20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter twenty
A fter Fox and Melody parted ways at Tanya’s place, he’d gone back to the apartment and worked on a project that was time sensitive.
He got lost in the coding until his phone alarm went off. He quickly grabbed his wallet, keys, and a bottle of wine to take to dinner at Melody’s folks place, then rushed out the door, making sure to set the alarm as he left. He couldn’t wait to see Melody and her mom and dad. He was really excited about taking her to Boston.
He texted Melody on the elevator ride down.
FOX: On my way. Miss you.
She texted him right back.
MELODY: Miss you more. Park at the house, but walk over to the green barn—back room on the right. I’ll show you my work.
He couldn’t wait to see what she created, and how, up close.
FOX: Be there soon.
He stepped off the elevator as he hit send and stuffed the phone back in his pocket, and nearly slammed into Amy in the lobby. “Hey. Sorry. Wasn’t paying attention.”
She smiled. “No worries. How are you?” She stood right in front of him, blocking the exit, a look of anticipation in her eyes.
“I’m good. You?” He didn’t want to come off rude, so he kept his voice neutral, not letting her see or hear that he was in a hurry to leave.
She leaned in. “I hope you know that I didn’t mean to upset Melody. I just thought, you know, that we all work together, and we could share a meal like friends. Because I like you, Fox.”
He wasn’t sure what to say. “Let’s just put it behind us.”
Her whole face lit up, then she put her hand on his forearm and squeezed. “You’re the best. You get it. I don’t know a lot of people here, just you and the ones I’ve met at the center. And I hate eating alone. I’m sure you do, too, so it was nice to share a meal, talk, you know, spend some time together.”
He pulled his arm free. “Uh, I have to go.”
“Hold up.” She glanced around like she wanted to be sure they were alone. As if that wasn’t obvious. Then she met his gaze again. “I’m glad I have this chance to talk to you privately.”
That sounded like a bad idea. “I really need to go.”
She stepped even closer and dropped her voice. “It’s about Melody.”
That kept him rooted in the lobby. “What about her?”
“The other day I was coming back from my early morning run when I ran into this guy desperate to get into the building to see his girlfriend.”
Fox narrowed his gaze. Was she talking about Josh? “What exactly did he say to you?” Fox had seen the security footage. Without any audio, he couldn’t say what Josh had said to Amy.
“That he was worried because she’d had an accident and was hurt.” Amy bit her bottom lip, looking uncomfortable but also anxious to tell him more. “He said that she’s been playing some game with him, saying you two are old friends.”
“We are. And more.”
“Yeah, well she told him she’s just letting you think it’s more because you’ve got money and she knows you'll…share it with her.”
“Melody’s not like that.”
“Are you sure? Because it seems to me she’s got a reputation for going from one guy to the next. She uses sex to hook the guy, then she bleeds him dry. At least until she met Josh. He said they had something real, until her old friend showed up”—she eyed him intently—“and she saw big, fat dollar signs.”
“That’s a lie. Melody briefly dated Josh years ago, and dumped him because he was a dick to her.”
Amy shook her head and put her hand on the outside of his upper arm. “I’m sorry, Fox, but she’s using you. I thought you should know before she really hurts you.”
He stepped back, putting distance between them, and making her hand drop from his arm. “Melody would never hurt me.”
“We all think that about the people we care about, but it’s always the ones closest to us who hurt us the most. I’m sorry, Fox, but it sounded like this guy knows Melody really well. I mean, they were together before you showed up and she set her sights on you.”
That wasn’t how he and Melody got together. He reached out to her online. He pursued her.
She told him she hadn’t been seeing anyone in a while. And as soon as she knew he was the guy she’d been talking to online, she’d wanted to take their relationship to the next level.
Being with Melody made him happier than he’d ever been.
Amy frowned, sympathy in her eyes. “I hate to see you upset like this. Let me make you dinner.”
“I already have plans.”
“With her?”
“Yes.”
She studied him for a moment and stepped close, warmth in her eyes as she placed her hand on his chest. “You deserve better.” The sultry way she looked at him said she wanted to take Melody’s place.
Like he didn’t already know that. So this was all her trying to drive a wedge between him and Melody. “As I said, I’ve got plans.” He sidestepped her and headed for the door.
“Have a good night,” she called after him.
At the moment, all he could think about was what she told him about Josh.
