Melody
Chapter forty-one
“Fuck, baby,” Dylan curses, dropping to a crouch as he attempts to pick up the scattered fragments. I’m left staring at the glinting shards, a poorly timed replica of my own internal agony bleeding out in front of me.
Mom bursts into loud tears, and I hear clothes rustling. She’s hugging him. Dad stutters through his words, finally forcing out a full sentence. “I-Is it really you?”
“In the flesh,” he says.
Dylan rises, unaware of how my whole world has just imploded right before my very eyes. “Is that the brother who disappeared?” He whispers.
I nod slowly, still not in my body.
My fiancé steps in front of me, taking my cold, still hands in his. “You’re in shock, Melody. Just breathe.”
I haven’t been breathing this whole time. I’m starting to feel lightheaded as my face burns. I suck in, but it’s painful.
Behind me, wracked sobs of relief and pain burst like a punctured lung. Dad is talking a mile a minute, but I can’t hear a single word.
He’s here.
Kaden…
“Look at me, Melody,” Dylan instructs like he’s done a million times during my panic attacks. My eyes shift up, and his face slowly comes into view. “You’re okay. Everything is okay.”
The wetness tracks down my cheeks before I even realize that I’m crying. I can’t tell if my reaction is from the shock or the fear. That this was all a part of his plan.
“Hey, baby,” Dylan mutters as he wipes under my eyes. “I know it’s a lot, but he made it back to you.”
My fiancé’s words echo back at me, weaponized and haunting because he has no idea what Kaden and I’s relationship was like. No one does.
All the world knows is that I’m the poor, broken girl whose brother went missing and was overcome with my grief. That’s been the story for the last six years, and I’ve stuck to it.
“What happened?” Dad asks as his voice cracks, cutting through my haze. “Where have you been?”
“Here and there,” Kaden responds as if he hasn’t been missing for six years.
There’s silence, and I can feel Dad’s anger radiating through my back before Mom stops him from lashing out. “It doesn’t matter where he was. All that matters is that he’s home now.”
“Here to stay, too,” Kaden sucks his teeth.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asks quietly.
I close my eyes, nodding.
He releases me before padding over to the foyer, where everyone is lingering. I can’t see what’s going on, but I know my fiancé is offering a handshake to my ex-boyfriend. “Dylan Callahan! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Kaden.”
There’s a loud slap of skin hitting skin before Dylan yelps, and I flinch at the sound.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Kaden says through gritted teeth.
“Quite the grip you have there…” Dylan mutters.
I finally turn, every segment feeling as if I’m moving in slow motion. He comes into view, and I forget how to breathe again.
Kaden finally tattooed the side of his head.
Black-and-white roses are etched into the shaved sides, standing out against the dark curls falling over his eyes.
His skin is smooth, stretching over sharp, deliberate angles.
High cheekbones, a proud nose that juts from his face, and a mouth that seems on the verge of a smirk.
He’s massive now—the kind of weight that takes up doorways and makes you feel minuscule in his presence. His chest and arms are covered in a thick black jacket, but I don’t need to see beneath the fabric to know he’s filled out with bulging muscles.
Those haunting green eyes, still darkened with purple shadows, snap to mine in an instant, and my heart hitches.
“Hey, little sister.”
I swallow, my throat clogged and suffocating as my breath comes in quick pants. Kaden tucks his hands into his dark jeans, tilting his head as his eyes narrow on me.
You know better, his look screams.
I finally snap myself out of it—taking hold of every lesson and therapy session I’ve had since my journey to healing first began six years ago. He won’t unravel me at the seams. Not today.
“Hi, Kaden,” I whisper, forcing a cordial smile to my lips as I fold my hands in front of me. My brain urges me to take the hem of my shirt between my fingers, but I know better than to show any weakness at this moment. “It’s good to have you home.”
His eyes crease, his lips pulling over his teeth before he recovers quickly with a smirk. “I just couldn’t stay away…”
My heart is pounding as an alarm rips through my mind. Dangerous. He looks dangerous.
Dylan turns his head in question at my brother, his eyes squinting. “You look so familiar. Do I know you?”
