Chapter Eleven
Melinda
My past tells me to not get too comfortable with being this happy. The patterns of my previous relationships try to drag me back into the murky darkness of fear and caution. “This is different,” I tell myself as I lay draped over Mason’s naked body. He sleeps now, or at least he does when we’re together. My heart is undeniably happy. For the past two nights, we’ve holed up together in this hotel room and insulated ourselves from the outside world. Today, I finally get to meet Oliver, and then I must make plans to get back to the city. I roll off Mason and plod to the bathroom. After I pull my hair into a high ponytail, I look at myself in the mirror.
“I don’t want to go back.” The admission startles me. My entire life is in the city but the thought of leaving Mason hurts me physically.
I leave him sleeping and grip a cup of coffee as I look out over the Bay. It’s beautiful here. While it’s not the hustle and bustle that I love about New York, it has its own kind of vibe and energy that I find myself attracted to.
Could I actually leave my life in the city and make one here with Mason? What would I do? Would I resent him later if I leave everything I have worked for? The questions spin in my head and make me dizzy.
“What are you so lost in thought about, hellcat?” His sexy morning voice startles me.
I turn and my eyes drink him in. The sight of him bare-chested in his jeans makes my pulse accelerate.
His mouth tweaks up. “Do you see something you like?” he teases and walks toward me.
I lick my lips and a low growl escapes him.
“You’re insatiable,” I whisper as he nuzzles my neck and his hands slip beneath his t-shirt that I took the liberty of slipping on earlier.
“Tell me what you were thinking about.” His voice has a hint of concern in it.
“Truth?” I ask. It’s the question I reserve for those closest to me when I know I need to be transparent.
His wide grin is reassuring. “Truth.”
I turn to the windows overlooking the bay and sip my coffee.
“I was thinking that I need to get home soon and how I really don’t want to.” My admission, frightens me.
He circles my waist from behind, “Truth?” he asks me.
“Truth.” I respond.
“I don’t want you to go either.” He kisses the back of my head.
“I don’t know what to do.” I sigh because I know I have to go back.
“Let’s go house hunting.”
I twirl so fast, coffee sloshes out of my cup.
“What? You’re kidding, right?” I’m alarmed so my voice is higher than normal. Out of all the bad decisions I have made in my life when it comes to relationships, the one thing I have never done is moved in with a guy. Not even my fiancée. I intended to wait until we got married—or perhaps it was my inner self telling me it wasn’t right, so I used that excuse to not let him move in.
“I’m not kidding. I thought about it last night while you slept.”
“Wait. I thought you were sleeping better?” I ask in an attempt to change the subject because this conversation scares me.
“Nice try, hellcat. We’re having this conversation.”
I purse my lips and look at the floor.
“Melinda.” He tips my head up by my chin. “Look at me.”
I know he can see the fear in my eyes.
“I will never hurt you.” He kisses my forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “You want to look for a house here? With me?”
“That’s exactly what I want to do. I figure you can keep your place in the city and you can go back and forth. Your career is there, but there’s no reason why you can’t work from here too. I mean, you travel the world for work, so I assume you can keep up with everything. With Sarah running everything from basecamp, you can work remotely when need be and be there when you need to.”
“But, what if it…I mean, what if we don’t work out?” My mind races at the possibility in front of me.
“Why wouldn’t we?”
“Because we barely know each other.”
“I’d say we know each other quite well.” He pulls me close and his eyes smolder.
Heat rushes to my cheeks. We do know each other well in that respect.
“Let’s go look—after you meet Oliver, of course. You don’t have to make any decisions today.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Now, I need some coffee.” He releases me and heads toward the kitchen. I watch this man, who I absolutely loathed only a few weeks ago, and my heart whispers, “He’s the one.”
Mason
I know I threw a lot at her this morning, but I don’t want to play games any longer. I stayed awake half the night with Melinda wrapped in my arms and knew I never wanted to let her go. I’m tired of hiding and pretending, so I’m taking a new approach with her. Full disclosure. No nonsense. Total transparency. I realized last night that I had fallen in love with Melinda Morgan, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her.
