28. Melanie
melanie
Iwake up to a bristly cheek rubbing against mine. I huff out a sigh, trying to move away, but Cale’s trapped me against him, one arm hooked under my neck and the other cupping my hip. His legs are curled into the backs of mine, our bodies touching from knee to shoulder.
It’s the position we were in when we fell asleep, but I’m not surprised that neither of us moved. He digs his fingers into the soft flesh of my hip, making a low rumble of pleasure that makes me shiver.
“This is what I’ve been missing,” he says against my ear, his voice husky with sleep. “Waking up to this.” He gives me another proprietary squeeze before sliding his hand up, brushing his fingertips against the underside of my breast.
I snuggle back into him, feeling his dick twitch against my ass. “We barely did this before,” I teasingly remind him. “You were always sneaking out before Oakley got up.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Cale’s voice is muffled as he burrows his face into my neck. I shiver as his lips graze my skin, followed by a swipe of his tongue. I try to jerk away, but he holds me fast, his hand fully cupping my breast now, fingers plucking at the already tight nipple.
“Cale—”
A loud thump against my door interrupts me right before my child shouts, “I’m hungry!”
I groan even as Cale’s chest bounces against my back in a silent laugh. I throw an elbow back, making him grunt.
“Go make some cereal,” I tell Oakley, but I already know what the answer is going to be.
Sure enough, his petulant voice comes back. “I don’t want cereal.”
Cale hasn’t moved away, his mouth now pressed to my shoulder, and I feel his teeth graze my skin, his hips grinding into my ass.
“Mom?” Oakley demands grouchily.
“What do you want?” I ask, swatting Cale away from me. He tries to pull me back into bed, but I escape his clutching hands, standing up and pulling on his shirt—of course—and some sleep shorts.
“I don’t know,” Oakley whines through the door. I sigh, knowing the events of the weekend must have caught up with him. “Eggs, maybe.”
I look back at Cale to check he’s covered and decent.
He’s rolled onto his back, one tanned arm lying across his face, and the sheet draped over his chest—one of his knees strategically raised.
He’s grumbling quietly, and I bite back a smile as I pull open the door, finding my sullen-faced boy standing on the other side.
“Good morning, bug.” I pull him into a reluctant hug.
“Morning,” he mumbles, burying his face against my shoulder. “I don’t want to go to school.”
I run a hand through his messy hair and down his back, squeezing him as I prop my chin on his head. “I know, bug,” I say softly. “I bet Nell would appreciate you being there today, though.”
Oakley grunts. “Nell should stay home too.”
“She wants everything to feel normal today.”
He pulls back with a scowl. “She can feel normal from home.” Our eyes lock, and several seconds pass before he heaves out a breath. “Fiiine. But I want ice cream after school.”
There’s a low huff of amusement from behind me. I ignore it, my eyes climbing my forehead as I stare at my son. “Excuse me?”
Oakley purses his lips, but his stubborn expression quickly falls away with a reluctant smile. “Can we get ice cream after school?”
I cup his cheeks, squishing his face together, much to his disgust. My boy tries to pull away, but before he can, I press a wet kiss to the tip of his nose. “You got it, kiddo.”
“Mom!” He gets away, scrubbing a hand over his nose, flinging the most disgruntled look he can manage in my direction. I just grin back, and he rolls his eyes right before he peers over my shoulder and into the bedroom. “You can come, Cale,” he says grudgingly.
Cale pushes up onto one elbow, smiling at him. “Sounds good, Killer. I’ll check my schedule when I get into the office and make it happen.”
Oakley tries to hide his reaction behind a scowl, but there’s no missing the way his eyes brighten a little. “Whatever,” he mumbles, turning away and stomping toward the kitchen.
“You think he’s alright?” Cale asks once he’s gone. I turn around, finding him sitting up, a concerned frown furrowing his brow.
I lift a shoulder, leaning against the doorframe.
“A lot happened this weekend,” I say quietly.
“And with everything else that’s been going on…
” I shake my head, chewing on my lip. “He’s been keeping so much to himself, bottling it all down.
I think…I think I should get him someone to talk to. A professional.”
My shoulders sink when Cale dips his chin, expression thoughtful.
“It couldn’t hurt.” He makes a low humming sound.
“Maybe we could think about a weekend away. Get out of town for a couple of nights. Some distance might be exactly what the kid needs.” He pauses, his eyes locking with mine. “We could invite Rosie and Nell.”
