Page 58 of Melody

“And we never talked about it.” Kyle let out a long breath, because this was turning out to be harder than he’d expected. “Anyway, we got high one night and I crashed in his room. When I woke up the next morning, he was dead.”

Melody squeezed his hand but didn’t say anything. Somehow, it gave him the strength he needed to keep going.

“My mom put me in rehab…and I’m pretty sure she couldn’t actually afford it, but she did it anyway. I was so fucking pissed. It was the day after Liam’s funeral. The place was pretty structured. I don’t remember much about the first week, except that they were getting me through withdrawal. We had all these what I called ‘talking meetings,’ and I’d just clam up. I didn’t want to be there and I didn’t want to talk.”

This was the part he needed her to hear, so he paused and looked in her eyes to make sure his next words had the effect he hoped they would. “I might have been inside a building, but I was running. I was running from the truth, from my fears, and from reality. For the longest time, I just wanted to get high again—and maybe even follow Liam’s path to the grave. But one morning, I woke up after a dream I can hardly even remember now. Liam had been talking to me…and he was telling me to live. So I let it all sink in…and I stopped running away.”

But even as he saw Melody processing his words, he realized that he was still running from one other thing: his mother. He had yet to face her in a meaningful way—and all this time, he’d put the blame completely on her…but maybe it was on him as well.

He couldn’t deal with that right now. He had the more pressing matter of his girlfriend.

“I can’t tell you what to do, but what kind of life will it be for you if you’re constantly on the run?”

Her response was immediate. “Eventually, they’ll lock Tommy behind bars for something. It’s just a matter of time.”

“So you’re okay running until then?” Kyle examined her eyes, even while noticing the way she’d set her jaw as if in defiance.

“That’s not what I said.”

“But that’s what you’re doing. I know in your mind you think that’s your only choice, but my therapist has shown me that we always have a choice.”

Melody frowned. “And I’m choosing to live by getting as far away from Tommy as I possibly can.”

“You’re right. Running is a choice and I get it. But if you’d rather stay here, I can help you figure it out. Have you ever thought about going to the police and telling them what you know? Wouldn’t that help them build a case against him so they could get him in jail sooner?”

The war inside her was evident on her face. He could tell that part of her liked the idea. What she’d been doing since coming to Silver City couldn’t have been easy or stress-free—and doing what he was proposing wouldn’t either, but it might allow her more freedom in the long run.

“Maybe—but that could totally backfire.”

“I’ll go with you. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.” Her brows furrowed as she shifted her gaze to the table. Then he said, “I love you, Melody…and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone.” Not even Hayley. He’d loved her, yes, but it had been different. “I don’t want you to go. And if you find it inside yourself to face this, I’ll be there by your side.”

When she looked up at him, Kyle was certain she was going to tell him she was leaving.

CHAPTER 21

She couldn’t believe she was doing this…but she couldn’t completely regret it. A big chunk of her heart had wanted to stay because she too had grown to love Kyle. Was it just because of all the good sex?

No. It was his heart that had won her over. He’d opened himself up, let her peek deep inside, and she’d done the same. And, unlike Tommy, Kyle hadn’t made her feel weak or pathetic by telling him how important her parents had been to her or how much she missed them.

Kyle was a good man, and she didn’t know how many opportunities she’d have to find the exact right man. If he was her soulmate, there probably wouldn’t be another.

Still, part of her wondered if her judgment was clouded by the hormones.

And now she and Kyle sat inside the Silver City Police Department waiting for the person the receptionist had said was coming. Regardless of the past year, she was going to have to present herself as Melody Morton, formerly of Pueblo, ex-girlfriend of Tommy Nogales.

Kyle had seemed okay with her real self, although he had yet to see her real hair.

But as she sat there, she realized Kyle was right. What kind of life would it be if she was constantly pulling up roots to go somewhere else, always afraid of the shadows? She remembered how she’d felt the first few months in Silver City—she’d been afraid to go anywhere. When she’d started to relax, feeling like she was safe, she’d really begun enjoying the life she was building there.

A lot of that had to do with the man sitting beside her.

But he wasn’t all of it. It had been the first time that she’d been able to fully support herselfbyherself. She didn’t have much—a cramped apartment with few belongings—but she’d done it without anyone’s help. To walk away from all that would have been difficult…but her frenzied mind had been certain that was the only way to do it.

She was going to try Kyle’s way…knowing that she could always leave if she had to.

“Ms. Morton?” an officer asked, appearing in the lobby.

“Yes.” She stood, ready to follow him.

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