Page 19 of Wilde Abandon
“I’m not new to you.”
“No.You’re more important than anyone.”
She glanced away, then back at him.“Fox.I don’t know what to say to that.”
“It’s just the truth.You don’t have to say anything.I know you have a whole life with lots of people in it and a ton of happy memories growing up with your family at the ranch.You had a really good life.And I’m happy for you that you had that.”
She frowned.“But your life was nothing like that and it made you cautious and wary of others.”
“Yes.And there are other reasons for that, too.But you and I shared a connection.Most eight-year-old boys don’t want anything to do with girls.”
“Boys are yucky,” she teased, then leaned in and kissed him softly.Her gaze flared with need.“Men can be a lot of fun.”She put her hand on his chest.“But there was this one boy I found fascinating.”
He touched his forehead to hers.
She rubbed her hands up and down on his chest.“You liked me.You made sure the other boys never pulled my hair or teased me.You used to hold my hand all the time.I loved it.You always made me feel special.I was the youngest at home.I thought my big sisters got to do everything and I was left behind a lot because I was so much younger and smaller than them.But when I was with you, we did everything together.”
“You knew I needed you.Someone who was always kind.Someone who didn’t make me flinch or feel scared.”
“When did that finally go away?”
“When I met Dean.He was a tough kid.Way more aggressive than me.No one messed with him.Well, not the other kids.He liked me because I was quiet.He got yelled at a lot.I liked him because he could glare at someone and make them go away.”
“How old were you when you two met?”
“Fourteen.Seventeen when Max joined our group.You’ll meet him later.He’s in Boston still taking care of some business for me.”
“What kind of business?”
Most of the time when someone asked about him, he either avoided the question or gave a vague answer.Not with Melody.He wanted her to know he’d made something of himself.“I started my own software company in college.It was just me and Max at first.Simple projects we could do in a short amount of time while we were finishing our classes.Max and I were a good team.We had a lot in common.We were both in the system and trying to be something more than the throwaway kids we’d been for so long.”
She squeezed his hand.“You are not a throwaway anything.”
He turned his hand and linked his fingers with hers.“You were the only one who made me feel like I was worth something.”
“Fox.You defied the odds.You’re strong and smart.An amazing friend.You built your own company.You’re worth knowing.”
“You make me feel that way.”He thought about his agonizing past.“When all you know is pain, kindness is precious.It’s everything, even when you feel like you don’t deserve it, or that it comes with a price attached.With you, I knew you meant it and you didn’t want anything from me.That is so rare in my world, Mel.”
She scooted a bit closer.“Then you’ll just have to keep me in your world so you’ll always have it.”
So I’ll always have you.
God, he wanted that to be true so badly.
“I guess that won’t be easy when you go back to Boston.”Sadness filled her eyes.
Hell no.He didn’t want Melody to ever be sad.“I’m not going back anytime soon.I’ll stay here until Tanya…” He never called her Mom.He couldn’t say the word.Maybe he didn’t like her.Maybe he even hated her.But she was his mom and she needed him.
He cleared his throat.“I’ve set up an office here.I’ve got great people, like Max and Dean, working for me.I can fly back if I’m needed, otherwise I can code and do business from here, no problem.”
“What’s Dean’s role in the company?”
“Security.”
She cocked her head.“Then shouldn’t he be in Boston keeping watch over the company?”
He didn’t want to lie to her so he gave her part of the truth.“We’re working on something together here.”