A smile curves my mouth. “I like the way you think.” I tilt my head, asking hesitantly, “It doesn’t bother you?”
He throws the sheet off, standing and stretching. My mouth goes dry as I watch the ripple of his muscles, the way the soft hair curls over his toned chest, his cock still half-hard and pressing against his boxers. He finds his pants, dragging them up over his thighs.
I blink rapidly, forcing some sanity back into my head just as he turns to me, eyeing his shirt.
“Looks better on you anyway.” He closes the distance between us. “What doesn’t bother me?”
I moisten my lips. “Me, having a kid, and you having to make accommodations for that. It’s not what you’re used to.”
He doesn’t try to hide the way his face falls.
“Melanie,” he says slowly, “the shit I said to Jordan that day…I was running my mouth because I was scared.” He hooks a hand around the back of my neck, using the hold to drag me into his body.
“Scared of what?” I ask breathlessly. I’ve heard this before, but something in me is demanding reassurance. A confirmation that Cale truly wants to be here with me—with us—and that he knows what he’s taking on.
“You,” he says. “You scare the absolute fuckin’ shit out of me, darlin’.
Killer, too. I could feel you pulling away from me, shutting me out.
There wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
” He blows out a breath, his eyes dropping from mine, a guilty flush creeping into his cheeks.
“I tried to save face with a friend, acting like I didn’t give a shit when you’ve come to mean more to me than anyone else.
You and Oakley are a package deal. I know that.
” He brushes a kiss against one cheek, and then the other.
“And I want you both more than I want air. I’ll make sure you never forget it. ”
He doesn’t give me a chance to answer, taking my mouth in a deep kiss that has my head spinning. I cling to him, fingers digging desperately into his shoulders, our tongues dueling as he stakes a claim that I feel to my bones—
“Mom! I’m starving!”
Rosie digs her fork into the red velvet cake we’re sharing, her expression rapturous as she slides it between her lips. “So delicious.” She groans around the mouthful. “If Jamie served this every day, she and I would definitely have problems.”
I smile. “Why?”
We’ve just dropped the kids off at school, Oakley’s mood mostly gone after eating a massive breakfast. Even Nell seemed like her perky self, but there was no hiding the pallor of Rosie’s skin or the heavy bags camping out under her eyes.
“I would be a balloon,” she says with a light laugh. “You would have to roll me through the door just so I could keep getting my fix.” She scoops up another big bite. “Red velvet with cream cheese frosting.” She hums. “It’s always been my favorite.”
I swap my fork for my coffee, taking a long sip. “How was Nell when she woke up?” Her mouth twists into a grimace, and I chuckle. “Oakley was the same.”
“She put on a good front when we got to school.” She sits back with a frown.
“I got sucked into a false sense of security, I think. I should have given her another day…But she was fine yesterday, and I just figured getting back to normal was what she needed. Facing everyone at school is a lot different from spending the day with her friend.”
“Cale suggested we go away for a weekend.”
Rosie’s brows lift, a small smile on her lips. “That’s pretty fast, considering you were on a date with someone else Saturday night.”
“It was not a date with Harrison,” I protest laughingly. “Well, it was, but it was a friend-date.” I pause, tapping my fingernails against my mug. “Cale actually suggested that we go away, as in all five of us.” I wave a finger between us.
Her mouth drops open in surprise right before it starts trembling. “Oh,” she whispers. “You know what? I would actually love that. So would Nell.”
She offers me the last bite of cake, but I shake my head. “You have it.” I finish my coffee, debating my next words over in my head before deciding to hell with it. “I’m going to find someone for Oakley to talk to.”
Rosie glances at me, using a paper napkin to clean the crumbs off her mouth. “What do you mean?”
I lean forward, lowering my voice to a discreet level. “A professional. A therapist—someone who specializes in kids and trauma. Just to help Oak process everything that’s happened over the last year, especially with Davis.”
She sits back, scrunching the napkin in her fist. “Do you think…Do you think I should do that for Nell?” I always forget that Rosie is younger than me, but she sounds every one of her twenty-five years right now.
“It couldn’t hurt,” I say softly.
“I didn’t even talk to anyone after I was…” Her throat bobs on a swallow, a sheen brightening her eyes. “Attacked,” she finishes in a forceful whisper. “I was attacked.”
“You were,” I confirm. “And maybe you could talk to someone about it too. Even if you’re grateful for Nell, you’re still allowed to be fucked up over what happened. Because it is fucked up. And this town—”