Page 15 of Wilde Abandon

She’d gotten tired of that and stopped dating because flings were fun in the moment, until you were back to being alone.She wanted something real.Something deep.A connection that could stand up to the good and bad and everything in between.

Two people who had that were standing right in front of her.Her parents’ marriage wasn’t perfect.They argued.They had issues.But they worked through them.Year after year.Change after change in their lives.Because nothing stayed the same.

Not even Melody.

She’d changed a lot since she and Fox were grade school friends.

Now she wanted to find out if that little boy and girl could be what they were—and more—now.

Because the other thought that had crept into her mind last night had come when she reflected on why none of the guys she dated ever lasted.What about them hadn’t worked for her?

The answer had stunned her.

They weren’t Fox, the boy who had always treated her like she mattered, like she was not just important, but necessary in his life.

No one had ever come close to making her feel that way again.

Her dad brushed his hand over her head.“I didn’t tell you about Fox because you seemed to have moved on after he lashed out at you.I thought about taking you back to see him, but Fox was just not in a good place.I made a mistake.I should have given you both a chance to talk and say goodbye before Fox went into foster care.I didn’t know you were still carrying the guilt and pain of losing him until I saw the devastated look on your face when you saw him last night.”

“Remember I told you about the guy I’ve been talking to online?”

Her mom gasped.“It was Fox?”

“He wanted to get to know me again.Now that we have over these last many weeks, he wants us to be together again.”

Her mom proceeded with caution.“You were really interested in him.Are you still, now that you know it’s Fox?”

She thought about the sexy as hell kiss she and Fox shared last night.She’d kissed a lot of other men.None of those kisses were as scorching hot as the one Fox laid on her.“Yes.When I talked to the mystery guy online, there was something so familiar about him.Now I know why.It was always so easy to be me with him.I felt that when we talked now.It’s why I waited so long to give him an ultimatum about meeting in person.I really didn’t want to lose what we had online, even though I wanted more.”She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked the time.“I have to go.I’m meeting him for lunch.”

“Tell him I’d love a chance to catch up with him.He’s welcome at the ranch whenever he has the time.”Her dad tugged her hair.

This time she didn’t want to keep things fun and flirty and casual.She wanted Fox to be her Mason, her Layla, the ones her sister Lyric and brother Jax couldn’t live without.Melody wanted to be the one Fox couldn’t leave.Not this time.

Chapter four

Foxfinishedtheprogrammingjob he’d been working on the last couple of weeks for his company.He sent the final product to his client and a note to his assistant at his Boston office, asking her to mark the job complete and have billing send the client the final bill.He shut down his computer with plenty of time to make it to the diner.Anticipation jacked his heart rate as he checked his pockets to make sure he had his keys and phone.He got distracted when he got lost in the code and wanted to be sure he had everything he needed for his meeting with Melody.His date?

He didn’t want to presume anything.He’d tried to tell her what he wanted last night, but most of what happened was a blur in his mind because he’d been desperate to get her to listen to him and agree to see him again.

Desperation is not a good look.Which reminded him he should check himself in the mirror before he left and make sure his hair wasn’t standing on end and he didn’t have anything on his face, clothes, or in his teeth.

“What?”

He jumped at the sound of Amy’s voice.“What?”he asked back, feeling like he’d missed something.He often did because he was usually in his head and not paying attention to the actual people around him.

Amy raised a brow.“Did you say I look desperate?”

“No.”He felt a flush rise on his cheeks.“Why would you think that?”

“I heard you say something about being desperate when I walked in.”

I said that out loud?Fuck.“I was talking about me.”

“Oh well, then you obviously weren’t talking about being desperate for someone.”

“Why not?”He was really having a hard time following this conversation.

“Because you’re you.Brilliant.Nice.R…ridiculously handsome.”

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