Page 34 of Whiskey Reveals

Before Fox could say anything or even pull her away as she thought he might do, the caterers arrived again, and Fox’s parents were right behind them. Melody swallowed hard, trying not to freak out because they knew about the baby. Once he’d told his brothers, he’d had to tell the elder Collins couple, as well. Fox had warned her that they would probably come since she’d been so busy with work—same as Fox for that matter—but he hadn’t had a chance to introduce them like he had with the rest of his family.

And Melody had never felt as if she’d been found lacking as she did right then.

Fox squeezed her hand and led her to the older couple who looked like the parts of Fox she’d seen in the various pieces of his personality.

“Mom, Dad, this is Melody. Melody, these are my parents, Barbara and Bob.” Fox wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Clearly laying claim.

She wasn’t going to vomit, but it would be close. She honestly had no idea how her supposedly simplified life had gotten so confusing and complex, but now it seemed as if she didn’t have a choice but to face whatever came next.

“We’re so happy to finally meet you,” Fox’s mom said. She reached out and pulled Melody away from Fox and into a tight hug. “We’re excited for other reasons, but we can talk about that later,” the other woman whispered so only Melody could hear.

For some reason, though she probably should have stiffened at the reminder that Fox’s mom knew he’d gotten some random woman pregnant, another kind of warmth filled her instead. Fox’s mom seemed…excited about what was to come. Or at least she acted that way now and wasn’t making a huge deal about it in public since Melody didn’t want the news out.

Yes, she should probably tell her new dance students about the baby, but Melody was going to do everything in her power not to interrupt lessons or make her pregnancy interfere with the new studio in any way. She’d find a way to make it work, darn it. And she’d tell them soon, once she actually believed what was going on with her.

“Oh,” she finally said, pulling away. Oh. Not the most brilliant thing to say, but Fox’s mom had left her speechless.

Before she could say anything else, Fox’s father was hugging her tight, and then the rest of the Collins family was right behind them. Dare held Kenzie’s hand, his son Nate between them as they introduced Melody to her new charge. Loch showed up soon after with his daughter, Misty, in tow and Ainsley right beside them. The three looked so much like a family that it was hard to comprehend that the other woman was just Loch’s friend. Again, Melody figured there was a story there, but she didn’t say anything. She had enough on her plate as it was.

Soon, the building was bursting with incoming students, their families, townsfolk who wanted to see what the new girl was all about, and her and Fox’s family. If she’d had time to be nervous, she might have started shaking, but as it was, the two hours passed by in a blink. She’d spent the entire party going from group to group, introducing herself to everyone she could find and sizing up who would be in her classes. There were so many smiling faces that the excitement started to push away the fear. She knew that if she focused, she could do this.

Even if she were pregnant with a not-so-much-a-stranger-anymore’s baby.

Before she knew it, the place had emptied, and Fox’s parents had invited her to a family dinner that didn’t seem like something she could get out of, and soon, she was standing next to Fox and her grandmother.

Grandma Pearl hugged her close and kissed her cheek. “I’m so proud of you. This place looks wonderful, and the joy in those children’s eyes means that you’re going to set that spark for them. Even if it’s just for a season where they stretch their legs and find out that dancing isn’t for them, they’re going to have those memories. You’re doing something wonderful for this town, and I’ve never been prouder of you. I can’t wait until your little baby grows up to watch you dance and sees how far you’ve come. You’re my inspiration, baby girl. I love you so much.”

Melody couldn’t help the sting behind her eyes, but she didn’t let the tears fall this time. She’d cried enough recently, and honestly, she’d had too good and memorable of a day so far to let tears spoil it—even if they were happy ones.

“Thank you,” she whispered, resting her forehead on her grandmother’s. “You mean the world to me.” Melody missed her parents and knew that though they’d had their faults, they had always believed in her. But right then, it was her grandmother who lifted her up. And unlike before, she never wanted to take that for granted.

“Same here, girl.” She kissed Melody’s forehead and stood back. “Now, one of my bridge club ladies is outside waiting to take me home so we can have some tea and gossip about who we saw today as that’s part of our routine, but you should go see to that young man behind you who’s casually leaning against the wall as if he hasn’t been watching you with dreamy and intense eyes for the past two hours. Fox is a good man, Melody.”

Melody cleared her throat. “I can see that he is, but we’re…we’re taking things slow.” As slow as they could considering he’d been inside her the night before, but they were doing their best to not talk about feelings or futures—a totally mature way to go.

As she watched her grandmother walk away, Fox came up behind her. She didn’t have to look to know that he was near, she could feel the heat of him that went straight to her bones. He was just so…Fox. She couldn’t explain it, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She knew she should step away and keep her distance so they could talk about what would happen when the baby came. Because she didn’t want to force him into a relationship, didn’t want to force him into her life because of what had happened between them. They might have tried to be safe their first night together, but it hadn’t been safe enough. And now, three lives would soon be changed irrevocably, forever.

“You looked like you were having a good time today,” Fox whispered, the warmth of his breath sending shivers down the line of her neck. “And I noticed you practically taking notes on each person you saw. Do you need to write them down?”

She shook her head, turning in his arms though she knew she should pull away. Fox needed to know who she was, who she had been, if whatever was between them were to continue. Because there was another person who was part of them now, and she had to be far more careful than she had been when it came to Fox.

“I just saw first impressions and don’t want to keep those as my only ones, but it’s nice to finally put faces to some names.” She bit her lip, doing her best to think about the party and not the fact that Fox was so close to her, the lean line of his body pressed along the side of hers so she could feel every inch of him.

And she meant every inch.

It scared her how quickly Fox had become part of her life. She’d thought they could be friends once she came back to Whiskey, but she should have known that wouldn’t be the case. As evidenced by their first meeting, the sparks between them only flamed hotter once they were closer to one another for longer than a few moments. And the hell of it was, she liked him. He was amazing with his family, caring, funny, and always tried to show that he belonged with how hard he worked since his brothers were all so different. She could only assume that it would be the same if their sister were living there, as well. Fox was talented and had far more intricacies than she’d ever imagined. Things like his juggling when he was thinking, or the fact that he rambled just like her when he was nervous. He had made sure her grandmother was taken care of with his story, and though the editorial had gone viral, he’d made sure her family was safe from any prying eyes who wanted to know more about Ms. Pearl and her dancing past. Fox hadn’t taken a step back and had only paused to let the fact that she was pregnant sink in before he was there for her, telling her that he wanted to be part of the pregnancy and part of the baby’s life, even as they traversed their own relationship.

To say that she was confused when it came to her feelings about Fox was an understatement. But before she could let any sense of promise wrap itself around them, she had to tell him her secrets.

And because she knew she was being a coward, she couldn’t let those secrets lie dormant any longer. Not when she knew the clock was ticking down when it came to what the two of them had made together.

Their child.

And there went that stomach roll again.

“Melody? You went quiet there.” Fox slid his hand through her hair, tucking some behind her ear.

“Sorry, just thinking.” She shook herself, letting out a breath. “I have a few things to clean up, but I wanted to say thank you for being here. I know you didn’t have to be, but I appreciated it.”

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