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

Chapter 20

twenty

A couple hours later, Melody was sitting by the pool, debating if she wanted to change into the swimsuit she’d brought with her at Aspen’s insistence or do something else. Damien had arrived not too long ago, and he, Tony, Zach, and Leo had holed up in some room. She knew Vicky was likely expecting them to go shopping, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go.

Vicky was very kind, but the woman was a bit overwhelming. Probably needed to be to survive in Hollywood for as long as she had.

“There you are. Zach arranged for a car and driver from his company. He’ll be here in ten minutes. Put on your walking shoes because we’ll be hitting all the stores.”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Melody drew in a breath that was scented with chlorine and salt. She sent a smile over her shoulder. “Hi, Vicky. I think I might sit out here for a bit. But thank you.”

Vicky sat down next to her. She had dressed in close-fitting white capris and a blue and white striped top. Very relaxed until you saw the jewelry she wore with it. Melody was sure the sapphire or whatever it was hanging from the gold chain was the size of the nuts they used to secure bolts in I-beams.

“Are you not feeling well?”

She shook her head. “Everything’s just been a lot. And I’ve got the meetings tomorrow with Triple H. I may want to go over my notes later.”

Vicky tapped her lips with a finger. “How about a deal?”

Realizing where Tony had likely gotten his tendency to bet on things from, Melody remained wary. “What kind of deal?”

“I would very much like to spend time with you to get to know you a bit better, but I’ll scale back my plans. Just one area I think you might like. And everything will be my treat. I told Anthony earlier that I’m looking forward to spoiling his child as far as you’ll let me.”

Melody snorted. “I’m sure Tony had some things to say about that.”

“Oh, no. I will spoil his child forever and a day, no matter what he says. But if you say enough, then I’ll pull back. He may deserve spoiled children, but he is my child.”

She winked, and Melody couldn’t help but feel the charismatic spell that had charmed audiences for decades and had people throwing awards at Vicky every chance they got. Aspen had the same charisma. But what made Melody like them was how it had been obvious how they very much liked each other and were interested in other people. There wasn’t any cattiness to them.

“Okay. One area. Is it that shopping center you mentioned earlier?”

“Oh, no. After talking with Norma, we realized they didn’t have enough variety of baby items. The main place I want to go to is a cute little Main Street-like area with lots of boutiques. Even better, it’s not too far from here, so if you want to come back and nap this afternoon, we can. I napped all the time when I was pregnant with Anthony.”

Realizing this trip would be an excellent opportunity to get to know Tony better through an outside, though still biased, perspective, Melody got up. “Give me a few minutes to grab my bag and change my shoes. Should I change my clothes?”

“No. You’re perfectly fine.”

Melody looked down at the carpenter’s pants and loose shirt she was wearing. Looked back over at Vicky. “Are you sure?”

“You’ll be with me, my dear girl. No one will question you. Because they know if they do, I’ll never shop with them again. Whatever you’re most comfortable in is perfect.”

Taking Vicky at her word, Melody went up to the room she’d slept in and changed her flip-flops for a pair of sneakers. She grabbed the sling bag Ana had given her for her last birthday and slung it over her head.

When she went back downstairs to meet Vicky, Zach was standing at the door. He looked her up and down and nodded. “If the paparazzi follows you, follow Derek’s lead. Move quickly and avoid touching them.”

Melody blinked. “Paparazzi? Is that an issue for Vicky?”

“Not so much these days, but from what she just told me, you’re going to an area that’s popular with them to see who’s buying baby stuff.”

Melody froze. “Is that an issue for Tony? Are people going to care if he’s having a kid and that I’m the mother?”

“You’re not showing yet, you’re not a known name, and Tony’s stayed out of the gossip spotlight for the most part. At least for his personal life. You’ll blend with the regulars. Remind Vicky that she shouldn’t be telling anyone that what she’s purchasing is for you and Tony. She can just say a family member if she feels the absolute need to tell anyone her business.”

Vicky’s timing was perfect as she appeared behind Zach in the hallway. “I know how to conduct myself in public, Zach Troy, and have been doing so since before you were born.”

Zach shook his head. “Be careful. Derek will call me if there are any issues since I’ll be the closest backup, but I’d prefer not to leave your son without coverage.”

