Chapter 27
By February of the next year, Tommy was still in jail but he was now being detained in Pueblo County, awaiting trial for the murder of an artist, the wife of a prominent defense attorney who was known throughout the county for his impressive record. The police had caught Tommy thanks to Kyle and Melody—and they’d known about the connection of the ring, thanks to her—but it had been Tommy’s friend who’d busted the case wide open. Possibly afraid that Tommy was going to talk to get a lenient sentence, his friend spilled the beans, telling of a conspiracy that none had suspected. The defense attorney had helped Tommy’s friend get a light sentence five years earlier and continued offering his services ever since—so when he’d wanted someone to kill his wife for the insurance money, he’d hired Tommy’s friend who brought Tommy on board.
It was the stuff crime shows and podcasts were made for.
Now, feeling safe even when alone, Melody, sitting on the edge of her bed, took her shoes off, rubbing her feet. It had been a long night at the bar. Despite being Valentine’s Day, they were surprisingly busy.
But Melody still didn’t know all the busy times there.
She had since told her boss and coworkers about her past, explaining what her real name was and why she’d been in hiding.
And she’d also gone to a salon and had her hair colored so that it was closer to her natural red—so when her roots grew out, she wouldn’t have to hide them anymore.
Melody had just placed her shoes in the closet and put on a pair of slippers when she heard a knock at the door. Eagerly, she hurried from the bedroom to the front door of her apartment and whipped it open.
No way would she have done that a few months ago. Feeling free was still such a foreign sensation—but she was happily getting used to it.
When she saw Kyle, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. But he didn’t follow her in. “Just a sec,” he said, stepping back into the hall for a moment. He picked up a large, flat wrapped present, an object so wide that he could barely hold both sides in his arms.
“What is it?”
“Guess you’ll just have to open it and find out.”
Melody smiled. “You didn’t have to get my anything.”
“It’s Valentine’s Day. What the hell kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t?”
While he set the present on the table, covering its entire surface, Melody decided to get the gifts under the bed—one that had been there since December and another she’d picked up earlier that week. “Hold on.”
“Where are you going?”
“Trust me.” In her room, she got down on her hands and knees and found the box wrapped in shiny red paper—a hint of Christmas without announcing that was when she’d definitively bought it. As she stood, she brushed a dust bunny off the corner and then rushed back in the main room. “Here.”
“Didn’t I just hear you say I didn’t have to get you anything?”
Laughing, she said, “Okay, but this gift is small.”
Kyle shook his head, holding his mouth in a mock frown. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“And it’s a bit of a cheat anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“That gift is what I was going to give you the night Tommy showed up at the bar during your show. I just forgot to give it to you.” She sensed an energy coming from him that she hadn’t ever felt before—something positive…and happy . “Should we open them at the same time?”
“No. I want to see your face when you open your present.”
“Then you open yours first.”
“You are full of it tonight, Tink.”
She simply stood straight, nodding—feeling as impish as he’d implied.
But she won—and he pulled the paper from the box, revealing the picture of what was inside. “Sweet guitar—a nightlight?”
“Yeah. And, um…if you take it on tour with you next month, you can plug it in every night and think of me.”
There was a lot going on in his eyes, but she couldn’t quite interpret any of it—and he wasn’t going to give her time to try. “Open yours now.”
She wasn’t quite sure where to start, so she found a corner where she could pull the folded paper apart. Once she’d done that, it was easy to rip it off—and, when she saw the present, she gasped, unable to stop the tears dropping on her cheeks.
It was the full-size painting “Maroon Bells in Autumn.” Kyle had since returned the print to her that she’d given back when she’d stupidly broken up with him—so why’d he go and spend so much money on this?
Still…it was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her since the passing of her parents.
“Kyle, you shouldn’t have—”
“Nope. I get to spend my money the way I want, and I know how much you love this painting.”
“I do. I really do. And every night when you’re gone, I’ll look at it and imagine we can hike up there this summer.”
“You want to do that?”
“Yeah, why not? My mom and dad used to take me to all kinds of cool places around Colorado when I was a kid, but I don’t remember ever seeing the Maroon Bells. I want to see the real thing.”
