Pretty Ever After (Chicago Nights Book 3)

by Tabatha Kiss

  “So, are you still moving?” Trix asks.

  “No,” I say. “I’m going to stay. I want to try to make it work with this new and improved Robbie.”

  Nora swoons. “I’m so thrilled for you guys.”

  “Me, too,” Trix says.

  I smile.

  They gaze at me for a few moments more. I suppose it is a lot to take in. It’ll take a while for me to get used to it myself.

  Trix reaches for her phone. “Let’s listen to it again.”

  “Okay!” Nora says.

  “How about no,” I say.

  Nora’s bright expression drops. She shifts backward, making her chair fall over behind her as she stands out of fear. Trix and I follow her eye line as a man approaches the table with wide, purposeful strides. He’s lanky with dirty jeans and an untucked shirt. Not the kind you’d expect at an upscale place like Moira’s.

  He glares at Nora. “Where’s Clive?” he asks.

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” Nora says.

  “Where is Clive?”

  “Trix, call the police.”

  Trix grabs her phone off the table and quickly rises from her chair. “I’ll get the manager, too,” she says as she takes the long way around him.

  The man sneers, annoyed. “Don’t call the police!” he says, drawing the attention of neighboring tables. “I just want to speak to my friend.”

  “He’s not your friend anymore,” Nora says, her voice shaking. “You can’t be here, Alex. You’re violating our restraining order right now. Please, leave.”

  Alex.

  The man who broke into her apartment to try to steal her client list.

  “I wouldn’t have to violate anything if you’d just stop being a little bitch and tell me where I can find Clive,” he says.

  “No,” Nora says. “You got what you wanted. You’re a free man. Just go away and leave us alone.”

  “I can’t,” he says, his tone desperate. “I’m walking, but I ain’t free.”

  “Not my problem.”

  Trix returns with her phone to her ear and several cafe employees, including the manager.

  “Sir,” the manager says. “You’re bothering our customers. I have to ask you to leave.”

  Alex doesn’t move. “I’ll leave as soon as Ms. Payne here tells me what I want to know.”

  I reach for Nora’s trembling hand as she struggles to stay calm.

  The manager steps forward. “Leave now or you will be arrested for trespassing.”

  Alex bites down, his dark eyes never leaving Nora as he eases back. “This isn’t over,” he says, pointing at her.

  He spins around and shoves his way through the manager and others on his way toward the exit.

  Once he’s out of sight, Nora’s shoulders drop. Her knees buckle and she leans on the table to keep herself propped up, but only just barely.

  I stand, quickly moving to hold her up. “Nor, it’s okay,” I whisper. “He’s gone.”

  She buries her face in my shoulder. Trix picks up Nora’s toppled chair and sits it upright. We guide Nora onto it as the manager travels between the tables, assuring the other customers that everything is okay.

  Nora hears his words and shakes her head.

  Everything is not okay.

  “I need to call Clive,” she says.

  Thirty-Four

  Melanie

  I stab a piece of orange chicken with my fork a little too hard. “Alex finally fucked off, but...” I sigh, feeling frustration for my friend. “Poor Nora. Just when everything was going right for her, this crap happens.”

  I sit with Robbie on his living room couch. After brunch, I went home to get in a few hours of work before grabbing some Chinese takeout and heading over to his place.

  Robbie shakes his head, barely touching his dinner as he takes in every word. “But she’s okay?” he asks.

  “Yeah, she’s fine,” I answer. “A little shook up at first, but once Clive came to get her, she was petite, strong Nora Payne again.” I smile. “It’s amazing how much of a calming effect he has on her. Just one touch is all it takes.”

  “Daddy’s a good Daddy,” Robbie teases.

  I chuckle. “Trix invited them over for dinner,” I say. “They will talk to Lance about it, see if there’s anything he can do.”

  “They didn’t invite you?” he asks.

