by Hadley Quinn
“Did you have a fight with Teague?” Melanie finally asked. “I heard loud voices.”
“And?”
“And what? No, I didn’t hear what it was about. I’m just wondering what I can do to help.”
Jay was silent for several blocks as he contemplated an answer. Finally he said, “He knows we’ve been sleeping together.”
“It’s none of his business,” she replied instantly. “Nor is it Camryn’s business.”
She sighed and shook her head, and Jay could totally understand how she felt. Camryn would give her the same crap that Teague had given him if she knew.
He reached over and grabbed her hand, and when she smiled at him, thoughts of anyone else disappeared. “You wanna get something to eat with me? I’m starving.”
“Yes,” she smiled bigger. “You choose, because I would eat anything right now, and probably two.”
“Hmm, not very picky, huh?”
“No,” she laughed. “I barely ate lunch because I knew Jordan was stopping by.”
“And why did he stop by, might I ask? What the hell does he need to see you for anyways?”
“I’m the one that asked him to stop by,” she admitted, turning to face him a little better. “I needed to just…tell him a few things and…”
“Tell him what?”
That I want him out of my life for good. He keeps bouncing around different ideas all the time. One minute he’s talking about paying child support and weekend visitations, the next he says he’s going to be touring and doesn’t have time for any of it. He wants me back, he doesn’t want me back, he wants to see his kid, he doesn’t want a kid… I can’t deal with the constant changes. And he needs to lay off the drugs. He needs to just step out of the picture and let me do this on my own. I can’t stand his texts and phone calls all the time. I told him so, and told him a bunch of other stuff, and I just need him to back the fuck off!”
Now that was grounds for pulling the car over. Jay never heard Melanie swear like that and it was a huge warning sign.
“Why are we stopping?” she asked with a frustrated sigh, looking at their surroundings. “This is a creepy neighborhood.”
“Because I’m missing something here and I’m not driving until it’s clear to me. I thought the whole point of meeting with Jordan before was to settle some things and get him to quit calling you. Isn’t that why your uncle met with you guys? To make sure it all got sorted out?”
She didn’t answer at first as she leaned her head against the window. Finally she said, “I didn’t know what I wanted at the time. All I established with him was that I wasn’t moving in with him. Maybe I had some hope that he would change, yes, because at the time I didn’t know if there were other possibilities. But this time I gave him my final answer and it was that I’m done dealing with him. I have better things in my life right now.”
She looked at him briefly and then straight ahead through the windshield. The reality of Teague’s words were finally starting to hit him when he realized how much he was impacting—or could impact—Melanie’s life. And not just hers, but everyone else’s—including a child’s. Would he always be there for her? Yeah, of course. But to what extent was he actually available? He was no more reliable than her loser ex, and as much as he liked the fact that she didn’t want to be with Jordan, Jay was starting to feel the pressure.
He was at a loss for words and decided to just pull away from the curb to head for home, but Melanie suddenly got out of the car. Jay thought maybe she was pissed with him for some reason, but then he heard her yelling at someone from the sidewalk.
Jay got out of the car to see what the hell was going on, just in time to see a guy kicking a dog one last time before he turned his attention to Melanie.
“What the hell are you doing to that poor thing?” she shouted at him, and then she marched down the sidewalk to the yard two houses down.
“Oh shit,” Jay murmured to himself. He rushed after her while she was still yelling for the guy to leave the dog alone. The asshole actually had the audacity to kick it again, just to spite her.
“Mind your own business, bitch,” he snarled at her. He snorted up some phlegm and spit it her direction.
“You’re a disgusting pig,” she said, and she kept walking toward him. “Give me the dog or I’ll call the police. That is not okay! You are abusing an innocent animal!”
“Mel, stay away from this guy,” Jay said quietly as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“Oh my God Jay, look at him,” she said. Her last few words choked up as she stared at the poor animal whimpering at his abuser’s feet.
Jay felt a cold chill go through him when he noticed how beat up the dog really was. He was not only lying on the ground submissively, but he looked battered with cuts and missing fur. His hindquarters on one side looked as if he’d been dragged along the cement until he bled, and one of his eyes was half shut.
“Get away from the dog,” he told the guy.
“Get the fuck off my property,” he spat back.
“I’m on a public sidewalk, asshole. And what you’re doing to that dog makes you a fucking coward. You’re not gonna touch him again, so it’s best you just walk away.”
The guy grabbed the dog by the neck. The animal let out a sharp yelp as he was brought to his feet, and that’s when Jay realized the dog was just an overgrown pup.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jay asked with disbelief. This asshole was seriously going to challenge him like this?
“Jay, I called the police,” Melanie said from behind him. “Please don’t do anything stu—”
“Get your fucking hands off the dog,” Jay said, coming across the yard. The guy let go of the dog to defend himself, but Jay didn’t go after him right away. He was more concerned with getting the poor dog out of harm’s way.
