Page 99 of Finding a Melody

“But I did this.”

Seth shrugged. “It happens. I’m sure whatever nightmare you had caused more damage to you than this little love tap.”

“Love tap?” I practically sputtered. “I broke your face!”

Bryan chuckled. “He’s had worse. He’ll be fine. One time, we were swimming and Toby accidently kicked him in the face when he was trying to learn to do a handstand. Seth ended up walking around with a broken nose.”

“See,” Seth said, moving so I’d let go. “Shit happens.”

I didn’t really believe them. I didn’t want shit happening like that. It was so pointless and causing pain to others never sat well with me.

“Come on,” Seth said. “The steaks are done. Time to eat.”

He didn’t give me time to say anything as he got up and went back inside. Bryan followed him, leaving me alone.

I took in a deep breath, grimacing at my own pain, and then headed inside. The food was already out and Bryan helped me up onto a stool.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, frowning hard, face full of worry as he watched me carefully.

“I’m not going to break,” I said.

“You’re still pale.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Bryan’s frown wouldn’t go away and he went into the kitchen area. It wasn’t long until he was returning with a cup of my favorite green tea.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling as I let it warm my hands.

Softly, he said, “I hope it helps,” as he climbed into his chair.

Nothing was said for a long time as we ate dinner. Once again, Seth proved to be an expert as I bit into the juicy steak, cooked perfectly. There were even sliced potatoes wrapped in foil, obviously grilled, on my plate. As I unrolled the foil, steam burst through the air, bringing with it the scent of butter, herbs, and potatoes. My mouth watered and the moment I took a bite of the potatoes, I groaned.

Seth chuckled. “Enjoying yourself?”

“You know I am,” I said around a mouthful of food, not caring that it was rude to talk like that. It was too good and frankly, they didn’t care about proper food etiquette, not when they were always doing the same. And if Toby was here, eventually food would also get tossed at someone.

I would have enjoyed myself so much more if my nightmare wasn’t hovering over me. Even now, I could still hear Lindie’s screams. See my dad walking away. Feel the thunder of the motorcycles surrounding me.

“Cadence?” Seth’s voice grabbed my attention.

I blinked out of my thoughts and realized that both Seth and Bryan were staring at me, clearly worried with the way they frowned, their eyebrows pulled together.

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re okay? What’s on your mind?” Seth asked.

“But only if you want to tell us,” Bryan was quick to add, getting a raised eyebrow from Seth.

I looked down at my half-eaten steak, poking at it lightly with my fork. All the words were right there and it scared me. But it was all so fresh and maybe that was why I finally spoke about something I never spoke about before.

They had me relaxed, feeling absolutely safe, like everything was going to be okay. They heard about my violent past, were even still by my side despite the dangers that hovered over me. They deserved to know.

And Seth had always been the most understanding human being in existence, never judging, always willing to listen. Bryan was more reserved. Trust was hard to get from him, but I had it. So I needed to share that I trusted him too—which I did. A hundred percent.

Even just realizing that I wanted to share this with them was shocking enough. I always did my best to keep it locked up deep in the back of my mind.

“Cadence?” Seth asked softly, sensing my turmoil.