by Hadley Quinn
There was a long pause before Serena answered, “Can we stop talking about this? Your father is dead, rest his soul. I don’t want to talk about him right now.”
“Fine, and I don’t want to talk period.”
When Melanie rounded the corner, she saw Jay leaning against the wall just as Serena said, “At least Camryn has forgiven me, why can’t you?”
Melanie closed her eyes as she let out a breath of air, but when she opened them, they automatically locked with Jay’s. Her eyes were like molten emeralds any time she was pissed, and if Jay were to actually be honest with himself, sometimes it turned him on.
But this time he could tell it was a moment to bridle that part of him.
“That was before you didn’t even show up for her wedding,” Melanie sighed over her shoulder. She made it to the basement door and to Jay whispered, “Can we go, please?”
“Grady can’t make it tonight,” he answered. “He’s having a fucking party and too drunk to go anywhere.”
Melanie sighed and bit her lip. “But he can help in the morning, though?”
“Yeah, he’ll be here in the morning. I can go crash at his place until then and—”
“You are not leaving me here,” she cut in quickly, clutching his forearm tightly with her hand. “Please, Jay. I can’t be here with her, and I don’t care how childish that sounds. And this house is just too big and…spooky.”
The corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile. “Spooky?”
“You already know I don’t like the dark,” she countered.
“Yes, you sleep with a Snoopy nightlight.”
“So?” she chuckled good-naturedly. “What’s cooler? A seashell? Lighthouse?”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” he laughed.
“Well even so, I hate big empty houses like this. Let me come with you.”
“Grady’s got a bunch of people at his house. I don’t want you around his drunk friends, so you’re staying here.”
“Then you can drop me off at a motel because I am not staying here,” she stated.
She headed down the stairs before he was able to argue that she was being a pain in the ass.
“Melanie, slow the fuck down,” Jay called. She’d already booked it down the stairs, and when he made it to the garage again, she was packing another box of parts. She was visibly rattled about the prospect of him leaving her behind. With a sigh, he took the box from her and set it against the wall with the others and said, “Come on, hon, we’ll go.”
She didn’t bother to question him and followed him out a back door. After walking to Teague’s truck in silence, Jay backed the trailer into the driveway to leave it behind, and ten minutes later they walked right into Grady’s house that was bustling with various guests.
“Oh fuck, you really are here!” a loud voice exclaimed.
Grady walked across the room, his slight limp apparent. He had almost gone pro in football, but a serious car accident had left him with a hip replacement and pins in his leg. Jay had worked with the guy in his family’s auto shop when he’d lived in Oregon with Teague for almost a year, and he’d quickly become friends with him. Grady was good people, but he could get a bit rambunctious when he was drunk.
Jay noticed Melanie cringe when Grady slapped him on the back forcefully.
“So who is this gorgeous creature?” Grady smiled at her. His dark eyes looked her up and down eagerly, but Jay knew he would never be that bold and blatant if he weren’t drunk.
“This is Melanie,” Jay introduced. “Mel, meet Grady. And if he or any of his dickhead friends make you feel uncomfortable, I will beat the shit out of him without a thought.”
This was the truth, even though Jay gave his friend a playful smirk.
Grady held up his hands and shook his head. “You know I wouldn’t do it on purpose,” he chuckled. Looking at Melanie he said, “I apologize in advance. I do get a little stupid when I’ve been drinking. That’s why I only do it in my own house, just like this douchebag,” he nudged Jay.
Jay cleared his throat uncomfortably, especially because Melanie gave him a funny look. Lately he hadn’t been so smart about it and he knew that she was already aware of that. “Uh, you still got that futon in your workout room?” he asked Grady. “I’m gonna let Melanie crash there.”
“Oh, yeah, sure, sure,” Grady nodded. “You know where the blankets are, right? Pillows and shit are in the, you know, the door thingy…”
“Yeah, okay,” Jay smiled, shaking his head. “Why don’t you go sit down for a bit, pal. I’ll talk to you later.”
