Saving Mel

Loading the table with food, I brought everything out while Melanie fetched glasses for drinks, then we all sat down and began to eat. Everyone was silent, enjoying the dinner I’d prepared as Liam’s movie droned on in the background. But my eyes were on Melanie and the far-off daze that had settled in behind her eyes.

“Can I break the silence?” I asked.

Melanie connected her eyes with mine, letting me know I had her attention.

“Look, I saw the notification on my phone. I think it’s what you saw when you went to turn the ringer down.”

“I did,” she said.

“I want to talk with you about it. I just don’t want to do it in front of the kids.”

Her eyes studied me closely before she slowly nodded her head.

“This isn’t what you think it is,” I said.

“I’d really like to believe that,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice that pulled at my gut.

We finished dinner in awkward silence.

The kids started getting sleepy after their stomachs were full, so Melanie set about putting them down for bed. She got them changed and dressed while I put up the food and washed the dishes, and once she was done I cut off the light in the kitchen. She was standing in the hallway, listening for any signs of the kids calling on her for something.

I couldn’t stand this awkwardness between us any longer.

I motioned for her to meet me on the couch and she did, though she sat as far on the opposite end as possible. I knew I needed to start talking fast before I lost her again.

“Liam and Hadley are not my biological kids, but I am their legal guardian,” I said.

She turned her gaze on me and waited patiently for me to continue.

“A few months ago, my brother and his wife died and I became the kids’ guardian,” I said.

“How did it happen?” she asked softly.

“A trucker fell asleep at the wheel. My brother died instantly. His wife, Melissa, died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

Melanie scooted closer to me and took my hand in hers. I was relieved and comforted by her warmth.

“I was already out here when it happened. Shit with work and just—stuff.”

“What stuff?” she asked.

“Uncle Evan?” Liam’s voice broke my concentration, though I was glad for it. Telling Melanie about my brother’s death was one thing, but I didn’t have the strength to delve into all my past fuck-ups just yet.

“What buddy?” I asked, pushing to my feet.

“I had a bad dream,” Liam said, rubbing his little eyes tiredly.

I scooped him up in my arms and carried him back to bed. I stroked his back and assured him that he was safe and I sang him his alphabet song until he fell back to sleep.

When I stepped out into the hallway, I found Melanie standing there waiting for me. Without warning, she rose onto her toes, wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a passionate kiss.

CHAPTER 20

MELANIE

Evan carried me into his bathroom and set me down, my lips swollen from his kiss as his hands grasped my body tightly. My nipples stood in painful peaks as his rough hands skimmed over the fabric of my bra. His lips traced a line down my neck and my skin pebbled with goosebumps.

I loved the way his beard felt against my skin. I wove my fingers into his hair as he sank to his knees, his hands making quick work of the zipper on my pants before he slid them down my legs.

One by one, each piece of my clothing was peeled off and discarded. His lips ran along the curves of my body as I shivered under his touch. The cool air of the bathroom had me quaking, but I ached at the warmth of his lips.

He got to his feet and stared down at me, his heated gaze pulsing with need.

He grinned at me before he stepped around me as my eyes followed him. I turned around to see the massive walk-in shower behind us, and smiled as he reached in to turn it on. The water was hot as the steam rose to the ceiling, and I found myself gravitating toward the warmth as I stepped into it.

I sighed as the hot streams pounded against my back, and I closed my eyes while I heard the sound of Evan’s clothes dropping to the ground.

He got in behind me and pressed his strong chest against my back. My body was drenched in water and my hair was soaked. Little streams were trickling down my erect nipples as the steam cleansed my body. I turned to him, reached out my hands, and planted them on his skin, feeling along the divots and crevices his rippling muscles made.

I couldn’t contain myself any longer and promptly sank to my knees.