Xander let out a small sigh, while Karla and Trevor just sat next to us watching in fascination. “My house has three bedrooms, one being with a master bath. That’s my room. There’s a guest bathroom that would be yours, and there’s even a half bath off the kitchen.”
“What are the other two bedrooms used for?” Again, not saying I was agreeing, but I wanted all the facts when I said no.
“One is a guestroom and the other was converted to an office,” he answered, matter of fact.
The lonely part of me started to entertain the idea, so I shook my head to get rid of the lost longing feeling. “Look, Xander, I appreciate you trying to make amends-really,” I told him honestly. “But this is a bit extreme in the effort.” He started to object but I continued, cutting him off. “I have enough money to put down on a house, if not buy one outright. I don’t need to put anyone out.”
“But why make that commitment when you don’t have to?” he countered. “Why not move in with me and wait it out for a while. If he doesn’t show up, then buy the house and settle here.”
“Xander, sometimes he doesn’t show up for over a year,” I explained. “Besides, I’m done running.”
Karla leaned into me. “And I’m glad,” she whispered.
I was about to do my victory lap when Trevor spoke up. “Fallon, hon, even if you do have the money to put down on a house, buying a house doesn’t happen overnight. There’s still escrow and a whole host of other shit that needs to be done before you’re handed the keys. Not to mention, if you’re really going to do this, you’re going to need to find a job and buy a car and whatever else. Do you really want to do all that living out of a motel room that’s on the outskirts of town?” Trevor was beating me down with logic, and I was not liking it. “Staying with Xander saves you time and money. And considering that you’re going to blow a big chunk of your money on a house and car, you could probably stand to save as much as you can right now.”
“But-”
Ignoring me, because the man did have logic as his superpower, he kept talking. “You could always stay here as originally planned, but staying with Xan gives you more privacy and, quite frankly, keeps Karla out of harm’s way, Fallon,” he finished honestly, and I appreciated it more than he could ever know.
I searched all their faces and I could see they were all in favor of me staying with Xander. But just like Trevor was concerned for Karla, I was concerned for anyone who could get tangled in my mess. And that included Xander, even though he had been a jerk to me in the beginning.
If I was going to be brave enough to stop running, I had to be braveperiod. I couldn’t pick and choose when to be strong with this situation.
“I appreciate the offer and the reasoning, gentlemen,” I told them. “But staying at the motel isn’t a problem. I’m not a manicure/pedicure kind of girl anyway. A motel isn’t on my list of hardships. And since I plan on getting a job, I’m not worried about the money.”
“Fal-”
I stopped Trevor from whatever he was about to say. “I’m not going to hide behind Xander, Trevor,” I said, my voice clear and strong.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Xander exploded as he stood up from the table. He slapped his hands down on the tabletop and glared at me. “Are you seriously turning down my offer to be all ‘I-am-woman-hear-me-roar’? Are you fucking serious?”
I stood up because…well, fuck this asshole, that’s why. “I’m turning down your offer because I don’t want you getting hurt!”
He looked remarkably offended. Like, the most offended I’ve ever seen someone.“What!?”
I ignored Karla and Trevor standing up and huddling next to each other far away from the table and lit into Xander. “It was one thing to stay with Karla and Trevor when I was going to live in hiding. They were going to relatively safe since I wouldn’t exist here. But living out in the open withyoucan bring that psycho to your door, Xander! What don’t you get about that?”
He looked murderous. His snarl was low and deep and serious. “I’m going to forget you just called me a pussy, just like you’re going to forget I was an asshole to you when we first met. And with that, you are going to move your shit into my house, and you are going to stay with me until I say it’s safe for you not to. Understand?”
My eyes widened as I reared back at his audacity. “You can’t do that! Who do you think you are?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m the bastard who will stay in the motel room next to yours if I have to. You think you’re being stalked now, just you wait, Fallon.”
“Fuck you!”
“I have no problem doing that for you, too!”
Trevor had me by the waist and Karla was pushing Xander back before I could fully launch myself across the table at the asshole and kill him with my bare hands. “I am not moving in with you!” I screamed like a lunatic.
“Yes, you are!” Xander fired back.
This asshole!
Chapter 14
Xander~
Iwas pretty sure I was going to have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of my days, but who needed sleep anyway?