Kaden doesn’t glance away from me as he answers. “Maybe.”
We share a tense moment. Neither of us moves as The Hunt flashes in my head. I know he’s right there with me, sharing that memory as it connects us to a past that’s long been forgotten.
“Well,” Mom says, taking my brother’s shoulders excitedly. “Let’s get you situated! Bad news, kids. Since we remodeled, your rooms have been downgraded to twin beds. Someone will have to take the sofa.”
Kaden’s lips pull up into a conniving grin as he still stares at me. “It’s only fair if I take the couch. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Never,“ Dad says before patting his shoulder fiercely and pulling him into a tight hug. “I’ve missed you, son.”
Kaden’s arms snake around him, mimicking the embrace as his eyes sear into me. “I’ve missed you, too.”
Everywhere his gaze lands on me, it lights my skin on fire. It’s consuming, and I need to move—do something—before I end up having a panic attack.
“I’m going to get dinner started,” I announce abruptly before mechanically moving around to the fridge to rip the ingredients out. Every lift of my arms feels still and robotic, every step practiced and steady.
I’m okay.
I’m in control.
Mom rushes over to me before taking my left hand and holding it up for Kaden to see the massive rock on my ring finger. “Look! Engaged!”
My neck heats with embarrassment as I continue to use my one hand to prep the kitchen. It isn’t until a rough palm slides over mine that I yank my appendage back before whipping my head to the side.
“Relax, Sunny,“ Kaden croons, standing too close for comfort. “I just want to see.”
I glance over at my parents and Dylan, but they aren’t paying attention to us as my fiancé discusses the changes happening around his office. They’re so enraptured in their conversation that they don’t see the beast of my past haunting me like a phantom in the kitchen.
My eyes snap back to his before I hold my hand up beside my head, my lips thinning. “Looking doesn’t involve touching.”
His eyes flicker to the ring. “I can still look at you and make it feel like I’m touching you, little sister.”
Cold crawls down my spine. I take a step back, forcing air into my lungs. “Stay the fuck away from me, Kaden.”
His head tilts tauntingly, his lips pouting slightly. “Aw, is that any way to welcome your big brother home?”
I turn back to the food I’m prepping, slicing into the chicken as I carve the fat off of it. That anger I’ve held for so long resurfaces, and I don’t hold my tongue. “You aren’t my brother. That title was revoked the day you chose your friends over this family.”
His hand slides along the counter until it rests beside mine.
He steps behind me, making my breath falter as his other hand lands on the marble, successfully trapping me as his large body curls around mine, swallowing me whole.
My pulse pounds in my neck as his exhale dances across my nape.
If anyone were to turn around, they would see the very ghost of our past, caging me in.
“Good,“ Kaden growls low, making me gasp. “I never wanted to be just your brother. You’re learning.”
I swallow past the tightness in my throat, forcing my voice to flow steadily as rage builds. “Back off.”
There’s a beat where he doesn’t move before he slowly withdraws from me. It’s a warning. One I’ve heard loud and clear.
Going back to preparing dinner is surreal, as if my hands aren’t my own as I watch them glide across the cutting board.
I’m so trapped in my own head that I don’t realize I’m slicing too close to my finger until a sharp sting halts me and I hiss at the pain.
I curl my bleeding finger inward, flicking on the sink as I let the water run over it.
“Jellybean,” Mom tuts from the other side of the island. “Do you need a Band-Aid?”
I blink past my haze, clearing my throat. “Um, yeah.”
“I’m on it,” Dylan says as he takes the stairs two at a time in a rush to get to the first aid kit in the guest bathroom.
“Kaden,” Dad says quietly. “Can you help Melody?”
My hands are still under the running water, everything rushing back to me as he skirts around the island with an easy gait.
For being such an imposing man now, he moves with agility and stealth, his footsteps silent even with the massive boots covering his feet.
He rips a paper towel off the roll, bringing it to me before shutting the water off and curling his big hand around my wrist.
Fire.
His touch burns.
He holds my hand up, examining the small cut that slices along the side of my finger. The blood is welling up again, threatening to drip as his eyes peer over at our parents. They’ve retreated to the living room, none the wiser of what’s going on in the kitchen.
