Wild For You (Always a Bridesmaid 3) (17 page)

Melody thanked her, and waited until the nurse left the room before turning back to her mother. “How did you know I was here?” she asked. “Did Nick call you? Where is he? Is he okay? I saw Seth hit him before I passed out.”

Her mother’s smile dropped from her face so suddenly Melody could almost hear it hit the floor. Even before Mom opened her mouth, Melody knew all her cats were out of their bags.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you were attacked by that man at the bar?” her mom asked, ignoring Melody’s questions. Her frown emphasized the tiny wrinkles around her mouth, making her look every one of her fifty-five years. Most days, Sue looked young enough to be her daughters’ older sister, but the rough night had clearly taken a toll on her, making Melody feel even guiltier.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just didn’t want to talk about it with family. I knew how upset y’all would be, and I… I didn’t want to relive it. If that makes any sense.”

“But you told Nick and Nash,” her mom said. “I had to slip your father a Xanax when he heard that the Geary boys knew his daughter was in danger before he did.”

“I didn’t want to worry Daddy. You know how he gets.”

“I know, sugar,” her mom said, her expression softening. “But he loves you so much, and he’s just devastated. In his mind, he could have rallied all his old buddies and had that animal run out of town. He’s sure he could have kept you safe, and hates how helpless he feels right now.”

“But he hates that I went to Nash even more,” Melody said, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

She loved her dad, but when it came to Nash she just didn’t get what her father’s problem was. Nash was a great guy, and he loved Aria and Felicity so much. In Melody’s mind, Dad should have welcomed Nash with open arms, no matter what happened between Aria and Nash when they were teenagers.

Her mom sighed. “Yes. I have a feeling Bob and Nash’s truce is going to be a thing of the past, at least for a few months. Aria is pretty upset, too. She hasn’t said anything except that she’s concerned for you, but I can tell she’s hurt that Nash kept this from her.”

“But it was police business,” Melody said, beginning to resent how attacked she felt.

She should at least have a chance to fully recover before getting the “you shouldn’t keep things from family” lecture from her mother.

“He can’t share anything about a sexual assault case unless the victim gives him permission,” Melody continued, “and I didn’t give him permission. This isn’t Nash’s fault. He made me feel safe and listened to and had a police car drive by my house every night. He was wonderful.”

“I’m sure he was,” her mom said. “And I’m so glad he got to you and Nick in time to take that animal into custody, but—”

“He did?”

“He did,” her mother confirmed, making Melody’s breath rush out in a sigh of relief.

She knew things with Seth weren’t totally over—there would still be a hearing and maybe even a trial, and she would have to look into his repulsive face as she testified against him—but she felt much better knowing that he was behind a thick set of bars. At least for a little while.

“And I guess the nine-one-one operator recorded your call,” her mom continued. “She got everything Seth said on tape. Nash thinks that’s going to be pretty damning evidence, and we’re already working on getting a restraining order so this asshole can’t come within a hundred feet of you.”

A surprised smile spread across Melody’s face. “Are you sure you’re my mother? I don’t think I’ve ever heard my mother use two curse words in one sentence.”

“You’ve never heard your mother after a man tried to rape her daughter,” her mother said, smoothing Melody’s hair from her forehead with one cool hand. “I’m so sorry, sugar. I wish I could take that pain away from you and make it all better. I guess I’m feeling pretty helpless, too.”

“It’s okay, Mama,” Melody said, tears pressing at the backs of her eyes. “I’m really okay. I got away before Seth could do anything but scare me, and I’m not going to stay scared. I’m going to be fine. Mostly I’m just worried about Nick. Is he okay? Has he seen a doctor?”

Mom pulled her hand from Melody’s forehead, crossing her arms at her chest with a scowl even stormier than the one she’d shot Melody a few moments ago. “That reminds me—Melody Anne March, what in God’s green earth were you thinking? Getting a tattoo? A huge, scary, gaudy tattoo all over the side of your beautiful, God-given body, and your blessed clear skin?”

Melody swallowed and tried to smile, but her mother’s glare curdled the grin before it could reach her lips. “It’s not scary,” she said. “It’s a phoenix. It’s a symbol of renewal and rebirth. It’s going to be beautiful when Nick finishes it up.”