“Okay!”
“There’s one other thing…that I hope you can use on tour.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow and she grinned, running back in her room. This time, she pulled out the larger present by its neck. Then she hid it behind her back. When she came back in the kitchen area, Kyle asked, “What are you hiding?”
Rather than say anything, she pulled out the blonde guitar, the one Kyle had been lusting after in the music shop on Main Street. She couldn’t read his face, but it looked like he was having a hard time swallowing. “Why?”
“The same reason you got me the painting. I know how much you love this guitar.”
“Jesus.” He took it from her, looking it over with reverence.
“Maybe you can play it on tour.”
Walking over to the sofa, he set the guitar down. “I promise I’ll play this later.” Turning, he picked Melody up in his arms, holding her close before kissing her gently. She’d expected him to carry her to the bedroom just like he often did, where they could express their growing love physically. Instead, he set her down. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“What?”
“The tour.”
“Has anything changed?” He’d already shared the details—the time they’d be gone, what venues they’d be playing, the hotels they’d booked, how much they expected to earn, how much merchandise they had ready to sell… Intent to Murder had been invited by Impending Cataclysm, a hard rock band that had been playing at Tequilaville long before Melody had come along, and now they wanted to share their sound along Colorado’s Front Range with a huge focus on the Denver area. She knew all of that, so what else could he possibly need to tell her?
“I know you said you couldn’t come on tour with us because you need to work…but I can’t stand the thought of being away from you all that time.”
“I know, baby,” she said, brushing his bangs off his eyebrows. “But we’ll talk every night—and you’ll be having so much fun—”
“Yeah, but that led me to thinking about a bunch of other stuff. Like…I can’t live my life without you anymore. And I don’t want to. You’re like water to me…like sunshine and air and…” He let out a long breath, shaking his head. “There’s a reason why Hayley writes our lyrics. This shit’s hard for me.”
“Are you—”
Setting her down on her feet, he placed a finger over her lips. “I’m trying to say I want you to be with me forever. Maybe if you moved in with me, you wouldn’t have to worry as much about bills. But I want more. Moving in with me isn’t good enough.”
She felt a shiver dart down her spine as the tiny hairs inside her ears perked up. “Wait.”
“I want to marry you, Melody. I know it might seem sudden, but it didn’t take me long to know that you are the right woman for me and I love you more than life itself. And when you know, why wait?”
More tears began falling from her eyes, but she was speechless—maybe because she’d been feeling the same way about him.
“We don’t have to get married right now—or even this year or next year. I just want you to know my intentions.”
Finally, the words came to her tongue. “Yes, Kyle. Of course, I’ll marry you. I finally realized that you are a good man and the best man I could ever wish for. I love you too.”
They kissed, their lips saying through motion what their words hadn’t quite been able to capture. When they stopped, Kyle said, “I don’t have a ring for you yet.”
Melody glanced over her shoulder at the painting on the table, still partially covered in torn wrapping paper. “I think I know why. And after my last experience with an engagement ring, I’m okay waiting.”
The grin on his face reminded her how much she loved every inch of him. “Maybe we could pick out a ring after the tour.”
“Yeah.”
“But on that subject—”
“Yes. I’ll move in with you—and I would love to come on tour with you. I’ll ask Al for those two weeks off. And if he can’t give it to me…then I’ll find something else later.”
“I’m so glad we see eye to eye on everything.”
Melody moved her hands to the front of his jeans, unbuckling them. “Not for long.”
Kyle’s blue eyes grew wide. “Goddamn. I love it when you’re naughty. Actually, I love you no matter what.”
Melody kissed him hard again, lost in the emotion. But then she slid down to her knees, ready to give him yet another present.
That year flew by. Melody moved in and, because she hardly had any possessions, she didn’t seem to take up too much more space in the bedroom—and, because she was organized, even her things in the shared bathroom didn’t make a huge difference.
The belongings she’d had in storage in Pueblo she’d decided to leave for now—but they were going to be bringing all of that stuff to Charlotte before spring.