Fox jumped into his car and drove out of the parking lot a little faster than he should, but he wanted to get on the road and see Melody. She’d clear this all up.
As soon as he hit the road out of town, he pulled out his phone and called Dean.
“What’s up?”
“I need you to look into something.”
“What?”
“The relationship between Melody and Josh?”
“The guy from the bar, who hangs out with the drug dealer?”
“Yeah. Him.”
“Why?”
“Because Amy had some interesting things to say about the two of them.”
“Consider the source,” Dean shot back.
He did. But something didn’t add up. Why did Josh lie to Amy? “Can you just do some digging and find out what they really are to each other.”
“Why don’t you just ask her?”
“I’m going to.”
Dean let out a heavy sigh. “You don’t trust her?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it? Because checking up on your girlfriend is not cool.”
“I know.” But something didn’t seem right about all this. It niggled at the back of his mind and he needed more information to make it make sense. “Just do it.” Fox hung up before Dean could protest more.
By the time Fox made it to the ranch, parked by the house, and found Melody in the green barn, he was wound tight. But the second she looked up from cutting a thin piece of leather with a rolling cutter, the tightness in his chest eased.
It still didn’t stop him from asking, “What’s your relationship with Josh?”
The smile on her lips died and her eyes narrowed. “Hi to you, too.” She sat up straight on the stool and studied him.
“You made it seem like you weren’t friends.”
She raised a brow. “What is this about?”
“Just answer the question.”
“We grew up in the same town and went to the same schools. We know each other, but we’ve never been close friends. We went on a few dates that ended with him being a possessive asshole. I never slept with him. The end.”
“Are you sure?”
She set the tool down and stood, anger flashing in her eyes. “Are you calling me a liar?”
Fox folded his arms over his chest. “Why is he telling people you and he were together before you started seeing me?”
“Two years ago is before you,” she quipped.
“Why is he saying that you used guys to get what you wanted?”
Her face flushed red with anger. “Because he’s an asshole. And what exactly did he think I wanted from those guys? A connection? Love? A partner? No. Had to be something a guy like Josh wants but can’t seem to get easily because of the way he goes about it. So sex and money?”
He must have had some reaction to the last.
Her eyes went wide, then narrowed with fury. “Your own mother is using you for your money, so I get that you’re hypersensitive to others doing the same. And now, what? Because a guy I kicked to the curb for being a jerk says some shit about me, you think I’m after your money. Fuck you. I haven’t asked you for anything. I have everything I need. Or at least I thought I did until you came in here accusing me of lying and being some gold-digger.” Tears gathered in her eyes.
The anger didn’t stir him. No, it was the pain in her eyes that overshadowed all the other emotions in her eyes. Betrayal.
“Melody…” He reached out for her.
She stepped back, shoving the stool and making it topple. She held up her hand, finger pointed at his chest. “Don’t you fucking touch me.”
He stopped and held up both hands, knowing he was so very wrong and needed to make this right. “Amy caught me in the lobby. She told me about her conversation with Josh that morning he came to our apartment to check on you.”
“You mean your apartment.”
“It’s our place.”
She shook her head.
He’d really fucked this up. Shit!
She swiped away another tear. “Sure. Right. Josh couldn’t help but point out that it’s way more upscale than I’m used to and that must be why I liked staying with you. Josh got in his dig, implying that I was only with you because of your wealth and success and nothing else. I guess you believed I’m that shallow.”
“No. Not for a second.”
“Then what happened? Did Tanya put his crap in your head? Or has Amy finally flirted her way into your heart.”
“No. The only woman I want is you.”
“Really? Because you lost me when you accused me of using you for your money.” She raked her hair away from her face and over her shoulder. “I’m not stupid, Fox. You own your own company. You make a lot of money. Enough to start charitable foundations in two states, buy two apartment buildings here, and renovate them for yourself and those working and attending classes at the center you also own. You’re also taking care of your mom and buying her all kinds of stuff for her place.”
She swiped away another tear. “It’s your business how you spend your money. I thought what you did to help those less fortunate and in need of support was damn admirable. It showed you had a heart and cared about others. I mean, after the way your own mother treated you, you’re still willing to give her a chance.
“But not me. Someone says some shit to you and you forget everything we’ve shared. You think all I’ve been doing is manipulating you in some way so that I can…what? Take your money. I’ve never asked you for a damn thing. I liked you and wanted to be with you before I ever met you in person or knew you were successful.
