Semua Bab Fallon’s Reid: An Arranged Contract: Bab 81 - Bab 90

~Fallon~I knew the dinner was doomed before the first course even hit the table.The air was thick — too many forced smiles, too much wine poured too fast. My mom was already on edge, flitting around the dining room like her life depended on keeping everything light. The crystal gleamed, the candles flickered, and the estate’s chef served courses that looked like art.But none of it mattered.Not with the people seated around the table.Bianca, with her too-sweet smile and sharper tongue. Oliver, already half-checked out and scrolling through his phone. Elise, his perfectly poised wife, watching everything with cold calculation.And my father.He sat at the head of the table, silent and watchful, his presence enough to make my throat tight.He didn’t have to say much. He rarely did when the family gathered.But when he did speak?Everyone listened.“So, Fallon,” Bianca began, her voice light and casual — which was exactly how I knew she was about to go for blood. “You’ve been busy, h

~Fallon~I should’ve known breakfast would be a battlefield.The dining room was already buzzing when we walked in — my mom’s voice pitched too high, the clink of silverware against porcelain, the quiet hum of tension just beneath the surface.Oliver and Elise sat at one end of the table, their heads bent together in low conversation. Bianca scrolled on her phone, perfectly manicured fingers tapping the screen like she was already over this entire gathering.And my dad? He sat at the head of the table, silent and watchful, his presence a gravity that pulled everyone’s moods down with it.Reid’s hand brushed the small of my back as we found our seats — a light, familiar touch that shouldn’t have made my pulse jump the way it did. But I was still trying to shake off the memory of waking up wrapped in him — his warmth, his scent, the slow, steady weight of his arm around my waist.The space between us felt smaller than it had in a long time. And I didn’t know what to do with that.“Well,

~Fallon~I didn’t go back inside right away.The sun was warm on my skin, but I still felt cold — the kind of cold that starts in your chest and spreads, making every breath feel heavy.My father’s words echoed in my head, relentless and sharp.Keep him happy. Or this entire family pays the price.The sheer unfairness of it made my stomach churn. I’d given them everything. I’d married a man I barely knew for this family’s sake, played the role they needed me to play. And still — still — it wasn’t enough.I wanted to scream.But Prescott women didn’t scream.We smiled through the bitterness. We kept our voices soft and steady. We held our heads high, no matter how heavy the crown got.So I stood there until my breathing slowed and my face didn’t betray a thing.And when I finally walked back into the house, I wore my mask so well even I almost believed it.⸻But Reid saw through it anyway. He noticed.Of course he did.Reid Callahan was far too sharp not to pick up on the shift — the

~Fallon~The fire crackled, sending sparks dancing into the night sky. The air smelled like woodsmoke and toasted marshmallows, and for a brief moment, the warmth of the flames almost made me believe this was a normal family gathering.But nothing with my family ever stayed peaceful for long.The seating arrangement alone was enough to set me on edge. Oliver and Elise sat off to one side, speaking in hushed tones that made it clear they had no interest in anyone else’s conversation. Bianca lounged in one of the Adirondack chairs like she owned the place, sipping her wine with a smirk that set my teeth on edge.My parents were doing their best to keep things civil — my mom fluttering around with drinks and snacks, my dad maintaining his usual stoic silence.And then there was Reid.Sitting next to me. Close enough that his warmth wrapped around me, close enough that every time his arm brushed mine, my skin tingled.Too close. And not close enough.The fire wasn’t the only thing making

~Fallon~Mia was already waiting when I walked into the café — impossible to miss, even in her half-baked attempt at anonymity. A wide-brimmed hat sat at a dramatic angle on her head, and her sunglasses were so oversized they covered half her face. She looked like a celebrity trying — and failing — to go incognito.I stopped at the edge of the table, arms crossed. “Really subtle.”Mia grinned, sliding her sunglasses down just enough to reveal her eyes. “You know me. I live for the drama.”The waiter appeared almost immediately, and Mia waved him off with a casual, “We’ll need mimosas. Keep them coming.”I laughed despite myself, slipping into the seat across from her. The tension from the weekend — from my family and the endless pressure — began to ease, bit by bit. Mia had that effect on me. She always had.“Okay,” she said, leaning forward with the kind of excitement that should probably scare me. “Spill. How was the trip? How terrible was Bianca? Did Reid finally throw her in the l