by Amy Reece
“All right, Mel. Let’s get out of here before he shames either of us any further. Remember, Jon, vengeance is a bitch.” The therapist’s laughter followed them outside.
She waited until they were in the Jeep to lay into him. “Seriously, Finn?”
“I’m so sorry about that, sweetheart. Jon’s a good guy, but a bit of a clown. I swear I didn’t parade our sex life in front of him to brag. I simply asked a few…logistical questions to make sure I don’t do any damage to my ankle.”
She couldn’t help chuckling. “All right. I believe you. It took me by surprise, that’s all.” She followed his directions to the barbershop and waited while he got his hair cut, amused by the fuss the barber made over him.
“It’s good to see you up and around! Your brothers and your dad have been keeping me up to date, of course, but I’ve been worried. The missus and I have lit candles for you every week at mass.”
“I appreciate it, Harold. It’s been a long road and I’ve got a ways to go yet.”
“Well, it looks like you still managed to find a pretty girl along the way. You don’t let something as minor as a coma and a few months in a wheelchair slow you down, huh?” The barber smirked at Finn as he gestured to where Mel was sitting; she could, of course, hear everything.
Finn smiled and winked at her from his perch in the barber’s chair. “I wasn’t about to let this one get away. She’s a keeper.”
She waited until they were back in the Jeep. “A keeper, huh?” She missed the boyish look his shaggy hair had provided, but at the same time, loved the sexy new look with his shorter hair.
He leaned across the divider between the front seats and kissed her. “Definitely a keeper. Thanks for running me around today. Let’s grab some lunch, okay? Don’t forget we have dinner at my parent’s tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to it. And lunch sounds great.”
***
Finn
He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She was standing across his parents’ backyard with his two sisters, laughing and sipping a glass of white wine. He still couldn’t believe the events of the last twenty-four hours. How in the world was he lucky enough to be with such an amazing woman? You could have knocked him over with a feather the evening before, when she’d returned from the kitchen and wanted to talk. She’d finally told him about her past—he would dearly love to meet college boy in a dark alley someday—and then she’d said she thought she might be falling in love with him. He told her that he loved her and then tried in vain to control himself as they made out on his couch. He’d made himself pull away, which was probably the most difficult thing he’d ever done in his life. But just when he’d resigned himself to a long, cold shower and a sleepless night, she’d spoken. “Make love to me, Finn.” Those words had changed his life because now that he’d had her, he was determined to keep her.
“Is there any way I could get you to stop ogling your girlfriend? I’m gonna have to stab myself in the eyeball if you don’t.” Seamus opened a beer as he pulled up a chair next to Finn.
“Shut up. I’m not ogling her. Did you bring me one of those?”
“You are so ogling her. Here.” He handed him a beer. “Don’t get me wrong—I like Mel. I like her a lot. But you’re practically undressing her with your eyes, bro. Knock it off. There are children present.” As he spoke, their niece ran up and launched herself into his lap.
“Uncle Seamus! Play with me!”
“Who is this bossy little girl? Finn, you got any idea who this is?” He bounced her wildly on his knee as she giggled.
“I don’t know who she is.” Finn took a long pull on his beer. “My niece, Janey, would never be so bossy.”
“Uncle Finn! It is me! I’m not bossy!”
“Oh yeah? What happened to saying the magic word when you want someone to play with you?”
“Please, please, please play with me?”
“Well, what do you know? It is Janey, after all,” Seamus said, feigning shock. “What do you want to play, munchkin?”
“Piggyback! Take me for a ride! Please!” She seemed to remember the magic word at the last minute, perhaps reminded by Finn clearing his throat.
Seamus obliged, telling Finn to watch his beer until he got back.
“I brought you some chips and salsa.” Mel placed the paper plate in front of him.
He smiled and took her hand, pulling her across his lap. “Thanks. That’s earned you a kiss.” He wondered how she would react to a little PDA in front of his family.
She didn’t seem to mind, but he kept it brief, mindful of their audience.
