Saving Mel

by Rye Hart

  “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 couldn’t contain myself any longer and promptly sank to my knees.

  Without another word, I pulled his cock between my lips. Hummi
ng 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.

  The sensations he pulled from me left me breathless and soon my legs began to quiver.

  Evan held me firmly with one strong arm as he continued to pound into me and work my clit. I threw my head back and called his name over and over again as I came hard, my juices splashing over his cock and balls. With one final thrust, Evan roared his orgasm into my hair as he filled my pussy with his hot seed.

  “Fuck, Melanie. You have no idea how fucking fantastic you feel,” he said.

  “I think I have an idea,” I said, grinning, my head limp on his shoulder.

  He gently lifted me off him and turned me around so my back was to him. I heard him squirt shampoo in his hands and he worked his strong fingers into my hair. I moaned at the sensation as he patiently washed every inch of my body, taking special care with the places he’d just left. His tenderness left me nearly breathless, and when he was done, I turned and looked deeply into his eyes.

  What I saw reflected back at me nearly brought me to my knees. In his eyes, I didn’t see a victim. I didn’t see a woman who was stuck in a rut, unable to find a job, unable to fully trust a man and give herself over. Instead, I saw the strong, confident, beautiful woman that Evan saw me to be. In that moment, I knew everything I needed to know about him.

  He lifted me and carried me out of shower, tenderly drying me off and laying me down in his king-sized bed. He got in next to me and wrapped himself around me, pulling the thick covers up over us and warming me. He kissed my hair gently and my eyes fluttered closed as his warmth enveloped me. That night I had the sweetest dreams and woke in the morning with him still next to me.

  I was happier than I’d been in years.

  CHAPTER 21

  EVAN

  I woke up that morning with the kids sleeping in, the sun streaming through the cracks of the curtain, and Melanie’s beautiful face resting on my chest. I brought my hand to her hair and she lifted her chin and smiled up at me. The warmth that spread through my chest at the sight of her threatened to break me. I was in love with this woman, that was for damn sure.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” I said.

  “Good morning yourself,” she answered.

  “Looks like the gods are on our side. I haven’t heard a peep from the kids yet,” I said.

  “Good thing, or Liam would have gotten an eyeful,” she laughed.

  It felt so good to lie with her like that, so light and natural. Telling her the truth about my brother and the kids had definitely taken a load off of me. It was one less barrier between us. I reluctantly crawled out of bed and pulled on some clothes to go start getting breakfast together. Melanie dressed and followed me to the kitchen to help.

  The kids stirred not too long after that and we all sat to breakfast. As soon as we were done, Melanie got up to clean the dishes and I ventured out towards the shed to work for a while, then came back to the house just before lunchtime. I’d been able to finish up two projects while I was back there, which meant I could take the rest of the day off. While I’d been working, I thought back to the previous night and the lightness I’d felt after telling her the truth about the kids. It spurred me on to want to tell her even more. Then maybe, she’d do the same.

  Melanie cooked lunch for all of us, macaroni and cheese along with stuff for sandwiches. It was quick and easy, and once the kids were done eating it was time for their naps. Liam went down without a peep but Hadley was a little grumpy, requiring Melanie to sing four rounds of her song before the little girl finally closed her eyes.

  When she came back out into the living room, I was sitting there with a beer for her, ready to talk.

  She took the beer and we sat down on the couch, my arm instinctively slipping around her body. The fire in the fireplace was dwindling and I knew I needed to get up and refuel it, but I wasn’t ready to move just yet. The ease with which Melanie fell into my body was intoxicating and, so long as she stayed here, I knew her body would keep me warm.

  “I ran a multimillion dollar tech company,” I said suddenly.

  She slowly panned her gaze toward me, her eyes bulging and her mouth opening in shock.

  “You what?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Built it from the ground up when I was younger. Me and my best friend, Ted. I was the creative mind and he was the coder, and we went at it full speed. We started out as a basic security firm, but it quickly grew into this massive international conglomerate where someone could set up service with us and get access to anything from technology security to everything someone needed to build their own smart home. We were a one-stop shop for it all, and it worked out well for us. If it was steeped in technology and needed security, we were all over it.”

  I could tell she was impressed, but she was about to be fooled once again.

  “What happened then?” she asked. “You said you were out here already once the accident happened.”

  “I was. Things had gotten really stressful at work and I didn’t really know how to cope. I started drinking but knew I couldn’t hide that for very long, so I turned to painkillers. I got hurt playing high school football, so it was easy to use that old injury to get prescriptions. I used them to relax myself during times of stress, but it quickly got out of control and I became an addict. It was really bad, Melanie.”