by Rye Hart
“If you have car seats, I could go and take the kids with me,” I said.
“No, no. I’ll make the run. There are a few other things we need anyway. Some things I need for my shop and all,” he said.
The yawn that escaped was big, and I could tell by the bags under his eyes that he hadn’t slept well.
“Rough night with the kids?” I asked.
He just shrugged.
“Your brother didn’t give you enough diapers to hold you over?” I asked.
“He didn’t, no,” he said.
“That’s odd. How long are they supposed to be gone?”
“It’s fine. I’ve got it,” he said.
His statements were clipped as I watched him pour a cup of coffee for himself. He chugged it down before quickly getting another, and that was when I saw how haggard he really looked. He was in his clothes from yesterday and his eyes were bloodshot red. His movements were slower than usual like his exhaustion was weighing down his ability to move fluidly.
But where he looked tired and ragged, the kids looked well-rested and happy. It was as if he was the only one who hadn’t slept. I wanted to know more about it, but he wouldn’t let me in. I knew the reason why he wasn’t opening up to me. It was because I wasn’t opening up to him. He had gently prodded me yesterday, but I had shut down. I knew he was curious and I knew he was trying to put pieces together. He was trying to get to know me with the little bit I was showing him. And if I didn’t open up to him, he had no reason to open up to me. I couldn’t expect someone to tell me all their secrets while holding mine close to my chest, but I wasn’t ready to talk to him about this.
I decided to throw him a bone. “If you want to talk about anything, I’m willing to listen,” I said.
His eyes slowly panned over toward mine and they robbed me of my breath. I could tell he was debating something. I knew how he felt. That feeling where you bounce between pouring your life story into someone’s lap and burying it deeper into your chest. The mere fact that he was struggling with this meant he wanted to confide in me. He wanted to sit down and talk to me about these things. He wanted me to know what was going on with him, just so he’d have another person to help shoulder whatever it was and walk alongside him, instead of him dealing with it all alone.
Just like I had wanted to tell him a couple of times before.
“I know,” he said. “I’m gonna make the run to the store before I get working. You need anything?”
“No,” I said, sighing. “I’m okay.”
“Be back soon.”
The kids were still eating as the door shut behind him. I heard him start up his truck before the crunching of ice could be heard as he backed out of the driveway. I stood at the sink and listened to him drive away, secretly wishing he would’ve opened up to me.
I had no idea how the fuck I was going to repay him the favor, but I knew I was willing to try.
Just then, something started ringing down the hallway. I didn’t recognize the sound and it wasn’t stopping. I figured it was an alarm or something and it would die down with time, but after three minutes of listening to it ring on and off, I decided to go and find the source of the noise.
And what I found was Evan’s phone sitting on his nightstand.
“Shit,” I said. “He forgot his phone.”
“Mew?” Liam called out.
“I’ll be there in a second, sweetheart. Just hang tight.”
I turned my back to head for the kitchen but the phone went off again. The ringer was long and loud, and it vibrated against the wooden bedside table. I didn’t want to listen to the incessant noise the entire time he was gone, so I picked it up and toggled with the side buttons. I knew one of them had to be the volume button, but I turned on the phone screen before I could find it.
There was a text message from someone named ‘Mike’ scrolling across the screen.
“Come by later, forgot to give you Hadley’s present I made. Hope it’ll take the edge off being a new dad.”
A new dad? Now I was thoroughly confused.
“Mew!”
“Coming, sweetheart!”
Finding the volume button, I toggled it all the way down to silent. I set the phone back on his bedside table, then left in a hurry. I shut his door so I wouldn’t be tempted to scroll through any more of his phone, then I made my way back to the kids.
But my mind was still swirling with that text message.
Did it have something to do with why Evan never talked about his brother? Was there really no brother? Suddenly, I had the sick and horrifying thought that he had been lying to me all along. What better place to take a couple of kids you were trying to hide, than the mountains of Montana? It wouldn’t be the first time I’d met a man willing to take something – someone—that wasn’t his. I shivered at the thought as Liam came up beside me.
“You guys wanna watch a movie after we get cleaned up?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.
“Aladdin?” Liam asked.
“We can watch whatever you want to,” I said, smiling.
A movie would keep them occupied for a couple more hours, and that was what I needed. I needed these kids to stay occupied until I could wrap my head around what the fuck was going on.
But the dreaded question crashed to the forefront of my mind, and I felt the breath in my lungs flee in a resounding reaction to the fear that was now coursing through my veins.
Was I still safe here?
CHAPTER 19
EVAN
I couldn’t figure this woman out. I wanted to. I wanted to know why she was so weird about my working in the shed and why she kept prying about my brother. But it was like each of us was waiting for the other to open up first. I wasn’t sure if I could let her in until she let me in, but it felt like she was playing that same game. It was exhausting, especially when I actually wanted to get to know her.
She was hiding something though, and I was determined to figure out what it was.
She got weird every time I mentioned I was going to the shed, which was odd. Why would a shed elicit that kind of reaction? None of it helped with my trust issues and, even though I wanted to let my guard down with her, I found it hard. Her body was so easy to succumb to. My fingertips hummed, begging for a connection with her whenever I passed her body.
