Hustler_A Second Chance Romance

by Rye Hart

  Last night had been incredible. Melanie’s desire to take control had twisted my insides in ways I craved. No woman I had ever been with had been so intent on being on top. And she felt marvelous. Her body was just as perfect as I had imagined it was underneath all those clothes. Part of me was wishing Hadley had slept longer.

  Melanie may have woken up with my tongue between her folds.

  I got Hadley into a new diaper and some warm, dry clothes before I heard Liam stumbling from his room. He peeked into Hadley’s room and smiled, then he came over and hugged my leg. I scooped the little boy up into my arms and walked them into the kitchen, feeling rejuvenated. I sat them down at the table and began making breakfast, hoping to give Melanie a bit of a break before she got up.

  “Where’s Mew?” Liam asked.

  “Mel’s sleeping,” I said quietly. “Let’s let her get some rest this morning. What would you like for breakfast?”

  “Cheesy eggs?”

  “What about you, stinker? What would you like for breakfast?” I asked as I turned to Hadley.

  I saw her finger point to a banana from her high chair as a smile crossed her cheeks.

  “Banana it is,” I said.

  I set to peeling the banana before I brought out everything for breakfast. Liam could easily devour two eggs with cheese as well as some toast, so I made a big batch for everyone. Hadley was enjoying smearing her banana all over the place while I scrambled the eggs in a pan, but then I heard a giggle fall from Liam’s lips.

  “Morning, Mew!” he said excitedly.

  “Morning, handsome. Did you sleep well?”

  Melanie’s voice was still heavy with sleep. I turned around and took stock of her and how quickly she’d put herself together. Her hair was thrown up into a haphazard bun and she was back in that sexy little number she’d had on yesterday. I watched her press a kiss onto Liam and Hadley’s heads before she headed toward the coffee pot, her eyes darting over to me before she smiled.

  “Morning, Evan,” she said, lightly.

  “Good morning, Melanie. I take it you slept well?” I asked.

  Her grin was suppressed and her eyes were playful, tugging at a side of me I hadn’t allowed out into the open in years.

  “Like a rock. Yourself?” she asked.

  “Better than I have in a long time.”

  Her eyes lingered on me before she started brewing a pot of coffee. I plated up Liam some eggs before I started making toast, and soon we were all sitting at the table and partaking in breakfast. Hadley was covered in banana mush, Liam had eggs all over his face, and, the entire time, they were focused on Melanie. Liam was asking her questions and Hadley kept trying to get her attention, and the budding look of happiness on her face was mesmerizing.

  She really looked like she enjoyed spending time like this with the kids.

  “Uh oh,” Melanie said. “I smell something in the air.”

  “Not me,” Liam said, pouting.

  “Hadley?” Melanie asked.

  The little girl had this crazy look on her face before a loud sound came from her high chair. Liam crinkled his nose and Melanie threw her head back to laugh, the sound filling the room. Hadley’s face was priceless as she grunted and groaned, and soon Melanie was scooping the little girl into her arms and walking her down the hallway.

  “Sounds like someone needs a very big diaper change. Yes, ma’am. Yes, you do.”

  The way she cooed at Hadley made me smile as I started to clear the breakfast table. I wiped down Liam before he took off down the hallway and wrapped his arms around Melanie’s legs. I watched her as the kids clung to her, the smile on her face large and shining while her eyes sparkled with genuine happiness.

  “I think we need to get you in some new clothes, handsome,” Melanie said.

  “Can I wear a sweater like you?” Liam asked.

  “You can wear whatever you want. Why don’t you go pick out your outfit for the day?” she asked.

  It was amazing how wonderful she was with the kids. She was flawless when it came to taking care of Hadley and Liam. She would obviously be a wonderful mother to her own someday, and as Liam scurried off into his room to pick out his outfit she looked up at me and smiled.

  “You could’ve left those dishes. I would’ve gotten them,” she said.

  “Consider it my contribution for today,” I said.

  “I’ll make a mental note of it.”

  “Have you ever thought about having children?” I asked.

  She hesitated for a moment before answering. “I thought about it when I was younger, but not as much over the past few years.”

  Her closed off expression told me that the question had broached a tough subject. I decided not to press just now. I wanted to bask in the glow of our night together a little while longer.

  “How about you?” she asked. “Do you want children of your own?”

  “I didn’t, no,” I said.

  “You didn’t?” she asked.

  “I mean, I don’t. It’s—complicated, I guess.”

  “Do you enjoy watching Liam and Hadley?” she asked.

  “I do.”

  “Do you watch them a lot?” she asked.

  “Often, yes.” I was skirting the issue.

  “I’m sure your brother appreciates it,” she said.

  I felt my shoulders pull tight at her statement. I still wasn’t ready to talk about it. I wasn’t ready to rehash that night when the police came rolling up onto my fucking doorstep in the middle of the woods. I wasn’t ready to rehash how angry I was at the scenario when two helpless little kids were dumped on my doorstep. I wasn’t ready to own up to how resentful I’d been of their presence for the first month before I caved and hired a nanny because I was weak.

  And selfish.

