His Temporary Wife (The Brides of Sunflower Falls #2)

Chapter 7

seven

Tony fiddled with the top of the coffee he’d bought for Melody. He and Zach had gotten up early to make a detour to the fancy coffee shop in the next town over. The one here in town wasn’t open this early as they didn’t want to compete directly with the diner and therefore Nancy. Everyone loved the diner’s owner even though she was crotchety as hell.

Late Saturday night, he’d gotten a call from Eric saying that Melody wanted to meet with him. Thanks to intervention from Ana and Libby.

As far as he could tell, she’d blocked his number as he hadn’t been able to get through to even her voicemail.

However, the meeting place was the home that Keller Construction was building for him. Eric had assured him that while the crew would be reassigned for the day to give them privacy, it wouldn’t affect the build progress.

To a degree, it was neutral ground.

His property, but Melody’s territory for the time being.

Once Zach parked his SUV behind Melody’s, Tony climbed out, trying to be careful with the tray of drinks. He couldn’t remember being so nervous over anything. Even when he’d been up for Emmys and other awards, he took them with a grain of salt. If he won, he won. If he didn’t, that didn’t affect his worth.

Not being able to make things right with Melody, though?

He’d be fucked.

He walked around Eric’s truck, just in time to hear some power tool firing up from inside the house. From what he could remember from hanging around the trades on set, it was a saw of some kind.

He and Zach walked through the temporary door in the front to find Melody and Libby standing where the kitchen would eventually be. Melody had a water bottle in hand.

She caught sight of them and shot him a dark look. He wasn’t sure if it was anger or something else that made her glow from within, but she was even more gorgeous than when he’d last seen her. Without saying anything to him, she headed to the back of the house.

Libby scowled after her, but waved at him.

He held up the tray of drinks. “I bring a peace offering.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Melody’s shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. He plucked one drink from the tray and held it out to Libby. “I texted Eric to find out what you drank, and he said just a hot tea with lemon.”

She grinned at him. “Thank you. I’ve already had my morning coffee.”

He held up the next drink. “Where’s Eric?”

“Upstairs. He said that he wanted to get started on putting up drywall in one of the rooms.”

Zach reached out and grabbed the cup. “I’ll take this up. Can’t do much, but I can help hold up drywall.”

Libby nodded. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. ”

Tony frowned. “I thought you were going to stay down here to help.”

“Already told you. If she wants to kill you, I’ll help hide your body.”

Tony flipped him the finger, but Zach ignored him and headed up the temporary stairs to the second floor.

There was nowhere to set the container down but the floor, so he carried it over to where Melody stood by what was going to be the floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of Lake Ontario. She ignored him standing there, even though there was little to look at beyond the plastic sheeting.

He cleared his throat.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then turned to face him. “What?”

He held out the tray with the remaining two cups of coffee. “Peace offering? I got it exactly how you like it.”

She stared down at the cup. He watched her throat move as she swallowed before she looked up at him. It was like watching the curtain go down at the close of a show. “I don’t drink coffee anymore. Not good for my health.” With that, she turned again on her heel and walked back over to Libby.

She didn’t drink coffee anymore? Only a few days ago, she’d let him stay over until she had to leave ass-early in the morning to meet a supplier over in Buffalo. She’d mainlined two mugs of the stuff while he watched.

Recognizing that pushing back on her statement wouldn’t win him any points, he walked back over to the kitchen area and set the tray down on the floor in a corner. Melody leaned back against the exterior wall, her arms crossed against her chest. She obviously wasn’t about to begin the conversation, so he opened his mouth to apologize .

Before he could, Libby held up a hand. “I’m going to lay down some ground rules, first.”

Recognizing the tone from Damien, Tony nodded. “Sure.”

“Whatever.”

Libby shot Melody a look. “We are here to gather answers. There will be no threats, all parties will be heard out, and, if necessary, we will agree to reconvene at another time in the future to continue discussions if the first two conditions are not met.”

“I agree.”

Melody glared at him. “Fine. Him first.”

Even he could see Libby’s jaw tighten, but she just shook her head. “Tony, I’d like to ask you some questions as I believe that would speed up the process. Are you amenable?”