“Well, well, well.” Cara plopped down across from them and helped herself to the chips and salsa. “It seems my little gift from Victoria’s Secret did the trick.”
He enjoyed the blush on Mel’s cheeks, but scowled at his sister. As Mel scooted off his lap, he made a mental note to ask her to check the bag Cara had left in the guest room. That could be a lot of fun.
“Finn?” Mel squeezed his hand. He’d missed a question apparently, judging by the smirk on his sister’s face.
“Sorry. What was the question? My mind was wandering.”
Cara laughed out loud at this. “I’ll bet I know where.”
“Be nice, Cara, or you’ll never hear anything about it,” Mel said, sounding amused.
“Okay, okay. All my romance is vicarious these days, so I can’t afford to lose out on a juicy story. Anyway, I asked if you two want to do dinner and movie later this week. Izzy is whining about needing a night out without the kiddo—”
“I don’t whine.” Izzy joined them, calm as usual. She was the unflappable one, her words and actions nearly always measured. Her unexpected pregnancy and the mystery of Janey’s father was the shining exception. “I would appreciate an evening with adults, however, and it doesn’t seem like we’re going to be able to separate you two lovebirds quite yet. Cara and I are willing to put up with you if it means we can have some time with Mel.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” Finn said with a laugh. “I’m in if Mel is.”
“Sure. Sounds fun.”
He was gratified by how his family accepted her; it had certainly not always been this smooth when he brought home a girl. Izzy and Cara in particular had never warmed up to any of them like they had to Mel. He had the distinct feeling he was rather superfluous as far as they were concerned. His parents had always been pleasant to past female friends, but he watched as Mel joked with his father and helped his mother with the dishes and saw they were already closer to her than to any of his previous girlfriends.
He yawned; he was feeling the effects of their interrupted sleep the night before and knew she must be as well. He checked his watch and saw it was getting close to nine o’clock. Janey was asleep on his lap, effectively trapping him in his chair since he couldn’t get up without his crutches.
“I guess I wore her out, huh?” Seamus chuckled and sat next to him. “You want me to take her?”
“Nah. I’m good for now. I’m going to try to get Mel out of here pretty soon, as soon as she’s done in the kitchen. We’re both pretty tired.”
“I’m not even going to ask.”
“Good. I’m not going to tell. Where’s Sloane tonight?” He’d been glad when Seamus showed up alone; his girlfriend tended to cause tension at family gatherings.
“She’s out of town for work. Listen, we need to talk about the investigation.”
Hugh and Tony appeared, extra beers in hand. “Did you tell him about the yard?” Tony handed Seamus a bottle while Hugh did the same for Finn.
“Tell me what?” He sat up so fast Janey whimpered and stirred. Hugh set his beer aside and took her, gently rocking until she fell back asleep.
“A message appeared in Mel’s yard. The arson team noticed it this afternoon,” Seamus said reluctantly.
“What kind of message?” He couldn’t imagine what his brother was talking about.
“It looks like someone used gasoline on he
r grass to spell out ‘Die Bitch.’ The investigation is ongoing, but this makes it pretty clear the fire was set on purpose.”
Finn cursed and grabbed his crutches. “I need to call Chris.” He stepped away to a quiet area of the yard and called his partner, arranging to meet with her the next day. “Listen,” he said as he returned to his brothers. “I don’t want Mel to know about this tonight. Chris is coming over tomorrow and we’ll tell her then. I’ll reach out to the arson investigation team and see if we can get on the same page.”
“Finn, it’s going to be all right.” Tony slung an arm around his neck.
“You don’t know that, Tony. Fuck.” He whispered the word this time, cognizant of his niece’s presence.
“We’re not about to let anything happen to her, Finn.” Hugh continued to rock Janey as he spoke. “Go home. You need some sleep, and you’ll be able to deal with this better tomorrow.”
He could hear them joking about how he wasn’t likely to get much sleep any time soon with Mel living in his house. He shook his head and hobbled away to find her.