“But I guess I don’t measure up because I don’t have the financial resources you have. I don’t have the poise and polish Amy seems to think she has to run in your circles. So why don’t you just go be with her or find someone rich, because that’s what matters.”
“The only thing that matters to me is you .”
“Sounds to me like you came here to defend your bank account.”
“Damnit, Dee, I fucked up, okay? I didn’t think it all the way through.”
“No. You just accused me and condemned me because you don’t trust anyone to be what they show you to be.”
Exactly. Because who could you trust when your own parents mistreated you, abandoned you, and the very people who took you into their homes after that were more interested in the government check than actually taking care of you? Even the other foster kids were only out for themselves. They’d throw you under that bus to stay out of trouble, get a treat, or just so they looked better than you, so they wouldn’t be moved again.
Fuck, he had trust issues. Big ones. And he was letting past fears and experiences ruin things with Melody.
Shit.
“I just want the truth.”
“I’ve given you nothing but the truth. And if you can’t see that, then get out.” The tears spilled over and down her cheeks and she quickly dashed them away with her fingertips. “We’re done. Get out!”
Those words smashed into his chest like a sledgehammer, pummeling his heart. “No, Mel, no. I’m sorry. I know you’re not lying to me.”
She sucked in a shuddering breath. “I have been more myself with you than I am with anyone else. I’ve opened up to you about my past and what I want in the future. I have never lied to you by word or deed. So let me make this very clear. Fuck Amy. Maybe you should look at her motives for stirring up trouble between us. As for Josh…he’s not a friend, or even really an ex. We haven’t shared any meaningful conversations. We aren’t drinking buddies or fuck buddies. In fact, I don’t like him, especially because of the way he treated me, and the company he keeps, and the leering looks he gives me and other women. He’s just a guy I know but never think about. Clear enough for you?”
“Yes.”
She picked up a piece of leather and tossed it in the trash. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my family is probably waiting for me for dinner.”
He caught a glimpse of a silver latch on the end of the leather she’d tossed. He reached down and pulled it from the trash.
“Leave it.” She tried to take it from him, but he held it out of her reach and looked at it himself.
The craftsmanship was amazing. “Did you make this?”
“Yes. Give it back.” She held out her hand.
He stared at the intricate work stamped into the leather band. “This is my car with a fox curled up on the roof. The road the car is on is actually a D.” He looked her dead in the eye. “Because I call you sweet Dee.” The D was on its side beneath the car. On each side of the D she’d stamped in a heart. Behind the car, she’d stamped in rows of dashes so it looked like the car was speeding down the road. And above the hood, a sun with blazing rays. “No clouds in the sky. Nothing but sun.”
“For a bright future,” she whispered.
His throat clogged.
She’d made this for him, then tossed it in the trash because he’d been an asshole of epic proportions. He hated that she’d toss it instead of giving it to him after all the time, effort, and meaning she’d put into it.
Nothing less than he deserved. And his mistake to fix.
“This is amazing work and detail.” The clasp holding it together was a miniature D bit.
“Keep it. I have to go.” She tried to walk past him.
It couldn’t end this way. He hooked his hand at her waist and stopped her. “We’re not done talking.”
“I’ve said all I have to say.”
“Then it’s my turn.”
She raised one brow, anger rolling off her, but she didn’t push his hand away. “Don’t you think you’ve said enough?”
He’d said a bunch of stupid shit. Now he needed to make things right. “You deserve the truth and an apology.” He waited for her to look at him, then he shifted so he was right in front of her with both hands on her hips. He bent his head, touched his forehead to hers, and looked her right in the eye. “I love you.” He squeezed her hips. “It’s like this living, breathing thing inside me. It’s all I think about. That and wanting you. Nothing will ever change that. And the fact is, you’re not just enough for me, you’re amazing and out of my league and way more than I deserve.”
She put her hands on his forearms and squeezed. “Fox, that’s not true.”
He knew it was. “I’m selfish. I want you all to myself. And thinking of you with someone else sends me into a tailspin. It wasn’t what Amy said, so much as the thought that maybe you were keeping your options open about Boston or staying here.”
She shook her head, her tempting lips scrunching into a pout. “I thought I made my choice clear in as many ways as I could. I even agreed to leave Wyoming, my family, my bar to move to Boston with you.”