Vicky reached up and kissed his cheek. Melody was surprised to see a blush stain his cheeks. “You’re very good at your job, and so are your people, so I’m sure there will be no issues.”

He let out a low sound Melody couldn’t figure out how to describe, and then opened the door. A tall Black man with close cropped hair stood outside. He nodded at Zach, and then Vicky and Melody. “Ladies.”

“Derek. It’s so lovely to see you again. How is Keshia doing?” Vicky slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. Melody wasn’t sure which one was leading the other to the car.

She looked up at Zach and raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head and mouthed good luck at her before closing the door.

Derek handed Vicky up into the dark blue SUV parked in Tony’s driveway, and then turned to Melody and held out his hand. “Ma’am. Derek Thompson.”

She knew he was holding out his hand to help her into the car, but she held her own out for a shake. He didn’t hesitate and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. Melody Keller. Please call me Melody.” She looked into the car and Vicky patted the seat next to her. Shifting her gaze back to Derek. “I can sit in the front.”

He gave her a small smile. “Protocol, ma…Melody.”

“Fair enough.” She climbed into the back seat with Vicky and buckled up.

As they pulled out onto the road, Melody spotted a car pulling out from a parked position down the street, but got caught up in the conversation between Vicky and Derek talking about his children and how they were doing in school.

The area that Vicky wanted to go to ended up being a half-hour ride from Tony’s house. As Vicky had promised, there were a lot of boutique stores. It felt like the area only allowed boutique stores. There was not one chain store to be found. Even for coffee. Their first stop in fact was a tea shop which also offered pastries. At Vicky’s urging, Melody selected the peanut butter fig breakfast pastry to go with the peppermint tea she’d ordered.

And then she realized that the name of the shop was the same as the brand on the tea bags Tony had arranged to be sent to her house when he’d first found out she was pregnant. She looked around and saw there was a window into a back room. The clerk saw where she was looking. “Our bagging room. We mix and package all our blends here. We ship all over the United States if you’d like to send anything to a friend.”

Melody smiled at the clerk. “I think a friend sent some to me last month. It was delicious.”

The clerk grinned at her. “Excellent. I’ll let our owner know. They love it when people come into the shop after receiving a shipment.”

As they exited, Vicky leaned in. “I found out about this place from Aspen. Did she order something for you from here?”

“No, Tony did. But I think he asked Aspen for advice.”

“Let’s sit for a moment. Not savoring these pastries would be a crime.” They sat down at a shaded table near the front wall of the store. Derek wasn’t pleased with sitting outside, but he positioned his chair so that he had a view of both of them and whoever was passing by.

As Melody sipped from her tea, she had an itch in the middle of her back. She looked over her shoulder, through the plate-glass window into the shop, but no one was watching them. Scanning the surrounding area, she didn’t see anyone obviously looking at them either.

Derek must have seen what she was doing because his shoulders tensed and his attention arrowed in on her. “Something wrong?”

“I don’t think so. Just an itchy feeling in the middle of my back. It’s gone away.”

He looked around, but must not have seen anything either. “Don’t discount your instincts. If you get the feeling again, let me know.”

They finished eating—the peanut butter fig pastry had indeed been delicious—and headed to the first stop. It was a housewares shop with an extensive baby section.

Vicky immediately went to the blankets and began petting them. A clerk came over and talked about the fiber content, how each was a natural fiber sourced from only the most ethical vendors. Vicky quizzed them about how easy they were to wash.

Melody grimaced. She’d have to remember to tell Vicky not to get anything that required special care. She didn’t have time to do things like handwash in a special soap and hang out to dry on a perfect seventy-five degree day with no humidity.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a gorgeous little decorative statue. Two figures flowed together, the larger one wrapped protectively around the smaller one. Ana and her romance-loving heart would adore it. She picked up the figure to see the price tag, and winced. A bit out of her budget. She took a picture of the figure and the price so that she could think about it.

“Melody, can you come here for a minute?”

She went over to where Vicky and the clerk were standing. The clerk was scrolling through a tablet as they only kept one color of a particular blanket in stock, but their supplier had other offerings and Vicky wanted her input.

Melody hadn’t thought about how she intended to decorate the baby’s nursery. At this point, she wasn’t even sure which house or houses she needed to decorate as she and Tony hadn’t gotten around to discussing specifics before Damien had arrived. She pointed out her own favorite color of the ones on offer, a deep rich blue with green undertones. Both the clerk and Vicky grinned, so she guessed she’d chosen correctly.

