Page 134 of Over Time Advantage

The room starts to spin. I think I prefer it this way to reality.

The past year with Fallon scrolls through my head like a movie. I was so happy. I loved her. I gave everything of myself to her, opening up to her in a way I never have with another person. Why would she do this to us? Two lies in one week has me wondering if I ever knew her.

I need answers. I need to hear the words from her lips.

With the bottle in hand, I make my way up to her bedroom. The stairs are suddenly a little crooked, but I manage to gracefully take one at a time until I trip over the top one before catching myself.

Pushing Fallon’s bedroom door open, I see my angel face sleeping. It turns out, she’s not so angelic. I’m so fucking stupid. I believed she was my happily ever after.

I stumble a bit and hit my toe on the dresser. Fuck, where did that thing come from? Did she move it?

She stirs at the intruding noise, and then her eyelids slowly blink open until I see those turquoise eyes I thought were my forever. What a load of crap. There’s no such thing as forever.

She smiles sleepily and whispers, “You came home to me.” She lifts the blankets, revealing herself in the same tank top and sleep shorts she wore the first night we made love. How ironic. “Get into bed, my love,” she breathes.

Pain eviscerates every inch of my body at her term of endearment. I feel on the verge of tears. “Did you know?” I ask in a cold tone I don’t recognize.

Her eyebrows pinch together. “Know what?”

My jaw tics. “Don’t play stupid. Did you or did you not know my daughter is sleeping with Daylen and having his baby?”

She immediately sits upright as the expression on her face gives me the answer despite her silence. She knew.

“Did you know?” I shout as her figure turns blurry.

“Calm down, Jett.” Her eyes move down to the bottle in my hand before they widen. “Have you been drinking that?”

I point at her with the hand holding the bottle, causing a little of it to spill out onto her floor. In a croaking voice that betrays the anger I’m trying to portray, I spit out, “You don’t get to fucking judge me. You’re a cheater and a liar.”

“Mommy?” a sweet, scared voice interrupts from behind me.

Oh my god. I didn’t know Harper was here.

Fallon plasters on a fake smile for her daughter. “Yes, baby. Everything is fine. Jett and I are talking. Go back to bed.”

Harper looks up at me with terror written all over her face. “I’m scared, Mommy.”

Fallon nods in understanding. “Come here.” She motions for Harper to join her in bed.

I move to cover the area where I spilled the whiskey so Harper doesn’t slip on it, but my less-than-graceful sudden movement frightens her enough that she scurries past me and leaps into the bed, immediately clinging to Fallon for dear life as her body shivers.

She’s…scared of me. It’s like a punch to the gut. Reason number ten billion why I shouldn’t have more children.

Fallon straightens her shoulders. “Why don’t you go into my guest room and sleep this off? We can talk more in the morning when you have a clear mind and are able to have a real conversation.”

I snort in mock laughter. “Talk? I have nothing left to say to someone like you.” I yell the word nothing way louder than I intended, and Harper flinches in fear.

Fallon looks down at her frightened child, who is physically trembling, and then back at me before steeling herself. “Get out of my house and don’t ever come back.”

“My pleasure. We both know I was always just a poor substitute for the man you really want in your bed. I’ve got somewhere better to be. Mr. Humblecut has a date with my fist.” At that, I turn on my heels and stumble out of her room.

I hear her yell something about not driving and sleeping it off, but I ignore her. I never want to hear her traitorous voice again.

I clumsily walk down the stairs and to my car. Daylen lives nearby. I’m going to kill that motherfucker.

TWENTY-SEVEN

JETT