Down Fall (Fallen Duet 2)

“He do that?” he asked, pointing at my face and the bruise around my eye.

I shrugged, feeling the fight bubbling up inside me. “So what if he did? It’s not your business now, is it?”

“I want it to be my business,” he ground out and stood.

I didn’t want him to stand. It was much easier to put my front on when he was sitting, and I had the higher advantage.

“You don’t get to choose that.” I gripped on to the edge of the counter. “From the moment I found out who you were, you’ve been a different person.”

“I…” He scrubbed his palm over his face. “You’re right, I have. I was trying to do the right thing. I was trying to put what we had behind me and concentrate on my wife and son. But…”

The air seemed locked in my lungs as he trailed off. Nothing good came after but. But you’re not enough.

“I should have explained it, I should have told you I was trying to do what was best—”

“For who? You?” I chuckled, the sound so far from humorous it wasn’t even funny. “Because it certainly wasn’t for me. You split, Brody. When it became a little tough, you took off, back to the family you’d built.” I pushed off the counter, feeling the fire burning in my veins. “Did you wonder how I felt after it all? Did you wonder what I was feeling?”

“Fuck,” he spat out. “Dammit, Lola.” He lunged forward, gripped the sides of my face, and leaned his forehead against mine. “How do I make you understand that from the moment my eyes met yours, you were the only thing that mattered?”

“You can’t,” I croaked out, “because it’d be a lie.” I was losing steam, tiredness hitting my body at full force.

“It’s not.” He shook his head and pulled back a fraction. “The only lie is the one I’ve been telling myself.”

My hands twitched at my sides, begging me to touch him, to grip on to his arms and not let go, but I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t let myself go there just because he’d turned up once. “Which lie is that then?” I asked, cursing myself. I should have left it alone.

“The one where I said you weren’t enough.”

I flinched, knocking my hip against the counter, but the pain didn’t register, only hi

s words.

“You are enough, Lola. You’re more than enough. You’re everything.”

“No.” I shook my head and pulled away, trying to put as much distance between us as I could. “You don’t get to do this.” My hands clenched at my sides, and I continued to back away until I was in my living room, and he was still in the kitchen. “You don’t get to come here now and decide that you want me. You don’t get to make the decisions, Brody.”

“I’m leaving Moira,” he blurted out. “Well, technically, I guess I already have.”

“And you thought I’d just be here waiting for you? That I was sitting here all this time while you figured out what you wanted, and then when you came back I’d come running into your arms?” My face heated, the anger burning through me.

“I—”

“You don’t get to say what happens here, Brody. You left me!” I threw my arms up in the air. “You left me in that house for a week after what he did knowing you could have taken me if you wanted to. You left me when I found out the truth. All you do is leave!” I dragged in a breath, not quite able to catch it, and lowered my voice. “All you do is leave.”

“I promise, Lola”—he stepped toward me, but I backed away—“I won’t ever do it again. I’ll be there, every step of the way.” He blinked, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “If you’ll have me.”

If you’ll have me.

It was never a question of if I wanted him because I did. I knew that without a doubt, but I couldn't let him get away with what had happened. I couldn't let him walk back into my life right now and pretend nothing happened, especially with a baby on the way.

I had to be strong, but most importantly, I had to be sure he really wanted to be with me, and not just because he and Moira had another argument.

“Actions speak louder than words,” I croaked out. “You show me that you want to be with me—only me—and then we can talk.” He opened his mouth, but I held up my hand to stop him. “We need time, Brody. You need time. I refuse to be the woman you bounce to if you leave your wife.”

“I’ve already left her,” he ground out.

“Then you definitely need time. You need distance and clarity because I need to know you’re in this one hundred percent.” My hand fluttered to my chest, resting over my thumping heart. “I need to know that you mean what you say, to be able to trust you, because right now, I don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth.”

His dark-brown-eyed gaze didn’t move off mine, and I showed him I meant every word I’d said. I refused to be the backup plan. I wouldn’t let myself get put through the wringer, but more importantly, I wouldn't do that to our baby.