Grady offered an awkward bow at the waist to Melanie and said, “Make yourself at home, gorgeous. Mi casa is…uh…” His face scrunched up as he concentrated on his next words.
“Yeah, okay,” Jay chuckled, pushing him upright and toward the couch. “Go chill for a bit.” Once Grady was situated, Jay looked at Melanie and said, “Sorry about that.”
“You’re apologizing for that?” she smiled. “He has to be the sweetest drunk guy I’ve ever been around. You must be forgetting my stupid past, Jay. I’ve seen it all. Trust me.”
“Well it doesn’t mean you need to again,” he replied dryly.
He motioned for her to follow him down a hallway. They came across a couple in the way, practically mauling each other with their hands and mouths. The guy was grabbing for a door handle at the same time, trying to slip inside a room.
“Fuck no, asshole,” Jay warned him, shoving him three feet the opposite direction. “Go do that shit in your own house.”
The guy was about to retort something back, but changed his mind when he got a better look at Jay staring him down. He made the smart choice by turning away to leave the scene, but the girl glanced behind to glare at Melanie for some reason, and then gave her a snotty smile as Jay opened the same door to enter the room.
Melanie smiled right back at the chick and blatantly flipped her off.
Amused, Jay playfully pushed her into the weight room and switched the light on. “No starting fights, my pretty girl.”
“Oh, but you can?” she countered back.
“I wasn’t starting a fight,” he stated plainly. “You think that guy was going to argue with me?”
“No,” she smiled. “You intimidate people and you know it.”
“I use my assets to my advantage. So what?”
“Which assets would those be? Your arrogance or your fearless nature?”
“You make those sound like bad things,” he grinned at her.
Melanie gave him a weak smile in return and took a look around the small room that contained a weight bench and a rack of free weights. The space doubled as a guest room since it also had a futon and an end table with a lamp.
Jay glanced around the room for a second and then opened a closet near him. He grabbed a couple of blankets and a few pillows and tossed them on the couch, but just kind of stood there because he didn’t know what else to say.
Didn’t matter because the door flung open and banged against the wall. Some guy without a shirt on stood there, blinking as he looked them both over with a confused expression. His gaze settled on Melanie again and then he smiled as he tried to lean suavely against the doorframe but missed.
“Get the fuck out!” Jay yelled at him, coming across the room to shove him out.
“Wait!” the guy said, stumbling into the hall. “I’m just looking for the bathroom!”
“It’s behind you, dipshit.” Jay slammed the door shut and shook his head.
“Does that door have a lock on it?” Melanie asked.
Jay glanced down at it and sighed. “No, it doesn’t.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay. I’ll just mace the first idiot that walks through the door, male or female.” She reached into her purse that was slung over her shoulder and pulled out a small can of it. “See?”
“You know how to use it?”
“You want me to test it on you?” Melanie raised an eyebrow.
Jay smiled, but the fat
igue from the long drive was starting to set in and he rubbed both hands over his face.
Melanie pulled the futon away from the wall and released the latch to turn it into a bed. As she spread one of the blankets over it she said, “Here, come lay down. You need to sleep. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
He laughed and said, “You’re not sleeping on the fucking floor. Goodnight, pretty girl,” he called over his shoulder as he turned for the door. “Bring your mace if you have to use the bathroom. Or just yell for me, I’ll be around the corner out on the couch.”
“Jay,” she sighed as she sat on the bed.
He faced her again, and instead of the smartass retort he was expecting from her, she looked worried. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I swear no one will bother you. I’ll sit outside the door if you want.”
She shook her head with a laugh while placing two of the pillows side-by-side, and then dropped the third one on top. “Come lay by me. I need proper back support.”
“That thing will barely fit me let alone both of us.”