  And a fucking pill-popping tool.

  When I came back to reality, Melanie was staring at me. I could tell she was curious and a bit worried and I felt exposed. So, I did what did best; I deflected.

  “I’m gonna go get some work done in the shed,” I said.

  I saw her twitch for a split second before Liam came running around the corner.

  “Got my outfit!” he yelled.

  “All right!” Melanie said, smiling. “Let’s see what you got here.”

  I smirked at Liam’s choice of clothing. He picked out a pair of fuzzy socks, his tie-dyed pajama bottoms, a black sweater, and a reindeer hat. Melanie began helping him dress, showing him how to put on his own shirt and giving him room to try it himself.

  He was grunting with frustration, but he seemed to be getting the hang of it.

  “Go on,” she said, as she looked at me. “I’ve got it here. Go get your work done.”

  “You sure?” I asked.

  “Yep. I got this.”

  Liam tripped trying to put the rest of his sweater on and Melanie caught him in midair. She helped him the rest of the way while he wiggled around, trying to get his head through the wrong opening. Her face lit up whenever she was working with the kids and a part of me started wondering if I could convince her to become full-time.

  She was way better with the kids than my nanny was anyway.

  “Go,” she said, breathlessly.

  Without another word, I grabbed my coat from the door and started off for my shed. I had projects I needed to finish up so I could get them delivered.

  CHAPTER 16

  MELANIE

  The next morning, I arrived at the cabin early, just as everyone was getting up. I let them get settled as I made breakfast. My phone was going off incessantly as I tried to work and Evan looked up from the table where he was buckling Hadley into her highchair. I glanced down to see that Layla had been trying to get hold of me. I knew she wanted to know what was going on with Evan and me, but I wanted to hold it close to myself for just a little bit longer.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yep,” I said. “Just my friend Layla calling to chat.”

  “She’s pretty persi
stent,” he said, as my phone went off with another text.

  I laughed. “Um, yes. That is exactly the word I would use to describe her.”

  Evan looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “You know, it is Saturday and we never discussed you working weekends. Why don’t you get out of here and go meet up with your friend or whatever else you want to do? You don’t have to be here all of the time.”

  I finished plating up breakfast and sat down to eat. It would be good to see Layla, and I knew she was dying to know what was happening with Evan.

  “If you’re sure you don’t need me today, then I think I will do that,” I said between bites.

  “We will miss you, but I know you had a life before us. Go, have fun. I can handle the kids by myself.”

  We finished eating and Evan insisted on cleaning up so I could leave. I gave the kids quick kisses on the tops of their heads and waved to Evan as I headed out the door. On the drive into town, I thought back to the night we had spent together and how amazing it had been.

  Evan was a patient and giving lover. Everything he had done had been to ensure my pleasure, including letting me be on top. Letting myself be intimate with a man was a huge step for me, and knowing that I was in control had made all the difference.

  I was starting to feel more like the old me than I had in a while. I got to the diner to find that Layla was already inside with milkshakes waiting for us. She stood to wrap me in a hug before sitting back into her side of the booth.

  “Holy shit,” she said.

  “What?” I asked, looking at her.

  “You did it,” she declared.

  “I did what?” I asked.

  “IT! You got laid!” she practically squealed.

  I flapped my hand at her to quiet her before anyone else heard her and shook my head.

  “What are you talking about”? I asked, trying to be coy.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You are glowing, Melanie. I know that glow. I’ve had that glow. You, however, have not. Not in a very long time.”

  I looked down into my milkshake. When I raised my eyes to hers, I couldn’t help but smile.

  “So? How was it?” she asked, leaning in to get the juicy details.

  “It was really nice,” I said.

  “Nice?” She looked almost disappointed. “Nice is Mr. Rogers. Nice is the captain of the debate team.”

  I laughed. “Okay, okay, it wasn’t nice. It was amazing,” I said.

  Layla clapped her hands and did a little dance in her seat, making me laugh out loud. I recounted the night to her, telling her how Evan had let me be in control and how that had been what had finally allowed me to let it happen.

  “So, he still doesn’t know?” Layla asked when I had finished.

  I shook my head. “No. I mean, how do you bring something like that up? Hey, before we get naked you should know I was kidnapped, chained up in a shed for two days and nearly raped by a crazy psychopath before I got away.”

  Layla looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. “But that is what happened, Mel. And it’s kept you locked inside yourself for four damn years. I’m not saying you didn’t have the right to protect yourself like that. But if you want things to go any further with Evan – and it sounds like you do – you’re going to have to tell him at some point.”

  I sighed. “I know. I guess part of me is afraid of how he will look at me after I tell him. I don’t want him to see a victim. I’m so damn tired of being the victim.”

  “I get that,” Layla said. “But if he’s truly as great as you say he is, I bet he just admires you even more for being able to go on living your life after something like that.”

  I nodded. I knew Layla was right. Though I didn’t know Evan all that well, I knew enough to know he was a kind and gentle man. A man who would treasure me, not harm or pity me. Still, everything was so new and I just wasn’t ready to tell him.

  “Enough about me, what’s new with you?” I asked her.