She holds my hand in the backseat of the car. Sam’s driver is taking us to Gabe’s. Sydney’s best friend Emily is lined up to show us a few houses later today. I think Sydney was actually at a loss for words when I told her my plan. I could hear her smiling through the phone.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?” Melinda asks, her eyes full of worry as she squeezes my hand.
“You’re overthinking it.” I rub my thumb over her hand and watch as she wrestles with her internal self.
She turns to look out the window. I remain silent to give her space to think. When we finally pull up at Gabe’s, Oliver barks. He must have heard the car pull up.
“Ready?” I ask and hold my hand out for her to take. When she slips hers into mine, that sizzle is still there. We look at each other, knowing, but don’t say a word.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” she asks seriously.
I throw my head back and laugh. “Oliver hasn’t met anyone he doesn’t like. He’s still puppy. Not quite two.”
Oliver careens out of the house when I open the front door. He lunges at me and yelps his excitement. It’s been a rough month for him with me away so much.
“I know, buddy. I’m back, though.” I lean down so he can lick my face.
“Hi, Oliver.” Melinda leans down beside me.
He pauses for a split second before leaving my arms for Melinda’s. She can’t help but giggle as he rolls over in front of her.
“He wants a belly rub.”
She complies, then does something that makes me fall in love with her even more. Getting down on all fours, she takes Oliver’s face in her hands and kisses him on his snout.
“You are hard to resist.” She laughs when his tongue licks her face.
I’m done. This woman has turned me into a puddle—something I’ll never admit to anyone else, except maybe Sam. I get what happened to him now.
“Emily will meet us at the first house in about an hour. I thought we could hang out here until then.”
“Perfect. I have a few phone calls to make. I need to check in with Em. We’ve been texting, but I want to hear her voice. Also, my agent. I’m sure she’s chomping at the bit to get me back to work. And I need to call Sarah. She’s the one who told me I should fly down here.”
“She is?”
“Yes, she is. Did you really think I came up with this myself? I would have remained miserable because I was too afraid of rejection,” she admits and shrugs. “I’m merely being honest.”
“I’m glad she did” I wrap my arms around her waist and draw her close.
“Me too.”
“Get a room,” my brothers’ voice snickers from the kitchen. I can’t help but smile.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
He peeks his head around the corner.
“I’m going in later. I thought Oliver could use some company this morning. Hey, Melinda.”
She waves warmly at him. “Hi.”
“What are you two up to today?”
Oh, this will be good. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.
“We’re going to look at houses.” I wait for that to register with him.
His mouth opens, then closes, then opens again.
“What?” He shakes his head as if he didn’t hear me.
“We’re going to look at houses,” I say again.
“The two of you are going to look at houses? Here?” He looks back and forth at us.
Melinda nods and I have the stupidest, shit-eating grin on my face that I can’t contain.
“Holy. Shit.”
It’s hard to surprise Gabe, so this is like Christmas morning to see him so astonished.
“Emily’s picking us up at noon. Do you want to come along?”
“Um, no. But pick one today so you can get all your shit out of here.”
Melinda laughs. “He’s overstayed his welcome?”
“By about two years.” He’s serious, because I have, but he also grins from ear to ear.
“I have a few calls to make. I’ll leave you two to it.”
“You can head out back to the deck if you want privacy. The sun’s out, so it’s beautiful out there.”
Oliver follows her as Gabe points through the kitchen to the back door.
“Traitor,” I joke.
“Dude, you’re serious?” he asks as soon as Melinda’s out of ear shot.
“I am very serious.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little fast? I mean, after everything with Sheila…” His voice trails off.
“That was a mistake. One I knew I was making but did anyway. This is different. This is more than I’ve ever imagined. This is love.”
“Holy Fuck. You’ve got it bad.” He punches me in the arm.
“I know. I’m a fucking a mess,” I admit, unable to contain the wide smile that spreads across my face.
“I’m happy for you, Mase,” he says. Seriously. “You deserve happiness. It’s eluded you for a long time.”
Melinda
Looking at houses with Mason is surreal, but somehow seems right. Emily is as cute as a button and definitely knows her real estate. We’ve seen five houses this afternoon, and my favorite is a two-story, white brick home built in the 1920’s. The yard is majestic, with oak trees that are over one hundred years old. There’s a beautiful wrap-around porch, and a large glass sunroom off to the left. The property sits on a few acres, which would ensure privacy, yet we’d overlook Tampa Bay, something I know is important to Mason.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” He watches me, knowing I’m lost in my own thoughts.
