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He glanced at the twins to gauge their reaction. They’d showered and changed into pajamas, their hair wet and hanging around their shoulders.
“What’s for dinner?” Dylan asked.
“I’m hungry!” Dakota said.
Neither mentioned finding him kissing Fallon. “Take the win,” he said to Fallon, who was stiff in his arms.
Her muscles eased and she relaxed against him.
“We’re ordering pizza and Fallon is going to have dinner with her father,” he said.
After some moaning and groaning because she was leaving, Fallon said goodbye and he walked her to the door. “Everything good?” he asked her.
“I’m exhausted,” she said, laughing.
“They can wear out an army. I might have freaked out when I found out Charlie was having twins but I admit now that starting and ending with two at once really is the easy way.”
“Daddy! When’s the food going to be here?” one of the girls called out.
She shook her head, an amused smile on her lips. “Go.”
“Text me when you’re home safe.” He kissed her lips and she walked out the door.
***
Instead of goingto her father’s, Fallon called and told Lizzie she had a headache and wasn’t up to the car ride to see them. Understanding as always, Lizzie told her to feel better. She promised to call her dad in the morning and walked home from Noah’s, needing the fresh air and time to think, Noah’s words about the twins playing around in her head.
Beginning and ending with two kids. In other words, he didn’t want more children. She wasn’t sure why she’d never thought about it before, especially considering how aware she’d been of their age difference. Fallon had always wanted a big family like she’d had growing up. Losing her mom had made her appreciate her brothers even more. No matter how overprotective they could be, she always considered herself lucky to have them.
Now she’d gone and fallen in love with a man who was finished with kids. Why not? He had the two most perfect girls in the world. They were already nine years old. Why would he want to start over with babies and diapers?
Blowing out a breath into the cold air, she raised her hand to grab a cab, suddenly overcome with the desire to be home faster. And when Brooke called, insisting she meet her for a drink, she agreed, needing a friend more than she wanted to be alone.
She redirected the cab driver to the small bar near her apartment where Brooke suggested they go. She paid, tipped, and hopped out, relieved Brooke was waiting at a small booth.
“Hi,” she said, as she slid in across from her friend.
“Hi, yourself.” Brooke had just come from work and was dressed in a black pencil skirt and pink blouse, her hair up in a loose bun. “I just got here. What do you want to drink?”
Fallon scanned through the drink menu, her gaze catching a delicious-looking frozen strawberry margarita.
“Yum!” Brooke said, eyes wide as she nodded. “Make it two of those!”
They waited for the server to approach and placed the order, then made small talk about life, then work, and Fallon filled Brooke in on the status at the gallery.
“The insurance company is coming next week to view the damage. After that, we can start the cleanup process.”
“Does that mean you’re on babysitting duty again next week?” Brooke asked.
Fallon shook her head. “No, actually…”
“Drinks, ladies,” the server said, cutting off what Fallon had been about to say. He placed two margarita glasses filled with their drinks on the table.
Brooke lifted her drink and Fallon did the same. “To this friendship,” she said with a smile.
“Hear, hear.” They lightly tapped glasses and took their first sips of the delicious drink.
“So… back to my question. Are you still going to watch the twins next week?” Brooke asked.