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

Chapter 14

fourteen

Almost two weeks after Tony had returned to California, Melody sat in the waiting room for baby’s first ultrasound. Her phone pinged, and Ana looked over from where she was texting away on her own phone.

“Are you going to look at it?”

“No.”

“Why not? It could be Tony. He knows today’s when you’ve got the appointment.”

“I’m sure it’s Tony. Or my mother. I don’t want to deal with either of them at the moment.”

Ana blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

Melody handed Ana her phone. “You deal with it. Whoever it is.”

Ana cocked her head. “What the hell crawled up your ass? Do I need to get you a protein shake?”

Melody closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at all the other pregnant people in the waiting room sitting with their spouses. There were three other couples, and a pair that looked like mother and daughter. The daughter was in a uniform from one of the area’s ritzy high schools. Both of them were furiously typing away on their phones, too.

“Maybe. I’m hungry.” She looked around, and it felt like if anyone was aware of their conversation, they were ignoring them. She lowered her voice anyway. “And I’m pissed. I want Tony here.”

Ana swiped Melody’s phone from her hand. “Progress at least.”

Ignoring the smugness in Ana’s tone, Melody closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall behind their chairs. Her brain had been spinning the last few days between missing Tony and also thinking that he must be thrilled to be back in Los Angeles and away from Sunflower Falls. Rationally, she knew that wasn’t true considering how many times he mentioned being bored since he was stuck at his house when they had talked or texted. But brain weasels were going to brain weasel.

A nurse with a tablet in hand opened the door to the exam area and called out a name. A Black couple stood up, the man carrying his partner’s designer bag. Melody admired the woman’s ease of movement when she had to be at least six months along, and in heels.

Barely two months along and she was feeling clumsy, even in the work boots she wore when on site. The other day she had tripped over literally nothing.

Moments after they disappeared behind the door, another nurse appeared and called out another name. This time it was the high school student and her mother. The nurse said something, and the daughter shot a glare at her mother and said in the loudest possible voice without actual shouting, “No. The father will not be joining us.”

As soon as they disappeared behind the door, she looked over at Ana and widened her eyes. Ana pursed her lips and shook her head. “Drama we do not need to be around for, thankfully. Tony said to remind you he wants any photos you can get to share. Preferably the glam package?”

Melody scowled. “What are you talking about?”

Ana tossed her phone back. “You told me to take care of it.”

Melody opened her phone and scrolled back through her text app.

Thank the gods Tony hadn’t sent anything inappropriate. This time.

After one sext session they’d had, he’d sent a photo of how he’d been feeling the next morning and she’d been in the middle of a conversation with the plumber, showing him the product pages of the ordered fixtures for the secondary bathroom on her phone.

She found the start of this morning’s thread.

TONY

Thinking of you today.

Attached was a photo of the sunrise over the pool in his gods damned backyard. A few days after he’d left, he’d video chatted her and gave her a tour of the house. She’d known Tony had to be well-off from his own efforts, let alone anything his parents had given him.

She hadn’t expected him to live in a house on the California coast with views of the Pacific Ocean and enough land to have both a decently sized lap pool and an athletic court of some kind. His house probably was worth as much as the entire lakefront of Sunflower Falls.

At least Ana’d had the decency to identify herself when responding.

MELODY

It’s Ana. Melody gave me her phone to deal with you. Pretty sunrise. Shouldn’t you still be sleeping?

TONY

I know you and Zach are texting.

Melody whipped her head around to look at Ana. Who sank down a little in her seat and pulled her phone close to her chest.

“You’re texting Zach? Why?”

“Because he caught my mom reaming me out one day and told me to text him any time I got too frustrated by her. He said he’d be a neutral sounding board, and that I shouldn’t have to do time for matricide.”

“What has your mother done now?”

Ana waved her hand. “Not something I want to talk about before you go in for your first ultrasound. We can deal with it later.”

Melody made the “I’m watching you” hand gesture. Ana responded with a middle finger scratching the side of her nose.

Going back to the text conversation with Tony, she saw more photos of the sunrise. And then the breakfast he was making in his, of course, gourmet kitchen.

TONY

Tell Melody these are the ingredients for the smoothie I was telling her about the other day.

Her mouth started watering.

MELODY

Will do. Also, did she tell you about the giant stuffed seal Aspen and the kids got for the baby?

TONY

No. Tell her to send me a photo of that.

Speaking of photos, remind her she owes me one from the ultrasound.

Glam package.

MELODY

“You told him about the seal?”

