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

Chapter 8

eight

Melody stared at him. How? How could she have missed it? As soon as he said the name, it was like having the plastic sheeting serving as a window ripped away.

The beard. The matured, heavier features. She finally could see beyond all of them to the young man she’d had a crush on back when she’d been in high school.

She’d spent hours staring at posters of him on her walls dreaming of what life with him would be like. Going to fun parties. Living a bigger life than the one she had in Sunflower Falls where everyone knew everything about her and her family. Living a life where no one knew who her dad was and what he did.

She should have known better.

He was an actor which meant he lied for a living. Just like her dad. Except Tony had found a way to do it legally.

She cringed. Ana. Ana couldn’t ever find out. Her best friend had been witness to way too many embarrassing incidents in her quest to meet Tony back then. Including getting her mom to let them take the bus into the city and then they ended up on the wrong bus.

“Melody. Babe?”

The endearment stabbed her in the heart. She’d loved it when he dropped little things like that because she’d honestly thought he’d cared about her. But he was a manipulator. Just like her dad.

Shoring up her defenses, she drew in a deep breath. “What else? You said you’d tell me everything.” And she was determined to hear him out and then tell him it wasn’t enough. What little credit she could give him was that he’d yet to fail on adhering to the terms of a bet.

He raked his hands through his hair, and she tried not to be attracted to the windblown look. As a young man, he’d been beyond hot in the pretty sort of way men in their early 20s could be. As a full-grown adult, he radiated wicked knowledge to go with his attractiveness. He’d absolutely known how to use that knowledge with her.

Even now, with everything that had happened in the last few days, all she wanted to do was bury her hands in that hair, kiss him senseless, and have him fuck her to oblivion. And beyond the orgasms? The best part about being with him had been lying in his arms afterward.

Talking about their days. Him asking about designs she had in mind for new projects. Tracing whorls in his chest hair. Breathing in the scent of his skin and absorbing the warmth radiating out from him. Feeling as if insulation foam had surrounded all her jagged edges. Protected from the world that wanted to poke at them.

The security she’d felt in those moments had to be an illusion, but she craved them even now.

When they’d first started having sex, she’d always kicked him out of bed before the night was over so she didn’t get used to it. She’d been spoiled by their time in Niagara Falls and waking up in his arms almost every morning.

That one day when she’d woken and he’d already been downstairs had gotten her way up into her feels. Since they’d come back, she’d let him stay later and later into the night every time he came over until she was kicking him out as the sky began to lighten with the first hints of morning.

Pushing the chance of someone discovering them as a couple.

Now she was all up in her feels again.

She’d never really contemplated getting pregnant, so she hadn’t realized how much the changing hormones could fuck with emotions and the brain. Tony had started talking again, and she did her best to focus on what he was saying.

“...then I caught Robert meeting with someone who I knew he shouldn’t be talking to, let alone joking around with.”

She held up a hand. “Start over again. I couldn’t hear you over the sound of the waves.” As soon as she said that, she realized she’d made a tactical error as he moved closer. There wasn’t any way she could reasonably backtrack, so she had to endure the sensation of his body within reach. Even over the smell of the lake water, she could smell his cologne. Woodsy and citrusy. Her hands itched to reach out and anchor herself with the feel of his body.

Thankfully, he didn’t do anything like push her hair behind her ear like he frequently did because she wasn’t sure if she could resist wrapping herself around him. “I said that we caught my business partner Robert on tape trying to extort one of the leads of the film we were producing, and when I followed him to confront him, I saw him meeting with people he shouldn’t have been.”

That’s what she had missed. “I thought you were an actor.” Even though she hadn’t seen him in anything in years. In fact, when he’d famously quit Undercover Immortal, it was right after what turned out to be the final season had been announced. There had been rumors of drama with the actor who’d been brought on as co-lead and that Anthony, Tony, had quit because he was a diva. She’d assumed he’d done indie movies or the like.