He smiled at Libby. “I had trouble seeing you as an attorney. Please accept my apologies as you’re obviously a well-trained one.”

“Ugh. Stop it with the ass kissing.”

He looked over at Melody to see her dramatically rolling her eyes. He had to bite back a laugh. Even with her angry at him, she still could hit his amusement button without even trying.

“Tony, Melody stated she overheard you telling an unknown third party that you needed to have your marriage license amended to be filed under your legal name. Is that correct?”

Libby’s specialty might have been contracts, but she knew where and when to verbally slice you open. He kept his gaze on Melody who looked everywhere but at him. “She did.”

“Who was this third party? ”

Keeping his gaze on Melody, he let out a slow breath. “My attorney and an assistant district attorney for the County of Los Angeles.”

Melody’s gaze snapped to him, and he saw Libby’s head swing in Melody’s direction out of the corner of his eye. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, but then Libby continued her line of question.

“Why would a district attorney need to know about this?”

When he’d talked to Damien to explain what happened, Damien had told him to share within reason and to be honest about not being allowed to talk when he couldn’t discuss something. Since Damien and Aspen had been together for over ten years, he had a clue on how to make relationships work.

“I’m a potential witness to a major case they’re building. A former business partner of mine was arrested, and appears to have ties to certain parties wanted by law enforcement.”

Melody finally spoke up. “What does that have to do with being in Sunflower Falls and lying about your name?”

“I don’t qualify for witness protection, but everyone involved agreed that it would be better if I disappeared for a while. We had shut down the production I’d been working on, and I didn’t have any other pending projects.”

Her mouth turning down into a sneer, Melody threw up your hands. “And you’re unemployed, too. Just great. My dad’s going to love the fact that I got knocked up by a guy who’s both someone who can’t hold down a job and is a liar.”

“I’m not…” And then the rest of her words gut punched him. He reached out and took a step toward her, but she stepped back. “Pregnant? You’re pregnant? ”

She winced. “Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.” Rather than standing there, she stormed out the front.

“Shit. Melody. You promised you’d stay.” Libby threw him a worried glare. “What are you standing there for? Go after her.”

“She’s pregnant?”

“I’m not the one you need to be talking to about this.”

The shock finally loosened its hold on his brain, and he ran out the front hoping to catch Melody before she drove away. Her truck remained where it was, nicely pinned in by Zach’s vehicle.

But Melody wasn’t sitting in the driver’s seat cursing them out for blocking her in. He tried to figure out where she’d gone, but the wind had kicked up waves on the lake and the sound of them and the saw Eric was running drowned out pretty much every other sound that would give him a clue of where she may have gone.

He ran to the end of the drive, but didn’t see Melody storming back to town on foot. The only place left was his yard leading down to the lake. Backtracking and doing his best to avoid running into construction equipment and supplies, he made his way back there. His worry wasn’t that Melody would do anything to harm herself, but he also felt like he could no longer predict what she’d do.

Once he cleared the side wall and the last pile of lumber, he spotted her down by the small beach. Even from this distance, he could see she was vibrating. Whether in anger or something else, he had no clue.

Melody on a good day was someone to approach with caution. A pregnant, distressed Melody? He should probably be wearing a hazmat suit inside of nuclear protective gear.

In all his time of having Zach on staff as his bodyguard, he’d never felt more in need of his friend’s services. Letting his hands hang loose by his legs, he approached where she was pacing.

He got within ten feet of her, and she still hadn’t noticed him thanks to the waves and the grassy landscaping. Tears streamed down her face, and he ached to pull her into his arms. She’d never let him comfort her. Never let him see her vulnerabilities.

But he knew they were there. She was protective of her soft core, but he could see how the softness, the caring she had for others gave her the strength she projected to the outside world.

He doubted even Eric saw how wounded Melody was. Some might accuse him of wanting her because she was wounded. He knew Melody absolutely would at this point. But all he saw was a queen who deserved to have a knight at her back. He wondered what she’d say if he commissioned an illustration of a porcupine wearing a crown.

And now she was pregnant.

“Melody.”