  “Well...” I hesitate. “They thought I’d be busy with... other things...”

  “Ahh...” Robbie sets his plate on the coffee table. “So, what did they have to say about us?”

  I sit up and do the same. “Okay, for the record, I didn’t tell them. The voicemail we accidentally left on Trix’s phone this morning did.”

  Robbie furrows his brow. “Voicemail?”

  “Voicemail,” I repeat.

  “Of the two of us...?” He trails off, smirking.

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “Oh…” He thinks for a moment. “We sound good?” he asks.

  “Oh, yeah,” I answer.

  He shrugs a shoulder and reaches for his plate. “No harm done, then.”

  I smile as he takes a bite of rice. “Sorry it came out,” I say. “I really meant to keep you my dirty little secret for a while.”

  “It’s all right. No one’s fault,” he says. “They have anything to say about it?”

  “Well, they were impressed with your technique,” I joke.

  He smirks. “Naturally.”

  “They were a flurry of love and support for both of us,” I answer, thinking back. “Trix seemed a little weird about it, though.”

  He looks at me. “She did?”

  “It wasn’t anything she said, specifically. Just a vibe, I guess? Hard to say.”

  “I’m sure it was nothing,” Robbie says, turning back to his plate.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I shrug, brushing it off.

  I bat a piece of broccoli around my plate with my fork as I let my thoughts wander to various places. The last few days have come and gone with a blur, giving me the distinct feeling that I’ve forgotten something.

  Robbie stabs my broccoli with his fork.

  “Hey—” I watch as he shoves it in his mouth. “That was mine.”

  “Yeah, well, you were staring at it for too long and I got jealous, so now it’s mine.”

  He grins at me.

  I roll my eyes as I try to hide my smile. “Are you that desperate for attention?”

  “No,” he says, “but if I annoy you enough, your self-esteem crumbles and then we have sex. Everybody wins.”

  I crack, laughing hard. “You are unbelievable.”

  “Unbelievably sexy?”

  “After stealing food off my plate? No. Emphatically not.”

  He moves his plate toward mine. “Here, have some of my chicken. You’ll feel better.”

  I claim a piece and stick it in my mouth. “Thank you,” I say as I chew. “Feeling better already.”

  “Fantastic.” He leaves his plate on the table again. “You want to have sex?”

  “I’ll have you know my self-esteem is fine right now.”

  “Sure, but you’re full of good food and happy. When that happens, we have sex.”

  I sigh. “Fine. Give me your plate. I’ll load the dishwasher and you go get started.”

  Robbie hands me his plate and leans in to plant a kiss on my cheek. “This is fun,” he says. “Isn’t this fun?”

  I gaze into his eyes for a bit longer. “Yeah,” I say, smiling. “This is fun.”

  He kisses me again on the edge of my mouth. “Here,” he says, reaching for the plates. “I’ll load the dishwasher. You go get started.”

  He takes them before I can argue and walks off into the kitchen.

  I sit still, watching him go as it all sinks in.

  This.

  This is what I always wanted.

  The best parts of us.

  I stand up and walk into the bedroom. While the kitchen sink runs, I light the candles on
the nightstand. I sit down on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath as I look around Robbie’s bedroom. Seven months ago, I kicked him out. I divorced him and left him with nothing because I thought that’s what he deserved. I was lost and broken. Him even more so, but he built himself back up. He fixed his life, no doubt hoping to make it to this moment with me.

  And I couldn’t be happier.

  I take my phone from my pocket. I swipe through my messages to find the thread with my secret admirer, who I now know is Roger.

  I tap out my final message to him.

  You were right. Robbie was worth a second chance.

  I hit send.

  Buzz buzz.

  I twist around, curious at the sound of a phone vibrating nearby.

  Thank you, I tap out.

  I hit send.

  Buzz buzz.

  I stand off the bed and walk around to Robbie’s nightstand.

  I tap out another message. You there?

  I hit send.