And yet, we were still strangers, both seemingly hell-bent on waiting for the other to crack.
I got back to the cabin with everything in tow and saw Melanie playing with Liam through the window. The sight warmed my soul and made my heart beat rapidly in my chest. The kids were so happy when she was around, and if anything, it was them that would make me trust her. She was good for them, and something in my gut told me they were good for her.
I walked into the cabin and sat everything down. I was gone much longer than I’d wanted to be, which meant I couldn’t start on any of my projects. If I got going now I wouldn’t have time to break for dinner because I’d want to finish what I started.
“Everything go okay?” Melanie asked.
Something about her tone rose my hackles. It was almost as if she was nervous. “Yep. Found everything I needed. I was gone longer than I thought, though, so I won’t be working today,” I said.
“In that case, I think I’ll go on home,” she said.
“Mew leaving?” Liam asked.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I gotta go see my dad,” she said.
“You know you can stay for dinner if you’d like. Or come back for it,” I said.
“Not tonight, thanks,” she said.
She seemed distant and it was beginning to worry me.
“Were the kids okay while I was gone?” I asked.
“They were angels, as always,” she said, as she pulled on her coat.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
She threw a glance my way and held my gaze, but the look on her face was hesitant. The brightness in her eyes had faded and in its place was something that bordered on accusat
ory.
What the hell had happened while I was gone?
“Melanie. Are you sure you’re all right?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said.
I wanted to believe her, but my mind was screaming at me not to. But before I could get a word in edgewise, she was out the door and headed to her car. She didn’t kiss the kids on the head like she normally did and a sinking feeling overtook me.
I had to figure out what had happened while I was in town.
Liam pressed his face against the glass, whimpering as he watched Melanie’s car back down the driveway. Hadley’s eyes were watering and I went to scoop her out of her playpen, but my mind was focused elsewhere. I gave her a few minutes to get down the mountain before I went into my room to get my cell phone. I was going to call her to see if she would talk to me that way, but I noticed the ringer on my phone had been silenced.
I never put my phone on silent because I’d never hear my alarm go off in the morning.
Scrolling through the text messages I had, I came upon one that Mike had sent. My eyes flickered across it quickly before I sighed, and that was when it hit me. If my phone had been ringing off the hook and bothering her, she probably came back here to silence it. Which meant she probably saw Mike’s text.
Which busted me in the lie I’d been telling her about the kids.
“Shit,” I mumbled.
I called her cell phone but got no answer which didn’t shock me one bit. I left her alone and tried a few minutes later, at least hoping she’d let me know she got back home okay. But she didn’t answer and I was getting frustrated, so, I sent her a text message.
“Dinner’s at six if you want to come back for it. Maybe when we sit down, we can talk?”
I was shocked when I got a response a few minutes later.
“Needed to get home. I’m just a babysitter, not a live-in nanny.”
Hadley was cuddling into my neck as I gripped my phone, trying my best to keep my emotions at bay. I needed to tell her what was really going on, but I didn’t want to do that over the phone.
Whether she came back to dinner or not, it was time for me to get cooking. I sat Hadley in her high chair and gave her a few toys before I sat Liam in front of a movie. I pulled out marinated chicken to grill up in a pan before I started mashing up potatoes, and just as I was done making the fresh green beans there was a knock at the door.
Liam’s head turned on a dime from the television, his eyes lit up.
“Mew?” he asked.
“I’m not sure, buddy. Hold on.”
Wiping my hands off, I set everything to simmer to keep it warm. The chicken was still baking and I hadn’t set the table yet, though it was close to six o’clock. I opened the door and was surprised to find Melanie standing there.
I was profoundly relieved she had come back.
“We need to talk,” she said to me as she stepped over the threshold.
“We will, I promise,” I said to her as she brushed past me.
Liam attacked her as soon as she was in the room, wrapping his arms around her legs and holding on. She picked the boy up in her arms and carried him back into the house. She set him down at his spot at the table before she shed her coat and hung it up. Her bag was dropped off to the side as she started setting the table, and I could tell how weary she was. Her shoulders were slouched and her posture was hunched a bit.
I wanted to take some of that weight off her any way I could.
Loading the table with food, I brought everything out while Melanie fetched glasses for drinks, then we all sat down and began to eat. Everyone was silent, enjoying the dinner I’d prepared as Liam’s movie droned on in the background. But my eyes were on Melanie and the far-off daze that had settled in behind her eyes.
“Can I break the silence?” I asked.
Melanie connected her eyes with mine, letting me know I had her attention.
“Look, I saw the notification on my phone. I think it’s what you saw when you went to turn the ringer down.”
“I did,” she said.
“I want to talk with you about it. I just don’t want to do it in front of the kids.”
Her eyes studied me closely before she slowly nodded her head.
“This isn’t what you think it is,” I said.
“I’d really like to believe that,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice that pulled at my gut.
We finished dinner in awkward silence.
