Page 46 of Wilde Abandon
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Dee…”
“She’s trying to get your attention.”
“She has it.I’m here.”
Melody shook her head.“She broke the sink and pipes herself to get you to come fix it.”
He raised a brow.“That seems…” Now that he thought about it, he had suspicions.“Seriously?You think so?”
She raised a brow back.“Yes.”
Every time he went over there, something needed to be replaced or fixed.Everything was old and worn out, so he hadn’t really thought anything about it.But was Tanya actually breaking things on purpose to get his attention?
“While I was cleaning up the living room, I found a stack of cruise brochures.”
He narrowed his gaze.
“When I asked her about them, she said she wants to go on a cruise with you.Bonding.A vacation you never got to have together.”
He rolled his eyes.“Because I was in foster care and she didn’t give a shit.”He ran his hand through his hair.“She chose to take my father back, knowing there was no way family services would let me return to them.So a cruise…trying to make up for lost time…fuck no.”
She shifted on the couch so she was facing him.“Then what are you doing here, Fox?”
“I came back for you.”
“You could have done that without ever seeing Tanya.Admit it.You came back because you hoped her illness changed her.It didn’t.She won’t change.Not even for you.”She slid over his lap, straddled him, hugged him, and whispered in his ear, “You deserve better.”
He wrapped his arms around her and held her, maybe a little too tight, but she didn’t resist.She melted into him.
“I got the best thing to ever happen to me back.”
She pressed a kiss to his neck.“Still…I’m sorry about your mom.”
“If you dislike her this much, why did you do all of that for her?”
She leaned back with her hands braced on his shoulders.“Because she’s sick.It needed to be done.And I wanted to see if she was hiding something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.I just feel like she has an agenda.Maybe it’s as simple as she wants to use you for your money.She’s never really had anything but bad luck, abuse, and back-breaking work.That’s a hard life.Her son is amazingly talented and successful.She wants a taste of the life you’ve created for yourself.You’re nice enough to give her what she wants.My problem with her is that she thinks because you’re her son, you owe it to her.I don’t like that.”
“I don’t mind helping out.I have the money.”
She nodded.“Okay.”
His brow went up again.“That’s it?”
“I’ve said my piece.And it’s nothing you probably haven’t already thought yourself.”
“Tanya is…” He didn’t know quite what to say.“I know who and what she is.I gave up my hopes and dreams of having a close relationship with her when I had this chance to reconnect with her and it didn’t go the way I hoped.Two minutes into being at her place and speaking to her…I knew I was never going to get what I wanted.But I couldn’t walk away.Not when she’s sick and needs help.”He rubbed both hands over the back of his neck, then dropped his hands onto Melody’s silky bare thighs.“I know she’s going to get worse.I’ve planned for that.There’s a nearby hospice where she’ll be taken care of round the clock.I know I don’t have to do it, but it’s what my conscience needs so I don’t have to live with turning my back on her when she needed me like she did to me all those years ago.”
She brushed her thumbs over his cheeks and held his face.“Okay.I won’t bring it up again.We’ll take care of her.”
He shook his head.“It’s not for you to do.”