Page 40 of Can’t Let You Go (Ivy Ridge #3)
JASON
I wake up entangled in Fallon. Her body is still hooked around mine, leg up around my waist, fingers splayed against my chest. It’s almost like we didn’t move all night.
I try to shift, but I’m stiff and achy. Yeah, we didn’t move all night long.
Jeez. There’s a weird, warm, coolness on my chest, and it takes me a moment to realize what it is.
Fallon is drooling. On my chest. That’s how hard she’s sleeping.
I want to be grossed out, but to be honest, it’s kinda adorable.
The sound of whispers and giggles pulls me out of my drool-emma. I lift my head, opening my dry eyes. To the sight of Presley and Lennie, sitting cross-legged at our feet, whispering wildly back and forth to each other.
Whispering is a word I use lightly, since I can hear them quite clearly, but at least they’re trying. Presley is currently leaning over, her hand up to her mouth as she tries to whisper in my daughter's ear.
“Does this mean they’re getting married?” she asks, her voice growing louder with each word .
Lennie’s brown eyes widen with excitement. “I think my dad loves your mom, Presley,” she whispers back.
I do my best not to groan, because we are well and truly fucked now. I don’t even know what Fallon and I are right now, and here are our daughters trying to marry us off to each other, and declaring love.
If it wasn’t so fucking cute, I might be upset.
Lennie glances back to us, and catches my open eyes. I raise my brow at her, and she shrieks. Her shriek causes Presley to shriek, which causes Fallon to wake up, and also start shrieking. Soon, I’m surrounded by three shrieking women.
“Hey!” I yell. Fallon sits up rapidly, pulling the sheet with her to cover her chest, her eyes darting around as she searches for something to be afraid of. “Stop screaming!”
It’s like a light switch. All three girls stop their yelling, and I sit up, rubbing a hand across my forehead. We’re in for a long morning.
I was right. We get the girls settled, and then the constant barrage of questions begins. Fallon is quick to come up with responses to each of their questions.
“Are you getting married?”
“No, we’re friends, remember?”
“Do friends snuggle like that?”
“Daddy, why weren’t you wearing a shirt?”
“Mommy, where were your pajamas?”
So. Many. Questions.
I feel hungover from all the constant questions. My head aches, and so does my body, after laying in one position all night long. We have breakfast together, then it’s time to go.
Lennie, of course, doesn’t want to leave, and I can’t blame her.
I’d love to stay and have a lazy day with Fallon and Presley, but I have to get to work, and my mom has a few events planned for Lennie today.
There’s an almost awkward tension between Fallon and me as we say goodbye.
I’m not sure whether to hug her, or kiss her, or what this all means for us.
Was last night more? Was it an opening to a relationship?
Do I want that? I’ve been so against a relationship for so long, so what is changing?
My reasons are still reasons. I don’t want to introduce someone to my daughter and have her get attached only for things to end badly. But that’s already happened, hasn’t it? Lennie is attached to Fallon, and Presley too. So do I really have reasons not to let myself fall into this with her?