15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter fifteen
T he pounding on the door stopped as she reached for the handle. Barely awake at this godawful hour of the morning, she had a surly “Fuck off” ready to leave her tongue when the offensive person on the other side of the door yelled, “Melody. Open up.”
She took a step back and glared at the peep hole. She knew that voice. And he shouldn’t be here.
How did he even get in the building?
She heard the shower go off in the other room and opened the door to her unwelcome guest. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Josh tried to come in.
She stood her ground, holding on to the door, creating just enough space for herself, but not for him to look inside Fox’s place.
The alarm started beeping beside her. She huffed and quickly punched in the code to disarm it.
Josh had somehow inched closer. “I came to see if you’re okay.”
“Why?” For the life of her, she didn’t understand why he’d show up a few minutes after eight a.m. at her boyfriend’s place. “How did you even know I was here?” That really stumped her.
“Jax and Aria were talking about you last night and mentioned that Lyric dropped you off here.”
Aggravated, she raised a brow and narrowed her gaze. “You eavesdropped on their conversation, then thought it a good idea to show up here?”
Josh held out his hands, then let them drop and smack the sides of his thighs. “I know the last time we were together things got…tense. But last night was an accident,” he emphasized. “You wouldn’t let me apologize the last time when I got a little overzealous.”
A little! He’d shoved her up against his truck and groped her in a parking lot.
He eyed her up and down. “Can you blame me?”
Yes! She did. That’s why she’d ended things. Boundaries mattered. Consent mattered.
His gaze dipped to her bare legs.
She’d thought it was Dean at the door, so she’d only put on Fox’s T-shirt to cover up. Then again, if she hadn’t been woken out of a dead sleep, she would have realized that Dean had his own key and didn’t need to pound on the door.
She needed coffee. Stat.
His gaze met hers again. “But last night, you were seriously hurt. And I’m sorry. I’m a good guy. So I came to check on you.”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
He shifted closer, his eyes going soft on her. “Can I come in, so we’re not talking in the hallway?”
Fox suddenly grabbed the door and swung it wider, so he was standing partially in front of her and glaring at Josh in bare feet, faded jeans, no shirt, rippling muscles on display, his hair wet and tousled. “What are you doing here?”
She’d heard him coming and appreciated the whole protective vibe coming off him, even if she could take care of herself.
Josh tried to look nonchalant, but a flash of apprehension and nerves lit his eyes. “I came to check on my girl, Mel.”
She couldn’t believe that shocking statement came out of Josh’s mouth. Not after their last date years ago.
Fox took a step forward. “She’s not your anything. Melody is my girlfriend. I take care of her.”
Josh glanced at her, then into the apartment. “I can see why she likes spending time here. Nice place. Classy.” He made it sound like Melody was seeing Fox for the swanky apartment and his money.
She didn’t like that at all. Offended to her core, she glared at him again. “Goodbye, Josh.” She took Fox’s hand and pulled him back with her.
“Wait.” Josh stepped forward, blocking the door. He scanned her again, his gaze concerned. “Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a bunch of stitches and a few days off to let the cuts heal. I appreciate your concern, but coming here was not necessary.”
Something like remorse crossed his eyes, there and gone before she could be sure, but for some odd reason she felt uneasy.
That’s how he always made her feel.
“We’re done here.” Fox pushed the door closed in Josh’s face and locked it. He turned to her and crossed his arms over his chest. “What the hell was that?”
She put her hands up in an I-don’t-know pose, then dropped them. “He’s just feeling guilty or something about what happened last night.”
The suspicion in Fox’s eyes deepened. “He’s the one who hit you last night.”
She put her hand on his forearm. “It was an accident. You know how packed the place can get, people bumping into each other all the time.”
Fox’s arms went limp at his sides and her hand fell away from him. “Okay. And the ‘my girl, Mel’ bit?”
It dawned on her. He was jealous.
“We went on a few dates years ago that went nowhere because he’s a jerk. I’m not and never was his anything.” She stepped closer to him and looked him straight in the eye. “I’m yours .”
He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “That makes me the luckiest man alive.”
