If You Believe

by Mya O'Malley

  “Jack.” She was at a loss for words, feeling his cheekbones, his chin. She reached for his messy light brown hair and cried.

  Sighing deeply, he released his breath. “I wanted you to be happy, Melody. I feel your sadness every single day. I tried to help you feel love again,” he explained, brushing her auburn locks from her eyes.

  She listened to him gather his strength to continue. “You were always so stubborn, Melody, so stubborn.” Shaking his head, he wiped a snowflake from her nose, smiling down at her. “I wanted you to fall in love again, and I had this chance, to make it happen before midnight on Christmas Eve.” He smoothed her hair and pulled her tightly against his chest, breathing her in. He didn’t want to let go.

  “Jack,” Melody cried through tears. “Jack, I didn’t want anybody else, I didn’t want to forget you.”

  “Sweetheart, don’t you see? You have enough room in that heart of yours for more than just me. I want you to love again. I’ll never let anyone have that spot in my heart that belongs to you, and I’m sure you feel the same way.” He kissed her streaming tears. She gazed up and saw his own tears falling.

  “Melody, promise me. I can’t be here anymore and I don’t want to worry about you. Promise me that you’ll open your heart to love.”

  Shaking her head firmly, Melody gulped. “You can’t rush love, don’t you see?” she cried.

  “Melody, what I do see is that you have already started to open your heart just a little bit. Open it for him, Melody. Adrian is a good guy.”

  But of course he would know about Adrian. He had pretty much found Adrian, thinking he was pushing them together. All along, she and Adrian had discovered each other on their own. What were the chances? Melody’s vision was clouded; all she saw right now was her husband, standing before her. If ever she felt down, if ever she doubted herself she need only think of this moment and she knew that it would help her be strong. It would help her carry on.

  Looking up at him once more in the lights and colors shining from the tree, he kissed her once again, gently. His blue eyes sparkled with unconditional love. She reached for him, but he had started fading. “Jack, don’t go,” she called out, her arms in the air, grasping for her husband.

  Blowing her a kiss, he said the last words that she would hear from him on Earth. “I love you, My Lady.”

  “ I love you, Jack,” she whispered, falling to her knees in the freshly fallen snow. “I love you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I’ll be right there,” she called from the kitchen. It was eleven o’clock the next morning. She had asked Adrian to swing by on the way to his parents’ house. She wanted to give him his gift. Feeling as nervous as a schoolgirl, she ran to the bathroom and took a last look in the mirror at her complexion. With the exception of faint dark circles under her eyes, she supposed she looked okay. It had been difficult to sleep last night. Her mind was tangled with the events of the night. Something told her that she would be okay. As if gathering strength that she had gotten from Jack, she answered the door.

  “Adrian. Come on in.” She reached up to kiss him quickly on the lips, letting in the cold air. Looking outside her door, she delighted in seeing that it had snowed at least four more inches overnight.

  Adrian wiped his boots on the outdoor mat, stepped inside and removed his boots before walking up the stairs, following Melody. “Can I get you something? Coffee, tea?” He placed a bag he had been holding on the counter and then pulled her close from behind.

  “No thanks. I just wanted to see you,” he mumbled into her hair.

  Turning around, Melody felt shy. “I have a little something for you.” She winked.

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “I wanted to. Here, open it.” She grabbed the wrapped gift from the kitchen table and waited for him to open it. She was more excited to watch him open it than she had been to receive her own gift. Adrian fumbled with the wrapping, finally opening the boxed set of books. His face lit up as he read the back cover of the first book in the series.

  “Do you like it?” She needed to know.

  “My students have been talking about this. How did you know?” he asked.

  “Ah, call it intuition.” She laughed. Adrian surprised her with a kiss. It was playful at first but then melted into something more serious.

  “I have something for you, too,” he told Melody when he finally released her.

  “But you already gave me something.”

  “I know, but I had to give this to you.” He grabbed his bag from the counter and took out a present wrapped in bright green holiday paper.

  She opened it carefully and was presented with a photo of herself and Lanie. It was taken at the park. Adrian had asked her to pose with the dog and he had snapped a picture of them using his cell phone camera. Melody had almost forgotten about the photo. In it she had her arm wrapped around the dog, smiling widely.

  “I love it,” she gushed, holding it out in front of her.

  “I thought you would.” Adrian hugged her close. “Look, Melody, I have to go, but I want to ask you something.” He suddenly appeared serious.

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Remember when I told you that I would be going upstate, to my friend’s cabin for New Year’s? Just me and Lanie?” he asked, holding her hands.

  “Yeah, sure.” She remembered him mentioning it when they were at Morgan’s Pub.

  “Well, if you don’t have any other plans, I’d love for you to join us. It would just be for two nights.” He glanced down at her expectantly, his gray eyes hopeful, waiting for her response.

  Her first instinct was to make an excuse, say she was busy, that she had plans with Cassie. Jack’s warm eyes and grin came to mind, as if urging her to accept. This would be a good first step in opening her heart just a little bit for Adrian.