“I still kind of can’t believe you agreed to do that to be with me.”
“No, you thought maybe I wanted to stay in town with a guy like Josh.” The disgusted and disgruntled face she made showed how unlikely that was to happen.
He cupped her face. “I’m sorry. I took this amazing thing we’ve had for months and screwed it all up in ten minutes. A little self-sabotage to go with my other issues. Please, forgive me. All I want to do is put this back together, so we can go back to being happy. And to do that you have to know that, yes, I sometimes feel like I can’t trust anyone. Even the people closest to me. Even when they give me no reason to doubt them. And I never doubted you. In fact, I told Amy you’d never hurt me.”
Uncertainty clouded her eyes. “Do you seriously think your money has anything to do with why I’m with you?”
“No. But I do get that bringing you into my life means you’ll see that what I have is glaringly more than what you do. But it also means that what’s mine is yours.”
“That works both ways.”
“Except I have a hell of a lot more. You have no idea the scope of what I’m talking about because you haven’t seen it. That’s why I want to take you to Boston. I thought there you’d see what my life is really like now.”
She released him to hold her hands up. “How does that change anything between us?”
“It doesn’t.”
Her hands went back to his arms, easing him in a way only she could do.
Because he wasn’t finished and worried this next part could get him into trouble again. “Except that living in Boston will be a huge change for you. But I can try to make it easier on you because I have the means to give you anything you want.”
“Look at how I live here. I don’t need much. What I want is to be a part of your life and have my own life, too.”
“Okay. Then, there’s something you need to know. Something I haven’t told you. A secret I need you to keep.”
“Are you sure you want to tell me? Five minutes ago, I told you to get out.”
He hesitated. “Did you actually want me to leave?”
Her grip tightened. “No. I wanted you to see me, not some version someone put in your head.”
“I do see you. I know what makes you smile and what makes you sad. I know what’s important to you and who. That’s why I’m going to tell you my secret, because I know you’ll keep it no matter what happens.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Okay.”
“But first, I really need to know. Are we good? We’re still together, right? Because I’m seriously freaking out that I’ve screwed this up and you really will toss me out the door.” His heart was thrashing in his chest. He could barely breathe or think straight.
Her lips firmed into a tight line. “This is the last time you come at me with accusations. Next time you’re upset with me, or about something, make it a conversation, because I don’t want to fight with you.”
“I don’t want that either. I hate this feeling that I’ve lost the closeness we share.”
She went up on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him close. “Better?”
“Getting there.” He tightened his hold on her, then spilled his secret. “I won the lottery.”
“I feel lucky to have you, too.”
He chuckled. “No. I literally won the lottery.”
She leaned back and stared at him. “That’s awesome.”
He waited for her to ask how much.
She didn’t.
So he told her, because she was waiting for him to share it because he wanted to, not because she’d asked. “One point one billion dollars.”
Her eyes went wide, her arms went loose, and she fell back onto flat feet. Her eyes went blank. Shock. Had to be.
“I gave a hundred million to both Dean and Max.”
She finally blinked. “Wow. That was generous.”
“I didn’t want money to come between us. The rest I used to grow my company and invest. Max handles the investments for all of us.”
Warmth came back into her gaze. “That’s amazing.” She smiled. “And you have your friends, people you can trust, helping you.”
He pulled her back into a hug. “And I have you. Right?”
“Yes. Always.” Her arms tightened. “This doesn’t change anything.”
He leaned back and grinned at her. “Are you sure? Because it’s a lot of money. Being with me means you’ll never have to work or live without something you want or need.”
She shrugged. “I mean, that’s nice, but I like having a purpose and feeling like I’ve accomplished something. I’m not asking you to pay my way, so I can just…what? Sit around and do nothing but spend money on things I probably don’t need? That might be fun for like a minute, but then what?”
“That’s been my dilemma. I don’t want you to want the money, but I also can’t think of anyone else I want to spend it with because I want you to have nice things and feel like you can say you hate everything in the apartment, so let’s redecorate it so you’re happy.”
She grinned and shook her head. “And you’d let me do that.”
“If it made you want to stay with me, yes.”
She pressed her lips together. “Shouldn’t we decide something like that together?”
“The only thing I care about is that you’re in my life.”
