Songbird (A Sinclair Story #1) (13 page)

Nathan
growled. “Who cares,” he said. “It’s my house. I should just kick them all
out.”

“Jewel,”
Melodee reminded him. Some of the lust died from his eyes as he reached around
and grabbed the body wash.

“Alright,
let’s hurry up and go get our girl,” he said as he started to gently wash her
clean.

Melodee dried herself while
Nathan left to grab some clothes for her. He was back in moments.

“You
didn’t have much to choose from,” he said, handing her jeans, a black sweater
and matching black underwear.

Melodee
smiled. “I don’t need much.”

Nathan
moved into his room to dress, and Melodee shrugged on her outfit. Stepping to
the mirror she combed through her dark hair, securing it back with a tie. She
was glad that the only evidence of her breakdown was a slight redness to her
eyes. She hurried out now, wanting to get to Jewel. She hated that she had
cried in front of the little girl; hopefully she hadn’t upset her. Nathan was
dressed. He reached out and captured her hand and they left the room together.

Charles
was jiggling Jewel in front of the Christmas tree, the lights that changed on a
timer keeping the happy girl occupied. She squealed when she saw Melodee and
Nathan. Her chubby little arms extended and Melodee scooped her up.

“Hello,
my beautiful Jewel,” she said as she tickled her tummy, “are you getting hungry
now, baby?”

She
moved toward the kitchen. Nathan was already mixing up her organic formula.
Rose stepped forward with a smile.

“She
should eat food too,” Rose declared. “I make her some vegetable purée.”

Charles
brought forward the high chair which had been against the back wall, so far
unused.

“You
hear that, Jewel?” Melodee said. “You’re going to get real food.”

Everyone
crowded around the chair. One of the men grabbed Nathan’s complicated looking
camera, with the massive lens. It had been used for photos of Jewel recently.
Rose handed Melodee a small silver spoon with a tiny amount of something
orange. Carrot maybe. Jewel opened her mouth straight up and Melodee scooped in
the food. Luke laughed as he clicked away on the camera. Jewel’s first reaction
had been to screw her doll-like face up. But now she had her mouth open for
more.

“Just
a few spoons to start,” Rose said. “Until her little tummy gets used to
solids.”

While
Melodee continued feeding Jewel, the others scurried around setting and filling
Nathan’s long, white dining table with mounds of delicious-looking food.
Melodee’s stomach grumbled just looking at it, and when the smell hit her …
damn.

“Everyone
at the table,” Rose ordered. “Time for eating.” She emerged from the kitchen
with a massive turkey on a wooden platter. “Matty, you’re the eldest, you can
carve.” She nudged the tall, brooding man over to the table.

Jewel
was done with food now, so Melodee took her seat and gave the little girl her
bottle. Cradling her, she smiled as a tiny hand came up and latched on with a
strong grip to her finger. Then Jewel’s blue eyes closed and she sucked the
formula down and went to sleep.

“Do
you want me to put her to bed?” Nathan asked. “So you can enjoy the use of both
hands to eat.”

Melodee
tended to nurse Jewel when she napped during the day.

“I’d
like to put her in her swing so she’s here with everyone,” she said.

Candice
smiled. “That’s a great idea. Go and get it, Matthew.”

Nathan
grinned as his brother shot Candice a dirty look. There’d always been too much
tension between those two. “Matt’s busy,” Nathan said. “I’ll grab it.”

He
was back in a few minutes and helped Melodee shift Jewel. Her beautiful baby
face was relaxed as she snuggled into the soft padded chair. Nathan reached out
and switched on the slow swing and soft music. Melodee liked that they’d all be
together for her first real family dinner.

Chapter 9

The meal started out
perfect: grace was said, along with a few moments of silence in remembrance of
the two people who had lost their lives a few days ago. After that, mouths were
too full for conversation. But then the questions started and Melodee just kept
praying that nothing was thrown her way that she couldn’t answer.

“So
what do you do, Dee? And how did you meet Nate?”

Bam.
Difficult questions straight up from Candice. They’d all adopted Nathan’s
nickname. She hoped they would never use it with her last name. Dee Lee, how
ridiculous.

She
cleared her throat, finishing off her forkful of mashed potato before
answering. “I was in a car accident on Nate’s property out of town,” she
started. “Nate helped Jewel and I until the storm was over.”

Candice
shifted her stare to Nathan. “Is that the one with … Doug?” She hesitated
before speaking his name.

Nathan
nodded, his brow furrowed. “Yes, Jewel’s mother and Doug were both killed. The
Barrants didn’t want to hold the funeral on Christmas Day, so it’s tomorrow.
Are you all coming?”

There
were nods all around the table. Melodee wished that she didn’t have to go. A
funeral was no place for a little girl, and she barely knew Doug. But she
wanted to offer moral support to Nathan, to just be there for him. That was all
she’d ever wanted when she’d experienced loss.

Candice
changed the subject back to Melodee. “And you didn’t tell me what you do for
work?”

“Uh…”
What the hell, they’d all find out eventually. “I fight, I make my money in
underground cage fights.”