I bite my lip. This whole transparency thing in a relationship is new to me. I inhale a deep breath and blow it out slowly.
“Truth?” he says, totally getting me.
“Truth,” I respond and a wide grin spreads across my face. “I think this all feels too good to be true and I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.” I’m honest because I won’t hide pieces of myself anymore. I’ll be me, no matter the cost.
We sit at an outside patio table, having a late lunch with Oliver at our feet, in the quaint little area of Hyde Park Village.
He nods but doesn’t say a word because intuitively, he knows I have more to say. How does he do that?
“And then I think, this is moving too fast. What the hell am I doing? How can this work? What if he doesn’t want kids and I do? Do you want me to keep going?” The questions fall out of my mouth as I twirl a strand of hair nervously around my fingers.
“Do you want to know what I think?” he asks seriously and his eyes sparkle in the sunlight.
I nod my answer.
“I think you’re the best damn thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t care about the timeframe or what anyone else thinks. We may seem like we’re jumping in haphazardly to others, but no one other than us knows the depth of what we feel for each other. I’m not playing games with my life any longer, sitting on the sidelines as I watch it go by. I’ve done that for far too long. And to answer your second to last question, yes, I want kids. Lots of them.”
I can’t help the tears in my eyes and I wipe them away with my napkin.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, hellcat. In case you haven’t figured it out, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
That does it. The waterworks turn on. Like a dam breaking, I can’t hold them back. I have no choice but to let them trail down my cheeks.
“You love me?” I ask and my voice is barely a whisper.
“I do,” he says, his smile wide.
I let his words blanket me and spread warmth throughout my entire body. He loves me, is the thought that runs through my head. Three simple words that hold more weight than anything.
“Now, I have a question for you.” His expression turns serious. As if on cue, Oliver’s head pops up. I watch cautiously as Mason rises from his chair and plants himself on one knee in front of me. I gasp, and out of my peripheral vision, I see every head turn in our direction.
The intensity in his eyes takes my breath away.
“Melinda Morgan, would you do the honor of being my wife?” I don’t know where the ring came from, but he holds one out in front of me. I tremble as joy bubbles up and I can’t contain my giggle.
“Yes.” My voice is breathy. He slips the ring on my finger, stands, and pulls me to my feet and into his arms. Applause erupts all around us.
“I love you, hellcat,” he whispers in my ear.
“I love you too,” I reply as my heart sings with delight.
Mason
She said yes, is all I can think as I hold her in my arms. It may appear crazy to everyone in the outside world, but to me, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.
“How did you…” Her voice trails off as she looks down at the ring on her finger. “It’s simply stunning,” she says and her gaze drifts up to find mine.
“It was my grandmother’s. She left it to me when she passed away.”
“I’m honored,” she replies and steps on to her tiptoes. Her lips find mine. “Are we totally out of our minds?” She giggles.
“Probably. But life’s too short to play by the rules.” It sounds so cliché, but it’s true.
“I get to plan a wedding,” she says wistfully.
“You do.” I smile and her happiness fills me with joy. “Is a wedding something you dreamed about as a little girl?”
“Yes and no.” she cocks her head to the side, “I lost sight of that dream a long time ago.”
“Let’s bring it back to life. Tell me what it was.”
Her eyes grow soft and her features become more animated as she finds that dream again.
“I always dreamed of getting married in the church my parents were married in. It’s in my hometown. They met in grade school, started dating in high school, and got married immediately after they graduated. They’re over fifty years in and I swear, they are more in love with each other every day.”
“Let’s get married there.”
She’s startled by my suggestion and stares wordlessly at me. I watch her open her mouth to say something, then close it and purse her lips.
“Really?” she finally responds.
“Yes, really.”
“This feels like a dream.”
“It’s not.”
“You’ll have to meet my parents.” There is amusement in her eyes.
“Just say when.”