“Don’t make me beg, Jay,” she playfully moaned. “I’m going to use the bathroom quick if that dumbass is out, and then we can sleep together,” she added with a chuckle.
He barely cracked a smile as she left the room, but as she crossed the hall for the bathroom he said, “You sure as hell will beg.”
Her laughter was heard until the bathroom door closed behind her.
But hell, she wanted him to sleep in here with her? He wouldn’t be able to handle being stuck on a tiny bed with her the entire night. She’d fallen asleep near him and even on him while watching TV before, but it always made him feel uncomfortable. He’d last about fifteen minutes before he had to slip away from her. Small spaces and confinement with a female… He never fared well.
When Melanie returned to the room, he was still standing in the same exact place she left him. She stopped in front of him, seeming to question his unease, but eventually passed him for the futon.
“I know you don’t like ‘cuddled’ Jay, so I won’t touch you, I promise. You can stick a pillow between us if you’re going to be a baby about it.”
He smiled at the fact that she’d turned her back to him, just to hide her own smile. “You’d put the pillow there just so you weren’t tempted to grope me,” he bantered back. “Don’t make it sound like I’m the one with issues.”
Her laugh was dainty as she lay on the bed and patted the space beside her. “Fine, I’ll admit to that. But I’m tired and I guarantee I’ll be out within five minutes. Come on, Jay. Don’t keep me awake.”
“You’re gonna be kept awake anyways, honey,” he answered as he flipped off the light. Enough light from a streetlamp came through the window so he could find a spot next to her and he added, “I’m not a peaceful sleeper.”
“I’ll be fine,” she murmured, adjusting the pillows to her liking.
Jay was on his back with his hands behind his head. Melanie was turned away from him but there was literally only six inches of space between them. The third pillow that was supposed to have a particular purpose was now hugged to the chest of his beautiful bed buddy and there was nothing separating the two of them.
After almost a minute of awkward silence he said, “I’m sorry things aren’t right with your mom, Melanie. I know what it’s like.”
He thought she was already asleep since she didn’t answer at first. But finally she moved slightly and sighed. “My mom told me that I was a mistake,” she responded quietly. “Not once, not twice, but a handful of times that I can specifically remember growing up. Who would ever tell a child that? She said it to Camryn too, but apparently I’m the only one that can’t seem to let it go.”
Jay let the words settle for a minute before he could reply. He’d never really fit into the McCallan family sometimes, but even though he’d blamed his dad for that, it was usually his own actions that made him feel disconnected. His grandpa had reached out to him countless times but he’d been too stubborn to realize it at the time.
“How old were you the first time she said it?” he asked, not even knowing why it would matter or if she even knew.
After a brief pause she answered, “It was the first day of kindergarten. I couldn’t tie my shoes, I didn’t have my hair brushed, and my clothes didn’t match. All she did was point out all of those things and yell at me for not being ready like Camryn was, and then I cried. So while my sister helped me get ready, all my mom did was bitch the entire time that we were mistakes and if we hadn’t been born, she’d being off doing this and that. I don’t understand what the issue was in the first place. Camryn was the one that ended up picking up the slack. I never felt that my mom loved me as much as my sister did. And I look back at all the shit that I put Cam through, all because I didn’t even know who I was or where I belonged, and I feel so…bad. She didn’t have to step up like that.”
“Yes she did, because she loves you,” Jay answered quietly. “And she doesn’t regret it, Mel. I know that for a fact because I’ve heard her say it so many times.”
“Really?” Melanie’s voice was barely a whisper.
Jay turned onto his side so he was facing her back. “Yeah, hon. Really.”
Several seconds of silence passed between them before Melanie sighed again. “My sister is amazing. She’s the strongest, most forgiving person I know.”
Jay couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “You two are so much alike, don’t you realize that?”