She jumped and whirled around, her one foot sliding on the sand. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her middle. His palm came to rest on her lower stomach. Where their baby was.

Both of them froze.

“Do you mind?”

Her tone was cutting, but he could hear the tremor. Even over the waves.

Resisting the urge to press a kiss against her temple, he blew out a breath. “Are you steady?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Wet sand. I’m sorry for startling you. That wasn’t my intention. ”

She snorted, and he could hear the disbelief and distrust in the sound. “Intentions mean nothing. Actions and results are what matter.”

He felt her hips shift under his hands and he knew she was steady enough. Forcing himself to release her was one of the hardest things he’d done, but giving her the space she needed to feel safe around him was what was most important. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about who I really am. What’s going on in Los Angeles. I couldn’t.”

“We fucking got married. What the fuck do you mean you couldn’t tell me?”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone. If it gets out that I’m here, then the DA’s going to pull me into actual witness protection. It was keep quiet and stay here, or sit in some safe house in Los Angeles for gods know how long.”

Even as he said the words, he could see her rebuilding her emotional armor. “I’m not leaving.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m trying not to leave.”

She tilted her head. “Guilt finally eating at you for being a lying liar?”

“No. I did what I had to do.”

Anger lit her up like a spotlight. “You didn’t have to fucking lie to me to get in my pants. You didn’t have to do things like play with Button. You didn’t have to make me think you cared about how I was feeling. You didn’t have to manipulate me into marrying you. And you certainly didn’t have to fucking continue lying to me since we did that fucking marriage ceremony in fucking Niagara Falls.”

He could feel her slipping away from him. If he lost her completely, there was no way she’d let him near her ever again. He’d have no chance to win her back. “Melody, hear me out. Please. For the baby’s sake if nothing else. ”

She took a giant step back and cradled her stomach with both hands. “Don’t you ever use this baby to get your way. Never.”

Remembering the bits he’d heard about her and Eric’s father over the last couple months, he could kick himself. He still didn’t know the entire story, but he knew the guy had been arrested a few times for various con jobs. He held up his hands. “I’m only trying to explain. Please let me explain.”

He could see the war inside her of wanting to do some serious damage to him and listening to someone else, probably Ana, and hear him out. He would bet anything Ana had made her promise to find out the full story.

“We can get a divorce, whatever to undo it, but I need you to know the full story. Please, Melody. Please, just hear me out.”

“Liars who lie on their marriage licenses don’t need divorces.” Her reply was automatic, but he could tell she was wavering.

If he was going to do it, he had to throw out the lure now. “You’re probably right. But one more bet. I’m willing to bet that once I explain everything I can, tell you everything about who I am, you’ll give me a chance to make things right.”

He watched as her eyes shifted, her shoulders square off. Hooked. He’d been hoping he’d be able to get through this without betting her, but he knew this was his last chance. He’d bare his soul to her if it meant she’d give him the space and time to make this right.

“What? What would you have to bet with to get me to give you another chance?”

Fear had him taking a deep breath, but he never broke eye contact with her. “If I explain everything, and I mean absolutely everything I can tell you bar the legal shit I can’t share because the attorneys have told me not to, and you still refuse to give me another shot, I’ll leave town and won’t contest custody.”

Melody sucked in air. Her hands continued to cradle her stomach. “You’ll sign over all rights?”

“Yes. I won’t fight you. But if the kid comes and finds me in the future, I will be there. I won’t abandon them if they need me.”

“They’ll never need you.”

He could see the tears in her eyes as she said it and he knew she was trying to convince herself of her own lack of need for her father. Without thinking, he reached out to enfold her in his arms, but she stepped out of reach again. The stab in the gut was what he deserved, but he wished she would let herself receive some comfort.

“Start talking.”

Remembering what Eric had mentioned after the fundraiser, he started at the beginning. “I grew up in Hollywood. My dad’s a producer, and my mom’s an actress. When I was in high school, it felt natural to go into the business since I’d spent so much time on sets. I eventually got cast on a show. Undercover Immortal.” Melody froze. “My real, legal name is Anthony Dewitt.”

“Mother. Fucker.”