“I have to fly home tomorrow afternoon. I have a shoot and then need to check in with Sarah at the office for a few days. Do you want to meet me in Beaufort after? We can stay at my mom’s inn or with Ryan and Kate. Oh, my God, he will flip out,” she exclaims as her hand covers her mouth.
“He’ll be fine.”
“You’re right. He will.” She doesn’t sound confident. “I haven’t been home in a long time.”
“Then it’s probably time you go.”
“This doesn’t feel real—” Her voice breaks off midsentence.
“Oh, it’s real, hellcat. Let’s go home so I can show you how real it is.”
Six Months Later
I stand, look at myself in the mirror, and inhale quickly at the woman who stares back at me. She’s happy, truly happy, and it radiates from the inside. I chose a ballgown dress with over a hundred yards of tulle. The bodice is encrusted with crystals, and it does exactly what I wanted it to. It makes me feel like a princess.
A gentle knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts.
“Come in.” I turn to see who enters.
My mother gasps. “Oh Mel, you look beautiful.” She dabs her eyes with a tissue.
I turn to her and envelop her in my arms, “I love you, Momma.” My voice hitches, thick with emotion.
“No tears until later. You’ll mess up your makeup.” Sarah, my maid of honor, steps into the room followed by my sister-in-law Kate, Sam’s wife Sydney, and my niece. They all look beautiful in their soft pastel-pink bridesmaid dresses.
“You look amazing, Mel.” My sister-in-law hugs me tight.
Sarah pops a bottle of champagne.
“I believe this requires a toast,” she says and pours the champagne into crystal flutes.
She hands us each a glass and raises hers. “To seeing my very best friend finally happy and getting her happily ever after.”
Tears sting my eyes. “Cheers,” we all say in unison, and I take a small sip of my champagne before setting it on the table beside me. I want to be fully present for this day and not take anything for granted. I look at the beautiful women who surround me and feel as though I am the luckiest girl in the world. My mom squeezes my hand.
“It’s time, honey,” she says and gestures my bridal party out the door. “Your dad wants a few minutes with you before you head down that aisle.”
“Okay.” I lean forward and kiss her on the check. “Thank you, Momma.”
“For what?”
“For showing me what true love is,” I reply and my voice cracks.
She pats my hand before she heads out the door. My dad walks in, his eyes full of emotion.
“Dad,” I say and swallow hard in an effort to contain my emotions.
“You look beautiful, angel.” His voice, the low baritone I find comfort in, is steady and strong, as always.
I nod my head and thank him without words. He’s called me angel my entire life, but for some reason, , hearing him say it today, hits me hard.
“I’m proud of you, angel. You’ve got yourself a good man there.”
“I do, don’t I?”
“You certainly do. I know he’ll take care of you and treat you right.”
“I know he will too.”
“I already gave Mason this piece of advice, and I wanted to give it to you too.” He surprises me with his words.
“You have?”
“Of course, I have. What kind of daddy would I be if I didn’t talk to my soon to be son-in-law?” He chuckles heartily. “Now listen, whatever happens, never ever go to bed angry.” He holds up his hands. “I know it sounds cliché, but marriages end on miscommunication. Your mother and I have never gone to bed angry. We work out our miscommunications before the sun goes down. When we wake up, it’s a new day and a new beginning. That’s been the secret to our marriage all these years. That, and I couldn’t live without her.” His eyes are full of emotion as he holds out his hand to me. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I exclaim. “I am so ready.”
“Then let’s go get married, angel.”
The church where my parents were married is a small clapboard white church in Beaufort. It’s small and holds about fifty people, which is perfect for us because I didn’t anything big. I wanted this day—our day—to be intimate and shared only with those we care about the most.
When we arrive at the church, I’m thrilled that the only photographer I see is the one we hired. We did our best to hide our wedding from the world, and so far, it looks as though we have succeeded. My bridesmaids step out of their limo one by one and line up from Em to Sarah. I catch a glimpse of Gabe with my mom. He’ll walk her down the aisle. Oliver is our ring bearer, along with Sam and Sydney’s son, Jackson, who is in a little red wagon pulled by Sam himself. Sydney’s mom is here to help with him so they can enjoy the reception.
