Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

She pulled in a shaky breath. “I was heavy my entire life up until about two-and-a-half years ago.”

“I saw that on your blog.”

Melanie twisted in his arms just enough to peek up at him. “You read my blog?”

“I wanted to find out more about you.”

Now she did offer a smile that released some of her pent-up energy. She settled a little more against him as she refocused her attention out the back door. Night had fallen and the back lights had kicked on, but with that added glow, he could see her reflection so perfectly.

The image of them together, standing in such an intimate way, had Tanner growing more accustomed to the idea of her living here. He’d never invited another woman to live with him. Even his fiancée hadn’t lived with him. They’d been young and in the beginning stages of planning when his life had turned to shit.

Tanner didn’t want to say anything, he wanted Melanie to work this out on her own and go at her own pace. Finally, she was opening up to him about her past. He wasn’t sure how far she would delve into it, but he had a feeling he was going to be pissed at what she’d endured.

“My ex was fine with me being overweight,” she went on. “In fact, he was all too eager to make sure I stayed that way. He was jealous, to say the least. Anything to keep another guy from looking at me. Neville liked to exploit the fact I was a smart attorney, but he never called me pretty or seemed proud of me. I was a pawn in his game to further his political career.”

Tanner gritted his teeth and struggled to find the right words. Neville was a grade-A bastard.

“What made you decide to get away?”

“One night I couldn’t sleep, so I was online reading different blogs and I stumbled upon one called Women Empowering Women. As soon as I read a few paragraphs, I knew I wanted to motivate other women, too. But I also knew in my current state, I couldn’t do that.”

“Are you talking about your weight, or the fact that your ex was abusive?”

Melanie tensed and pulled away from his arms. Instantly he regretted his words.

“Mel—”

“No.” She held up her hands. “Don’t apologize for speaking the truth. Honestly, I knew I couldn’t keep going because of all of that. Everything about my life was unhealthy, from my weight to my marriage. I started walking, which led to running. I was damn slow, but I was moving, and for the first time in my life I was doing something for me. Neville didn’t know this until the weight started to gradually come off. Needless to say he was angry.”

Tanner watched Mel as she glanced at the box of pastries and back to him. “That’s when I told him I was leaving,” she went on. “I was done living that life, being in a prison and posing as a happy couple for the sake of his political career.”

“And he just let you go?”

Melanie twisted her hands in front of her for a moment, then smoothed down her shirt and tipped her head up. “No. I blackmailed him and left him no choice.”

Tanner crossed his arms over his chest. “What type of blackmail?”

Melanie circled the island and surveyed the inside of the bakery box. She grabbed a cupcake and peeled away the lining little by little.

“That’s a story for another time, and right now I’m going to dive face-first into this cupcake and give the proverbial middle finger to my ex.”

“You don’t have to—”

She leveled his gaze. “Yes, I do. Care to join me in a celebration?”

This woman was so damn remarkable he didn’t know what to expect next from her. Every part of him wanted to know the blackmail she had on Neville, though he suspected he knew. Most likely she had images of the abuse or recorded account of an act. No politician wanted that type of negativity out there for the voters to see.

“I can’t turn down sugar.” Tanner reached across the island and grabbed the éclair. “It’s a weakness of mine, which is why I’m often in the gym.”

“Oh, please,” she said around a bite, “you are perfectly fine. Men carry weight better than women.”

Tanner set his pastry down and waited until he caught her attention once again. “When I saw your blog, you need to know that the before-and-after pictures you posted regarding your weight were both beautiful. I’m glad your confidence is higher and I’m proud of you for encouraging other women, but you are a stunning woman. No added pounds could change that.”

He needed her to know this, he needed her to see that she was beautiful inside and out, because he was confident nobody in her life had ever told her. And it was well past time she started seeing herself for the remarkable woman she truly was.

Yes, she put up amazing posts about confidence, but he saw how she still fidgeted with her hands or her purse when she was nervous and how she averted her gaze when a topic hit too close to home.

Melanie had a successful online base for inspiring women, but who was inspiring her?