  “Yes, I’d love to come with you,” she stated softly, her eyes reaching his.

  Adrian released a breath and grabbed her tight. If she wasn’t careful she could see herself falling for him. She smiled as the thought warmed her.

  “Great! Listen, I have to go. I’ve got a road trip to Pennsylvania ahead of me. I’ll be staying the night, but if it’s okay with you, can I give you a call later tonight?”

  “I’d like that very much.”

  He kissed her once more on the mouth, and if anything, the passion was only growing between the two. “Merry Christmas, beautiful, I’ll miss you,” he breathed.

  “Merry Christmas, safe ride. I’ll miss you, too.” She saw him to the door and watched him put his boots back on. He was so handsome, with his dark hair and sexy grin. Melody said good-bye and turned to watch him walk down her path toward his car, thinking that perhaps her heart had just grown a little bigger.

  * * * *

  She had anticipated his call all day long. Christmas had been wonderful. From the looks on her parents’ faces, she knew that she appeared happier, more carefree. Adrian had texted her before dinner, telling her he had arrived safely and looked forward to speaking with her later that night. Looking around the table at the faces of her family, she knew that she was a lucky woman. It had taken her a while to come out of the darkness, but slowly, she was getting there. She had Jack to thank for that.

  Now that she was home and settled, Melody was eager to catch up on some reading before calling it a night. She knew that she would be alone in the house tonight. Cassie and Trent had plans to stay over at his place tonight, celebrating Christmas together. Melody was just getting into her pajamas when Adrian called.

  “I’ve missed you. How was your Christmas?”

  “Adrian. It was good, how was yours?” Adrian proceeded to tell Melody all about his family dinner, including what he bought for his nieces and nephews. Melody enjoyed just listening to the sound of his husky voice, his easy laughter. She found herself laughing alongside him.

  The conversation took a more serious turn as Adrian lowered his voice. “When can I see you? As ridiculous as it sound
s, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  Melody felt her heart skip a beat and sucked in her breath. “I don’t know. When are you coming back, tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be home tomorrow night. I would love to stop by on my way home if you don’t mind,” he offered.

  “I’d like that,” Melody said quietly. There was a brief pause before the conversation continued.

  “I’m going to say good night now, beautiful.” His sexy voice filled the air.

  “Good night. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered into the phone.

  “I love you,” Adrian whispered to her. Melody didn’t speak. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest. Her pulse sped up as she gulped.

  “Good night, Adrian.” Placing the phone down softly, she sat on her bed and stared straight ahead.

  * * * *

  Melody was filled with excitement and apprehension. New Year’s Eve had arrived. She and Adrian had finished unpacking their overnight bags in the upstate New York cabin. It was a cozy, tiny cottage looking out at a lake. The lake was frozen over and there was several more inches of snow covering the ground than back home. Their plans were to relax at the cabin and have dinner at a place in town. The restaurant only stayed open until eleven o’clock, but Melody was okay with that. She had always preferred ringing the new year in at home anyway.

  Melody felt that she had grown closer to Adrian in the last week or so. The couple had spent practically every night together since Christmas. Melody had yet to open up and share her feelings about him, but she sensed that he was a patient man. The day flew by as Adrian, Melody and Lanie enjoyed the outdoors. Lanie was a bundle of energy, romping through the deep snow. The evening approached as anticipation filled the air.

  The setting of the restaurant was romantic. Isabelle’s was a tiny, Italian restaurant that was known for their delicious homemade pasta. The place was crowded, but Adrian had reserved a special table for two by the front window, overlooking the snowy street.

  “This is perfect.” Melody sighed, looking out at the snow.

  Adrian grabbed her hand, his gaze steady. “I’m so happy to be here with you tonight.”

  She swallowed and gazed at him. He looked sexy in his black dress shirt and slacks. The candlelight on the table made his eyes a lighter gray.

  “Tell me, Melody. What is it that you want?” He studied her intently.

  Feeling shy, she glanced at her menu, fidgeting.

  “I’m sorry if this makes you feel funny, it’s just that I want to know what you’re thinking, what you want.”

  “I want…” She thought her answer through carefully. “I want to be happy.”

  “Melody, I could make you happy,” he spoke, grabbing her hand from across the table.

  “You do,” she stated softly, gazing up at him.

  “If you would just let me, Melody, I swear I would never let you down, I would never hurt you,” he promised.

  “I know.” She was feeling uncomfortable having this discussion right here in the restaurant, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Truth was, she had been doing a lot of soul searching and she knew that if anybody was going to make her happy, it would be Adrian. She was falling for him, and it scared her.

  Adrian changed the subject. “Since we don’t have a television, I figured we’d turn on the radio and ring in the New Year.” That was one of the things she liked best about him, the way he sensed when she needed time, space.

  “That sounds wonderful.” It truly did.