“And do you believe that’s what matters most to me, too?”
“Yes. So say it.”
She went up on tiptoe, her arms around his neck again, and smiled. “I love you.”
He kissed her like he’d wanted to the second he’d walked into her little workshop. Not nice and sweet but demanding and possessive and scorching hot. His tongue swept along hers. She tasted like desire and the chocolate kisses he’d seen in a jar on the workbench. Sweet temptation. He wanted more and slid his hands down over her ass to pull her up and against his rock-hard cock.
This felt the same, even if he was still unsure they’d resolved everything between them and she’d let everything he’d said go. He hoped in time, this wouldn’t even be a memory. They’d both forget it and move on.
He looked forward to their trip to Boston now because she knew everything. He had nothing to hide anymore.
Well, there were still some things they needed to talk about. Like security. Someone could use her against him.
Even the thought of it made him hold on to her tighter and kiss her deeper so she knew he cared and that she mattered more than anything.
Someone cleared their throat.
He didn’t want to stop kissing the beautiful woman in his arms.
She broke the kiss and turned to their intruder. “What?” Her annoyance matched his.
“Dinner’s ready,” Jax said from the doorway, a grin on his face. “Or I could tell Dad you’re too busy making out with your boyfriend to bring him up to the house.”
Melody growled under her breath, then turned to him. “Hungry?”
“Desperately,” he said, knowing she, as well as Jax, would get his meaning.
Jax’s laugh faded as he walked away.
He and Melody took a moment to cool off and get their desire for each other under control.
Melody looked up at him. “So, I can’t tell them what you told me?”
He shook his head. “I’d prefer it if you let them think my wealth comes from the business I own.”
“I don’t like keeping secrets from them, but okay.”
He wanted to ease her mind. “It’s a security issue.”
She went still. “That’s why Dean is here. Is there some kind of threat against you? Someone wants money?”
“I’ve tried to keep the secret using a trust to conceal my identity. When I won, I was warned that no matter how hard I tried, people would find out I was the big winner. Blackmail, kidnapping, threats, people just begging for handouts, it all comes with the territory for some lottery winners. I read up on some of their tragic and terrible stories. I don’t want that to happen to me or anyone I care about. Especially you.”
“Are you afraid someone will do something to me, to get money from you?”
“It could happen.”
She shook her head. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? Because I’d pay anything to get you back if someone took you.”
Her eyes went wide with shock. “Okay, now you’re freaking me out.”
He brushed his hands up and down her arms. “There’s no threat. Very few outside my tight circle know about the money. I just don’t feel right not telling you the potential is there.”
“So who knows besides Dean, Max, and me?”
“My attorney, tax accountant, and…”
Her eyes went wide. “Tanya.”
He nodded. “A social worker at the hospital thought she needed family support.”
“So the social worker looked for you on Tanya’s behalf and somehow found out you won the lottery.”
He nodded. “I’m not sure how, but I assume she dug deep into my background and resources because she wanted to be sure I would be someone good in Tanya’s life.”
Tanya sure thought he was, because of what he could do for her. He’d feared she’d use the information for her gain. And she had. He’d spent a lot of money updating her appliances and paying off her medical bills. That trip she wanted to take around the world, not cheap. Not something she could afford at all.
But he could without it really making a dent in his bank account. And yet, he didn’t just book the trip for her. It had nothing to do with the money and everything to do with his relationship with Tanya. He didn’t want to reward her for her continued bad behavior and her inability to have a real conversation about the past that included a heartfelt apology for what she’d done to him and what she’d allowed to happen to him. He didn’t think he’d ever forgive her for letting him go and never even trying to do what she needed to do to get him back.
He didn’t want to think about that right now. “Come on. Your family is waiting.” He took her hand and walked with her out of the workshop and into the barn.
“We need to talk more about this.”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about. Dean is keeping watch while we’re here. When we get to Boston tomorrow, you’ll have security. You won’t see it, but it will be there.”
She stopped dead in her tracks, her hand slipping free of his, just as they made it across the yard toward the house. “You’re putting a guard on me?”
“It won’t be obvious. Just someone to keep an eye on you. Just in case.”
“I don’t think I like that.”
“It’s more for my peace of mind than anything.” He took her hand again and started toward the house. They were late. He didn’t want her parents to get the wrong impression of him. Not after all they’d done for him.