***
Three a.m. The bedside clock cast an eerie glow over Mel’s bare shoulder as he leaned to softly brush his lips across her smooth skin, so as not to wake her. She’d been adorably shy when they returned from the barbecue earlier, apparently not sure if she should presume that he wanted her to share his bed again. Silly girl. He’d wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms and carry her to his bedroom, but he’d had to settle for a gentle tug on her hand and kissing her senseless. Then he’d slowly stripped away every article of her clothing, kissing and tasting as he went. It had been fairly challenging for someone on crutches, but he was nothing if not persistent. She’d gotten into the spirit and figured out how to distract him, finally tossing the crutches aside and pushing him back onto the bed and showing him her shyness only went so far.
He was glad she was able to sleep, but his mind was too full to allow him any rest. Plus, his ankle was throbbing because he’d forgotten to take his ibuprofen before bed. He knew he’d never be able to get to sleep with the pain, so he eased away from her as quietly and carefully as possible. He sat on the edge of the bed and searched the floor for a crutch so he could make his way to the bathroom. CJ raised her head from the armchair she’d decided was her sole property and purred softly as he went by. Fluff was snoring in the new bed Mel had bought him that afternoon.
He paused at the threshold of the bathroom and stared at the woman in his bed. She’d rolled over when he moved and was now facing him, the sheet covering the beautiful body he was thrilled to be discovering. God, she’s so amazing. He remembered the discussion he’d had with Hugh weeks ago about how when he met the right woman he wouldn’t spend time agonizing over whether or not to ask her to move in. He’d just know. Well, as much as he hated to admit it, his brother had been right. He knew. Mel was his…destiny…love…everything. He never wanted her to leave, and if he thought she’d say yes, he’d propose tomorrow. But first he needed to make sure she was safe from whoever was trying to hurt her. He straightened, a steely determination creeping down his spine—almost a physical manifestation of his absolute resolution to protect her, no matter the cost. He would not lose her.
Chapter Sixteen
Melanie
She turned the bacon in the skillet and poured the first of the pancakes on the griddle, humming softly as she worked. She’d woken early, assisted by CJ, and managed to exit the bed without waking Finn. After feeding the cat and dog, she’d decided to make a nice breakfast and found the ingredients readily enough.
“Now this is a sight I could get used to.” Finn’s deep voice from the doorway startled her into dropping the spatula into one of the pancakes.
“This one will be yours.” She picked the spatula out of the goopy batter and rinsed it.
He clumped across the kitchen and stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Small price to pay for seeing this in my kitchen.” He kissed her neck as he slid a hand up under her t-shirt.
“Mmm.” She leaned back into his embrace, allowing him access to all the delicious warm parts her shirt hid. “I suggest we continue this in the bedroom after breakfast.”
“Excellent idea, Ms. Blythe. However, when I finally get off these crutches, I fully plan to make love to you right here in this kitchen. I’ve been entertaining fantasies about it for quite a while.”
“I would love to hear about those fantasies sometime, but maybe not when the bacon’s about to burn.” She laughed and kissed his scruffy neck before slipping away to tend the breakfast.
“Knock, knock.” Chris, Finn’s partner whom Mel had briefly met, knocked on the screen door and entered the kitchen. “Hope I’m not interrupting.” Her voice brimmed with amusement.
“Here.” Mel handed Finn the spatula with a look of chagrin. “I need to put some pants on.”
Finn found her in the bedroom, pulling on her yoga pants. “Sorry about that, sweetheart.” He pulled a t-shirt over his own head as he spoke. “I guess I need to let people know it’s not okay to let themselves in without checking anymore.”
“How many people have keys to your house?”
“Well, my parents, my brothers and sisters, and my partner. I got the one back from Tatiana. I know it sounds like a lot, but when I was in the wheelchair it was really helpful. I’m sorry, Mel. Chris is not one to judge, so don’t worry about it.”
“I’m fine. I was just a bit surprised. Is she watching the pancakes and bacon?”
