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Everyone in the house was pulling for them with the exception of one-year-old Dylan, who had no idea what was going on, and perhaps, Melody herself.
“I know.” She let her hands fall. “I don’t want to have this conversation here. Can you take me back to Trent’s? We can continue our discussion there.”
Getting her to talk to him was all he’d wanted these last few months. Well, maybe not all he’d wanted. If the tour had never happened. If she’d never gone to New York City and met up with Hunter in the nightclub. If he’d never let jealousy get the better of him. If he’d been allowed to express his emotions growing up.
His list of ifs went on and on.
But for now, he was happy that they were communicating again. Even if what was being said had the potential to hurt.
Kyle nodded. “That sounds good to me.”
* * *
Ten minutes later, after they’d said their goodbyes, Kyle was negotiating the streets of Las Vegas, heading to the two-bedroom guesthouse on her brother’s property where Melody stayed whenever she visited Las Vegas.
Kyle kept his attention fixed on the road, his hands tense on the wheel as if something was eating at him. Every so often he flicked an unreadable glance her direction. It wasn’t like him to look so grim around her. The Kyle she’d grown up with had been quick to smile and tease. Even though he’d been her brother’s best friend, he’d treated her like she mattered to him. Mattered to him like a sister. She’d never imagined he’d ever see her as a woman he desired.
It had taken almost half a year after he’d told her how his feelings for her had changed for her to stop marveling that they were in a relationship. She kept thinking about his track record with women and expecting things to go south. She wished she’d been surprised when things became strained.
Maybe they never should’ve taken the step from friends to romantically involved. It made her heart ache to think this way, but their inability to connect and work out their problems these last few months demonstrated that they’d rushed into a relationship that neither one was ready for. Could it be that Kyle felt the same way? Was he grappling with the same doubts she had?
Melody searched his expression, unable to discern what was going on in his mind. She thought back to the party, and how she’d tried to assuage everyone’s curiosity and concern when she and Kyle left. At this point, aside from Dylan and Kyle, they all knew her secret. A feeling of dread slid down her spine. This wasn’t going to be easy.
About three months into the tour with Nate’s band Free Fall, Melody had begun to worry that the explosion of desire that had sustained her and Kyle through the beginning months of their relationship wasn’t a solid foundation to build a future on. They’d only been a couple for nine months when she’d left LA to open for the award-winning pop band. Weeks and weeks on the road, with only occasional long weekends back in LA, had created an unsettling disassociation between her and Kyle that text messages and Skype calls hadn’t been able to bridge.
Maybe if her track record with men had been more extensive she’d have had more confidence in her ability to keep Kyle’s interest from thousands of miles away. From an early age she’d thrown herself into music rather than boys. Sure, she’d dated, but until Kyle came along, the guys she attracted were mostly like Hunter and way too much like her father: selfish and neglectful.
And then there was the fact that before her, Kyle’s longest relationship had lasted four months. As a former pro baseball player, he had a pretty high profile lifestyle that women flocked to. Kyle was one hell of a catch and Melody recognized that every woman he met could be hotter and more famous than the last. So, she’d enjoyed their time together, never really expecting that it would last.
Before she’d realized it, they’d made it six months and he’d asked her to move in. Trent had been concerned when he’d learned about this escalation in their romance. He’d been Kyle’s best friend for fifteen years and recognized that his friend was in deeper than he’d ever been before. Despite her brother’s advice to slow down, Melody had taken the plunge and moved into Kyle’s Hollywood Hills home.
Kyle’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Why have you been avoiding me since the tour ended?”
“I’ve had a lot to think about,” she said.
“Like what?”
Before they’d started dating, Melody had only ever seen Kyle as funny, sexy and supportive. He never demonstrated fear or anxiety or displayed a hint of vulnerability. His father had done a number on his psyche when Kyle was a young child, demanding his son stay in control of his emotions at all times. So it came as no great surprise that Kyle’s first reaction to any little problem in their relationship was to shut down.
And yet, she’d been the one who’d taken a huge step back after his first big show of emotion. When he’d asked if she was cheating on him with Hunter, he’d been angry and hurt. His strong reaction to the paparazzi photo had caused her own emotions to flare.
Growing up the daughter of Siggy Caldwell hadn’t allowed her to develop an understanding of healthy relationships. Her father was a hard man to like, much less love. Misogynistic, arrogant and selfish, he’d alienated his wives and his children with his disrespect.
So many times her father had declared he loved her right before launching into criticism, invalidating the claim while impressing on her that she was unworthy of his—or anyone else’s—love.