  Layla knew me well enough to know that I was done talking about it, so she happily changed the subject. We spent the afternoon eating burgers and fries, drinking our milkshakes, and laughing over the predicaments she got herself into with the numerous guys she went through. Part of me envied her for being able to go through guys like water. That was what twenty-three year olds were supposed to do. Another part of me, though, was glad that I had all I wanted with Evan right now.

  I just hoped that I was enough for him and that he wouldn’t see me as damaged when he finally did learn my secret.

  CHAPTER 17

  EVAN

  I heard a car pull into the driveway just as I’d finished putting the kids down for their nap. Liam was still asking about Melanie and I kept trying to tell him she’d be back soon. But the moment the front door opened I heard Liam’s feet hit the floor before he took off running.

  “Mew!”

  I heard her giggling just as I’d gotten Hadley to sleep, so I stepped out quietly and shut the door. I could hear Melanie murmuring to Liam while she walked him down the hallway, and I caught the back of her body as she walked into his room.

  I could hear the soft sounds of Melanie’s singing coming from Liam’s bedroom before she stepped out and shut the door. It was a sound I could really get used to. I went to the kitchen to brew up another pot of coffee as Melanie sank down into the couch. I caught her gaze as she looked over at me and my heart thudded in my chest. If I wasn’t careful, I would fall for this woman hard.

  I brought her a cup and sat down next to her. “You know, you didn’t have to come back today,” I told her.

  She smiled as she wrapped her hands around the cup. “I know, but I just couldn’t stay away,” she said.

  My gaze hooked on hers and the air grew thick around us.

  She cleared her throat. “You know, from the kids,” she said, and I felt a hint of disappointment.

  “Well, you are surely spoiling them. They love you,” I said.

  “They are amazing,” she said as she gazed into the fire.

  “So how was your friend?” I asked.

  “She’s good. Crazy as usual.”

  I smiled. “How long have you known her?”

  Melanie smiled. “Since the first day of preschool. I was playing with a stuffed bear and she came over and took it from me. I took it back and hit her over the head with it. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t know you had a violent streak.”

  Her eyes never left the fire as she answered. “Not until I need to,” she said cryptically.

  There it was again. That nagging feeling that there was something in her past that she was hiding behind. I couldn’t help myself this time and I pushed just a bit farther. “If you want to talk about it—”

  “I really don’t.”

  Her eyes whipped over to mine and I could see a seriousness brewing behind them. I wanted to know what was going on with her, but I also didn’t want her to push me away. I decided to drop the topic for now. I couldn’t really demand she tell me when I wasn’t ready to spill my secrets either.

  Her eyes turned back toward the fireplace and I quickly lost her again. Her motions were robotic as she drained the coffee from her mug. Her body was here, but her mind wasn’t. She was off in another land thinking about whatever it was that was plaguing her, and it wasn’t until her coffee mug was empty that she spoke up.

  “That was a wonderful cup. Thank you,” she said.

  “Would you like another one?” I asked.

  “I really should get back to work,” she said.

  “Doing what? The kids are asleep.”

  “I saw their clothes piling up in the hamper. I figured I’d do a load of laundry so you could go get some work done.”

  “My work can hold on long enough to do laundry. Let me get you another—”

  “There’s no reason to tiptoe around me,” she said.

  Her statement caught me off guard and it cause
d me to stay rooted to the couch.

  “Go get some work done,” she said. “That was the agreement. I take care of the kids and the things that surround them so you can work. Their laundry is part of them, so it’s my responsibility.”

  She stood up and plucked the coffee mug from my hands before she made her way to the kitchen. She rinsed them out and quickly washed them before she set them out to dry, and I reached for my coat. I stood by the door and watched her as she made her way down the hallway, her hips swaying and her hair fluttering around her shoulders while she walked.

  She was a vision of beauty, even with the stress she was currently under.

  But something told me she needed some time to herself, and I had projects calling my name from my shed.

  “If you need anything, I’ll just be out back in the shed,” I said.

  Her movements stopped for just a moment before she started spraying stain remover on the kid’s clothes.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  CHAPTER 18

  MELANIE

  The evening before hadn’t exactly gone as planned. Evan’s innocent comment about violence had thrown me. For a brief moment, I could feel the crunch of my captor’s nose against my forehead as I’d fought like hell to get away. I remembered swinging the pipe down and the sickening thud that had followed. I couldn’t get my mood right after that.

  I knew that Evan wanted to know what was up, but I still wasn’t quite ready to tell him. Not to mention, there was something he was not telling me either. Something that had to do with the kids and his brother. Maybe we weren’t meant to be more. Maybe we were just supposed to be a distraction to help one another deal with life’s heartaches.

  No, that couldn’t be it. We were both just damaged and needed to figure out how to be whole.

  I pulled up to the cabin and saw smoke billowing from the chimney. I parked my car and went inside to see the kids already sitting at the breakfast table. Evan looked exhausted as he stood at the stove, and I quickly went over to take his place before he sighed.

  “We’re almost out of diapers, so I’ll need to run into town to get some,” he said.