebrow. “Really? Pretty sure last time we were making out you were the one going for zippers. Not me.”

“Zippers are a hindrance and anyone would agree.”

“Never said I didn’t. I was just trying to get a comfy seat.”

He took a few seconds, but he got up and adjusted us so that he was under me. I was sitting sideways on him with my head on his shoulder.

My hand went to the gauze on my neck where Miller slit my throat. It wasn’t hurting as badly now. My side was the real killer. But the place he cut me was exactly where Hale’s father cut him years ago. I was sure it was a coincidence, but still. Strange. Mine would heal in a day or two leaving no traces. Hale would never get that. He’d have his scars for the rest of his too short life.

We didn’t do much for most of the day. Ethan called me to make sure I was alright. I told him the official story. I was driving home with dinner and I was hit by some guy that ran a red light. Easy enough to fake for someone who wasn’t going to check.

Mason and Mollie were being very kind about the whole thing. They said that Hale could stay as long as I needed him. As if they could stop him even if they tried. But, it was sweet of them not to cause issues. Hale was spending almost every night here anyway, and I think they knew it. Hale wasn’t getting into trouble anymore and that was what mattered most to them.

“I’m not in the mood to cook today,” Mom decided. “I think we should go get something.”

“That worked out so well the last time,” Hadley snarked. “Came home to a howling cat and a sister with a hole in her stomach.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Obviously she would come with us, Hadley. She can sit in the car with Hale and I while you go get us food. How does that sound?”

Hadley narrowed her eyes at Mom. “Why am I the one who’s being sent off like a trained monkey?”

Mom put her hands on either side of Hadley’s face and squeezed while talking in a baby voice, “Because you were always my little monkey. Your daddy and I used to chase you around the house while you make monkey sounds.”

Hadley was almost blushing. “I do not recall that,” she said flatly while looking away from us all.

“Well I’ve got some old tapes of it. Maybe the kids would like to see them,” she looked to us.

“No. No. No,” Hadley waved her arms violently. “I don’t think so. We can burn those later.”

Mom teased her for a few more minutes before we decided to go. Hale carried me to the car and buckled me up. Even with me telling him I didn’t need that. He insisted that I needed to be taken care of. It was the only time in his life that I wouldn’t be as strong as him, so I didn’t want to take it away from him. Not if it made him feel better to take care of me. He sat next to me during the car ride and we all started teasing Hadley again.

Despite what Mom said, she went in with Hadley and left Hale with me in the car. He refused to have any fun with me. A hole in my side is no reason for a dry spell. In my opinion. Not Hale’s.

“I promise I will make it up to you,” he said after he stopped me form getting on his lap.

“Hmm. It’s gonna take a lot to make up for this kind of rejection. I’m wounded for God’s sake.” I played it up as well as I could.

He smiled at the same time his eyebrow went up. “I can do a lot.”

I cleared my throat. “You talk a big game.”

“You’re almost suggesting that you don’t believe me,” he looked offended. “I don’t like it.”

“Easy way to insure my faith in you,” I challenged him.

“Are you trying to trick me into doing something that might hurt you?”

“No. And you wouldn’t hurt me. I’m stronger than you give me credit for.”

He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Trust me, I know just how strong you are. And I know that as strong as you are it doesn’t make you invincible.” His hand went to my damaged side. He touched me so gently that I wasn’t even sure we were making contact. “When you’re healed, Rory, I promise you that we’ll go back to normal.”

I laughed. “Normal? What’s normal for us?” We’d haven’t been together a week yet. There was no such thing as normal.

He moved his hand down to my leg. “You know what I mean. I’d like to get back to a place where I can do what I want to you and not worry that I’m hurting you.”

To lighten the darkness I saw in his eyes I said, “Maybe I’d be the one hurting you. Ever think of that?”

His eyes glazed over just a little. “And you call me a tease…”

“You are.”

“Really? I’m not the one trying to rile you up.”

I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m not offering anything you’re not allowed to take.”

“And I will, you know.”

“Will what?”

He shifted me so that I was nearly on his lap, still facing him. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Take you. I don’t want you thinking I don’t want it,” his hand was suddenly on my thigh and slowly moving up and into my shorts. “Because I do. I really, really do.”

“Nothing’s stopping you,” I informed him, because I honestly think he didn’t know. “I love you.”

He removed his hand from the inside of my shorts and touched my locket. He opened it for a second or two and closed it again. The words didn’t leave his mouth but I knew he felt them. The locket itself said more than a thousand I loves yous.

“You are everything, Aurora. And very soon, I’m going to show you in the best way I can.” He kissed me until my family came back to the car.

We got home and Hale carried me in while informing me that it would be how I moved around for the next couple days. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mom and Hadley agreed.

We ate in the kitchen and Brom Bones howled at Hadley until she gave him some of her noodles. She was a sucker, as always.

Hale let me sit on his lap on the condition that there was no funny business from me. I reluctantly agreed. We took our time eating while we all talked about nothing important.

After, Mom checked up on my stitches again and said that I didn’t pop any. So I guess that was good. Hale took it as a sign that his method of getting me around was working and I for sure wasn’t allowed to walk anymore.

“I can walk,” I sighed when Hale and I got a few feet from my bedroom door.

“Not important,” he turned the doorknob and brought me in, closing the door behind him.

He set me on the bed and I heard something crinkling under me. “What was that?” he asked.

I moved over and found a piece of paper that looked like it was torn out of a notebook. It was folded in half and had my name on it. I glanced up at Hale before I opened it and read it.

Aurora,

There was nothing I could do. I’m sorry. I thought that this was over but clearly I was wrong. I came by to talk to you. When you didn’t answer the door I was forced to break in and leave this for you.

My father came home last night and I saw his face. I knew what happened and I knew what would come next. He won’t stop until you’re dead. I’m sorry that I started all of this. I never meant for this, I didn’t want to lose the rest of my family. But there’s no going back now and I understand that you don’t have any choices left. The father I knew is long dead. I know that now. So keep yourself alive, whatever the cost may be.

I’ve decided to do the only thing I can think of that would buy you time.

I ran.

He doesn’t know where I’m going because frankly, neither do I. But I’ll run for as long as I can because I know he’ll chase me. I just don’t know how long. The only thing I do know is that he’s not done with you. So use this time I’m giving you to make a plan.

This is far from over.

Dottie