  * * * *

  After they arrived home from dinner, they took Lanie out for a walk. Hand in hand, they walked in a comfortable silence. Melody enjoyed being in Adrian’s company, no matter what they did together. It was close to midnight. Adrian found the old radio that was in the kitchen cupboard. Plugging it in, he found a station that played holiday music.

  “Should I light a fire?” He glanced at Melody.

  “Of course, New Year’s wouldn’t be complete without a fire.” She watched Adrian as he made the fire. She couldn’t help but notice how attractive he looked in the dark, romantic cabin. The radio played top Christmas songs as they cuddled on the couch, opening a bottle of champagne.

  “Care to dance?” Adrian wiggled his eyebrows. Melody glanced outside and saw new snow falling steadily to the ground. Adrian turned up the radio and opened the door. He bowed and invited Melody to join him outside. Melody burst out laughing, but followed him.

  The frigid air silenced Melody as the music changed its mood from upbeat, to soft and slow. “Please Come Home for Christmas” sounded better to her ears than it ever had, even coming from the tinny sounding old radio. Adrian clutched her tighter as she shivered, silently gazing up at the sky and the falling snow. She felt a tear as she drew in her breath. “Good-bye, Jack,” she mouthed silently, pressing closer to Adrian. She knew that she was finally at home in his arms.

  Coming from the radio inside, the song was interrupted with a countdown to New Year’s. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… Happy New Year!” the radio announcer shouted while “Old Lang Syne” crooned from the speaker.

  “Adrian?” Melody sank her head to his shoulder while they danced slowly.

  “Yes?” he asked, never taking his arms from around her.

  “I love you.”

  Epilogue

  He watched them dancing in the snow as his last tear fell. He hadn’t succeeded in making her fall in love by Christmas Eve, but he figured at that point she was well on her way. Better late than never, he sighed. New Year’s Eve was as good a time as any to fall in love.

  He wouldn’t worry about his Melody anymore; she was safe and happy, all that he could have hoped for. “Good-bye, My Lady.”

  About the Author

  Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students.

  Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her fifth novel.

  Also from Mya O’Malley

  Chapter One

  Was it truly such a horrible idea? Annie shook her head at the thought that was slowly creeping into her mind. Online dating? She would have never thought in a million years she would even consider such a possibility. But honestly, was there any other choice for finding a relationship in this day and age? Annie sighed dramatically to herself, she was divorced and alone. Sure, she had friends, but they were busy with their husbands and children. Finding love wasn’t so easy the second time around, was it? No it wasn’t, but Annie was a romantic at heart. She held out for finding the perfect man, if he even existed. She was just kidding herself, but still…

  Humming, Annie brewed a cup of coffee as she perused the morning newspaper. Suddenly realizing she had read the same paragraph about a local school charity at least five times, she folded the paper with a huff and pushed it aside. Her mind wandered back to the lingering possibility of finding true love online. Samantha, her best friend, had met her husband on one of those sites that advertise finding your perfect soul mate. Samantha and Terry were certainly compatible, but it hadn’t been an easy journey. Samantha had been through an endless stream of dates; the list was actually quite hilarious. There was that professor who wanted to marry Samantha after exactly three dates and then there was the teacher who forgot her name all the time because he was on a different date almost every night. Yeah, so why would she want to put herself
through that?

  As if her hand had a mind of its own, Annie reached for her laptop on the kitchen counter. It came to life with a hum as Annie drummed the table with her fingers and sipped at her steaming coffee. Typing in the name of the site in which Samantha had met Terry, she glanced around sheepishly, as if somebody would discover her secret, even though she lived in her apartment alone. Well, she was alone, technically, except for her young black and white cat, Cleo.

  Cleo bounced along her keyboard, his long, bushy tail brushing across Annie’s face while purring loudly. Annie hated to disappoint him, but he was not allowed to walk on her computer.

  “Off, Cleo. Scoot.” She brushed him aside.

  The site presented itself in full glory. She was prompted to type in her gender and age. Annie typed her age into the space and cringed. Twenty- nine years old. Almost the big 3-0, she squirmed at the frightening thought. Forcing her mind on the task at hand, she perused the website. The choices made her giggle and whistle softly under her breath. There was a full spectrum of possibilities here, from the professional to the rugged workman. This could prove to be interesting. Annie’s grin spread across her face.

  “Well … here goes nothing!” She typed in her basic information and waited for the computer to register her input. Within seconds, several pages filled with men in her area popped up.

  “This is just incredible.”

  Annie was jolted back into reality as her cell chirped beside her.

  “Hello, Sammy.”

  “Hey, what’s going on? You were supposed to pick me up a half an hour ago.”

  Annie glanced at her kitchen clock and sprang from her seat. Her coffee mug tipped over as the warm liquid spilled across her thighs. She dropped her cell on the table.

  “Oh!” Running for the paper towels, Annie scrambled to mop up the mess. She realized that her friend was still waiting on the phone and sighed in disgust.