Every morning, she put on her makeup in their bedroom and, when Kyle was awake, he’d lie there watching her, marveling at how much everything had changed. Her presence in the house he shared with his friends had made it more of a home. Instead of three single guys not giving a shit, the addition of her as a roommate kicked them into gear: no more dishes piled in the sink, no more layers of dust on shelves.
And she’d been right—this wasn’t some crappy apartment. They had a decent landlord who took good care of the property, and caring for the house showed their appreciation.
She’d left Tequilaville after a busy summer making good money—and working legitimately, using her real name and getting paid a wage in addition to tips. But because Maria visited the house frequently, she and Melody had talked a lot about college, and Melody had been inspired to take a few classes. When she’d talked to an enrollment counselor, she discovered she had to declare a major if she wanted to receive financial aid.
So she’d chosen to pursue radiologic technology, because they’d told her she could earn six figures a year when she finished. And Marv, the owner of The Apothecary, hired her as a fill-in at the bar when he needed someone to cover a shift here and there. It wasn’t too surprising when it turned out he as a worker was the one who needed a shift covered here and there and not his hired help.
The spring tour had been more than they could have anticipated—not only had they made a little money, but they’d sold all their merchandise. They were also selling digital copies of their music even now. The coming spring Impending Cataclysm had invited them again, this time for a month-long tour in Colorado and a few places in Texas. Something told Kyle they were on the verge of breaking big. He’d even found the confidence to finally write a little music himself.
But the best part…in early November, Kyle had convinced Melody to get married without a huge ceremony. He was still paying for the engagement ring but it was time. So they’d bought the marriage license and spent a day in Castle Rock celebrating after getting married in the Douglas County Courthouse by a judge. She’d worn a simple ivory dress and had never looked more beautiful. Kyle had gone to the thrift store and bought a plain dark gray suit for the occasion.
Their friends were a bit shocked—as was his family—but they’d grown to love Melody as much as he had.
And now, Christmas Day, the two of them were leaving the house to visit his family for the holiday, and he knew it would be much better than last Christmas. Pedro and Adrian had already left. Pedro and Maria would be spending the day with his grandma and Adrian and Claire were going to his mother’s place. Wolf and Hayley weren’t even in Charlotte. They were spending the week in Breckenridge and had promised to visit her family in La Junta sometime in January. According to Hayley, they would be there for a day, “in and out,” because she didn’t know that she’d be able to tolerate much more than that.
The entire band would be celebrating the new year together and Kyle looked forward to it. After all, they were truly his family, just as much as his flesh and blood. And he had a lot of news to share with them.
As Kyle turned the key in the door, Melody asked, “Do we have everything?”
“Yeah, I think so. The presents are in the trunk and…just the relish tray, right?”
“Yep.”
“It’s in the back seat.”
“Maybe I should carry it on my lap.”
Kyle wrapped an arm around her as they walked to the car. “Up to you, Tink. I can hand it to you if you want.”
Soon, they were driving the few blocks to his mother’s house, the relish tray in Melody’s lap. The day was sunny and extra bright as the light reflected off the fresh snow on tree branches and lawns. It was still cold, though, and Kyle had felt bad that he hadn’t warmed up the car before they’d left for Melody’s sake. But she didn’t complain. She rarely did.
Because of the way she’d been feeling lately, Kyle wouldn’t have blamed her.
When they pulled up to the house, Cassie actually came outside. Since she was finishing up her degree and dating a fellow student—a girl with the same major—and had consequently come out to the family, she was happier.
The way she almost ran to the car with a huge grin on her face said it all.
“Hey, guys! Can I carry anything for you?”
Kyle was holding the door for Melody and took the relish tray from her. “Here. You can take this.”
“Thank you!” Melody said as Cassie headed toward the house. Kyle held out his hand, wanting to make sure she was steady until her feet were on the sidewalk where the snow had been shoveled. “I’m okay, baby. I won’t break.”
Arching an eyebrow, he said, “Yeah, I know.” Once he’d shut the passenger door, he said, “Do you want to carry the bag and I’ll get the box?”
“Sure.”