“You’re right. I had been an actor. I’ve been working with my dad for the last ten years.”

“Your dad?” And then she remembered. The award-winning producer, Leo Dewitt. And his mom was the even more decorated actress Vittoria Schreiber. This man came from money. She cradled her stomach. If he decided he wanted custody, he could crush her.

Since she’d gotten the positive result on the pregnancy test, she’d given a lot of thought to what she wanted for her future. Becoming a mom hadn’t ever really been on her radar, so she’d given serious thought about getting an abortion. Maybe at some other point in her life, it would have been the right decision.

Now? It felt like if she was going to have a kid, this was going to be her one chance. The moment she envisioned her baby opening presents at Christmas, she’d been hooked.

But here was a man who could easily tear those moments away from her. With minimal effort.

Libby.

Libby’s specialty was contracts. She’d get Libby to write an airtight contract that he was giving up all parental rights.

Libby would help her protect her baby .

All she had to do was stay strong and tell him she refused to give him another shot.

Which meant she really had to pay attention to what he was saying.

“...they’re in Europe right now. Dad’s filming, and Mom’s shopping and visiting relatives.”

“You won’t tell them, will you?”

His face was the most serious she’d ever seen. “I will. If you decide to kick me out, that’s your decision. I’ll make sure they understand and agree to not bother you, but I’m not hiding the fact they have a grandchild out in the world from them.”

She rubbed her arms. She could have used another layer, but she hadn’t planned on spending much time outside today. “You’re close to them?”

“Very.” One corner of his mouth kicked up. “Probably didn’t help that I was an only child. Mom wanted more, but there were fertility issues. She’s been hounding me for grandchildren for the last few years.”

A shiver racked her body. She tried to hide it, but she knew he’d seen it when he frowned.

“Can we go inside? Please? You’re cold.”

Her instinct was to deny and fight, but it was the perfect excuse to hide that it wasn’t the cold chilling her from the inside out, but fear.

The thing that even she knew about lawsuits was that the people with the most money usually won because they could drag things out until you went bankrupt from legal fees. And a powerful celebrity family had to have a lot of money.

Yeah, Uncle Stef had some fame and would have a comfortable retirement thanks to his show. But being a grumpy-ass favorite on a decades-old home improvement show was nothing to people who had won multiple gold statuettes.

Being the focus of local gossip the many times her dad had been arrested for some fraud scheme had been bad enough growing up. But a custody battle with Tony and his parents would be plastered all over the national tabloid sites.

As soon as they walked into the house, Libby caught sight of her and rushed over. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Even she heard the clack of her teeth thanks to the shivering that refused to stop.

Libby looked over at Tony. Who shrugged. “I’m not sure what’s going on. I thought she was just a little cold from the wind. We were standing out by the beach.”

Melody wasn’t sure why Tony’s voice sounded like it was echoing through a tunnel, but when a blanket was thrown over her head blocking the light, she embraced the darkness.

Murmurs filled the air above her. The pillowcase under her cheek was scratchy instead of the silky cover she had on her own at home, but she wanted to go back to sleep. Even if her dreams were on the unhinged side with Tony telling her he’d been her high school TV crush.

Her eyes flew open.

Not a dream.

Reality.

“There you are, honey.”

A warm hand brushed her hair off her face. Soft lips pressed a kiss against her forehead.

Mom .

Her mom was here.

Tears leaked from her eyes. Maybe if she kept them closed, she wouldn’t have to face reality.

“I’ll be back later.”

The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She waited until she heard a door close before opening her eyes again. This time, she made out the light beige walls and bland art hanging on it.

Her mom’s smile at her was watery, but she patted Melody’s hand. “How are you feeling, baby?”

It took her a moment to realize she was in the local urgent care clinic, not in some room at the motel. “Okay. I think? What happened?”

“You fainted. Tony caught you, so you didn’t hit your head or anything.”