Ana shrugged. “It’s really cute. Kieran’s got excellent taste.”

“I still can’t believe Aspen bought that.”

Ana shot her a look and then opened her mouth. Before she could say anything, a nurse opened the door to the exam area again. “Melody Keller?”

Melody stood up and headed to the nurse. “That’s me.”

Ana followed, and the nurse looked over at her. “Is this the other parent?”

Melody shook her head. “The father’s out of town. This is my friend. I was told that it would be okay to bring another person with me.”

The nurse smiled. “You’re perfectly fine. Our ultrasound technicians just like to make sure they’re speaking appropriately when explaining the process.”

They followed the nurse back to a room where the nurse took Melody’s blood pressure. “And you drank the recommended amount of water prior to arriving?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Your blood pressure’s good, so we’ re all set.” She went to a tall, narrow cabinet and pulled out a folded item. “If you’ll change into this gown, the technician will knock in a few minutes. As it will be a transvaginal ultrasound, you’ll need to remove your underwear, too. You can draw the curtain over there for privacy.” She pointed to the back corner. “Any questions?”

Melody shook her head. “Thank you.”

“The technician should be here in a couple minutes to give you enough time to change.”

Once the nurse left, Melody went behind the curtain and changed. She wasn’t sure which way wearing it would be easiest for the technician, so she went for her own comfort and pulled the gown on like a dress shirt, holding the front closed. She left her clothes on the stool behind the curtain and climbed up on the table in the middle of the room.

Ana came over and touched her arm. “You doing okay?”

Melody let out a long breath. “As good as can be expected.”

“Want me to invite Tony to a video chat?”

Wincing, Melody shook her head. “No. I’m sure he’d love that, but I don’t want this broadcast if you know what I mean.” No one needed a visual record of what was going to happen next.

Ana nodded. Before she could say anything more, there was a knock. Ana moved to the front of the table to block the view of anyone passing by the door.

“Come in.”

The technician, a woman with dark tan skin and her dark brown hair pulled back in a tight French braid, pushed a cart with several machines on it into the room and smiled at them. “Good morning. I’m Lupe Gottfried, and I’ll be your ultrasound technician today. ”

Melody smiled at her. “Nice to meet you.”

Lupe rolled the cart over to the table where Melody sat. She pulled a tablet from one of the carrier bins on the side of the cart and tapped at the screen. “If you could confirm your full name and date of birth?”

Melody did so, and Lupe nodded. “The nurse informed me the father will not be joining us today. Would you like his name on the record for the ultrasound? It will show up on the images we provide.”

Swallowing, Melody nodded. “Yes. Please.”

“What’s his name, and how do you spell it?”

For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to answer the question. For so long, she had thought of him as Tony Caputo. With him back in Los Angeles, she felt like she was in a split reality. “Anthony. Anthony Dewitt.” She spelled out both names.

Lupe typed it in, then paused and looked back up at Melody. “Isn’t that the name of that actor who was in that vampire show?”

She knew her smile was weak, but Melody did her best. “He gets that a lot.”

Lupe laughed. “I’m sure he does.” She began typing on the screen again and then handed it to Melody. “This explains the procedure and the risks involved. I’ll need you to read it in full, and sign at the bottom if you’d like to proceed.”

Melody took the tablet and read through the form which thankfully included illustrations like you’d see in textbooks. It was fairly straightforward, so she signed with her finger in the box at the bottom and handed the tablet back to Lupe.

Lupe tapped on the screen some more and then put the tablet back into its slot. “The lube I’ll put on the wand will feel chilly at first, but it’ll warm up a bit from your body heat as we begin the procedure. You’ll be able to watch on the screen here.” She pointed to a surprisingly small screen. “I’ll point out what features I can see, but I’m primarily looking for indicators that the fetus is developing as expected. I cannot diagnose anything if there are any issues. The scans will go through our regular review process, and the gestational age of the fetus will be determined then.”

Melody nodded and reached a hand out to Ana. Ana immediately gripped it and squeezed.

Lupe looked at them and smiled at Melody. “Ready for this, Mama?”

Blowing out a breath, Melody nodded then laid back down on the table. Lupe helped her position her feet in the stirrups. The clinical nature of the procedure was offset by the poster of a multitude of babies of all skin tones taped to the ceiling.

Lupe placed one hand on Melody’s thigh. “I’m going to insert the wand. Are you ready?”

“Sure.”