While Kyle was nothing like her father, his accusation had awakened the same feelings of injustice she’d suffered as a little girl. As she’d done with her father, she’d shut Kyle out and walked away.
But that hadn’t stopped her from loving him.
When she didn’t answer him right away, Kyle spoke again. “Like what? Hunter?”
“No.” She gave her head a vehement shake and followed it up with a weary sigh.
“Are you back in love with him?”
“No!” She stared at him in frustration. “Would you please let that go. I want to be with you.”
His expression grew stonier. “You sure haven’t been acting that way these last few months.”
“It’s not the same between us as before I went on the tour,” she blurted out.
“I agree.”
“Maybe if we go back and figure out where we went wrong,” she said. “Or start over.”
Was that even possible given the secret she was keeping from him?
“And if we can’t?”
She didn’t answer and their conversation didn’t resume.
As Kyle drove into the gated community where Trent had his house, Melody wished she had some idea what he was thinking about. Her stomach was in knots. She pressed her sweaty palms against her coat and took deep, calming breaths, hoping to coax her confidence out of hiding.
Her nerves weren’t under control by the time Kyle pulled into Trent’s driveway and stopped the car. She had her door open and feet on the pavement before the silence could get any more awkward. He was seconds behind her as she keyed in the four-digit code that opened the side gate leading to the backyard.
A paving-stone walkway led to her front door. Melody fumbled with her keys until Kyle pulled the ring from her clumsy fingers and slid the correct one home. His body brushed hers, awakening her longing to be held in his arms, and she was a split second from throwing herself against his chest when he took a deliberate step away from her.
“After you.”
Melody bit back a miserable groan. “Thanks.”
Knowing it would be dark when she returned, Melody had left the lights burning in the living room. The heavy scent of roses hit her as soon as she entered. An enormous bouquet of fat red blooms occupied the center of her dining table. The arrangement had appeared at the studio the prior afternoon. She’d been thrilled as she’d read the accompanying card.
I’m thankful for you.
There’d been no signature and Melody hadn’t recognized the handwriting. This hadn’t surprised her. She suspected the order had been phoned in and the florist had written the message. But when she’d studied the card and the roses, she wasn’t sure Kyle had sent them.
And now, as he helped Melody out of her coat, Kyle didn’t seem to notice the flowers. Which left her wondering if Hunter had sent them. If so, that was going to complicate things between her and Kyle.
“Do you want something to drink?” She indicated the kitchen, but Kyle didn’t spare it a glance as he shook his head.
He seemed glued to the floor in the space between her living and dining rooms. Melody wondered what it would take to get him to sit down.
“Who are those from?” Kyle had at last noticed the roses.
“I’d hoped they were from you.”
“I didn’t send them.” If Kyle noticed her rueful tone, he gave no indication. He moved toward the table. “Wasn’t there a card?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t signed.”
“Are they from Hunter?”
“Sending me roses was never his style.”
“Things change.” His lips tightened. “Did you call and ask him?”
“No.”
Melody had left the card on the table beside the crystal vase. Kyle picked it up and read the message.
“‘I’m thankful for you’?” He shot her a frown. “What does that mean?”
Irritation rose at his sharp tone. She thought it was pretty obvious. “It’s Thanksgiving. Maybe someone thought it was a timely message.”
“Someone?”
“I don’t know where the roses came from,” she snapped, wishing Kyle would stop talking about the stupid flowers. She needed to tell him that she was pregnant, but had lost control of the conversation.
“You’re sure?” He reread the card. “This seems awfully personal for it to have been written by a stranger. Did you ask Trent or Savannah if they sent the flowers?”
“Yes. They didn’t send them.”
“Red roses are a romantic gesture,” Kyle murmured to himself, tapping the card against his knuckles. He frowned at the plump red buds. “It seems like something a man in love would send.”
Which was why she’d wished Kyle had sent them. Of course, despite being together for nine months and the fact that he’d invited her to move in with him, Kyle had never actually come out and said he loved her. He’d always been a cool customer when it came to women. The one who decided when it started and when it ended.
It was this tendency that had made her hesitate before choosing him over Hunter. She’d been worried about stepping from one relationship where she didn’t feel safe and secure into another similar situation. Even so, in the end she’d following her instincts and taken a leap of faith. And despite their current problems, she still wouldn’t say she’d been wrong.
“Why didn’t you call Hunter and ask him?” Kyle asked, watching her through narrowed eyes as if waiting for her to slip up.