“And I’m the luckiest woman. Now can I have some coffee? Because it is too damn early to be awake.” She tried to turn and head for the kitchen.
He took her hand and gently tugged her to a stop. “Tell me how you’re really doing?”
She glanced at him. “First, I’m really loving the view this morning.” She lusted after those rippling abs, his wide shoulders, and gorgeous face.
He shook his head, undeterred by her attempt to change the subject. “Uh-uh. What’s wrong?”
She let loose the tension riding her and let her shoulders sag. “Everything hurts. All the cuts. But especially my head.” She squinted, the light bothering her eyes. “I’m a little worried about it.”
“Get back in bed. I’ll get you some coffee and ibuprofen. We’ll see if that helps. If not, I’m taking you to the doctor to get checked out again.”
She pressed her hand to her growling belly. “Do you have anything to eat?”
“Go. I’ll make you breakfast. Probably best to eat something if you’re going to take another high dose of ibuprofen anyway.”
Grateful that he really was taking care of her, she brushed a kiss to his lips, and walked back into the bedroom. His wet towel was on the floor. He’d obviously heard her at the door and hastily pulled on a pair of jeans, and rushed out to see what was going on. She’d let him pick it up.
She propped up her pillow, crawled back under the covers, and closed her eyes.
Fox brushed his hand over her hair. “Hey, sweet Dee, here’s the meds and some water.”
She opened her eyes and stared up at him. “Thank you.” She took the glass and the meds, then downed the pills and a gulp of water.
He took the glass back. “I’ll bring you some coffee and have breakfast ready in a few minutes.”
She sat up. “You know what? I think I’ll come out and curl up on the couch. We can eat together.”
He grinned. “I’d love that, if you’re sure you’re up for it.”
“That’s about all I’m up for at the moment. I’ll shower later and maybe you can help me re-bandage my wounds.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’d love to play doctor with you.” He brushed his lips over hers, then winked. “Whatever you need.”
She took him up on it. “Some clothes from my place would be nice.”
“I just put your clothes in the dryer. You can wear them, or something of mine, back to your place, where I hope you’ll pack a bag to bring back, so you’ll have stuff here.”
She held his gaze. “You really mean it.”
He tilted his head. “That comment Josh made about the apartment…me…”
“What about it?”
He’d never looked more serious. “I don’t think you’re after my money.”
She shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”
“But I’ve been burned by others, so I’m cautious. It’s a hard habit to break when you grow up like I did.”
“As you should be. But know this. I care about you . What we feel for each other, what we have together, it’s special.”
He leaned down and kissed her again. “You’re special. I knew that when we were kids. I see it even more now.” He took her hand and helped her out of bed. “I have a spare blanket in the closet. I’ll grab it for you and meet you at the couch.”
She walked out to the living room and curled into the corner of the leather sofa.
Fox came out and draped the super-soft blanket over her, then kissed her on the head and went to the kitchen.
She rested against the pillows and closed her eyes, hoping the meds kicked in and the throb in her head and body ceased. Before she knew it, she smelled pancakes, and Fox was sitting next to her, holding out a plate.
“While I get by in the kitchen, I’m confessing right now, the pancakes are the frozen kind, but I scrambled the eggs.” He held up a bottle of syrup. “I want to say you like powdered sugar and butter on yours. Is that right?”
She grinned. “Yes.”
He smiled back. “That was a deep memory. And sorry, but I’ve only got butter and syrup.”
“Butter is fine, unless you’ve got strawberry syrup.”
“We need to do a grocery run so the place is stocked with everything you like, too.”
“If I’m feeling better this afternoon, let’s do it.”
He stared at her for a good twenty seconds, then said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Look at them making plans. She took her plate and the fork he held out to her and dug in.
He did the same.
She thought about their earlier conversation and decided a Saturday-morning heart-to-heart was a good idea for both of them. “What do you see for us in the next year? The next five?”
“I see you and me,” he said without hesitation, handing her the mug of coffee he’d placed on the table in front of them. “Take that timeline out as far as you want and that’s what I see.”
She pressed her lips tight and blinked away tears. That’s what she wanted to hear. But… “What does that look like? You and me and what? Are we living here? Boston? Both?”
