Page 60 of Forbidden Secrets
In the entryway, he scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck.“I’m fucked.”
Melanie crossed her arms over her chest.“Dammit, Gage.This is why I don’t do relationships.I won’t have Addy getting attached to men who won’t be around long term.It’s bad enough her father is in and out of her life.I don’t want her thinking that’s how relationships are.”
He bent to pull on his boots.“I know.I don’t want to hurt her either.”He straightened and said flatly, “It would help if you two weren’t so damn appealing.See you in the morning.”
Gage and his dog stepped through the door.Melanie found herself once again watching them retreat until they were swallowed by the dark.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“You don’t need to drive.We can take my car,” Melanie said, shifting from foot to foot beside Gage’s SUV.“Since I’m dragging you along, it’s the least I can do.”
She never fidgeted.Seeing Mel nervous surprised Gage.
Temps overnight had dropped to near freezing and it was damn cold.Melanie wore a black leather jacket over a red sweater and black stretchy pants.Her head was bare and the breeze ruffled her dark hair.
“You’re not dragging me anywhere,” he said.“And we’re taking my car.Pancake’s gear is already loaded.”
He watched her hesitation.“You worried about not having an escape plan?”
A furrow formed between her brows.“No, not exactly.But what if it goes badly?What if they blame me and it’s awkward and I want to leave?”
“You’ve already talked to Delaney and Sawyer.Did it feel like they blamed you?”
She hesitated.“No.”
“Then don’t borrow trouble.Grafton’s the one responsible for what happened to Walker, not you.But if you want to leave, say the word and we’ll go.”
To end the debate, Gage opened the back door.Pancake leapt in and settled in the center of the backseat, already alert and staring through the windshield.She’d go nuts once she realized their destination was the farm.Cider Mill Farm was doggy Disneyland.The place wasn’t open to the public until Friday, so she’d be able to run through the orchards and fields and splash in the creek with the other dogs.He attached her harness to the seatbelt and Pancake gave them ac’monlook before turning to stare ahead again.
Melanie let out a breathy laugh.“Okay, you win.But I have to be back in time to grab my car and meet with the principal at three.I need to catch Addy before she gets on the bus.”
“We’ll be back in time.”
“Right,” she said, and slid into the passenger seat.Her tone was light, but he knew this wasn’t about transportation.It was about facing ghosts.And she was doing it anyway.
Soon they were on the road, the SUV speeding past towering pines lining the highway like sentinels, their dark silhouettes etched against a sky of endless blue.
Gage glanced at Melanie, then back at the road.Having her with him felt…right.In fact, he felt better than he had in ages.
It took him a couple minutes to recognize the feeling.Peace.
Maybe it was the mountains.They’d always grounded him.But this was something more.After his father’s death in a car accident, Janie’s cancer fight, Rafe’s murder—for as long as he could remember he’d thrown himself into whatever came next to try to keep the people he loved safe.The FBI had honed that purpose.But somehow, Melanie stilled the chaos he’d carried for years.
He’d felt it the first time they’d shared a meal at her kitchen table, seen it in Addy’s dimpled grin, and felt it settle deeper every time he held Melanie close.
She tipped her head, eyes on the scenery rushing past.“It’s so beautiful here.I want to take Addy hiking.There’s a trail that starts at the farm.It leads up a canyon to a waterfall.Delaney and I used to hike it when we were teenagers.”She smiled softly.“Addy would love it.”
“I know it.It’s a good hike.”He had to fight against inviting himself along, not wanting to push Melanie into thinking their relationship was too much, too fast.Though that ship had probably sailed.
Pancake poked her head between the seats, tongue out, tail thumping.Melanie chuckled but rubbed her belly where her hand rested.
“You good?”
She nodded, then hesitated.“I’m nervous about seeing Walker.I’ll admit it.I feel like butterflies are swirling madly in my stomach.”
“It’s okay to be nervous,” he said, glancing at her.“But you’re not walking into this alone.Not sure who’ll be there, but they’re all good people.”
“Oh my god.You think it’ll be more than Delaney and Walker?”