Sarah turns and smiles warmly at me before the procession begins. My stomach flutters with excitement as though it’s full of hundreds of butterflies as I watch each one slip into the church.
“It’s our turn, angel.” Dad’s voice steadies me.
I inhale a deep breath and release it slowly. “I’m ready.”
Still, I hold tightly to my dad’s arm as we walk up the steps to the church. We pause at the beginning of the aisle as everyone moves into to place. I look up and see, my brother, Sam, and Gabe standing beside Mason. When my eyes lock on his, everything else fades away—the music, the people, my dad, and all I see is the man I love staring back at me, his eyes full of emotion.
Oh. My. Word.
Happy tears stream down my face as I walk toward my future.
Mason
I know I’m losing my shit in front of my family and friends, but in this moment, I don’t care. The woman who has changed my world in more ways than I can even begin to explain looks exquisite as she walks down the aisle to be my wife.
I feel Gabe’s hand on my shoulder and I reach back to acknowledge him. Having my little brother by my side fills me with even more emotion.
Melinda’s father raises her veil, kisses her on the cheek, and sets her hand in mine. I lean over to give him a quick hug. He’s quickly become the father I never had. I turn my gaze back to my future wife and can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. She is stunning in more than merely looks and I get to spend the rest of my life with her.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
Cheers and applause erupt as I claim her lips and crush her to me.
The officiant says from behind us, “I’m pleased to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Mason Tanner.”
We walk down the aisle hand in hand and the applause and cheers continue.
“Mrs. Tanner,” I lean down and whisper in her ear as I squeeze her hand softly.
“I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.”
The reception goes by in a blur of flowing champagne, dancing, and laughter. I can’t wait to get my wife to myself. I haven’t seen her since our rehearsal dinner last night, and I am itching to get my hands on her.
“It’s nice to see her happy.” Ryan stands beside me and hands me a beer.
“She makes happy.”
We watch her on the dance floor with her bridal entourage. Ryan’s wife Kate laughs at something Melinda said, Sydney’s grin is wide as she touches Melinda’s arm, and Sarah whispers as they form a little circle. Emily makes her way into the circle and they all embrace in one big group hug.
“Who would have thought you two would fall in love after the daggers she shot at you in the hospital room?”
“You noticed?” I chuckle and take a pull on my beer.
“It was hard not to. My little sister is a force. Always has been. I’m glad she found someone who is an equal match.”
Gabe saunters up and stands on the other side of me.
“Love looks good on you, big brother.” His hand rests on my shoulder.
“Fuck off.” I pause before breaking out into a smile.
“You fucker.” He punches me in the arm, “You totally got me. It’s nice to see you haven’t changed that much.”
Ryan smirks and chuckles. As I stand between these two men, I realize I have gained a new brother.
By the time the reception winds down, I am more than ready to get my new bride back to our room.
“Are you ready?” she asks and her voice sounds sleepy.
“Whenever you are.” I don’t want to rush her, even though I want her all to myself.
“I’m ready. I think this entire day has caught up to me. We should say our good-byes.” She grabs my hand and pulls me toward our circle of friends and family.
“We are heading out. Thank you everyone. This day has been magical.” Melinda begins her good-byes by hugging and kissing each one of them. Her mom hugs her tight and whispers something into her ear. Melinda grins as they share an intimate exchange.
When she’s back in my arms, I swoop her up and her laugh is infectious as I walk us out the door.
“Finally.” I lean down and kiss the top of her head.
“Finally?”
“I’ve waited all day to get you to myself.”
“Have you now?” she teases, her voice as sexy as hell.
“I have. Now, let’s get you out of here, hellcat.”
Melinda
I have a surprise for Mason back at the room, which I nervously anticipate giving him. My mom helped set up the room although she had no idea what the surprise is. People oh and ah as we make our way through the lobby of the inn. A few take pictures with their camera phones when people recognize me, and I know we’ll be in the tabloids tomorrow, but at this point, I don’t care. I got married without one damn paparazzi showing up, which is a miracle in and of itself. Mason lifts me in his arms again as we near the door to our room.
“We can’t break tradition,” he says and his eyes dance with lust.
“We wouldn’t want to do that.” I lick slowly up his ear. He growls and kicks the door open.