“No one is finishing anything up,” her mom said in the same tone she would use when Melody was little and being ordered to keep her elbows off the table or refrain from running down the aisles at church. “That boy almost killed you.”

“He didn’t almost kill me,” Melody said. She wasn’t a baby, and she wasn’t going to let anyone, even her mother, talk about Nick in that tone of voice. “I have an allergy to latex, like Aria, and I started having a bad reaction when Nick put on the latex gloves to do the tattoo. It’s not his fault, and I think you should just be glad I didn’t find out about the allergy the same way Aria did.”

Her mother’s face went pale and her lips pressed together, the memory of having to fetch sixteen-year-old Aria from a fishing cabin where she’d been going “all the way” for the first time with her boyfriend and discovered her deathly allergy to latex when the boy rolled on the condom, obviously enough to make her physically ill with shame.

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response, Melody Anne,” her mother said. “You are not your sister.”

Melody frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you are not like Aria. You are a level-headed girl with a kind, gentle heart who knows better than to run off and do impulsive things without thinking about them first.”

“Aria has a kind heart,” Melody said, now angry on her sister’s behalf.

“I never said she didn’t,” Mom said. “But she’s impulsive. She always has been. When she was little, she’d climb a tree first and figure out how she was going to get down later. You would stand at the bottom of the tree and tell me exactly how many branches you thought it was safe to climb. You had your course plotted before you even started. So if you had made the decision to break your promise to yourself, and be with someone before marriage, it would be a much more serious betrayal.”

“It’s not a betrayal, Mom. I just…” Melody trailed off, shame and anger weighing on her equally.

A part of her thought Mom was talking sense and felt terrible for the impulsive way she’d been behaving lately, but the other part argued that it was time for her to have her own life, without her Mom and Dad weighing in on every choice. That part of her felt that it was okay to loosen up and color outside the lines, especially when accompanied by a man who made her feel so special and loved and happy.

Melody sat in silence, remembering the way Nick had leapt into action the second he realized she was having a bad reaction to the latex, his concern for her obvious in every gentle touch, every calming word. She remembered the rage in his voice when he’d told Seth the other man wasn’t allowed to think her name, and felt the last of her doubt fade away.

Nick loved her, and she loved him. So what if she was a little different since they’d been together, and if half their dates seemed to be cursed to end in disaster? She refused to feel ashamed of the way she felt about him, of the way her body and heart and soul all longed to be closer to him in every way. When she and Nick made love for the first time, it would be special and right, whether they were engaged or married or just living together without any rings involved.

“I’m growing up,” Melody said after a long pause, knowing better than to announce her intention to move in with Nick at this exact moment. Her mother obviously had enough on her mind. “I may not always be the girl you knew when I was little, but I hope you’ll trust me to make decisions that feel right for me.”

“I know you’re growing up, honey, and I’m so proud of you,” her Mom said. “But just remember the values that have served you so well in the past, and don’t let a boy change who you are.”

“Nick’s not changing who I am,” Melody said, rubbing at the tops of her eyes, where a fresh headache was trying to get started. “I mean, maybe at first I wanted to show him that I wasn’t a stick in the mud, but now I…”

She sighed and dropped her hand back into her lap, facing her mother head on. “I like who I am when I’m with him. He makes me feel alive and awake and more excited about the future than I’ve felt in a long time. I’m totally in love with him, Mom, more than I ever was with Brian. I know Nick and I have only been dating a short time and that may seem strange to you, but it’s true.”

“It doesn’t seem strange,” her mom said, surprising her. “I knew I was going to marry your father by our third date.” She hesitated, sadness creeping into her eyes. “But I’m not sure Nick feels the same way you do, honey.”

“Why would you say that?” Melody asked, her empty stomach gurgling unhappily.

Candace chose that moment to bustle back into the room with a giant plastic mug of water with an accordion straw sticking out of the top.

“Here’s that water,” she said, setting the mug onto the adjustable tray holder on one side of Melody’s hospital bed. “If you’re hungry, the cafeteria opens in ten minutes and the breakfast cart should be around in a couple of hours. I’ll be sure they know Melody’s cleared for a meal.”