A thousand times in the last five months she’d regretted hanging out with Hunter in that New York City nightclub and then leaving at the same time he had. The whole thing had been innocent enough. There had been a crush of people outside the club and he’d grabbed her hand to avoid being separated as they’d run to the limo that had been waiting at the curb. Unfortunately, the media was obsessed with Hunter’s love life and had blown up the incident, speculating that Hunter and Melody had reunited.
“Can you please forget about Hunter for two seconds.” Melody didn’t want Kyle’s thoughts taking him there.
Since she’d run into Hunter in New York, Kyle had mentioned several times that she might have unfinished business with the DJ. That couldn’t be farther from the case, but there were things she’d had in common with Hunter, like them both being in the music business, that she didn’t share with Kyle.
Melody set her hand on his arm to bring his attention to her. “I have something I need to tell you.”
When his hazel eyes shifted her way, she released the breath she’d been holding. It was long past time she got this off her chest, but now that the time had come, saying the words out loud was way harder than any speech she’d prepared in her head.
“Earlier I said things are complicated.”
Cool eyes watched her from a face made of granite and Melody longed to be anywhere but here. Given Kyle’s family background, he wasn’t exactly emotive. He played his cards close to his chest. She had absolutely no idea how he was going to react to what she had to say. She could only hope the anticipation was worse than the outcome.
“I’m pregnant.”
Kyle’s flat expression vanished. Instead, he looked like the floor had dropped from beneath his feet. “Pregnant?”
“Yes. I know it’s a shock...”
They hadn’t anticipated this. The topic had never even come up. Nor had marriage or anything having to do with the future. Their relationship had been new and untested. They’d both committed to taking things one day at a time.
“You’re having a baby.” His gaze went past her shoulder and roved around the room as if he was in search of something to help him understand. Like a lodestone, the vase of red roses snagged his notice once more. His body went rigid. “And the father?”
Melody shook her head and took a step back. Had she heard him right? “What do you mean?”
“The father.” Kyle flung out his hand in the direction of the flowers as if they explained everything. “Do you know who it is?”
Two (#ufa132254-addc-50a3-a031-0396b4b245c9)
At his question, Melody blinked several times in rapid succession and then just stared at him in shock. As the impact of what he’d asked sunk in, Kyle realized he’d just made a huge mistake. His heart clenched in misery. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but that was all he seemed capable of these days.
“What I meant was...” he began, but she was having none of it.
“You’re the father,” Melody said, her voice raw with disappointment and anguish. “How could you think anything else?”
“The flowers.” He slashed his gaze toward them, unable to face the judgment in Melody’s eyes. “It’s the exact thing Hunter sent you last year when he was trying to get you to reconsider picking me over him.”
“Hunter and I are friends.” Her stiff tone brooked no argument. “Nothing more.”
“The same could’ve been said about us before we got together,” he reminded her.
For several seconds she stared at him in silence as her chest rose and fell in response to the large quantity of air she was moving through her lungs. Her blue eyes were overly bright as she assessed him.
When at last she spoke, her words thudded like hammer blows on his psyche. “I can’t believe you could think that I would cheat on you with Hunter or anyone else.”
The urge to fold her into his arms flooded him, but so much resentment lay between them. He doubted she’d be open to any attempt on his part to touch her.
“I don’t.”
“Then why would you ask me something so ridiculous as whether I know who the father is?”
“It came out wrong.” But it hadn’t. In the back of his mind was that ever-present image of Melody and Hunter hand-in-hand.
“I don’t think it did. You’ve been looking for an excuse to break up for months.” Her voice was ragged and raw. “I’m not going to fight you any longer. We’re done.”
“What?” Although he’d been dreading this outcome for months now, Kyle wasn’t prepared for the actual ending. His thoughts reeled. “Just like that?”
“You just accused me of being pregnant with some random guy’s baby—”
“Not some random guy,” he reminded her, hating the words coming out of his mouth but unable to stop the flow. He needed to get his suspicions out in the open. That was the only way they could move forward. His tone was bleak as he finished. “Hunter’s.”
“I can’t keep doing this.” Melody stuck out her arm and pointed toward the door. “Go.”
The numbness that had momentarily gripped him burned away in a rush. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” He gazed toward her belly where, now that he knew what to look for, he detected the tiniest roundness. “That’s my baby you’re carrying.”
Muscles bunched in her cheek as her arm fell back to her side. Her eyes were sapphire-hard as she demanded, “So, now you’re sure?”