After making a few more selections and directing the clerk to send them to Tony’s house here, Vicky led the way to the next store. At each stop, the head clerk or the store’s owner greeted Vicky personally. And at every store, Vicky made some selections. From baby clothes to a bassinet that would live at Vicky and Leo’s house if not at Tony and Melody’s, Melody got a deeper understanding as to the wealth at hand for the family her baby was being born into.

Vicky was particular about her decisions with regards to how to care for the items and their long-term sturdiness, but she didn’t seem to care about the price .

Melody got the impression that if the item was exactly what Vicky wanted, it could have been two dollars at a thrift store and Vicky would happily pay that and then give a donation to the charity running the shop.

Her phone pinged, and Melody looked down to see a text from Ana with more pictures of Button. Vicky looked over her shoulder. “Oh, how gorgeous. What kind of dog is that?”

Shrugging, Melody opened her text app to respond. “We don’t know for sure. The vet thinks at least partially lab and husky, but that’s more because my brother’s girlfriend has Button’s mom.”

“Button? Such a cute name. Wait, is that your dog?”

“Yep. Libby, my brother’s girlfriend, found Mayzie, the mom, on the side of the road. Turned out Mayzie had a litter of puppies with her, and Button was one of them. Libby fostered them all until the puppies could be adopted. Button was always mine, though.” She sent kissy face emojis to Ana and saved the photos to her phone.

“She looks like she’s a handful.”

Melody grinned and put her phone back into her bag. “She is, but I love her.” Making the decision on the figurine, she looked over at where Derek was standing. “I want to go back to one of the earlier stores to grab something for my friend who’s dog sitting for me. I won’t be long.”

The owner of this store had gone in back to find something Vicky had asked about. Derek frowned, but looked at Vicky. “I don’t like splitting up since you had that feeling earlier.”

“I haven’t felt it since. Promise. It will only take a few minutes. I know exactly what I want to get, and if it’s been sold since we left, I’ll come right back here.”

Derek’s lips thinned, but he nodded. “Fine. What’s your phone number? I’ll text you so you can save mine and call me if there are any issues.”

As soon as they had that sorted, Melody headed back to the store with the figurine.

It was as she was exiting the store, the figurine expertly boxed up and bagged, that she got the sensation again. But this time, it didn’t go away.

She moved to a small alley between stores and looked around. A man slithered out from behind a group of people walking past her on the sidewalk and taking photos, or maybe videos, of themselves.

His features were worn, the edges she remembered softened. It was how Eric would look in about twenty-five years if he didn’t give a fuck about himself or anyone else. Anger flashed through her.

“Melody.” His voice was grittier than she remembered, even though she’d only seen him a few months ago when he’d tried again to get money out of her mom. He stepped closer, and she stepped back, not wanting him in her personal space. The urge to place her hand over her stomach so that Peanut wouldn’t even feel his vibes was strong.

“Dad. Why are you here? How are you here?”

He grinned at her. It was the same grin she remembered as a kid when he said he had a new game to play and needed her “help”. “Just getting a taste of my new life.”

When he didn’t continue, Melody blinked. “Your new life? What the fuck are you talking about?”

He took another step closer, and she stepped back again. The sour scent of worn, unwashed clothes triggered her gag reflex. She swallowed it down as she wasn’t about to lose that peanut butter fig pastry. It had been too delicious to waste on her trash father.

“The new life you’re going to help me get.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Listen old man, I’ve been done with your shit for decades. Remember when you tried to hit Mom up for money a few months ago? I’ll do it. I’ll call the cops on your ass.”

His lips twisted and the asshole inside of him seeped out for all to see. He crowded up into her space and she moved back again until her back hit a wall. She winced, but didn’t want to touch him if she could avoid it. “Do it. I’ll go to the news sites. Tell them how you’re whoring yourself out to rich people to get that show you want. People like us don’t belong here unless we’re taking it for ourselves.” His face was inches away from her own, and she could see the calculation and the arrogance in his eyes.

Laughter burst from deep in her gut, surprising both herself and, from the look on his face, her DNA donor. “People like us? Jesus. I’m not like you. I will never be like you despite how much I tried to be as a kid. Gods. Why the hell had I ever thought if I tried hard enough, you’d love me? Get the fuck out of here. Don’t ever contact me again.”

