“Can’t stand the guy?” he interrupts.
We whip around a corner, the centrifugal force causing my belly to swoop in a good way.
“Not what I was going to say.”
“Have you told Marcus?”
I know Fallon isn’t happy about it, but I love how his first instinct is to think about my children.
“Not yet.”
He drums his thumb against the steering wheel to the bass beat of the music. “Taking myself out of the equation, Jay showing up isn’t going to go over well with several people.”
I consider his concern seriously. “Aurora and JD don’t know him and have never met him, Daniel and Drew won’t care, and I’ll talk to Meredith and Trevor tonight.”
“What about Austin?”
My mouth hangs open to let a response out, but I immediately close it because I hadn’t even thought about that. Austin was Marshall’s younger brother, and if there is one person’s name that could trigger Jayson, it would be Marshall. But Austin is nothing like his brother and shouldn’t be forced to carry that stigma. Just like Fallon shouldn’t carry Peter’s.
“I’ll handle it,” I reply.
I become distracted when we get to downtown Highland. Where brick and mortar used to live has been replaced over the years with towering skyscrapers of glass and steel-reinforced concrete. Traffic slows down considerably on the congested streets, while busy foot traffic ambles down the sidewalks as people try to get to their destination.
“Are we going to the museum?” I ask as we near the natural history museum.
Highland’s art district is a favorite of mine and the kids. Four full blocks that encompass the natural history museum and planetarium, the children’s museum, the science discovery center, the art museum, and the performing arts theater. The youth center that Fallon and Aurora built together is located several blocks west.
“No, but I’ll take you after if you want to go.”
“After what?”
He chuckles, and the sound hits me right between the legs. I am in so much trouble with this man.
“Almost there.” He eases onto a roundabout, then veers off at the first connecting road.
“Almost where?” No more skyscrapers, just more buildings I don’t recognize.
“So fucking impatient,” he replies, but there’s no heat to it, only humor and amusement.
He pulls up to a meter, parks the car, and turns in his seat. “We’re here,” he says, gesturing for me to look out my window to the right.
“I still have no clue where—” And then I see the sign on the front of the building, its bold sans serif font making me go a little queasy. Studio M/X. “You’re not serious.”
“I am.”
“Fallon, I can’t.”
“You can.”
I gape at him. “You’re out of your mind.”
He grips my neck and reels me in for a kiss that would be unsuitable for public display. My mind goes blissfully blank, and I moan when he takes the kiss deeper.
He lets go, and I slow blink.
“Get out of the fucking car, Kitten.”
Chapter Thirty-One
