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

Chapter 16

sixteen

Melody dried her hair with the thick towel that had been in the bathroom. The reality of the wealth Tony had access to was crashing into her. She was extremely tempted to crawl into the bed and stay there until her meetings with Triple H on Monday. That, or ask Aspen to take her to a hotel.

But that would be cowardly.

Kind of like trying to book a flight home leaving tonight before Ana had talked her down.

Running her fingers through her mostly dried hair, she gave herself a moment to feel the overwhelm, and then shook it off. Facing what people said about her dad had never been easy, but it had allowed her to carve out a life for herself separate from him and his exploits.

Up till now, she’d been the person who kept both feet firmly planted on the ground, not letting out-of-reach dreams tempt her into doing stupid things. Then she’d met Tony. How he treated her, his open-to-anything approach to life had made her think maybe some dreams weren’t so bad. That maybe finding someone to love her as she was, no matter her family history, was possible.

The pregnancy? Something she’d never expected. But so welcome. Even if the hormones had her emotions spinning out of control. And the one emotion that she was most afraid of was hope.

As she’d learned time and time again, hope couldn’t be trusted.

But being with Tony had made her want to hope again. If he broke that for her, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to try again.

She finished getting dressed and made her way back downstairs. Voices came from both the study and the kitchen. She turned to the kitchen. Letting herself do the small cowardly thing soothed the kid inside of her.

Aspen was standing at an island with Zach as he prepared some snacks. She’d never gotten that smoothie she’d been promised now that she thought about it.

He nodded at her. “It’s in the fridge.”

“Thank you.” She looked around the room and realized that whoever had installed the appliances had applied veneers to blend them in with the cabinetry. Going over to the most fridge-like doors, she opened one and was rewarded with a smoothie that had a sticky note with her name on it.

Taking it out, she took the first sip. Very green, but exactly what her stomach needed. She toasted Zach with it. “I appreciate it.”

Voices came from down the hall to the kitchen, but before she could decide on hiding somewhere else, Aspen cheered. “Food’s here.”

Zach held out his hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll get it. ”

Apparently used to the demands of bodyguards, Aspen handed him her phone and then came over to Melody. “I know we ordered food already, but Anthony’s ordering again from a restaurant for his parents. Do you want to order more adult food from there?”

Melody thought about it and realized now that she had something in her stomach, she was ravenous. The order of chicken nuggets and fries she’d requested from the place Hannah ordered from would probably feel like an appetizer. “Sure. Is there a menu?”

Before Aspen could reply, Tony’s mother swept into the kitchen, arms wide open. “Melody, my darling, darling girl. Helping to give me my greatest desire in the world.” She flung her arms around Melody and hugged her. Hard. The woman’s head was barely at Melody’s shoulder, and she was slim, but she could give a bear hug that rivaled the ones from Harry.

Melody looked over at where Tony stood in the doorway with his father. His dad’s eyes were watery and Tony was rubbing the back of his neck. When Tony met her eyes, she widened them and mouthed ‘What. The. Fuck?’ at him.

He opened his mouth, but Vittoria, Vicky, beat him to it by releasing her and then reaching up to squeeze her cheeks. “My very first grandchild. You don’t know how much I’ve looked forward to this day. We must go shopping for the baby.”

Melody caught Tony’s gaze again. “You told them?”

“Not exactly.”

Her eyes widened even further. “Not exactly?”

His father came over and pulled Vicky back into his embrace. “Not Anthony’s fault. I was in his study and discovered the image from the ultrasound. ”

She closed her eyes and nodded. She’d been surprised as well to see it in such a place of prominence.

“We’re thrilled for the both of you. Are your parents happy? We’d love to meet them.”

Melody looked over at Tony, who shook his head and gestured at her.

“I think you already know my mother. Nina Keller. My uncle is Stef Keller from To The Bones.”

Vicky covered her mouth with her hands. “Little Melody? Nina’s baby? I thought you were in college.”

Not willing to get into what might have caused that misconception, Melody shook her head. “Nope. I got an associate’s degree and then headed to trade school. No college for me.” Was that something they’d stick their noses up about?

