Page 83 of Secrets We Fight

After Fallon’s dad left,I wanted to rush off to Fallon’s room, but given the icy reception his mother had given me before, I decided it would be best to head back to the waiting room instead and check on him once he’d had some time to rest.

An hour later, the sound of heels clicking against the linoleum floor pulled my attention from the TV, and I was surprised to see the First Lady entering the waiting room. Her face softened slightly when her gaze connected with mine.

“Fallon is awake again and would like to see you.” My heart leapt as I rose from my chair. She stepped aside, gesturing for me to walk ahead of her. When we arrived at Fallon’s door, she stopped and turned toward me with sincerity in her eyes. “Agent Davis, I want to apologize for my behavior earlier today. It’s been a difficult twenty-four hours, and my emotions got the better of me.”

I placed my hand on her arm. “You have no reason to apologize. Clearly, I haven’t had the greatest hold on my emotions either.”

“I’ll give you two some privacy.” She smiled and walked down the hall.

I stepped into the dimly lit room and saw Fallon propped up on a stack of pillows. His eyes were closed, and I thought he was asleep until he opened his eyes and said, “You better get your ass in here and finally kiss me.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his demand for affection, especially since I was always willing to kiss him. When I reached his bedside, I bent down and brushed my hand over the top of his head before leaning forward and kissing him softly.

A grin spread across his face as we pulled apart. “God, I’ve been wanting to do that since I first woke up.”

“Me too, baby boy. It’s been hard not being in here with you.”

“About that.” He twisted the blanket in his hands. “I want you to stay with me tonight.”

“I don’t know ...”

“You don’t want to stay?”

I pulled a chair over to sit next to the bed and laced our fingers together. “Of course, I want to stay with you, but will everyone be okay with that?”

“I don’t care,” he murmured. “I’m tired of people trying to keep us apart. In fact, I told my dad about us.”

“Yeah.” I rubbed my thumb across the back of his hand. “He pulled me aside for a little chat earlier.”

“How’d that go?” He rested his head against the pillows.

“Actually, I think it went pretty well. He mentioned he had concerns about our relationship but seemed to feel a bit better about things after I told him how much I cared about you.”

“Oh, really?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Yep. Never thought I’d lie to the president.”

Fallon’s head snapped back. “What?”

I leaned forward and gave him another brief kiss. “The truth is, I don’t just care about you.”

He eyed me cautiously. “You don’t?”

“Nope.” I shook my head slightly. “I love you more than I thought was ever possible.”

His eyes brightened, and he wrapped his IV-free hand around my neck, pulling me forward. “I love you too, handsome.”

Our lips pressed together, and the warmth of his mouth sent a shiver down my spine. Time seemed to stand still while I deepened the kiss. Having come so close to losing him, I knew I wouldn’t ever take a single moment with him for granted.

* * *

The next morning,Fallon’s eyes fluttered open, and he gave me a tight smile. “Good morning.”

I pulled up a chair next to his bed. “Morning. How are you feeling?”

He let out a sigh. “Tired.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. It was hard to sleep when the nurses checked on Fallon multiple times a night, but I refused to leave his side and woke up with him every time someone came into his room.