As soon as Lupe placed the wand against her vulva, Melody sucked in a breath. Lupe hadn’t been kidding when she’d said the lube would be chilly. Lupe pressed it in, the pressure firm, but gentle, until she bumped up against Melody’s cervix. Shifting a bit, Melody tried to get comfortable. At first, the room was quiet. But as Lupe moved the wand, a strong, rhythmic whooshing sound filled the room.

Melody turned her head and watched as the grays of the screen gained definition. There was a lighter gray on the edges, and then a darker gray filling most of the screen, with lighter again in the center. Tears filled her eyes. “ Hey, Peanut.”

Lupe grinned. “An excellent name for the little one. They’re strong.” She pressed something on the machine and then pointed to the dark gray. “That’s the embryonic sac.” She then pointed to the slightly more bulbous end of the lighter gray in the center. “And that’s the baby’s head.”

Melody reached out, but didn’t touch the screen as she didn’t want to accidentally break anything. “Baby’s first picture.”

“Yep.” Lupe began moving the wand again. As she did so, she talked through what she saw.

Ten minutes later, they were done with the screening. Lupe gently wiped the lube from Melody’s vulva. She then handed Melody another towel and a pad. “If I missed anything, you can use this and toss it into the green bin. There’s a bathroom down the hall you can use before you leave. You might want to wear the pad for at least a few hours. We’ll have all the images, along with a confirmed due date, added to your patient portal by the end of the day. You’ll be able to download the images and then share them with whoever you care to.”

Once Melody finished dressing and checked out, she and Ana headed back into the sunshine toward Ana’s compact. Melody slipped on her sunglasses.

“Do you want to stop for something to eat?” Ana held up her car fob and unlocked the doors.

“Can we get drive through? I want to get back to Sunflower Falls. There’s some paperwork I’ve been putting off, and Eric’s getting on me about it.”

“Sure. How’s Eric doing? Libby said that he’s been surly lately.”

Melody shrugged. “He’s been mostly fine, but he’s been the one primarily talking with Greer and Triple H.”

“What’s the deal with your mom? Why didn’t you want to deal with her if she had been the one texting instead of Tony?”

Melody tapped her fingers on her knee as Ana pulled out of the practice’s parking lot and headed toward her favorite fast food breakfast place. “She’s been sending me a lot of baby advice stuff. I mean, it’s my mom and not yours. And I’m not forgetting that conversation, for the record. But I told her to back off a bit, and then she sends me meal plans for pregnant women.”

Ana looked over, a small smirk on her lips. “So, boundaries?”

Melody laughed a little. “Yeah. I know it’s her first grandchild, but I didn’t think she’d be like this. She’s never bugged Eric or I about getting married or giving her grandchildren to spoil.”

“Well, the good thing is that you can take a short break from her, have a conversation about your boundaries, and she'll likely listen to you and respect them. Unlike my mother.” Ana pulled into line for the drive through. Fifteen minutes later, they were back on the road. As Melody unwrapped her sandwich, Ana sipped at her coffee. Melody sniffed the air, trying to see if she could get a caffeine high just from the smell of the latte.

Melody bit into her sandwich and sighed. She’d felt like she would have gnawed off her own arm if she hadn’t gotten food soon. “What’s the deal with your mom now?”

“The usual. Why haven’t I gotten married? Given her grandchildren. Though, she wouldn’t spoil them. At least not any kids that come out of me. She treats Bethie’s kids better than she treated any of us growing up, but I still wouldn’t say what she does with them as ‘spoiling.’ The last thing she told me was that I should quit the diner because, and I quote, no one’s going to want the soiled goods of a waitress.”

Melody held up her hand to catch the bite of food she’d just taken. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah.” Ana shook her head. “I have no explanation for her.”

About to say something that probably couldn’t have been taken back, Melody frowned when her phone started ringing. She dug it out from her pocket and saw it was Eric. Frowning even harder since he was supposed to be on site today, she answered. “What’s wrong?”

Eric’s sigh was long and cartoonish. “Why does anything have to be wrong for me to call you?”

“Because when you call me instead of text, something’s usually wrong.”

Eric grunted. “Nothing’s wrong. Exactly. I just finished a call with Greer and Triple H.”

Melody adjusted the seat so she was leaning back a bit. She missed her truck. “Okay. What’s the issue? They don’t like our proposal?”

“No. They like our proposal fine, but they want to talk with someone in person. In California.”

Melody blinked. “They’ve got offices in New York. How about we go meet with whoever’s there?”

“According to the Triple H people, their main New York person for this division is out on extended leave, and their schedule can’t accommodate sending someone out to the East Coast at this point.”

