Saving Mel

Then, I went back to spending time with the kids.

They wore themselves out at the playground but weren’t ready to go home. So, running out of ideas, I took them to the library. I got a membership so Liam could pick out a book to check out, then we went up to the second floor to look at the movies they had to rent. Every single Disney and children’s movie I could think of was in their video library, and Liam looked like he was in childhood heaven.

“Do they have Aladdin?” Liam asked.

“You’ve already got that at home. Why don’t you pick out something you haven’t seen yet?” I asked.

“Like what?” he asked.

“How about this. Since you picked out a book, why don’t I pick out a movie? I’m sure they’ve got movies I used to watch as a kid. We could watch it together tonight.”

“Okay,” Liam said. “But it’s gotta be good.”

“I promise it’ll be good,” I said, smiling.

I looked around at all the movies and it threw me back to another time. A time when I was running around outside with my mom while Dad was off working somewhere. Most children would’ve resented their fathers for working all the time, but my father did it a little differently. He never shooed me out of his office if I came to find him and he would always talk me through what he was doing. In fact, he bought me my own little leather chair, so I could sit next to him whenever I wanted to come spend time in his office.

I was always welcome in there, and it was his personal influence and acceptance of me that fueled my desire to run my own business.

I kept looking around for a movie I knew Liam would like while he flipped through the pages of the book he had checked out. I scanned all the titles and etched them into my memory, just in case I needed to rattle them off for Liam before the next time we came. But then, I came across a movie that punched me in my gut.

Beauty and the Beast.

It was one Liam hadn’t seen and one I didn’t even think to own until now. But it was eerily reminiscent of everything that had happened. I was a beast until Melanie stumbled onto our porch. An angry, cooped up, mangled beast who snarled at the world. Then she came charging into my life on the wings of a snowstorm and sassed her way into our hearts.

She transformed me, and all I wanted to do in return was transform her.

I took the video from the shelf and headed for the check-out station. I checked it out while Liam continued to wander around the room, then I grabbed his hand and headed for the elevator. This library was much larger and more kid-friendly than I ever thought it could be, and I was excited that the kids were so fascinated with it.

Maybe it would get us back into town a little more often.

When we got back to the cabin, the kids were asleep. I gathered them up into my arms and laid them down, then went back to fetch the book and the movie. I set them down on the kitchen table for Liam to see when he woke up, and then I sat down on the couch.

The couch that Melanie and I used to occupy.

I pulled my phone out again and tried calling her, only this time it didn’t even ring. Her voicemail popped up and her sweet little voice fluttered over my ear. I closed my eyes and listened to it, trying to grab onto any part of her I could have. I missed her more than I was willing to admit to myself, and I prepared to leave a voice message before I hung up.

But my phone vibrated at my ear and caught my attention.

I had a message from Melanie and I almost dropped my phone opening it. I hung up the phone call and navigated to my texts, my fingertips trembling with each button I pressed. I opened the message and felt relief cascade over my body. Even if it was just four little words, the fact that she sent me the message meant she was okay.

“I’m ready to talk.”

CHAPTER 26

MELANIE

I had stayed at Layla’s an extra night, just needing some girl time. My father had even felt well enough to drive himself into town and meet us for dinner. I was amazed at how well he was doing and began to wonder if I had been holding him back; smothering him in his sickness.

Whatever the change had been, I was glad he was feeling better and more like his old self. After dinner, my father had agreed to stay the night at Layla’s parents’ house and I would follow him home in the morning. He had been tuckered out by his first trip to anywhere but a doctor’s office in months and welcomed the invitation to stay.