Page 85 of The Fall

“What? Some of these have been hit or miss, so I wanted to be prepared. Come on. Let’s go introduce you.”

We walk through the house and out the sliding glass door to the backyard. In the middle of the yard stands their dad, staring at a smoker.

“Unfortunately, the girls’ brother couldn’t be here tonight. He recently moved to Arizona, but hopefully, you’ll meet him soon.” Mallory stops and calls to her husband. “Greg! The girls and Savannah’s boyfriend are here!”

Savannah glances at me and tries to hide her smile. I think Ms. Anti-relationship actually enjoys having a boyfriend. Who would’ve thought?

Greg walks over to us. I can tell he’s sizing me up as he walks, so I try my best to look happy and respectful, which, for some reason, is difficult. I hope I don’t come across like a psychopath.

I introduce myself, and he shakes my hand. After a second of giving me a menacing glare, he smiles.

“It’s great to meet you, son.”

I don’t even know this guy, but I feel like he means it. I’ve been in the DuPont house for a total of three minutes, and I already feel welcome.

“Ribs will be ready in about ten minutes,” Greg announces. He looks so proud of himself that I know I’ll be eating these ribs whether they’re bad or not. “Logan, why don’t you stay out here with me while the ladies get the table set?”

“Dad—” Savannah starts.

“It’s alright, Savannah,” I tell her. “I’d love that.”

She gives me a worried look, but I squeeze her hand and kiss her forehead before she walks back inside with her mom and sister.

I follow Greg over to the smoker, preparing myself for the ‘don’t hurt my daughter’ speech he’s planning to give me.

“I guess this would be when I’m supposed to give you the threatening talk,” he says, as if reading my mind. “But our Sav has never brought a boyfriend home before, so if you’ve managed to get past all her approvals, then you certainly have mine.”

I exhale in relief. “Thank you, sir. Your daughter is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met. I promise that if one of us ends up brokenhearted, it’ll be me, not her.”

He laughs. “Oh, I believe that actually. So, tell me about yourself, son. If you’re going to be part of this family, I need to know what I’m dealing with.”

He’s got a dry sense of humor just like Savannah, and for some odd reason, it puts me at ease. I tell him about skating. I mention going to the Olympics but not my medals. I hate to sound braggy. I tell him about my decision to retire without going into detail about my mom, moving to Colorado, and taking the job with Tati. I assume they know I’m Savannah’s coach, but I don’t specifically point it out.

“Well, from what I can tell, it sounds like you’re the perfect fit for Savannah.”

“I’d like to think that too,” I admit.

“I gotta tell you, Mallory was so excited when Savannah called her last week. I’m sure you know that Savannah has big dreams. And to reach those dreams, she feels like she can’t do anything else but devote all her time to skating. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Savannah. I’m afraid we kind of gave up asking her to come to family events. Mallory didn’t want Savannah to feel bad for declining our invites, so she stopped asking. We both knew she’d come to us when she was ready, and it seems like you might’ve pushed her in that direction. So, thank you for bringing her back to us.”

I knew Savannah hadn’t seen her parents in a while, which is a shame since they live so close. My opinion might be skewed since I’ve almost lost my mom twice now, and I learned that I never want to miss out on time with her. But it’s obvious that Savannah’s parents love her. They gave up everything for her and then took a step back and let her come back to them when she was ready.

“I’m not sure how much I had to do with that, but I’m glad she made the decision to call Mallory. I was hoping to meet you all sooner rather than later.”

He claps me on the back. “Well, we’re glad to have you here. Alright, enough mushy gushy stuff. Let’s get this meat inside.”

He opens the smoker and sets the ribs on a platter. They smell delicious. I help him carry it in and set it on the dining room table, where the girls have set out plates, a ton of napkins, and some side dishes.

I take a seat next to Savannah. She immediately leans in and whispers, “Was everything ok?”

“Yeah, baby. Don’t worry.”

She lets out a breath, and I see a small smile tug at her lips. I’m thinking she might have been more nervous about this dinner than I was.

Once we all fill our plates, Mallory turns to us and asks, “So, tell me. Was it love at first sight?”

Savannah looks at me. “Um, no, not exactly.”

Kelsey laughs. “Logan is the one who broke Savannah’s ankle a few years ago.”