“I’ve made a mistake.” Her hands clutched at his shirt front, and she looked up at him through her lashes. It was meant to be seductive, but he was completely unaffected. Well, that wasn’t completely true. He felt irritated. Wes removed her hands.
“No, you haven’t, Mel.”
“I have,” she insisted. When she moved to touch him again, he stepped away. “I see now that I should be with you. We belong together.”
Wes sighed. Her feelings for him were no more real than his had been for her. “I will always care about you, Melody, but I’m in love with Cara. My future is with her.
Melody’s face crumpled, but she steeled herself, letting out a dismissive laugh. “You’ve had a fun fling. It’s okay. I forgive you.”
“You forgive me?” Wes’s voice was disbelieving. “Forgive me for what?”
Her expression faltered. “You’re in love with me, Wes. I’ve always known it. I always knew I’d end up with you.”
“I’m not in love with you, Melody.”
She shook her head vigorously, her voice growing more desperate. “But that’s why you came to Italy, right? To show me I don’t belong with Luca, that I should be with you. You used her to make me jealous. Okay, you win. I’m jealous!”
How many times had he wished she would say those words to him? That they could start building a life together. He knew better now. Wes had never felt about her the way he felt about Cara. He had always been Melody’s safety net, and once she saw that was gone, she panicked. “Did something happen with Luca?”
“No.”
“Then why did you leave him?”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Suddenly, it was just so real. He’s pushing to set a wedding date, and I just… I needed to see you.” She blinked, looking unsure. “Because I realized I should be with you.”
“You’re just scared. I understand more than anyone else in the world. We are both so close to having everything we’ve ever dreamed of, and it’s fucking petrifying.”
He gentled his voice. “But it’s not real. It’s just fear. Life dealt us a bad hand growing up. That wasn’t our fault, and it doesn’t dictate what our future should be. We can be happy. Wedeserveto be happy.”
“I thought you wanted to be a family with me. It’s what you always said.” Melody fitfully played with the front of his shirt. This time, he didn’t remove her hands.
“I did,” he agreed. “But not because I was in love with you, any more than you have ever been in love with me.” He continued when her eyes flew to his face. “We were safe together. Our hearts weren’t at risk, not in that way. You will always be my family. No one else knows what we went through, but that’s different from how you love Luca.”
“I’m scared,” Melody whispered. “What if I fuck this up like I have every other thing in my life? I’m a fraud. I don’t know how to love someone or how to be loved... What if Luca figures out that I’m a mess?”
“You’re not a fraud, and he already knows you’re a mess.” He laughed when she hit him. “You are infuriating and annoying. That’s true. But Luca knows you. The first time I met him, he was making you food because he knew you were going to get hangry. I’ve seen you like that. It’s not pretty. And if he’s sticking around, he must really love you,” Wes teased.
“He could break my heart.”
“He could.” Wes nodded. “But isn’t it worth the risk? To finally let go of all our crap and feel everything?”
“You’re speaking from experience?” Melody sounded dubious.
“I am. I have never felt so much myself as I do when I’m with Cara. She accepts me for all my weirdness. My love of Star Trek, my dread of human interaction—she doesn’t judge me or try to change me. I love her.” He shrugged.
Melody took a step back, wiping at her cheeks. “I think it was seeing how you looked at her in Italy that scared me so much. I knew she had replaced me.”
“You weren’t replaced, Melody. It was never like that between us. I see now how I had confused my feelings. I love you, and you will always have a place in my life, but…” He met her eyes, making her see how serious he was. “She is my everything.”
“She seems nice,” Melody conceded. “And, I guess if she’s going to be around for a while, I’ll have to like her.”
“As soon as I think enough time has gone by that I won’t spook her, I’m going to marry her.”
At the doorway, Cara echoed Melody’s surprised gasp. Melody looked between the two of them and then walked to collect her suitcase.
“That’s my cue to leave, I guess.” Melody slid into her jacket.
“Don’t miss your chance, Mel. Talk to Luca.”