Vicky came back over to enfold her in a hug. “Nina’s little Melody and my Anthony. Giving me a baby. I’m going to be a Nana.” She looked over at Leo. “And you’re going to be a Papa.”

Leo grinned at the both of them.

“Mom. Chill. You’re overwhelming Melody. Give her some space.”

Thankful he’d finally spoken up, she stood still as Vicky gave her another squeeze and released her.

It was clear both Leo and Vicky were excited about the baby. They were obviously a tight unit as a family, and it left her feeling unmoored. Her mom had been happy, but Melody would be ecstatic if she could ensure that Peanut never met her own dad. She’d assumed that Uncle Stef would step in as Peanut’s grandpa-figure, but Leo’s reaction made it clear he welcomed the role.

Zach came back in the kitchen at that moment, hands filled with bags. He looked around the room, but just nodded at Aspen. “Want me to get the kids?”

Melody had forgotten Aspen was even there, but looked over at her. Aspen’s eyes were suspiciously bright and was grinning. She waved her hands. “I’ll get them. Give me a couple minutes.”

The food from the first order was soon distributed, and they were all seated around the gorgeous black walnut dining table in Tony’s formal dining room. Uncle Stef would drool over the craftsmanship. Tony came in, placed a giant bottle of ketchup in front of the kids, and then sat down next to her. “Do you need anything?”

She gestured to the sauce packets that Hannah and Kieran had piled in front of her as the kids refused to use them. “I think I’m set.”

He reached for one of her nuggets and she tapped his hand. “You’ve got your own food coming.”

“We didn’t order yet. Remember?”

The doorbell rang again. She cocked a brow at him. “If you didn’t order, then who’s that?”

Tony frowned and looked over at Zach. “I don’t know. Do you?”

He was getting up from the table. “Yeah.”

Zach said nothing further, so Melody went back to her nuggets. Tony pulled out his phone and placed it down next to her after unlocking the screen. “Here’s the menu. What would you like?”

Moments later Zach returned with Damien following him. He went straight for Aspen, bending down to kiss her. It was a bit weird to witness because Melody could tell that if there hadn’t been other people there, the kiss would have gotten a lot more explicit. He then kissed the top of each kid’s head. Neither Hannah nor Kieran bothered to stop eating while receiving affection from their father.

Melody blinked. When she’d been their ages, if her dad had done something like that, she would have stopped everything she was doing to bask in it. But Hannah and Kieran acted as if this was a regular occurrence.

“Leo. Vicky. I thought you were supposed to be in Italy.”

Leo gave a tight smile. “Marcus.”

Damien gave a curt nod. “Of course Marcus. He’s going to pull the wrong move one day and find himself only able to book commercials for low-T medications. Well, good that you’re here so you can hear the news first-hand.”

Tony froze next to her, and then she felt him slowly relax. As if he consciously had to do it. “How about we order dinner first, and then you can share this news my parents will want to hear? We’re going to order from Le Cochon de Lait.”

Melody looked closer at the menu. All the item names were in French. This was not like ordering take out from Harry’s. Maybe she’d stick with the chicken nuggets and fries. At least she likely knew what those ingredients were. She tried to pass back Tony’s phone. “Here.”

He looked down. “What did you decide?”

“I’ll stick with this.” She picked up one of the sauce packets, tore it open, and squirted it onto the flattened bag.

Tony frowned at her. “That won’t be enough.”

She was about to argue, but her stomach chose that moment to rumble. “It’ll be fine.”

Narrowing his eyes at her, he leaned closer so his mouth was next to her ear. “I bet I can choose the perfect meal for you. If I win, you eat it with no arguments. If I lose, you get to ream me out in front of my parents. ”

She leaned back. “I would never do that.” The idea of fighting in front of anyone else sent ants crawling over her nerves.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Afraid that I’m going to win?”

Melody bit her tongue to stop the instinctive agreement to take on the bet. He was determined to feed her, so she may as well let him try. “You order it. If I’m in the mood to eat it, I will. Otherwise someone else can have it. I’m not betting you.”

