When I Fall (Alabama Summer #3)

“White milk?” I ask.

Mia shakes her head through a smile, looking between Sal and myself. “He means plain milk. Not chocolate. It’s how he’s been saying it lately.”

“Daddy says milk will help me get big muscles like him.” He looks across the table, tilting his head up to see me underneath his hat. “Do you dwink white milk too, Uncle Weed? For youwr muscles?”

“Yeah, of course.” I look up at Sal. “I’ll have a root beer.”

A foot connects with my shin underneath the table, and I drop my eyes to Mia who’s exaggerating her stare and officially confusing the hell out of me.

“What?” I silently ask, holding my hands out. It’s then I look back to Nolan and see his eyes still on me, wide and unsure.

Ah. Got it.

I look up at Sal. “On second thought, I think I’ll do white milk too. I wouldn’t dare drink anything else with pizza.”

Nolan grins and resumes hitting his tiny fists into the dough.

“I’ll have a root beer,” Tessa says through a teasing smirk as her fingers poke me in the ribs.

“You’re a menace. You don’t even like root beer.”

She shrugs, her smile growing obnoxiously. “I like it just fine, thank you. Mind yo’ business.”

“I’ll just have a water,” Mia orders, sending Sal away from the table. She bounces Chase gently in her lap when he starts fussing. “So, what do you think you’ll do if you see Molly? Are you going to talk to her?”

I settle back in the booth while my fingers pull apart the napkin in front of me, tearing it into tiny pieces. “Already saw her.”

“What?” Tessa shoves against my shoulder.

Christ, these two are violent when they’re hungry.

“What do you mean you already saw her? And you didn’t call me? What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me. I just didn’t feel like talking about it.”

“Girl code, Reed.” Tessa crosses her arms with a pout, leaning her back against the window to fully face me. She makes a soft tsk sound. “I’m disappointed in you.”

The fuck?

“Girl code? Is that what you just said? You realize I have a penis, right? A very large, well-loved penis.”

Nolan giggles across the table, and I realize my error, which is only confirmed as I lock onto Mia’s tested glare. I risk a glance over at Tessa, who merely rolls her eyes, as if she’ll never believe I’m not a fucking chick.

“Well, what happened, Mr. Zero Filter around my children? Where did you see her?”

I dodge Mia’s expectant stare, pinch my eyes shut, and let my head fall back as I take in a slow breath.

This is just what I need. On my own, I can’t stop thinking about Saturday night. Now I’m going to be forced to re-live it out loud, and I don’t think getting an erection right now will play out well for me.

“Hellooo.” Tessa snaps her fingers in front of my face, prompting me to open my eyes and tilt my head down. “I do need to get back to the house sometime today. I have a stack of transcripts waiting for me.”

I nod a silent thank you to Sal as he sets our drinks down in front of us. Nolan grabs his milk and brings it up to his lips, his eyes seeking mine and willing me to do the same.

For fuck’s sake. I need a beer right now. Not some kiddie drink. But it’s Nolan. And he’s staring at me, wearing that crazy big hard hat, like I’m his damn idol or something.

I grab the milk, tip it back, and swallow a mouthful. Nolan does the same after I’ve set my glass back down.

“It was at McGill’s on Saturday night,” I begin, glancing between the two sets of eyes to make sure they’re paying attention. I can’t go through this again. This will be the only time they hear this story, and hopefully, the last time I remember it.

“I was talking to this girl, just . . . you know, doing what I usually do when I’m at McGill’s.” I shift a knowing look between them. They’re both familiar with my weekend strategy. “Then out of nowhere, Molly walks in, and I completely freeze up.”

“Did you talk to her?” Mia asks, taking a sip of her drink.

I laugh through a slight shake of my head, then pinch the top of my nose as the memory of what happened next stirs wildly inside me. “Yeah,” I answer through a strained voice. I decide to skip some parts of the story and get this shit over with. My hand falls to my lap and I look between the two of them. “We talked. She’s engaged. I got the hell out of there.”

Engaged. Unfuckingbelievable.

Confusion passes between the two of them as I shoot the rest of my milk like it’s goddamn whiskey.

Ah, yeah. That’s better. Sweet dairy. Really helps take the edge off.

“She’s engaged?” Tessa questions doubtfully, with a tinge of jealousy coating her words. “What idiot would want to marry that cumdumpster?”

“Tessa, seriously?” Mia covers Nolan’s ears, keeping Chase tucked against her, but I don’t think Nolan’s heard anything. He’s too engrossed in the giant hammer he’s trying to form out of the pizza dough.

Nice.

“Could you fucking not?” Mia whispers through a clenched jaw.

“Sorry! But what the h, Luke?” Tessa turns to me after exchanging a smile with Mia and pointing at her bare ring finger. “Well, what did you say? You said you two talked. What did you talk about?”

“Honestly? She talked. I didn’t say much of anything.”

I didn’t need to. My girlfriend did all the talking.

Shit. Don’t call her that. Don’t even think about her. Leave her ass out of this story.

“Wait a minute.” Tessa voice cuts into my head, a look of disbelief etched on her face. She points a finger at me. “You’re leaving something out.”

“No, I’m not,” I counter, turning my glass over and setting it on the table. I look across the restaurant in the direction of the kitchen.

Where’s the fucking pizza? Tessa wouldn’t be this chatty if food was involved.

“Yes, you are,” Mia agrees, nodding. She pulls something out of the bag sitting next to her and holds it in Chase’s mouth for him to suck on. “You’re being defensive,” she continues. “And you just slammed your milk like we’re actually at McGill’s. Something else happened.”

I shake my head and keep my gaze cast down at the table. I’m not giving them anything else. I’ve told them enough. Confiding in them any more will only do more harm than good.

“What happened with the girl?”

Shit. Motherfucking FUCK.

I don’t look up at Mia. “What girl?” I ask, coolly. Calmly. Completely in control.

It’s at that exact moment I realize the universe hates me. That if there is a God, she must be a chick who I screwed over at some point or another.

The front door chimes, and I glance up, locking onto the stunner who walks in to officially ruin my life.

Wearing a faded Eric Clapton T-shirt, ripped jean shorts hanging low on her hips, and Dr. Martens covered in colorful flowers, I take my first real look at the body I’ve spanked, sucked, and fucked in my head over the past three days, and my dick hardens so fast, you’d think she was wearing nothing but those fucking boots.