“Don’t,“ I warn. I don’t know what I’m trying to stop him from doing, but I can’t let this go on.
He doesn’t listen as his eyes narrow, and he lifts my finger to his mouth. His tongue, now pierced with a silver ball in the middle, laves over my cut slowly, my blood streaking across his muscle as my eyes widen.
He just…
I yank my hand back, tucking it into my chest as Dylan makes his way back to the first floor with the kit in his hands. “Doctor Dylan is here, baby.” He smirks, oblivious to the intense staring match between Kaden and me.
I look away first, creating space between us as I offer my wounded finger to my fiancé, and he cleans the cut. He wraps a small bandage around my digit before lifting my knuckle to his lips and kissing it.
“All better,” he smiles.
My nerves are still present, buzzing through my being like a swarm of beetles as my face softens. “Thank you, hun.”
I tilt my chin up, kissing him deeply. In front of Kaden, whose glare is cutting into the side of my skull like a serrated knife. When we pull away, Dylan wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close as he rests his chin on my shoulder.
“I swear, dude…” Dylan mumbles, looking behind me. “You look so familiar. Do we know each other?”
My spine straightens, tension gripping me in a vice.
Don’t say anything.
Don’t say anything.
“Maybe we do,” Kaden says easily, a hint of a smirk in his voice. “I have one of those faces.”
Dylan chuckles. “Nah, I would definitely remember if I saw someone like you. Not to be rude, but you’re massive.”
“Yeah?” Kaden croons. “You’re forgettable. I guess we both have our defining traits.”
Dylan’s laughter dries out, becoming strained as I close my eyes tightly, wishing the earth would swallow me whole. Kaden pushes off the counter, sauntering over to the living room before plopping down beside Dad and joining their conversation.
“Is it safe to say that I don’t think your brother likes me very much?” Dylan whispers.
“He’s just…complicated,” I mutter.
My fiancé sighs. “Yeah, I mean, going MIA for six years definitely makes you a shady character.”
I frown, pulling back as I shake off the conversation. “Do you want to help me peel the yams?”
Dylan opens his mouth before the shrill ring of his work phone cuts through the air. I place my hand on my hip, tilting my head as my lips thin.
Dylan closes his eyes, resting his head back against his shoulders. “Busted.”
“I’m going to throw it out the fucking window,” I bite quietly to prevent my family from hearing our spat.
My fiancé reaches for me, taking my fingers as his gaze softens. “Have I ever told you how pretty you are when you’re angry with me?”
I yank my hands away, grab a knife from the block on the counter, and stab it sharply into the cutting board. “Then I must be ravishing right now.”
My fiancé gulps before trying to save his ass. “Okay, I know you’re mad, but I can’t let the office run itself. We’re down two project managers this week, so I have no choice but to step in. I swear to you, Melody. It’s only to make sure our team is still on task.”
I don’t want to let it go. That’s all I’ve done for the last year—let go. I try to save us from the fights and hard times, all to keep the peace, but what good are my efforts if he doesn’t even try? This week was supposed to be about our family and us. Nothing else.
He promised me…
“Your phone is ringing,” Kaden calls from the couch—not helping. “You should probably answer that, Dylan.”
Oh, my god. I could fucking scream right now.
“Answer. It.” I bite over my shoulder at my fiancé, my eyes narrowing.
He tucks his head, nodding as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and ambles over to the terrace sliding doors. He disappears onto the wooden deck, closing himself outside in the harsh cold as he talks quietly to whoever is impeding on our vacation.
I release a heavy breath, closing my eyes to collect myself before I slide the trash can over and start peeling the yams. Dad laughs loudly from the sofa, the sound hearty and full of mirth.
Mom is beginning to get tipsy on the rosé as she curls against her husband with a soft smile.
Kaden is the center of their attention, his elbows resting on his knees as he talks quietly about moving back to New York to start fresh.
I snatch my glass off the counter, pouring the alcohol to the brim. If I’m going to get through tonight without blowing up, I need liquid courage.
A lot of it.