It was Melody’s turn to growl. “If they’re going to make us jump through these hoops, do we want to work with them? Are they at least offering to pay for everything since they’re the ones insisting on the meeting and the location?”

Ana looked over, taking her attention from the road, but Melody waved her hand, finger pointing back to the road. They didn’t need killer deer jumping out from the woods and Ana not noticing until it was too late.

“Yeah, they’re offering to pay.”

“So go. I can take care of what’s left of Tony’s place and get started on the Wilson cottage. Donna’s back from vacation, so it’s not like we won’t be without a site manager for double coverage.”

“That’s the issue.”

“What? You don’t trust me?”

“No, brat. While I was on the phone with Greer and Triple H, Libby got a call from her attorney. The FBI and some other federal agencies want to interview her. They said it was likely to be a multi-day thing. I need to be there with her.”

“So we put off Triple H.”

“No. Uncle Stef’s going to be on break from his show in a few days. I already texted him and he said he can help Donna oversee the crew while I’m in New York and you’re in California.”

Melody sucked in a breath. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

The response had been instinctive. Triple H’s headquarters were in Los Angeles. She could possibly see Tony. But the brain weasels were back in force, telling her he might have decided after being back in LA that he didn’t want to be with the woman who had tied herself to small town living, even if she was giving birth to his baby.

Her phone buzzed. “Eric, hold on.”

It was a notification of a text, but it disappeared before she do more than see it was from Tony. She put the phone back to her ear. “Eric, I’ll call you back. I need to check something. ”

“Don’t worry about that. Just come into the office when you get back.”

“Sure.”

She hung up the call, told Ana Eric needed her at the office, and switched over to her texting app.

TONY

Everything okay? Miss you and Button

He’d attached another photo. This one of a buzzy bee dog toy.

She choked back a laugh as she remembered the dog show movie they’d watched together one night early in their situationship when she’d unexpectedly gotten her period. When she’d greeted him at the door and told him to go home because nothing fun would be happening, he just shook his head and introduced her to a few of his favorite movies.

She bit her lip.

MELODY

Miss you, too. I’ll send the images as soon as I get them.

TONY

Call me when you have a chance? Even if you don’t have the images yet.

Thinking about what she wanted to say, she saw bouncing dots pop up.

TONY

I know you’re thinking too hard. Text me when you’re home for the night, and I’ll call you .

When they were actually talking with each other, she had few doubts. But they couldn’t talk twenty-four/seven.

Ana remained quiet the rest of the drive back to Sunflower Falls. She didn’t say anything until they passed the welcome sign on the edges of the downtown area. “Want me to drop you off behind the office?”

“No. Drop me off in the diner’s parking lot. I’ll walk the rest of the way. I need to clear my head.”

Ana glanced over at her, but did as she asked. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“That’s not an encouraging answer.”

Melody shrugged. “It’s the only one I’ve got.”

A horn double honked behind them. Melody looked over her shoulder and saw Ralph Winters, one of the county maintenance guys, in his pickup behind them. His pet pig Bacon was in the passenger seat. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll talk with you later.”

“Melody…”

Before Ana could try to pressure her into something, Melody climbed out of the seat. She waved at Ralph. Bacon started pushing at the window with his snout, so Melody tapped it as she passed.

She turned down the block and shoved her phone into the pocket of her jacket. For mid-October, it was still warm, but there was a breeze off the lake adding a chill to the air. As she walked by Secrets and Whimsies, she saw a display of wooden toy tools. Remembering the set that Uncle Stef had gotten her and Eric when they were kids, she smiled. It would never be too early to start Peanut in the family business if they wanted to join in.

Pushing through the door, she took a deep breath. The scent in the air wasn’t the expected pumpkin spice, but something with more vanilla and a dark floral tone.

“Melody.” A little girl’s voice piped through the store, but Melody couldn’t see the source. Then Kieran barreled into her legs. He wrapped his arms around them. Hannah was right behind him. She snuggled up to her other side.

Melody wasn’t quite sure how, but Aspen’s kids had decided she was their new best friend. Aspen turned around from where she was chatting with Mrs. Smith as the older woman wrapped up whatever Aspen had bought.

There was a tug on her jacket. Kieran was looking up at her and gesturing for her to move closer. He still hadn’t let go of her leg, so she did her best to bend down without dislodging him.

“What’s up, K-man?”

He giggled, but leaned in so his mouth was near her ear. Even so, his whisper wasn’t as quiet as he probably intended. “Did the baby like the seal?”