He places me on my feet and doesn’t wait to devour me.
“Mason…” I giggle. “I have something for you.”
“It can wait.” He pulls the thin straps of my wedding gown down my shoulders to expose my breasts. His hands roam intimately over them and my nipples firm instantly at his touch. He lowers his lips to mine. I’m completely intoxicated by this man. He teases my mouth open and sweeps his tongue through it. He worships me as he slowly unzips the back of my wedding dress and lets it pool around my feet. Mason looks at me with a devilish grin before he helps me step over the mountain of tulle.
His eyes roam over my body as I stand before him in heels, thigh highs, and a garter belt.
“Commando?” His voice is sultry.
I smile a knowing smile. “Would you expect anything else?”
“Not from you, hellcat.”
Hours later, as I lay naked and draped over Mason, I remember the gift I have for him.
“Where are you going?” He pulls me close as I try to peel myself off him.
“I want you to open your gift.”
I walk to the closet and pull out a small box wrapped in grey polka dotted paper with a white ribbon. I sit crossed-legged on the bed, facing him.
I hand him the box and suddenly feel shy.
He sits and the sheet falls to his waist, and as always, my pulse races. Slowly, he unties the ribbon and lifts the lid off the box. My breath catches in my throat. He unfolds the tissue paper and stares expressionlessly into the box. I wait a moment for the gift to register. When he remains quiet, I twirl my hair nervously. I give him about thirty seconds before I break the silence.
“Mason?” I ask hesitantly.
“Is this what I think it is?” he asks but doesn’t look at me.
“Yes,” I gulp and try to swallow my nerves.
He looks up and tears brim in his eyes. My heart lurches in my chest.
“I’m going to be dad…” His voice is full of emotion.
“Yes.”
He lifts the sonogram picture from the box.
“How far along are we?”
That does me in. He said, “We.”
“Twelve weeks. I found out last week when I was in New York. I missed two periods but honestly thought it was from having my IUD removed a few months ago, all the preparations for the wedding, and traveling.”
“Do we know what we’re having?”
I know he’s in shock because he hasn’t stopped looking at the picture in front of him.
“No. I wanted to wait for you,” I say softly.
“We’re having a baby.”
I’ve never seen Mason at a loss for words, but this has completely taken any coherent communication from him.
“Are you happy?” I ask, unsure of his real response.
It’s as if he comes out of a trance. He places the picture back in the box and pulls me onto his lap, his gaze soft.
“I didn’t think you could make me any happier, but you just did.”
My heart soars as I lean forward and kiss his mouth. We’re having a baby, is all I can think as my husband lays me down and makes the sweetest love to me.
Mason
We’re having a baby. Holy. Shit. I didn’t think life could get any better, but in an instant, it did. My beautiful wife is carrying our child, giving me the greatest gift, one I never thought I would receive.
I’m still on cloud nine when we head back to Tampa the following day. Melinda wanted to keep our special gift to ourselves for a little while longer, so we haven’t told anyone yet. I can’t wait to shout it from the rooftops, but it’s also special to keep it between the two of us. We’ll let everyone know when we get back from our honeymoon. We’re not home for long, only a few days so we can unpack, and then pack again.
Our flight leaves early tomorrow morning for Bora Bora. We picked a place neither of us have been too, which wasn’t easy since Melinda’s been on location almost everywhere in the world.
I watch her as she moves effortlessly through our home. Her long black hair hangs down her back and her focus is intense on the task at hand. She always senses when I’m near. It’s as if she has a sixth sense.
She turns, her body graceful and seductive at the same time, if that’s at all possible. She cocks her head to the side. “Do you see something you like?” The sound of her voice affects me deeply. I make no attempt to hide the fact that I was watching her.
“Perhaps,” I tease and step toward her, overwhelmed by the magnitude of my love for her. She slips comfortably into my arms and her lips connect with my neck.
“Thank you.” My voice doesn’t sound like my own.
She leans her head back and looks into my eyes. “For what?”
I pause for a moment before I respond and bite back the emotions that swirl within me. Damn, this woman, intoxicates me.
“For giving me my life back.”
Because that’s what she’s done. She breathed life back into me and filled me with the all the things I had been missing.
The End