Page 120 of Over Time Advantage

She leans her body onto mine. “I know.” She rubs her fingertips over my scruff. “A few more hours, my love.”

Her love. I get the chills every single time she calls me that.

I nod, unable to take my eyes or hands off her, mostly focusing on her mouth. “You don’t know how badly I want to ruin your lipstick.”

She moves my hands from her hips to her ass and whispers, “Want to know what I’m not wearing right now?”

I gulp as I begin to harden at the thought of her being bare. Her eyes move down my body as she takes immediate notice before pushing her body against mine.

“Get a room,” Reggie’s intruding voice shouts from across the expansive driveaway.

Fallon giggles as she turns to wave at her close friend. “Hey, babe,” she says as Reggie and her husband approach. “How are you?”

Reggie sighs. “You know it’s been a long week when a seventy-two-hour hold in the psych ward, where you’re encouraged to eat, rest, and be fed anti-anxiety medications, starts to sound pretty fucking nice.”

Fallon smiles as she kisses Reggie’s cheek. “You’re nuts, so maybe the psych ward works.”

I meet her husband, Sam, and the four of us walk into the house together, where I’m greeted by Beckett Windsor, as well as Trevor and Jackson Knight. With the possible exception of Sam, all the men appear very refined in their expensive suits.

I offer the bottle of wine I brought from the year Fallon was born. Beckett realizes immediately what it must have cost me. “Are you sure you want to open this?” he questions.

I nod. “We’re celebrating a special lady. It calls for a special bottle.”

He gives me a crooked smile. “I’m usually a scotch man, and the Knights are whiskey men, but I certainly won’t turn this treat down. Thank you for bringing it.”

“Of course. Thank you for hosting.”

I like to bring wines to parties because I often find myself with men drinking hard liquor. Offering wine gives me an excuse to drink it without explaining that I turn into a raging asshole when I drink the hard stuff.

He pulls out a decanter, understanding what this bottle requires. I appreciate that.

I quickly learn Beckett left his job running a billion-dollar company after his first wife died giving birth to their daughter, Andie, Harper’s best friend.

“Wow,” I marvel. “That’s quite a sacrifice. You must have had a good role model growing up. So much success in one family.” His father is also a well-known, wealthy businessman in the Philadelphia area.

He pours the wine into glasses and holds his up with a bit of a crooked smirk on his face. “Not quite, and I’ve never once viewed it as a sacrifice. It was a privilege. Not every successful man is a good father, but every good father is a successful man.”

The insinuation is more than clear. I’m guessing there’s no love lost between him and his father.

I consider his words as Fallon slides her arm under my jacket and around my waist. “Good thing you’re both,” she assures me, knowing I don’t believe that to be the case.

We stand around chatting in their solarium, which affords us incredible views of the massive estate. There’s another smaller house sitting on it. I’m told it’s where Beckett’s mother lives with her boyfriend. The kids are all staying there tonight. I think Fallon once mentioned how close Amanda is to her mother-in-law.

I keep my girl close by at all times, not only because I’m mindful that she wants a party mate, but I can’t bear to be away from her any longer than I already have to be. The need to have my hands on her at all times is overwhelming.

The women are all giggling about an overzealous mother in the girls’ class who tries to rope them into volunteering all the time. Cassandra rolls her eyes. “I pretended my car window didn’t work last week when she approached me. Then the crazy bitch stood in front of my car. I nearly ran her over.”

Fallon snorts in laughter. “Gentle reminder that they don’t serve alcohol in prison.”

Cassandra nods. “That’s the only reason I didn’t floor it.”

Beckett and Jackson momentarily disappear, then return holding something very large covered in a cloth. There’s an easel too. It looks like a giant piece of art.

Beckett nods toward a server who hands out glasses of champagne before he taps it with a knife to indicate a toast is forthcoming. Amanda, Reggie, Cassandra, and Darian all stand by the covered item.

Amanda clears her throat. “We’re here tonight to celebrate a special woman finally joining the rest of us in middle age.”

Fallon scrunches her face. “Ugh. I told Harper I’m older than Google and she thought I was joking.”