“Shhhhhh. Mommy said we’re supposed to keep that secret.”

Melody looked over to the register area. Aspen was doing something dramatic with her hands, but she had the feeling that Mrs. Smith had still heard exactly what Kieran said. Weren’t older people supposed to lose their hearing at some point?

Mrs. Smith must have finished whatever she was doing and handed Aspen a bag with a bow tied on top.

They both came over to where Melody stood with the kids.

Mrs. Smith smiled at both children and then Melody. “How can I help you, dear?”

“The toy tool set. Is it sold yet?”

“No. ”

“I’ll take it.”

When she said nothing further, Mrs. Smith let out a light chuckle. “I’ll get it wrapped for you. Come over when you’re ready to check out.” She left them alone.

Aspen had her hands on her hips and was tapping her fingers against them. “What have I taught you both about projection?”

Hannah struck the same pose as her mother. “Even whispers carry.”

“Exactly.”

Kieran hung his head. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

Aspen bent down and kissed his forehead. “I’m not the person to apologize to, kiddo.”

When he looked up at her with an adorably confused expression, Aspen pointed to Melody. He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, and Melody had to restrain herself from cracking up. This kid was way too much like his mother. “I’m sorry for telling your secret so loud, Melody.”

Melody held out her hand. “Thank you for the apology. We’re square.”

He frowned but gave her hand a solid little kid shake. Then he and Hannah wandered off to look at something else.

Aspen lifted a brow. “How did it go this morning?”

“Fine.”

Aspen waited for her to say more, then frowned when she didn’t continue. “Was there something about the ultrasound? I can listen if you want. I’ve had a few myself.” She gestured to where Hannah and Kieran had begun a game of keep away. “Hannah, put that back this minute.”

Hannah did exactly what she was told.

Melody rubbed the back of her neck. “You know Tony. ”

Aspen’s eyes widened. “I do. Is there something wrong with him?”

“I might have to go out to Los Angeles in a few days for a work thing. Will he want to see me?”

Aspen blinked. Then clapped her hands. “You’re coming to Los Angeles? When? I’ll fly you!”

Melody held up her hands and laughed. “Chill. I don’t know exactly when. A production company Eric and I have been talking to wants to have an in person meeting, but Eric needs to be with Libby for something. I don’t know anything beyond that.”

Tilting her head, Aspen kept her gaze on Melody even as she shifted so she could also keep track of the kids. “Why are you worried about Tony? Of course he’s going to want to see you. Damien told me he’s been getting twitchy. Staying home isn’t his modus operandi.”

Melody pointed a finger at Aspen. “That’s exactly what I mean. He’s used to city living. Maybe I was just a fun fling while he was stuck in a small town. At least that’s what the brain weasels keep telling me. Intellectually, I know and understand his reasons for keeping his identity secret, but the fact he lied to me is always there in the background waiting to jump on any doubts.”

Aspen whipped her head around. “Excuse me? Damien was also telling me how Tony keeps bugging him about when he can come back here. Have you two not been talking?”

Blowing out a long breath, Melody shrugged her shoulders. “We’ve been texting, some calls, but it’s not like what we have here in Sunflower Falls is all that exciting. I mean, yeah, he bought the house and everything. But it’s not going to be anything like that house he has in California. He has a private freaking sports court. ”

Aspen nodded. “He does love that court. But Tony won’t decide you’re not worth it just for a sports court.”

“And a lap pool.”

“Or a lap pool. Melody, honey.” Aspen wrapped one of her elegantly long arms around Melody’s shoulders and squeezed. “I’ve known Tony since just after he left Undercover Immortal. He’s had a social life, but I’ve always had the feeling he was searching for something. Maybe not consciously, but still searching. I didn’t feel that at all from him when we all had dinner together that night I arrived. He couldn’t take his attention from you. He found what he’d been looking for.”

Melody shook her head. “Guys who spend that long searching like the chase more than the capture. My dad’s always chasing the next con. It’s hard when I’ve had someone lie to me in a way that reminds me of my dad.”

Aspen hugged her again. “You find out when you need to be in California and let me know. You’ll fly out with us on the jet, and we’ll talk. I promise you. Tony has been searching for the one person he could see himself with for the rest of his life. How could he not want a committed relationship when he had his parents as role models?”

Melody took a deep breath. Aspen’s confidence was chipping through the wall of fear that had erected itself around her heart. “I’ll talk to Eric and I’ll let you know.”

Aspen grinned. “We’re going to have so much fun.”