“She is. I asked her to stop by this morning, but I thought it would be a bit later. Now we have a breakfast guest.” He grabbed her as she tried to slip by. “Are we okay?”
She reached up and kissed him briefly. “Of course. I’ll remember not to run around in my undies from now on, however.”
“That’s a damn shame, sweetheart.” His murmured words followed her to the kitchen.
Chris had set the platters of bacon and pancakes on the table, so Mel poured coffee for the three of them and they sat to eat. She gained a new appreciation of Finn’s partner over breakfast and enjoyed watching the two of them tease each other. She had finally regained her appetite and helped herself to extra bacon and pancakes, mentally promising to work out later. Mmmm, bacon.
“So, Mel, we need to talk to you.” Chris waited until the plates were cleared and they each had a refill of coffee.
Uh oh. Judging by the serious looks on their faces, Mel was not going to enjoy the conversation. “Okay. What’s up?”
Finn reached for her hand. “Sweetheart, we’re opening a police investigation into who might be targeting you.”
“So, the arson investigation is finished? The fire was set?” Her heart pounded as she squeezed his hand.
“No. They’re still investigating, but something happened that makes it pretty clear it was arson.”
“What? God, just tell me, Finn!”
“A derogatory remark appeared in your lawn. It appears someone used gasoline to kill the grass—” Chris didn’t have a chance to finish before Mel was out of her seat and racing through the kitchen door.
“Mel, wait!”
But she didn’t even pause. When Finn and Chris caught up to her she was standing in front of her house, staring at the crooked words burned into her lawn: Die Bitch. A chill washed over her entire body and she began shivering uncontrollably. Who could possibly hate her so much? She’d never, as far as she knew, had an enemy, and she had no idea what she had done to deserve one now.
“Okay, sweetheart.” Finn balanced on his crutches as he put an arm around her shoulders and attempted to steer her back to his house. “Let’s go talk about this. We have some questions for you. Come on.”
She allowed herself to be ushered toward his house, away from the vile words and burned-out shell of what used to be her garage and kitchen. Oh, God. Seated again at Finn’s kitchen table, she accepted the cup of strong tea with lots of sugar Chris prepared for her. Her hand trembled
as she lifted the mug to her lips.
“Who would do this?” Her words came out as a whisper, although she hadn’t intended them to.
“That’s what we need to figure out, Mel.” Chris opened a small notebook as she spoke. “Do you have any ideas about who this could be? Do you have any enemies? Maybe someone from your past who would want to harm you?”
Mel stared into her tea at the sugar coating the bottom of the cup and shook her head slowly. “No. I don’t think I’ve ever had an enemy. I’ve never really had a lot of friends, either.”
“What about your fans, sweetheart? Have you received any hate mail or anything like that?” Finn asked.
She looked up at him, a blank expression on her face. “Fans? Hate mail? What are you talking about?”
“For your writing. Your books.”
She laughed, albeit a bit hysterically. “You seriously overestimate my fame. I have one book and very little feedback from readers.”
“Who handles that sort of thing? Do you have a publicist or something?” Chris scratched a few words in her notebook.
Mel shook her head again, sure she would be dizzy soon. “Nothing like that. Seriously, I have a website and a few social media outlets, and that’s it. My publisher handles the bulk of marketing. Nobody knows me, really. It couldn’t possibly be someone who’s read my book. It’s a romance, for heaven’s sake! Why would anyone hate me for that? Romance novels are supposed to make people happy.”
“Well, it won’t hurt to check it out. If you could write down the web addresses on this sheet of paper, it would help a lot.” Chris tore a sheet from her notebook and slid it across the table.
“What about other authors, Mel? Can you think of anyone who might be jealous of your success? Maybe someone who didn’t get published?”
“I only know a few other authors from my publisher, and only online. I’ve never met any of them. They’re all so nice…” Her stomach heaved and she stood quickly. She barely made it to the bathroom before she lost her breakfast into the toilet, sobbing as the dry-heaves followed her active vomiting.
