Page 85 of Wilde Abandon
“He didn’t ask because he knows I have a treatment on Tuesday.”
“Do you have a ride?”
“Yes.He set it up.”
“Good.Then we’ll be sure to check in, make sure you’re doing well.”
Tanya sneered.“You think you’ve got him eating out of the palm of your hand.”
Melody finished the bottom layer of noodles and spooned on a layer of meat sauce.“It’s interesting that you see my relationship with Fox as me trying to get something from him by making him like me.Is that what you think?”
“Yes.Because he’s gota lotto give.”
“Yes, he does.Your kitchen is looking good because of it.”She sprinkled on a generous amount of mozzarella.Tanya had requested she leave off the ricotta earlier.
“You don’t think I see what you’re doing to him.”
She started on the next layer of noodles.“What am I doing to him, besides making him happy?Because that’s all I want to do.I want him to put the past behind him and look toward the future and what we can have together.”
“Yeah.You living the high life in Boston.”
“I’m giving up a lot to be with Fox.”
“And you want something in return for that sacrifice.”
“What I’ll get is something you can’t buy.I want what my sister has with her husband and what my brother found with his fiancée.I want someone who is mine as much as I’m theirs.I want to build a family and a life with him.The kind of family I had growing up and the kind he deserved but never got.”
“Because you took him from me.”
She stopped what she was doing.“I didn’t take him from you.You hurt him and lost him to the system because you refused to do what was necessary to get him back.And now, when you have a chance to make amends, you don’t seem to even want to try to be the kind of mother he deserves, because you’re too busy spending his money and planning trips.”
Tanya’s brow wrinkled with anger.“I asked him to come with me.”
“Knowing that he can’t just drop everything and sail around the world for months on end.”
“Yes.He can.Someone else can run the business while he does whatever he damn well pleases.”
“That’s not Fox.He doesn’t abandon what’s his to someone else.He takes care of it.”
“She’s right.”Fox walked in carrying a red sweatshirt and a black knit beanie.“I’m doing the best I can to be here for you and take care of my business.But I can’t leave for a month and a half and work from a ship that at best has spotty Wi-Fi and cell coverage and think that my company won’t suffer for it.While you’re one of my priorities, you’re not the only one.”
“No,” Tanya agreed.“I’m also not the top priority either.She is.”
“Yes,” Fox confirmed.
Melody sucked in a breath.“Fox.That’s—”
“The truth.It will always be the truth.You are my number one priority.You will never come second to anyone or anything.I promise you that.”
“I…I.”She didn’t know what to say.“I feel the same about you.”She meant it.Even as her heart jackhammered with what that meant.She’d thought she and Fox would slip into love eventually, but nope.She’d fallen, hard and fast and with the same kind of wild abandon she did everything.She put her whole heart into what mattered to her.It didn’t always work out for her.But a lot of the time it did.And in this case, with Fox, it was even better than she ever expected.Nothing and no one mattered more to her than him.
Fox’s gaze softened on her.“Not the time or place,” he said.“Soon.We’ll get to it all soon.”Fox looked at his mom.“What is it that you really want?Because it seems to me that before Melody and I got together, you were happy with me visiting and us just hanging out and getting to know each other.”
“I’m happy with all of that and that you’re here.”
“Do you want me to go to your doctor appointments?I can make time for that.”
Tanya shook her head.“That’s not necessary.They’re mostly just follow-ups and my treatment.Boring stuff that takes too much time, but I can do on my own.”