Chapter Eight
Melanie
I couldn’t get away from the party fast enough. Watching Will lose control like that had multiple effects on me all at once. A part of me was torn between anger, fear, and lust. He’d gone wild on Damon for asking me out, even though he was cheating on me. It made no sense, but then again, some men thought they were allowed to cheat while their women were forced to take it and be faithful. That isn’t me. I'm not going to be the fool.
“Melanie.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
I stare out the window the entire car ride to the house, refusing to look at my father. He calls my mother to inform her that he was taking me home and would be returning quickly. “I won’t be long.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to come home?” she asks, and I feel like a jerk for ruining their time out.
I shake my head, and he answers, “No. Melanie needs time alone.”
We pull up to the house and I enter the code, unlocking the front door. I thought I was going to be alone, but my dad followed me into the house, walking past me.
“Dad, what kind of game are you playing at?” I ask as I stomp inside, slamming the front door.
“What kind of game?” he says, feigning ignorance. A professional tactic, I believe.
“You lied to me about your talk with Damon when you really told Damon to back off.”
“Princess, you have been in love with Will for a long time, and although I’m a father and not particularly happy about it being so soon, I won’t stop you two. I didn’t lie about what I said. I just said I warned him off. Damon knows that Will’s in love with you and wants you to be his wife, which means not a damn one of the Riders should think twice about approaching you.”
“So Will can fuck around, but I can’t date anyone?” I hiss, slamming my close-fisted hands down at my sides.
He waves a finger at me. “Young lady, your mouth. And what makes you think he’s fucking around?” His brow raises and a muscle in his jaw flexes, telling me my dad’s pissed. You wouldn’t be able to know it, but I can read my father.
“I saw him with Chrissy at the salon.” My voice cracks when I let the words fall from my lips, and I see my father fall into full protective daddy mode. He wraps his arms around me, holding me as I fall apart. He loosens his grip briefly, and I can tell he’s texting.
“Just letting your mother know I’ll need a little longer.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t. At least not until we get this situation straightened out, because I never want my little princess feeling any kind of pain.” He kisses my temple. “Chrissy? You think that he’d waste his time with her? Sweetheart.” I can’t fight the tears flowing down my face. “Would you feel better if I showed you something?”
“What?” He takes my hand and leads me to his office, pulling out a chair from in front of his desk and bringing it around beside his chair. “Take a seat for a minute.”
He takes a seat in his leather chair and then turns on his computer. I watch him log into several password-encrypted links before it finally opens up to a set of security cameras. “We’re in the town’s main cameras. Many of the shops have their own cameras, and we have access to all of them for safety reasons. The salon is no different. Now—when was this encounter?”
“Earlier today, around nine.” He nods. When he loads the screen, I see inside the salon and there is the image before me. Will is standing way off, too close to the door. Almost afraid to enter. She moves toward him like a hunter stalking her prey. I can’t make out what she says to him, but then he takes a seat closer to the camera, and my father turns up the sound. Every word uttered from her filthy mouth nearly makes me vomit, but Will’s reaction changes everything. He’s angry and possessive of me.
“What have I done?” I gasp.
“Sweetheart, if you only saw a part of this… Hell, when I saw part of this, I wanted to rip his head off. Chrissy has a bad habit of taking men with weak minds. Will isn’t the kind, especially after all this time.” He’s always had a soft spot for Will. I don’t know if it’s because they have the same name, which bothers me a bit, or because he’s close with Boomer, but either way, he’s not wrong. Will hadn’t betrayed me. In fact, he’d only proven his devotion to us.
Before my father leaves, he tells me to give it time. I’m sure about what I need to do. My heart aches in a way that I don’t understand. I’ve loved William Steele for years, letting my heart hope he’d be true. It was so hard, and yet I’ve failed him by accepting a date because I felt abandoned and betrayed.
I stay in my bedroom for the rest of the day, wanting to avoid all conversation about the incident or anything to do with Will and just hide. My mother brings some food up to my room, and although my stomach is doing somersaults, I manage to eat a little. Unable to sleep, I take a long shower, crying my heart out.
It isn’t until one in the morning that my body finally gives in to the stress and sadness of my own silliness and I pass out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t keep me asleep. Nightmares of Will hating me fill my dreams. I lie in bed until the sound of the doorbell startles me out of my thoughts. Scrambling for my phone, I check and it’s only seven.
It’s probably my bestie coming to surprise me for my birthday. She’s like that. We’ve been friends for the past two years. A soft knock at my bedroom door tells me it’s my mother. “Hey, Mom. Come on in.”
“What’s up?” I ask when she enters.Of course, she looks perfect even though it’s only seven in the morning and she’s not even dressed for visitors yet. My mother is the epitome of beauty. I wonder how she does it after having all of us kids.
“You have a visitor downstairs.” She gives me a sheepish smile.
“Who?”
“Will.” My heart climbs its way into my trachea, nearly choking me.
She walks over to the edge of my bed and takes a seat, patting my hair. “You don’t have to see him if you don’t want.”
“I do…it’s just…” I bit down on my bottom lip. “I don’t understand this. Us…he made me feel so alone…when he was right there. Like I wasn’t good enough to see, and then I saw him, and it only dug the knife in deeper. Why is this so hard?”
“Because men are stupid and try to do things the way they think is right. Will had his reasons, as rational as he believed they were. They had merit, but there is something to be said for age. Trust me when I say even your father made me want to strangle him, and I had my doubts when we first met. Talk to him, and just remember that above all, you are still in control, and we will always be there for you.”
“Thank you.” She pulls me in for a brief moment before standing and taking her leave. I can always count on her to make things better.
I wash my face and change my clothes into something a little more comfortable. Today’s going to hit one hundred degrees, so I opt for a pair of shorts, sandals, and a thin tee shirt. When I step out of my room, Will is sitting at the top of the steps. He quickly jumps to his feet, looking nervously at me. His eyes scan over my body. There’s a light rumble that comes from his throat, but I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad noise. “Um, Melanie, can we talk?”
“Yes. I think it’s about time, but let’s not do it here.” I don’t want any of my siblings or my parents to hear.
“Thank you.”
Without hesitation, he takes my hand. The pleasurable sensation is indescribable and hits us both as his eyes meet mine. Our eyes lock, and he pulls me close until my chest meets his. “Will,” I whisper. It’s been so long, and the memories of that day are flooding back.
“We should go,” Will chokes out, and then he leads me down the steps.
My parents are sitting in the living room. “We’ll be back,” I mutter as we continue past them.
“Where are we going?” I ask Will, scrunching my brows as he leads me well past the front of my house.
He smirks a little too slyly for me and says, “Just for a walk.”
“I’m hardly dressed for anything special.” I’m dressed for almost anything, but I’m trying to gauge his motives.
“I think you look beautiful. Downright sexy, as a matter of fact, birthday girl.”
I blush, dipping my head. “Thank you.”
He tips my chin, bringing my eyes up to look at him. “Don’t thank me. I’m the one blessed to look upon you.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it, causing my pussy to drool all over my panties like a foolish, pathetic little girl. Why does this man have his hooks in me so deep? Because I’ve loved him since I was a little girl, even before I knew what love really was.