Melody untangled her hand from her mom’s and pushed up on the bed. Her brain swam, along with what was in view, but her stomach felt rock solid. “Fainted? I don’t faint.”

“You did this time. What happened?”

The tone of voice was exactly the same as it had been when her mom had caught her sneaking back into the house hours after curfew when she’d been in high school. It sucked to realize that even when you were a full-grown adult and pregnant, your mom pulling out her patented Mom Voice had you feeling like shit. “Nothing?”

Her mom sat back in her chair, crossed her arms, and tilted her head. “Would you like to try a different answer?”

Melody winced and tried to play it off as a sore hip. But she could tell her mom wasn’t buying it.

She shook her head at Melody. “Do I need to bring Tony in here?”

“Why should he be here at all? ”

“Because that boy is frantic with worry. He’s been pacing in the lobby since the staff brought you back here. I know you like your independence, but you could have told me you were seeing him.”

Gods, she really was in trouble because when her mom was truly mad, her enunciation got more precise the longer she talked.

A knock on the door saved her from answering. It was Maeve Geraghty, one of Harry’s nieces and the doctor on staff at the clinic. “Can I come in?” It had been Maeve’s voice she’d heard earlier.

“Yes. Sure.”

Maeve smiled and closed the door behind her. “You’ve got a worried crew waiting out there.”

Melody looked at her mom who cocked an eyebrow at her. “That’s what Mom tells me.”

Maeve looked down at her tablet. “Now that you’re awake, I’d like to do an ultrasound to verify everything’s okay with the baby. There wasn’t any blood present, and your vitals were normal when you were brought in, but it never hurts to do a quick check.”

“Baby?”

Maeve looked up at that question from Melody’s mom. “Um…” She tapped the screen. “Sorry, I just got a message from my admin. I’ll…uh…I’ll be back in a few.” With that very confident doctor speak, she fled the room.

Melody wondered if she could pretend to faint again.

“Melody Nikki Keller. What. Baby?”

She flopped back down on the clinic bed and pulled the sheet over her head. Yes, she was hiding from her mom like a little kid. “You’re going to be a grandma in about nine months.”

“And Tony’s the father? ”

How? How had her life spiraled so out of control. Her grand plan of getting him to leave town, and then announcing her pregnancy a few months down the road so people would forget who could have been the dad was dead in the water.

Her mom ripped the sheet off her face. “I asked you a question, Melody Nikki Keller.”

She rubbed her hands over her face. “Okay, fine. Yes, Tony’s the father. Except Tony isn’t his real name, and he lied on our marriage license.” As soon as the words tumbled from her lips, she realized what she’d revealed. “Shit.”

Slowly lowering her hands from her face, she saw her mom looking more furious than she’d ever seen her. Her mom’s chest expanded as she drew in a deep breath. When she finally spoke, her words were incredibly precise. “I see. When were you going to tell me this? Any of this?”

The answer she wanted to give—never—was not the correct answer at the moment. Even that penetrated her addled senses. “When I sorted it out. I only just found out on Saturday.”

“About the baby?”

“Yes. And Tony.”

“I knew I should have pushed when you told me about the coffee tasting off.”

It took her a moment, but she finally realized what her mom was referring to. Probably not the best idea to mention that she hadn’t been paying attention to what her mom had said.

“Look. He’s agreed to sign away all custody rights. Let me get that sorted, and we can move on.”

Her mom pinched the bridge of her nose. “Melody. You are an adult. I love you. I will let you make the decisions that are right for you. ”

She tried for a joke. “Positive affirmations to get you through the day?”

The Mom Glare in addition to Mom Voice. “You are not helping. You may be thirty-one-years-old, but I will not support rash decisions which will affect your child’s future.” She paused and then reached out for Melody’s hand. “That is…are you going forward with the pregnancy? I will support you whatever your decision.”

Even when she pissed her mom completely off, the woman still loved her. She entwined her fingers with her mom’s and moved their hands to lie on her stomach. “Yeah. I’m going to keep the baby.”