He looked to the side, and a nasty smile bloomed on his face. Melody realized that as they’d been talking, she’d moved further back in the alley and couldn’t see who might be coming on the sidewalk. Shit.

She tried to slip out without touching him and head back to the front of the alley, but he grabbed the strap of her bag and pulled her back. He pushed her back up against the wall, her head bouncing a bit against the brick. His hands pushed against her shoulders, pinning her.

Peanut. She had to protect Peanut.

“You stay right where you are and listen to me, you little whore. You owe me. You owe me your life.”

“Fuck, no.” The training she’d done over the years flashed through her mind. Triggering muscles with no more than a brief thought. She bent down to one side, breaking his hold, and punched him in the face. Kept punching him.

“Ow.”

He crumpled back a bit, and she followed, still trying to punch him. Hurt him. All that training, all the courses had been for this moment. He wasn’t ever going to hurt her or her family again.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her off him. “No. Let me at him.”

“Help. Please help me, she was trying to mug me.”

Her mouth dropped even as she was maneuvered behind a large body that she realized a moment later was Derek.

“She was trying to mug you?”

“Yes. Call the cops. I want to press charges.”

“You fucking bastard.” She tried to get around Derek, but he kept her contained behind him. If he hadn’t been preventing her from saving the rest of the planet from the existence of her asshole father, she would have commended him for his bodyguard skills.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and she saw her father shift his eyes. “You watch her, and I’ll go sit over there. I don’t want to be around her. She’ll hurt me again.”

“You bet your ass I will.”

Derek looked over his shoulder and glared at her. “Ma’am. Please step to the side.”

The ma’am broke through the haze of her anger, and she realized that as he’d been giving her that instruction, he’d collared her father. Even thinking of him as such after what he’d just said and done made her nauseous again.

She stepped back. Realized that a crowd had gathered around them. Some in the crowd had their phones out. Shit. A soft hand lightly touched her upper arm. She jerked, raising her fist before she caught herself. It was a clerk from one of the stores they’d been in earlier. “Come sit down. The cops should be here in a minute.”

Melody spotted Vicky at the edge of the crowd, and she also nodded her head toward the store’s entrance. Looking back at Derek, she saw he had her father well in hand and off to the edge of the sidewalk near where a cop car was pulling up. She turned back to the clerk. “Thank you.”

The clerk’s smile was nearly feral. “We got an alert on our security camera feed that there was activity by our alley entrance and saw what happened. He shouldn’t have touched you.”

As they were about to enter the store, one of the other clerks ran out carrying a tablet and headed toward the cops. The clerk escorting her led her to what was likely the staff room. Vicky was already there. She came over, her hands outstretched. “Thank you so much for your help, Evan.”

Evan took her hands and leaned in to kiss Vicky’s cheeks as he had when she and Vicky had first visited the store. “For you? Always. I’m sure the cops are going to want to talk with your friend, so just stay here and I’ll bring them back. No need for you to do this out in public.”

He left them alone. Melody stared at Vicky. When the other woman enfolded her in a hug, she burst out into tears. She couldn’t have her own mother at the moment, but Tony’s mom was nearly as good.

“Oh, my dear. Who was that man? I’m so sorry we left you on your own.”

Melody began crying even harder, unable to answer. Vicky led her over to a small couch, and they sat down. When the tears finally subsided, she sat there in Vicky’s embrace, hollowed out.

“Let me get you some water.”

Melody nodded, but regretted it a moment later when Vicky let go of her. It felt like the older woman was the only thing keeping her upright. There was a knock on the door, and Evan stuck his head in. “The officers would like to speak with you.”

She swallowed, forcing the word out. “Okay.”

Evan looked a little worried, but opened the door further and two uniformed cops came in. Vicky shut the refrigerator door harder than she probably needed to, and both the cops froze as they spotted her. She brought the chilled bottle to Melody and sat back down next to her. Vicky’s smile was hard as she addressed the cops. “Officers. Have you arrested the man who assaulted my daughter-in-law?”

The older cop grimaced. “We’ve detained him, but we need to take a statement. He’s claiming she assaulted him.” The cop looked at Melody. “Do you know who the man is?”

She nodded. “My father. Rick Keller. You should check for any outstanding warrants.”