“Thank you,” Melody said, forcing a smile. She waited until Candace had checked her vitals a second time, and left the room before turning back to her mother.

“Don’t let what happened tonight change your mind about Nick, Mom,” Melody said. “He really is a great guy.”

Her mom crossed her arms and sat down on the corner of Melody’s bed. “I don’t think we should talk about this anymore until you’re feeling better.”

“I feel fine, Mom, just tell me. Why did you say that?”

Sue sighed. “Well, Nick was in here late last night, right after I sent your father home with Lark and Mason. You woke up for a few minutes around midnight, but went back to sleep almost immediately. Nick came in a little later and asked if he could stay. I said no, that he’d done enough for one night and stepped out into the hall to get the nurse. Before I could get back, he turned and walked out without another word.”

“Well, you told him to go.” Melody sat up straighter. “Mom, how could you do that?”

“My daughter was lying in a hospital bed because he decided to give her a horrible tattoo,” her mom said, indignation in her tone.

“It wasn’t Nick’s choice,” Melody said, voice rising. “I asked him to do the tattoo.
I’m
the one who wanted it. I am a grown woman and no one forces me to do anything against my will!”

“Honey, calm down and lower your voice,” her mom said in a dramatic whisper. “You’ll hurt yourself, and people might think we’re fighting.”

“We
are
fighting!” Melody said in only a slightly softer voice. “I am not a baby, Mom, and I won’t let you turn Nick into a bad guy. You’re the one who told him to leave, and I can bet you weren’t sweet about it.”

Sue huffed, a wounded expression on her face. “My manners might not have been at their best, but he didn’t even
try
to argue with me, Melody. If he really cared that much, it seems like he would have made more of an effort to stay.”

Melody pushed the tray back to the side of her bed, and swung her feet over the edge on the other side.

“What are you doing?” her mom asked, sliding from her perch.

“I’m going to call Nick. Where’s my phone?” Melody hopped onto the ground, only swaying a little before her legs firmed up beneath her. She wasn’t quite herself, but she was a hundred times better than last night.

“Get back in bed this second, Melody Anne,” her mom said, stepping in front of her. “You have been unconscious, you almost died, and I’m not—”

“I feel fine, and I need to talk to Nick.” Melody started forward, holding her hospital gown together in the back for modesty’s sake, but her mom stopped her with gentle hands on her shoulders.

“Where is my phone, Mom?” Melody insisted. “Either help me find it, or get out of my way.”

“All right, I’ll get it, but you have to get back in bed first.” Her mother stood firm, staring up at her taller daughter with a no-nonsense look. “I mean it. You’re not too old for a spanking.”

Melody laughed. She couldn’t help herself, even if she was angry with her mother. “Mom, I am way too old to spank and you know it. Besides, you never spanked me once in my entire life.”

“Well, it’s not too late to start,” her mom said with a sniff, patting Melody’s arm with an affection that made it impossible to stay mad.

“All right, I’m getting back in bed. See me go,” Melody said, easing back onto the mattress and sliding her legs beneath the sheets.

Her mother retreated to the corner where she’d been napping earlier and lifted a canvas bag from the floor to the seat of the chair. “I had Aria stop by your place and bring you extra clothes and a toothbrush,” she said, her voice muffled as she burrowed into the bag. “I think I put your cell… Here it is.”

She crossed to the bed and held out the phone. “But I’m not sure you’re supposed to use it in here.”

“I’ll be quick,” Melody said, snatching her cell before her mom could issue any more warnings. A moment later, Nick’s phone was ringing.

And ringing. And ringing. Ten rings, and she was sent to voice mail.

Melody promptly hung up and dialed again, knowing by now that Nick wasn’t going to check his voice messages anyway. He always deleted them without listening. This time, however, the phone only rang twice before going to voice mail, which meant…

She ended the call with a swift jab of her thumb.

“He sent me to voicemail,” she said, her heart squeezing miserably in her chest. “Why would he send me to voicemail?”

Her mother lifted her blond brows in a meaningful way, but didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. Her unspoken “I told you so” hung over Melody’s head like a poisonous balloon, ready to pop open and fill the room with noxious fumes.