  Buzz buzz.

  I pull open the drawer on the nightstand and pause. There’s a phone inside. An old flip phone. Just like the one Roger had, but…

  I pick it up. I flip it open.

  3 New Messages.

  My gut clenches. I push the center button with my thumb to read them.

  You were right. Robbie was worth a second chance.

  I tap through the messages. It’s all here. All of it. From the very first night we spoke until now.

  Why does Robbie have this?

  Unless…

  “All right, Buttercup!” Robbie announces as he waltzes into the bedroom. “Dishes are done. Let’s do this.” He stops and looks at me, his eyes falling to the phone in my hand.

  His expression shifts downward.

  “Robbie, what are you doing with this?” I ask.

  Thirty-Five

  Robbie

  Shit.

  Melanie looks at me with confusion and distrust. Maybe even betrayal. She holds up the phone, that damned old flip phone I used to safely whisper sweet nothings to her in the middle of the night. Or, I thought it was safe.

  “I can explain that,” I say.

  “Please do,” she replies, her hard eyes locked and loaded.

  How do I explain this?

  “Roger was over here the other day,” I blurt, “and he left it by accident, so I—”

  “Don’t lie to me,” she says.

  “I’m not.”

  Yes, I am.

  She can see it on my face.

  “Why do you have this, Robbie?” she asks me again.

  There’s nothing I can say to get out of this that isn’t a lie. It’s a familiar feeling, unfortunately. Tell Melanie a lie and I stay out of trouble. Tell Melanie a lie and I sleep in a warm bed tonight. Tell Melanie a lie and maybe, just maybe, it won’t come back to haunt me.

  But tell Melanie the truth and she might grow to trust me again.

  “Because it’s mine,” I say.

  Melanie’s hand falls to her side. “It’s yours?”

  Tell the truth. Come clean. And she might understand.

  “Yes,” I say, my stomach churning. “I sent you the roses. And the messages. It was me. Not Roger.”

  Melanie looks down. I take a step forward, hoping to see her eyes again, but she doesn’t budge.

  “When you asked to meet, I had him... pretend to be the secret admirer so you wouldn’t...” I pause as her brow furrows deeper. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far, I swear. I just—”

  She lashes out, throwing the phone over my head. It strikes the wall behind me and scatters on the floor in several pieces.

  “Don’t...” she says, her voice hard. “Don’t you dare come near me right now.”

  I freeze. “Mel...”

  “You...” She pauses, unable to find words. “Why? Why did you do this? To mess with me? To punish me? Why?”

  “No.” I hold up my hands. “It wasn’t like that in the beginning. I was alone, and the program was working, and I wanted to share it all with you, but I knew you wanted nothing to do with me, so I sent the flowers. Every month, I got a new coin, and I sent you another bouquet. It felt nice. It kept me going. And it made you smile, Melanie. It was innocent, I swear.”

  She swallows hard. “Innocent? You call this innocent? You pretended to be some other person instead of just talking to me.”

  “You never let me talk to you, Mel! What was I supposed to do?”

  “Gee, I don’t know. Write me a letter. Hand a note to my mother and ask her to pass it on. Hire one of those planes that write words in the sky. All things a normal person might think of before landing on catfishing! You should have just told me, Rob!”

  “Would it really have made a difference to you?” I ask. “If I had written you a letter after being sober for a month, would you have even read it? Would you have been here fucking me on my couch three days later? No, I don’t think so.”

  “So, the ends justify the means? Doesn’t matter how you get my pants off, just that you got some? Is that what you’re saying?”

  I bite down. “No, I’m saying that you are impossible and this was the only way to get through to you.”

  “And you are a lying bastard.” She holds back a sob. “This whole time, it was you. You...” Her pained eyes rise. “You manipulated me.”

  My chest tightens. “No, I—”

  “You told me all those things, made me have feelings for you, and then you ignored me? Do you know how much that hurt? And then you had Roger lie to my face?” She shifts on her feet, unable to stay still. “God, Robbie. How could you do this to me?”