Candice
just stared at her blankly. Melodee couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped. The
other girl looked simply dumbfounded.

“She’s
telling the truth,” Nathan said, as he reached out and took Melodee’s hand.
“She kicked Charles’ ass all over Gramps’ place, while she was sore and injured
from the crash. She’s the real deal.”

Candice
shook her head. “Okay. One: that’s awesome. Two: I would have paid you lots of
money to see you kick Charles’ ass. And even more to pull the stick from Matt’s.”

“Leave
me out of this,” Matthew growled. “I’ve got your number this week, Candice, so
don’t push me.”

She
snorted. “You have my number every week, let’s not get scary now.”

She
turned back to Melodee. “And three: I’m wanting to teach some of the mothers
and their girls self-defense down at the shelter. Could you maybe come and
teach sometime? I can pay you.”

Melodee
gave a slight smile. “I’m not sure how long I'll be around, but if I stay then
I’d love to take a few classes.” She shook her head. “And you definitely do not
have to pay me.”

Teaching
women to defend themselves and their children, that would be reward enough for
Melodee.

After dinner they crowded
into the living room. It was time for presents. Nathan could see the panic on
Melodee’s face. She was stressing because she hadn’t thought to get presents
for anyone.

“You
didn’t even know we were going to have a big Christmas. You got Jewel a gift
and that’s the only important one,” he said as he sat on the couch with her.
“Besides, this day is about experience and family. Material things are not
important.”

“We
don’t generally exchange gifts, anyway.” Charles crowded in on her other side,
his long arm lying along the back of the couch. “But Nate wanted it done right
this year.”

“Yep,
threatened to break our asses if we didn’t participate,” Luke added, joking.

Nathan
shrugged and Melodee laughed. “I love family time.”

Jewel woke in time to play
in the masses of colored wrapping, although she mainly just wanted to eat it.
Every time Melodee open a gift she had to fight the urge to hand it back to the
giver, but she could see that each and every one of them had tried to buy her
something they thought she’d love. And she was probably the only one in the
entire room who didn’t already own everything. Candice got her a gorgeous pair
of designer jeans, a jacket and matching boots.

“How
the hell did you know my size?” Melodee asked, amazed.

“Nate,”
Candice said with a smile.

Melodee
threw him a look. It figured he’d have a hand in every gift.

Finally,
as she opened Nathan’s red and green wrapped box, she had to say something.
“This is too much,” she protested as she gently lifted a large, heavy, cuffed
bracelet. It was solid gold and would have been worth a fortune. “I can’t
accept this.”

“Oh
come on, Dee, let us spoil you,” Charles said. “It’s rare to find a human that’s
not jaded by gift giving. And we all have plenty of money, so it’s just fun.”
And Nathan nodded to agree.

“You’re
all very open about being rich,” Melodee said, clutching the cuff. “Aren’t you
worried someone will take advantage of this?”

“Yes,”
Matthew said. At the same time that everyone else chorused. “No.”

“Ignore
the Grinch over there,” Candice said. “Matt has trust issues. But for the rest
of us, rich is a fact of life and everyone in America already seems to know the
most intimate details of our lives.”

“Plus
it’s just a piece of paper,” Nathan said, his eyes softening. “Life is easier
with money, that’s for sure, and while I like the power I have to get things
done and done right, I never forget that money cannot buy me the real treasures
in life.”

Damn,
they were enlightened rich people. Who’d have thought that could happen?

“That’s
my boys,” Rose said, her face lit up with joy. Maybe that was where the
Sinclairs’ humility and kindness came from.

Later that night after
everyone had finally left, and Jewel was asleep in her cot, Melodee sat in
front of the fire. She had the cuff bracelet in her hand and was twirling it
over and over.

“It’s
just a bracelet,” Nathan said from where he was perched in the doorway. “Not a
slave cuff, although I could think of a few things to do to pass the time if
you were chained to my bed.”

Melodee
met his gaze. “It’s beautiful, Nathan, I really love it. But I would be lying
if I said it didn’t make me uncomfortable.”

He
moved then, all sleek and graceful. He lay on the rug, his body pressing
against her side. “You’ll get used to it.” He closed his eyes. “I plan on
giving you many gifts.”

Melodee
didn’t say anything. It was futile to argue with Nathan. She would just have to
accept this life while she had it, and when everything disappeared somehow
learn to live with more holes in her heart.

The doorbell woke Melodee
early the next morning. She was tired. Jewel had had a rough night with
teething and Nathan and Melodee had taken turns walking her around the
apartment. Melodee was still refusing to sleep in Nathan’s bed. She knew it was
some stupid attempt at maintaining her independence, but for now she couldn’t
let it go.

“Fuck
me!” she heard Nathan curse. It sounded like he was at the front door. And then
suddenly he was in her doorway.

“Shit,
sorry, Dee, I wanted to let you get some sleep but…” He paused, pushing his
hair back. “My parents are at my front door.”

Melodee
sat up in a rush, adrenalin flooding her system.

“They
never visit, so I can only assume someone mentioned my new houseguests.” He
captured her chin and landed a kiss so hot it literally curled her toes. “I
would ignore them but they won’t go away.”