“I told you, you son-of-a-bitch!” some lady screamed from the front door. Jay hadn’t even realized she was there, but she barely had anything on and it was obvious she was drunk. “Take that fucking dog with you!” she yelled, flailing her arm. She dropped her cigarette on the porch and staggered to pick it up. “I don’t want it shitting all over the place anymore!”
“The goddamn dog is staying outside!” the guy yelled back at her. “So shut the fuck up and go inside!”
“You take that dog away,” she pointed at Jay, her eyes wide and crazy. “I mean it. Take it away!”
“Get yer ass inside, woman!” the guy shouted back.
While the two of them were bickering back and forth, Jay made a move to pick up the dog. The poor thing cowered from him, but Jay scooped him up and walked across the yard back to Melanie.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, dropping to her knees when Jay set the animal in the grass next to her.
At first she didn’t touch him. It was obvious she didn’t know where she could touch him. But she eventually placed a shaky hand on his head and lightly stroked a small area. He laid his head down like he was too tired and weak to keep it up.
“Hey, what the fuck!” the guy yelled, finally realizing that the dog was not under him anymore.
He started to come across the yard but Jay took two steps forward and said, “No way. You no longer have any rights to this dog, you motherfucker. You touch him, I will hurt you so fucking bad you’ll be coughing up your insides for days.”
“That’s my damn dog!” he yelled, even though he did stop coming toward them.
“Not anymore. He belongs to the state of California now, and you’ll have a nice time dealing with the authorities on that one.”
“Fuck you,” the guy laughed, just as an animal control truck pulled up to the curb. A police car was right behind it and pulled ahead, parking in front of it.
“Who the fuck called the cops?” the lady from the porch screamed. “Goddamn it, Bruce! I want you out of my fucking house along with that damn dog, you stupid asshole!”
“What’s the problem?” the police officer approached, stepping in betwe
en the two parties.
“They’re stealing my fucking dog!” the guy yelled, pointing at Jay.
The two animal control officers approached at the same time and spotted the dog on the ground next to Melanie. One of them asked her to move away from him and Jay heard the other one say, “Holy shit,” when she realized how awful the dog looked.
A second police officer approached Jay and asked, “What’s been going on?”
“We were on our way home when we noticed he was kicking the shit out of that dog,” Melanie answered instead. “I jumped out of the car and told him to stop and he wouldn’t. Do you see that poor thing? It can barely move!”
She was fully crying by then, so Jay slid his arm around her shoulder and held her close.
“Do you know these people?” the officer asked, motioning to the couple still arguing with each other and now the other cop.
“No, I live in Thousand Oaks,” Jay answered. “We were just heading home.”
“Can I see your ID please,” the officer stated.
Jay went through the motions of answering questions and dealing with the legal end of things. Animal control carefully put the dog in the back of the truck and tended to some of his wounds. They conferred with the police for a few minutes and then drove away.
“He’s going to be arrested, right?” Melanie asked the officer that told them they could now leave.
“He says the dog jumped out of a moving vehicle earlier today,” the officer shrugged. “We can’t know for sure if that’s true or not, but we can definitely take down your statement and file an official complaint. If you saw him abusing the animal, you can testify of it in court.”
“I’ll do it,” Melanie nodded.
“We’ll investigate further, talk to neighbors and such, but for now you two can leave.”
“What about the dog?” Melanie asked.
“The dog will be taken to the shelter and a vet will take care of him until he’s better.”
“They aren’t getting him back, right?” she asked firmly. “Because I’m not going to sleep, ever, if I know that poor thing might end up with that man again.”
“It’s not for me to say right now,” he shrugged. “Like I said, we’ll look into it further and let you know. But if it makes you feel better…no, I don’t think he’ll be getting the dog back.”
Jay could hear Melanie let out a sigh of relief. But what a long ass day it had been. He just wanted to go home and go to bed.
“And congratulations on the baby,” the officer added with a smile, nodding to Melanie’s stomach. “Another McCallan to add to the clan.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Melanie woke slowly, and stretched her sore body. It was her back, and she knew why. After the drama from the night before, she was so exhausted and crashed on Jay’s bed without an invitation. It wasn’t long before he was right there with her though, and he was cuddled up against her in various positions throughout the night.
But right now she could tell he wasn’t next to her, and when she rolled toward his side of the bed, the empty space confirmed it. The clock read 5:09, but Melanie got out of bed, used the bathroom, and then went to search for him. She couldn’t find him in the house, and finally went out back to his shop. The music was on, but not as loud as it usually was—probably because of the early morning hour. He was sitting on a stool next to the Boss, and it looked like he was just staring at the wheel.
“Hey,” she finally spoke softly.
He glanced up at her and paused for a few seconds, and then stood. “Hey. Did I wake you?” he looked at the clock on the shop wall.
“Mm, not sure. Unless your absence is what woke me,” she smiled.
He didn’t seem to catch the warmth in her comment because his expression was still cool. He picked up the stool and placed it against the wall but didn’t respond.
“What’s going on?” she finally asked. “I think you slept like shit last night, and now you’re out in your shop at dawn when you have to work in a couple of hours, if I’m not mistaken.” She came across the garage and stood in front of him. He was now leaning against the workbench, but looked totally and utterly lost. “Jay?”