They’d probably overdone the gifts this year, but they’d been feeling happy and generous. The band members had never exchanged presents before, but Kyle—at Melody’s urging—had liked the idea, and they’d gotten something for everyone. And two days ago, they’d delivered a gift to her best friend Marin in Pueblo.
When they entered his mother’s house, Cassie greeted them again at the door, this time hugging them both. “Are you guys gonna stay all day? Lila’s coming over later and I want you to meet her.”
Kyle glanced at Melody to gauge her thoughts—and, when he got a go ahead, he said, “Why not?”
“Yay! We can watch Christmas movies or play games after we eat.”
“Sounds good.” They made their way into the living room and he and Melody placed gifts under the tree. Not only was Kyle amazed at how his family had bothered to really decorate this year, but he also noticed that the place was tidier—a little less cluttered. While that might have been partly due to Cassie, he also knew it was a reflection of his mother’s state of mind.
She was healing.
Soon, they were seated at the dining room table, enjoying the meal his mother and sister had prepared. Every dish burst with flavor and freshness; each bite tasted homemade and filled with comfort. Kyle couldn’t remember the last time he’d really enjoyed sitting at this table and sharing food with his family. It was about time.
Before starting dessert, he said, “Melody and I have some news for you.”
“What’s that?” his mom asked.
“Do you want to tell them, babe?”
Melody said, “Yeah, sure.” She looked around the table, her eyes filled with hope and love. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Kyle again as if to give herself strength. Then she looked at Cassie before settling her focus on his mother. “Kyle and I are expecting.”
The pause seemed to last for hours. “A baby?”
Kyle, unable to suppress a grin, nodded vigorously. “Yeah. I’m gonna be a dad. You’re gonna be a grandma.”
Cassie was already on her feet almost jumping up and down. “I’m gonna be an auntie!”
“Yep!” Melody was smiling and Kyle guessed that she was feeling relieved. She’d been nervous about telling them, especially considering she and Kyle hadn’t been married for very long, but everyone seemed happy.
Still, they were awaiting the final verdict from his mother. Her face hadn’t indicated what she was thinking, so Kyle focused on her. Slowly her lips turned upward and her eyes began to sparkle. “I don’t know that I’m ready to be called a grandma yet, but I wouldn’t mind holding a baby.”
Cassie asked, “When’s the due date?”
“July 20.”
“Do you know yet if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?”
Kyle said, “No. They can’t tell us yet.”
Melody added, “The doctor said we could find out sometime in the second trimester.”
Grinning again, Kyle said to his sister, “You don’t know that? I thought you were going to be a nurse.”
“Yeah, but why would I know that ?”
His mother said, “Your sister’s right. You learn that kind of thing if you work for an obstetrician, but there’s no need to know if you’re working in the ER.”
Or in a nursing home like his mother.
His mom seemed to be warming up to the idea. She asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I don’t know.”
Melody said, “If it’s okay with you, I would love your advice.”
“Sure.”
“Well, nothing at the moment, but I know I’m going to have questions. I don’t have my mom here anymore, or I would ask her. So I hope you don’t mind, but I’m probably going to have a lot of questions for you in the near future.”
Kyle’s mother beamed. “I would be honored.”
It had been such a simple sentence and yet her words had made Kyle feel completely whole. He had resigned himself to having a strained relationship with his mother for the rest of his life, but that one sentence told him everything he needed to know.
Not only did he have a better relationship now with his mother, but she had fully embraced his wife and his unborn child.
Kyle would never be able to recall the rest of that day in detail, but he would remember the feelings for his lifetime. Not only did his relationship with his mother and sister feel repaired, but he felt like Liam was there in the midst of them as they celebrated. It was the perfect day.
He and Melody had already planned to name the baby after his brother and her father, but he wasn’t sure that his mother was ready to know that.
Today, however, had been the start.
And that night, as he held Melody in his arms, his baby nestled in her womb, he drifted off with a smile on his face.
The future was indeed bright.
THE END
Thank you for reading Kyle and Melody’s journey to their happily ever after—and thank you for following the tales of love and music of Intent to Murder!!!