“Better
to get it out of the way,” Melodee said. “I’ll get dressed while you let them
in. Whatever story you go with, I’ll follow your lead.”

Nathan
kissed her again. “Or I could just take you back to bed, they’d eventually
leave. Or die of old age.”

Melodee
smiled, shoving him out the door. “I’ll let Jewel sleep. She needs it.”

Nathan
left her then. She grabbed some clothes and jumped in for a thirty second
shower. The entire time panic flooded her system. She’d never done the parent
thing, and Nathan’s didn’t sound like the nicest sort. She just hoped it didn’t
get too brutal. Once she was clean, dry and dressed, she pulled back her hair
and applied the smallest amount of lip gloss. A quick check on Jewel found she
was still sleeping soundly, so Melodee padded silently from the room. As she
neared the end of the hallway she could hear voices.

“What
will people think, Nathan?” a female said. There was bite in her tone, but her
voice didn’t rise.

“Personally,
I don’t give a fuck,” she heard Nathan reply.

“Watch
your language around your mother,” said a deep baritone, which Melodee
recognized as Senator Sinclair. The impressive man was often on television
giving impassioned speeches.

His
mother started in on him again. “And why are you not dressed? You know how I
feel about your tattoos.”

Nathan’s
voice was deathly cold now. “Again, I don’t give a fuck. Why don’t you get to
the point of this visit? I already know all the ways I’ve disappointed you, we
don’t need to go over them again.”

With
a deep breath, Melodee stepped free of the hallway and moved into the open.
Three sets of eyes swung in her direction. His mother’s were a biting blue, a
similar color to Nathan’s, residing in an overly made-up face. She had
perfectly-styled blonde hair to her shoulders, a line-free face that had been
hit with Botox or a lift one too many times, and a coldly pursed mouth. His
father had dark brown eyes, a full head of silver hair, and his face held the
same handsome planes as Nathan’s. He regarded her with curiosity, which was
nicer than the animosity from Nathan’s mother. The three Sinclairs got to their
feet; Nathan’s warm gaze gave her confidence. Well, enough confidence that she
knew there was a great chance she’d not lose her cool and beat the shit out of
his parents. This time anyway.

“Hello,
Senator Sinclair … Mrs. Sinclair,” she said as she stepped into the carpeted
living area. She didn’t hold her hand out to shake though. In a power play, the
first to make a friendly gesture was always left hanging. And she liked to keep
the upper hand.

Nathan
crossed to stand with her, and then they were united against the glamorous
couple across from them. Melodee often forgot Nathan was rich, but his parents
seemed to be making a point to ooze money. Expensive clothing and masses of
jewelry.

Mrs.
Sinclair spoke first. “Hello, Melodee. We heard about the accident and how the
baby ended up in Nathan’s care. We just wanted to make sure everything was
okay.”

“Yes,
it’s a big responsibility looking after a child,” Senator Sinclair added.

His
wife chimed in again. “Maybe you should find someone more suitable as foster
parents. It really doesn’t look right, you two living together with a child.
Especially with your personal circumstances.” She locked her gaze on Melodee
and it was clear they’d had her investigated. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t
know about the fighting, so her, ‘personal circumstances’, were probably more
that she was poor and an orphan.

Nathan
growled. “I’m twenty-three, long past the age of needing your ill-conceived
advice regarding my life. I’ll make whatever choice I feel is right and forgive
me if I don’t think you two are the best role models. Let’s not forget who
really raised your children.” He threw a glare at his father. “And on top of
being absent parents, let us also not forget Dad’s affair and Matt’s illegitimacy
being thrown in his face by Mom on a regular basis.”

Senator
Sinclair growled, and Nathan’s mother gasped, her hand clutching at her throat.
Her voice was almost at screech level now. “You cannot divulge our family
secrets to a stranger! You know nothing of her. She’s a street-thug Nathan, and
probably a gold-digger.”

Melodee
didn’t bother to react, there was no point, and the insults didn’t hurt her.
From the outside a gold-digging-thug was exactly what she looked like. But she
was a little shocked about Nathan’s revelation about his father. It was no
wonder Matthew had such an attitude.

“If
you speak to Melodee like that again, we’re done,” Nathan told his mother
coldly.

“You
can’t mean that,” his mother scoffed, “we are family and family is everything.”

Nathan
laughed. “Come on, Mom, this isn’t a political speech with Dad’s adoring
public. I actually lived in the perfect family home. I know every scar.”

Jewel
chose that moment to cry out, having woken for her morning bottle.

“I
think it’s time for you to leave,” Nathan said. “I have a funeral to go to
today.”

“We’ll
be there,” Senator Sinclair said.

Nathan
sighed. “Of course, you never miss a photo opportunity.”

His
father almost regarded him with sadness. “Thus is the life of a politician, son.
It’s a job that never ends.”

“Let’s
go, Lincoln.” Mrs. Sinclair was already halfway to the door. “Nathan clearly
doesn’t care how his two rescued orphans reflect on our family, so we better
start with media control now.”