He stared at her for a long moment which made her want to squirm in her seat, but he finally nodded. “I’ll take that.”

The others gave him their orders, all in perfect French, and she felt even more out of her element.

Tony rubbed her back. “You okay?”

She nodded as she bit into another piece of chicken. How could she tell him she felt completely out of place here? Working in construction, and specializing in renovating and building homes, she worked with people of varying incomes.

Some people were barely making things stretch to afford a necessary home improvement. While others like the Sullivans who’d been the project they’d finished up over summer had money for high end options. Even with Tony, she’d known he’d had access to money before she’d known exactly who he was because of what he’d chosen to do with the house in Sunflower Falls.

But that wasn’t casually ordering dinner in perfect French. That wasn’t owning a home where the primary suite had an entire glass wall overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This was a completely different culture than what she was used to.

Feeling more and more like a puzzle piece plopped down in the wrong puzzle, she steadily ate the nuggets, fries, and finished the smoothie. When the kids were done with their dinners, they tried to leave the table for the playroom they’d been in earlier after swimming, but Aspen had them clear their places first. Once they’d completed that task, they ran for the playroom.

Aspen laughed. “They’re going to be out cold in five minutes.”

Damien lifted his wrist and tapped on the screen of his watch. “Setting the timer.”

Tony leaned back in his chair, a finger stroking up and down her neck. The action had shivers running through her. She fought the urge to go hide out in the playroom with the kids. She wanted to hear whatever news Damien had, too.

Showing that he must have been reading her mind, Tony spoke up. “Do we need to save this discussion until after we eat because it will ruin our appetites or is it good news?”

Damien leaned his arms on the table. “It’s mixed. Nothing that should turn your appetite, but it’s nothing to celebrate.”

Leo pushed away from the table. “I’m going to get a beer. Anyone else want one?”

Damien and Zach shook their heads, but Aspen and Tony raised their hands.

Vicky got up, too. “I’ll help. Melody, do you want something sparkling?”

“Um, sure.” Ginger ale would have tasted great, but she doubted Tony had that on hand. Maybe she could find a regular grocery store somewhere and get some things tomorrow.

Leo and Vicky soon returned with Leo carrying a tray filled with drinks. Vicky handed them out, and Melody was surprised to see the familiar blue bottle of a popular New York-local brand of sparkling water among the beer bottles and a champagne glass. “Thank you.”

Vicky grinned. “I fell in love with it when we did To The Bones, and I’ve made Tony keep it on hand for me ever since.”

Feeling comforted at the bit of home even in this piece of very rich California and the care that Vicky had put into trying to make her feel welcome, she twisted off the top. The water fizzed on her tongue, and was refreshing after the nuggets and fries.

Once they were all settled around the table, Damien leaned forward. “This isn’t to go past this room.” He looked over at his wife.

She widened her eyes at him. “Who would I tell?” Then batted her lashes.

He scowled at her. “You’re lucky that Vicky and Leo are here, because we both know damn well that if you had found out this news and they weren’t here, you would have texted her immediately.”

Aspen waved her hands at Melody and Tony. “But he’s her only, baby son.” The gesture, along with the words, was so over the top comical that Melody tried to cover her laugh with a cough.

“And it would have been up to Tony to share with them or not.” He held up a hand when Aspen opened her mouth. Probably to argue. “Moving on. They still haven’t found Robert. Besides an arrest warrant for the added charges the cops had been sitting on, the judge has now issued a bench warrant.”

“Does that give them any additional help in finding him?” Tony reached out and twined his fingers through hers beneath the table. Melody felt the tension in his hand. Unable to resist offering him a small comfort, she rubbed her thumb along his little finger.

Damien nodded. “In addition to the cops looking for him, now the sheriff’s deputies will be on behalf of the court, too. I’ve also been informed there are likely federal charges coming soon.”

Leo snorted. “That’s going to be a clusterfuck. Depending on who gets to him first, who knows what will happen.”