He finally looked at her and shook his head. “Too much on my mind.” Moving for the stereo, he shut it off and made his way to the door. “Come on, it’s too cold in here for you.”
“I’m fine,” she protested, staying put. “Can’t you talk to me?”
“Uh, you look a little cold,” he motioned to her chest.
She glanced down at her t-shirt and rolled her eyes. “Quit changing the subject. Can you please tell me why you seem so agitated? I’m not gonna make you get all in-depth about it, but seriously just five words?”
“I’m not in a very comfortable place in my life, okay? I hate my new job. I just want things to be back to the way they were. And go ahead. Give me your thoughts.”
Melanie raised her eyebrows but wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to discuss anything with Jay. “Well…can you just talk to Beck? Maybe he just feels like a total asshole for what he said and he’s feeling too worried about talking to you about it. Maybe he’ll hear you out. You never know unless you try.”
Jay shook his head and let out a breath of air. “You know, I think about it all the time. It’s like…this feeling I have…like I need to talk to him. But honestly, I don’t know what to say. I just need more time—or maybe I’m just waiting for him to get fucked over by her, I don’t know, just to prove I’m right—but I don’t even know what to say. I’m not going to ask for my job back and I’m not going to apologize for something I didn’t do. So what else is there to say?”
Melanie took a moment to let her thoughts develop as she walked across the shop to him. “Well…maybe just say that you’re sorry you guys had a falling out? You don’t have to ask for your job back or apologize over what his bitch girlfriend did, but just say you wish you could move past it.”
Jay rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”
“Why? Because of your pride? Jay, some things are more important than your damn pride. Sometimes we have to look at our life and try to figure out what exactly is making us so miserable. If you say it’s your job, then do something about it. You can’t just sit around and wish someone would change on their own. Trust me, I know what it feels like to keep wishing and wishing that someone would just see things my way and…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence, even though Jay was watching her intently. Here she was lecturing him about his relationship with Beck and she should be following her own advice with him.
“I think you should just stop by and talk to Beck,” she said instead. “You never know, he just might be ready to listen. And if he’s not, then that’s his loss and you at least tried. You can’t make people change.”
The last sentence was almost a whisper, but even though she felt on the verge of totally breaking down in front of him, she held back. She wanted him to be happy first and foremost, and if it meant regaining his friendship with Beck and getting his job back, that’s what she needed to focus on first.
“Yeah, it’s kind of cold out here,” she forced a smile, rubbing her arms vigorously to change the subject. She stepped by Jay to head for the house and said, “I didn’t mean to bother you if you need to stay out here. I just wanted to check on you.”
He shut the door behind them and shook his head. “Nah, I was just thinking and there’s nothing more to think about right now. It hasn’t done me any good. But thanks for the advice, pretty girl,” he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You sure you didn’t go to college?”
She laughed and shook her head as they walked to the house. “It’s called life experience, yo. I’ve got it. Well…some, at least,” she chuckled.
“Hey, you’re young. Plenty of time to experience a lot of shit in your life.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” she replied dryly. “Um, can I make some eggs or something? I’m starvi
ng.”
Jay stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her. “Already?”
“Shut up!” she laughed, shoving him. “I was too irritated to eat much on the way home last night. All I could think about was that poor dog, and even now it just makes me sick.”
“Yeah, I know,” he agreed, heading for the kitchen. He opened the fridge in search of food but failed to find any eggs. “You’ve got yogurt in here. Want that?”
“Sure,” she answered, just as Tyse came around the corner.
He glanced at them both and it looked as if he’d literally just crawled out of bed. “Why the hell are you guys up so early? It’s Saturday.”
“I’m up this early a lot, just out in the shop,” Jay replied. He came across the kitchen and stood right in front of Melanie, almost chest to chest. “Why don’t you finish getting dressed and I’ll find something for us to eat.”
When he glanced down at her chest again, she had to refrain from laughing. She felt quite pleased that he didn’t want Tyse seeing her girls nipping out.
“Okay,” she answered, and she kissed him on the cheek for good measure. His smile was adorable and totally heart stopping. How a person could be affected by that just wasn’t fair.
By the time she came out of the bedroom, Tyse was the one in the kitchen making bacon. It smelled so good her mouth watered and she asked, “Do you keep a secret stash?”
He smiled and answered, “Of food? Nah. Jay just doesn’t look very hard. Take your pick of cereal, and there are a few pieces of bread left if you want toast.”
She helped herself and sat at the counter. “Where’s Jay?”
“Went back out to his shop.”
She contemplated that silently. She would definitely give him space, but wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do until she had to go to work at two. Already she was exhausted, so the idea of going back to bed was appealing, but she mainly didn’t feel like returning to Teague’s to face a firing squad.
But she helped Tyse clean up the kitchen after they ate, and even though she knew Jay hadn’t eaten yet, she didn’t take anything to him. She’d probably interrupted his time earlier and didn’t want to do it again.