  “I’m so sorry, Melanie,” I whisper, desperate.

  “You’ve done some fucked up things to me over the years, but you were never mean.” Her lip quivers. “This was mean.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say, stepping forward. She steps back. “Melanie, I am sorry that it went this far. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never mean to hurt you.”

  “It just keeps happening, right?” she asks. “Whether you’re sober or not.”

  I exhale. “I know it seems that way, but we can get past this. You and me? Remember?”

  Melanie shakes her head. “Were you ever going to tell me the truth?” she asks.

  I hesitate, knowing the truth won’t help me. “I hoped I’d never have to,” I say.

  Tear spill down her cheeks. She covers her face with her hands and lets out a painful sob that breaks my heart in two.

  I move closer, wanting so badly to take her in my arms. “I love you, Melanie,” I whisper, slowly reaching for her. “I love you so much.”

  I touch her shaking shoulders, but she pushes me away and makes a move toward the door.

  “Don’t do that, Rob,” she says, sniffling.

  “Don’t leave,” I say. “Please, stay here...”

  If she leaves now, she’ll never come back.

  If she never comes back, I won’t make it.

  “Melanie.”

  I follow her into the living room. She leans on the couch as she slips her shoes on.

  “What do I need to do to make this right?” I ask.

  She refuses to look at me. “It’s too late for that,” she says.

  “Whatever you want, I’ll do it,” I say, following her as she goes to grab her purse. “You want me to beg? I’ll beg.”

  “Stop it, Rob,” she says as she avoids me.

  “You want me to strip down and let you whip me with my own belt in front of dozens of people?” I offer. “I know its been done, but if it works, it works.”

  Melanie spins around to face me. “Rob, just stop. Okay. It’s done. It’s over.”

  “No.” I drop to my knees and she stares at me with disbelief. “It’s not done. It’s not over. We’re never over, Melanie.”

  “Yes, we are,” she says.

  “You said that before, but look at us.” I turn up my hands. “Think about it. How many times have you walked out? How many times have I give
n up? But we came back again. The last few days were the best of my life, Melanie. Seven months ago, I never thought that’d be possible.”

  She tries to step back, but I rest my hands on her hips. “Rob, don’t...”

  “Just imagine,” I say. “Seven months from now could be the best days of our lives. We just have to get through this together first.”

  She pushes my hands away, purposefully staring me in the eyes as she says, “No.”

  I sink even deeper onto my knees.

  Melanie grabs her jacket off the back of the door before throwing it open and walking out.

  No.

  Wait.

  I rise off the floor. “Melanie!”

  I chase after her, racing down the hall to catch up with her on the stairs.

  “Admit that you need me,” I say behind her.

  “I need to get away from you,” she says.

  “You said it yourself. The men in your books, they all have a little bit of me in them and they haven’t been the same since we split.”

  “That means nothing, Robbie.”

  “It means everything!” I say as we reach the ground floor. “It means that you can shout and pout and do whatever the hell you need to do to get over this, but then you’ll be back because you can’t live without me just like I can’t live without you.”

  She crosses the lobby without breaking stride. “Pretty sure I’ll do just fine, actually.”

  “That’s bullshit and we both know it.”

  She shoves open the entrance and steps outside, quickly throwing on her jacket. I ignore the biting chill in the air as I stay in pace beside her.

  “Melanie,” I say.

  She ignores me. She looks at the street, her arm at the ready to hail the first available cab.

  “Melanie.”

  “Just go back inside, Rob.”

  “Not without you.”

  She waves her arm, signaling a cab. “You know what I’m feeling, Rob?”

  “Anger,” I answer.

  “No,” she says. “Somehow, I’m not. I said I was done being angry with you and I guess I was right. More than anything, I’m disappointed. In you, but mostly in me.”