He chewed and swallowed his bite of eggs and never stopped looking at her. “With the way things are with my mom right now, I’m needed here. But you know my company is in Boston. While I could move it somewhere else, Wyoming is not the place where I’d have the talent pool to choose from for a lot of the high-tech expertise I need.”
“I’ve been thinking about living in Boston with you and what it would be like. I want to be with you. A new place seems like an adventure. But I’m not sure if I’ll like it because I’ve never lived in a big city. I mean, where would I keep my horse?” The last she said with humor, hoping to wipe the anxiety from his eyes.
Fox chuckled, like she hoped. “I’ll find you a barn in the city, someplace you can ride any time you want.”
She actually hadn’t thought about that, but it could work. She loved to ride. And having that piece of her life in Boston might help her feel more at home. “So, I’d move into your apartment?”
“Yes. But if you don’t like it, we could get something else. A house.”
“Just like that. Just buy a house?” It blew her mind that he was ready to do something so huge to make her happy.
His gaze narrowed. “Are you asking if I have the money to do that?”
“I don’t,” she confessed, because she wanted it to be clear she didn’t make the kind of money he made. He had to know that already, but she needed to say it.
He simply grinned at her. “I do, sweet Dee. I can give you anything you want.”
She wanted to be his partner. “I have some money saved up.”
“Okay. What did you plan to do with it? Go back to school? Open another business? Get a house?”
She tilted her head and studied him. “Would it bother you to introduce me to your friends and clients and say that I’m just a waitress?”
“No. Because I know you’re a hell of lot more than just that.”
“It doesn’t bother you that I have no idea what you do on the computer? All that code stuff means nothing to me.”
“If you’re interested, I’ll teach you what it means. If you’re not, it’s no big deal.” He shrugged it away.
She thought it was important. “But it’s your life’s work.”
“So? It’s what I love doing. You understand that it’s important to me. That’s enough. You don’t need to understand code to support me. I have no idea how to run a bar. I don’t need to, to know that you love that place. We can have a conversation about my projects and your night at the bar and still connect about that without knowing all the bytes and how many shots you can get out of a whiskey bottle.”
“In a fifth of whiskey, about sixteen shots.”
Fox grinned. “Well, there you go. I learned something.”
“Shots will only make the world turn you upside down on your ass. You actually create things that are useful and necessary.”
“Everyone who comes into that bar is looking to feel useful and necessary to someone. You give them a place to let loose, relax, and have fun. That’s important to the soul.”
She wanted him to understand. “I want to be useful in our life together. I guess I’m just not sure what my place will be in a place I’ve never been and a life I never thought I’d live.”
He put his hand on her thigh and squeezed. “We have time to figure it out. And if what you want is to bring some of Wyoming to Boston, we can figure out how to do that, too.”
“I don’t even know what you mean by that.”
“I’m not real sure either, but if what you’re looking for there is what is familiar to you here, let’s figure out what that is and make it happen.”
That actually kind of made sense to her. “Huh.”
“I hope that means you’re going to let that ruminate in your mind until you know what it is you need there to feel like it’s home.”
She would. But she already knew what made her feel safe and appreciated and necessary. “First and foremost…you.”
He leaned in and kissed her softly. “You always felt like home to me, too.” He lifted his chin toward her plate. “Finish up.”
The food was delicious and made her feel better. But so did their talk. She saw her future with Fox, but the details had been fuzzy. That scared her. It seemed the most obvious that she’d have to make the sacrifice and leave this place. But what if it wasn’t a sacrifice so much as an opportunity to reinvent herself? She liked the idea of bringing some of what she loved into their new life as she found a place in his.
She didn’t want to lose him because she didn’t compromise.
Her ties to Wyoming were about family.
He had an entire company built and operating in Boston with dozens upon dozens of employees depending on him.
Her family could visit anytime they wanted. She could come home and see them.
Fox couldn’t move his business. Not here.
So if she wanted him and the relationship she imagined in her mind where they lived together and made a life filled with happy memories, then she needed to move to Boston to be with him.
Mind made up about that, all she had to do was imagine what her life looked like in the big city. A new job. A new place. A chance to grow into a new version of herself.