“That’s a concern. The reason I know about the federal charges is that an agent approached me outside of court today after the status update call.” He looked over at Tony. “They want to talk with you.”

Vicky paused, her champagne glass almost to her lips. “Why do they want to talk with Anthony?”

“I’m not sure. Until I see the actual charges filed, I don’t know what exactly they’re investigating Robert for.”

Zach cleared his throat. “Which agency did you talk to?”

Damien frowned. “The one who spoke identified himself as IRS, but there were multiple agents there, and none of the others introduced themselves.”

“Well, that’s not good.” Leo tapped the table with his knuckles. “I can tap some of my contacts. See if they can find where Robert has gone to ground. It’s been, what? A month or so now?”

“Over six weeks. And we shouldn’t get involved, Leo.”

“You’re not my attorney, Damien. There are already so many people looking for him that another person or two won’t matter. I promise that if my contacts find him, all they’ll do is contact local authorities and keep an eye on him until said authorities arrive. With the baby on the way, we can’t have Anthony tied up in this any longer than necessary.”

Damien sighed, shook his head, and then sat back in his chair. “All I ask is that you don’t tell me or your son who you’re contacting. If anything goes wrong, we need plausible deniability.”

Leo’s grin reminded Melody of a shark, and she realized she recognized it as something Tony had often done on Undercover Immortal. “There won’t be any issues.”

Melody had no doubt that whoever Leo contacted would be aware of his fatherly wrath if something endangered his son. The contrast to her father—who would have left her to her own devices if anything had gone wrong with some con he’d been running in order to save his own skin—had never been clearer. Thank the gods for Uncle Stef.

Her feelings about Tony being in potential danger were clear, however. She was not a fan. As rocky as everything else felt, she knew that she’d be beyond pissed if anything happened to him. They deserved to have a chance to work out their issues. One way or another. Someone taking that chance from them? No.

The conversation must have taken longer than Melody thought as there was a ping from Tony’s phone. He looked down, then squeezed her hand. “Delivery driver’s here with dinner.”

Zach stood up. “I’ll get it.”

Leo and Vicky headed back to the kitchen and returned with utensils and drink refills. Zach came back in, loaded down with branded insulated bags.

Melody soon realized that this group had done this before. Everyone seemed to have a role in the dance of serving dinner, but for her. As Tony placed what he’d ordered for her on the table, he kissed the top of her head. “I think you’ll enjoy this.”

The restaurant staff had individually wrapped each meal in thick boxes that she realized had kept them warm. She opened hers and found a sandwich with a separate well filled with creamy mashed potatoes topped with three caramelized cloves of garlic and another with glazed carrot medallions.

She picked up the sandwich and looked at it. Marbled rye topped what looked to be shaved roast pork, and some chopped veggie slaw. She grabbed a fork and tried the slaw. The crunch was sharp, but so was the spice kick. Groaning, she placed the top slice of bread back on and bit in. The pork damn near melted on her tongue, and her eyes rolled back at the experience in her mouth.

Refusing to look at Tony since she knew he’d be grinning at her as if he’d won an actual bet, she focused on the food. Before she completely filled up with the sandwich, she tried the mashed potatoes and carrots. Both were also ridiculously good.

Forcing herself to swallow before talking, she cleared her throat and looked over at Aspen. “What’s the name of this place again?”

She grinned and held up what looked to be a bacon-wrapped stuffed date. “Le Cochon de Lait. The Tasty Pig.”

Tony offered her a fry. “We can order again if you’d like. The owner’s a friend of mine.”

Damien snorted. “The owner’s a friend, and Anthony’s an investor. You’ll never have a bad meal.”

The food was too delicious to ignore, but Melody tried to push down the feelings of inadequacy. She and Eric were building their own business. Building a life for themselves separate from their past. But they’d never be the type of people to invest in a restaurant with a fancy French name. The Tasty Pig? Yes. Le Cochon de Lait? Never in a million years.

She took another bite of the sandwich and looked around the table as she chewed. What had she gotten herself into by having what she’d thought was only a summer fling?