“Me and Cam? No, she’s smart and independent. I’ve never really thought over my choices sometimes because I was just willing to find the next thing that made me happy. I felt like I deserved to do whatever I wanted because I had such a lonely childhood growing up. I just wanted to be accepted by whoever would accept me, even if I had to make things up. I know better now, but Camryn has always put other people first. She’s inspiring and I wish I were more like her.”
“And there are things about you that she admires as well. The point is…we all make changes and progress at different intervals, Mel. Everyone’s trails are blazed a different way. You can only move forward and use what you’ve got inside you to get where you want to be. It’s different for everyone. Do we fuck up along the way? Hell yes. But when you can pick yourself up on your own and move on…that’s where tenacity separates the losers from the winners. You’re doing that, and I admire you for it. You’re an inspirational person, whether you realize it or not.”
Melanie was quiet for the next two minutes, and Jay thought that she’d fallen asleep. But just when he was about to return to his back, she softly said, “I will never ever make this baby feel like he or she isn’t wanted or loved. Never.”
It wasn’t just a statement but a promise, and Jay knew that she meant it. His hand slid across her waist and settled on her stomach out of instinct. “This baby is lucky to have you for a mom, sweetheart. You’re gonna give him—or her—an amazing life. I have no doubt.”
When she didn’t respond, he went to remove his hand but she stopped him by placing hers on top and she held it there. Jay waited for the awkward tension to settle in but it didn’t. He was actually comfortable lying there with his arm around a female that had become one of his best friends.
“Jay?”
“Yeah, hon.”
“Your voice is extremely sexy in the dark.”
He lightly laughed but absolutely loved the compliment. “I try, just for you,” he teased.
Chapter Nine
Jay was up at dawn, and even though he believed he actually slept a few hours, he felt like strange dreams and thoughts had been going through his head all night.
He carefully slid off the futon and left Melanie asleep. She looked so tiny wrapped around a pillow to the point it was barely visible, and he pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.
Jay walked through the house in search of Grady. The place was a mess and there were a couple of guys still around, crashed on various couches or chairs. He finally found Grady asleep on
his own bedroom floor. Jay helped himself to the shower, and when he came out, his buddy was somewhat sitting upright on the bed.
“You two comfortable enough last night?” Grady asked Jay. “Wish I had a spare bedroom, bro.”
“Nah, it was fine.”
“Where’d you sleep?”
“Uh, on the futon.”
“I thought your friend was sleeping there,” he stated sleepily, and then he chuckled. “Ah, I see.”
“No, you don’t see, fucker,” Jay laughed.
“She’s a babe, man. You cannot stand there and tell me the two of you are just friends. Don’t lie to me, Jay.”
“I’m not lying,” Jay answered. “Melanie knows me as well as you do, so obviously she knows what to avoid. Anyways, clear your mind and meet me at her mom’s house in an hour, okay? I need to get on the road.”
“Yeah, okay man,” Grady stood. He was heading for the bathroom as Jay left the room.
***
They’d been an hour into the ride home to California and Melanie still had barely said a word. Jay knew that after she took a shower at her mom’s, she talked to Serena most of the time Jay and Grady were loading the Boss onto the car trailer. Her expression was neutral when she finally came outside, so he didn’t know how it went. But the fact that she’d been silent around him pretty much told enough.
It was nine in the morning, and even though he wanted to keep driving, he pulled into the parking lot of an IHOP. Finally a smile appeared on Melanie’s face when she said, “Oh thank heavens, my baby wants stuffed French toast sooo bad.”
After that, the ride returned to normal.
When Jay backed the car trailer up to his detached garage, it was almost two in the morning. He felt like he hadn’t slept for two days, which was pretty much the truth. He mumbled some instruction that Melanie would have to wait until the morning before he took her home to Teague’s, but he didn’t even remember crashing on his bed until he woke up beside her. Well, not exactly beside her… What the fuck, he was spooning her. But not only that, his hand was wedged between her legs. Thank God she still had pants on, but Jay knew how touchy feely he was when he was drunk with alcohol—or in this case, exhaustion.