Her mom’s breathing grew shuddery, but she nodded. “Okay. We’ll figure it out. First thing, I need to get Tony.”

“Mom. I told you. He lied to me. He’s giving up parental rights.” Hopefully. She wasn’t sure exactly where they stood on that since she’d fainted before she could confirm that was happening.

“We will get to that. But that man is worried about you. He deserves to know that you’re awake and okay.”

“He’s just like Dad.”

“Oh, honey.” Her mom sat down in the chair next to the bed. “That man is nothing like your father.”

“He lied. He manipulated me into marrying him, and then it wasn’t even under his legal name.”

“I’m not saying that isn’t an issue, but I can guarantee you that why he did it didn’t come from a place of meanness like your father.” She blew out a breath. “I’m thankful to your father because I got you and Eric. I’m only sorry I didn’t do a better job of protecting you from his worst tendencies. They were always there, but I always hoped he’d see his own potential. He had you two to be better for, and he had Stef as a role model. But your father always wanted the easy-for-him route.”

“I wouldn’t have known Tony was lying to me if I hadn’t overheard him telling someone about it. He didn’t admit it to me directly.”

Her mom brushed Melody’s hair back from her face again. “The man didn’t run. He’s stuck around and is facing the consequences. That is something your father has never voluntarily chosen to do. That alone tells me he’s a much better man than your father.”

Melody turned her head away. Yes, her mom loved her. But her mom had also given her father a stupid amount of chances to fuck them over. It wasn’t until he’d gotten into a physical fight with Eric when Melody was fourteen that she’d finally kicked him out of their lives.

But the moment Melody had turned eighteen, he’d come crawling back asking for help.

Her mom sighed. “There’s a lot going on. All I ask you is to not make any rash decisions. If Tony truly is a rat, we’ll do what we need to so the baby’s protected.”

Melody bit her lip, not wanting to let the rest of the news slip. Her mom had once met Tony’s parents. It would come out eventually, but she couldn’t deal with any more arguments on why she should let a known liar into her kid’s life.

Her mom pressed a kiss to her temple and then left the room.

A few minutes later, Tony came in. After closing the door, he leaned back against it. His face was haggard, and his hair was a mess.

“The doctor and your mom said you’re okay?”

She shrugged. “Mom said I didn’t hit my head thanks to you. ”

“You scared the shit out of me.”

“It’s not like I planned it.”

He scrubbed his face with his hands. “That’s not what I said, Melody.”

She massaged her chest with her hand. She wasn’t supposed to feel bad for him when she was the one who’d been lied to and fainted. How had she been so wrong about him?

“Can I sit down?”

“Sure.”

When he did, he rubbed his hands on his knees. “Look. I know what I said earlier about explaining everything and leaving if you heard me out and still didn’t want to give me a chance.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Reneging on the terms of the bet?”

He let out a slow breath. “No. I’m asking for an amendment. Give me one month? I will be completely honest with you. Tell you absolutely everything. Do whatever you need from me to rebuild what trust with you I can. I know I broke what we had been building, but the thought of losing you terrifies me. Losing you means losing half my heart. Please, Melody.”

His voice cracked on the last bit. She swallowed. “What about the baby?”

He swallowed. “I don’t want to lose the baby either, but the thought of living the rest of my life without you? I’d be a shell of a person.”

This was something her father had never done. Whenever he’d come back around after fucking them over, it was always for more money. Or an alibi. All Tony was asking for was time. She rubbed her palm on the sheet. “One month.”

He slumped in the seat. “Thank you. ”

Something else her father had never done. “I’ll give you one month. If I’m still not satisfied, you leave and never contact us again.”

He held up his hand, pinky finger extended. “Pinky swear?”

Even with the strain she could see in his face, he gave hot puppy dog face. She snorted, but hooked her own pinky in his. “Pinky swear.”