The kids started getting sleepy after their stomachs were full, so Melanie set about putting them down for bed. She got them changed and dressed while I put up the food and washed the dishes, and once she was done I cut off the light in the kitchen. She was standing in the hallway, listening for any signs of the kids calling on her for something.
I couldn’t stand this awkwardness between us any longer.
I motioned for her to meet me on the couch and she did, though she sat as far on the opposite end as possible. I knew I needed to start talking fast before I lost her again.
“Liam and Hadley are not my biological kids, but I am their legal guardian,” I said.
She turned her gaze on me and waited patiently for me to continue.
“A few months ago, my brother and his wife died and I became the kids’ guardian,” I said.
“How did it happen?” she asked softly.
“A trucker fell asleep at the wheel. My brother died instantly. His wife, Melissa, died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.”
Melanie scooted closer to me and took my hand in hers. I was relieved and comforted by her warmth.
“I was already out here when it happened. Shit with work and just—stuff.”
“What stuff?” she asked.
“Uncle Evan?” Liam’s voice broke my concentration, though I was glad for it. Telling Melanie about my brother’s death was one thing, but I didn’t have the strength to delve into all my past fuck-ups just yet.
“What buddy?” I asked, pushing to my feet.
“I had a bad dream,” Liam said, rubbing his little eyes tiredly.
I scooped him up in my arms and carried him back to bed. I stroked his back and assured him that he was safe and I sang him his alphabet song until he fell back to sleep.
When I stepped out into the hallway, I found Melanie standing there waiting for me. Without warning, she rose onto her toes, wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a passionate kiss.
CHAPTER 20
MELANIE
Evan carried me into his bathroom and set me down, my lips swollen from his kiss as his hands grasped my body tightly. My nipples stood in painful peaks as his rough hands skimmed over the fabric of my bra. His lips traced a line down my neck and my skin pebbled with goosebumps.
I loved the way his beard felt against my skin. I wove my fingers into his hair as he sank to his knees, his hands making quick work of the zipper on my pants before he slid them down my legs.
One by one, each piece of my clothing was peeled off and discarded. His lips ran along the curves of my body as I shivered under his touch. The cool air of the bathroom had me quaking, but I ached at the warmth of his lips.
He got to his feet and stared down at me, his heated gaze pulsing with need.
He grinned at me before he stepped around me as my eyes followed him. I turned around to see the massive walk-in shower behind us, and smiled as he reached in to turn it on. The water was hot as the steam rose to the ceiling, and I found myself gravitating toward the warmth as I stepped into it.
I sighed as the hot streams pounded against my back, and I closed my eyes while I heard the sound of Evan’s clothes dropping to the ground.
He got in behind me and pressed his strong chest against my back. My body was drenched in water and my hair was soaked. Little streams were trickling down my erect nipples as the steam cleansed my body. I turned to him, reached out my hands, and planted them on his skin, feeling along the divots and crevices his rippling muscles made.
I could
n’t contain myself any longer and promptly sank to my knees.
Without another word, I pulled his cock between my lips. Humming in satisfaction as he groaned in surprise, his hand quickly tangled into the wet tendrils of my hair. I ran my tongue along the vein protruding along the shaft of his dick, then hollowed out my cheeks and felt his legs shake for me.
I grinned around him as his grip tightened against my head.
Slowly, he began to thrust. I swallowed his dick down until I choked on it, then I hummed to make up for what I couldn’t take in. The sounds that were pouring from Evan’s mouth puckered my skin, dripping juices between my legs even without his touch. I ran my hands up his thighs, feeling them contract and shake underneath my fingernails. I wrapped my hands around his body and dug into his ass, gripping the muscles that were thrusting his hips into my face.
His body was perfect, and I just couldn’t get close enough to it.
“Fuck me, Melanie. Your mouth—it’s too good. Ugh. Shit.”
I hollowed out my cheeks one last time and I could’ve sworn he was about to cum. His breathing became ragged and his knees grew weak. His back leaned against the wall and his hand shook against my scalp. I bobbed my head faster and lapped my tongue around the head of his cock, but before I could pull his hot fluids from his body he pulled me back.
I whimpered at the loss of him between my lips as he sighed.
“Too good at that,” he said, gruffly.
He pulled me to my feet and held me against him. His lips pressed kiss after kiss on my shoulders while his hands traveled the length of my naked body. His calloused hands were just the right roughness, leaving me breathless but not frightened.
With one swift move, Evan lifted me up and pinned me between the wall and his body. He brought his mouth to my breasts and suckled first one hard nipple, then the other. It was all I could do to keep myself from coming right then. I peppered his forehead and cheeks with kisses before leaning and sucking his earlobe into my mouth. A quick nip had him trembling.
He adjusted me so that I could slide down onto his erection, and I gasped as I felt him fill me. He stilled for just a moment as if to collect himself, before starting to thrust slowly upward. I locked my legs around his waist and rolled my hips against him. His cock felt so good seated deep inside of me. My clit was throbbing, desperate for attention. Evan slipped his fingers between us and began to circle the little nub with his thumb. I moaned loudly with each stroke and ground down harder onto his cock. With every thrust, I felt him growing against my walls.
