The boy nodded, eyes still wary.
I sighed. “Come on. Let’s get you something warm to eat.”
Mel touched my arm gently, grounding me. I looked at her, seeing the understanding in her eyes. Then, stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around me, pressing her cheek against my chest. My heartbeat is still racing.
“You’re home, you’re safe,” She whispered.
I let out a slow breath. Closing my eyes.
Yeah. Home.
The war wasn’t over. Not really. Because the memories were forever ingrained in me, but maybe just for tonight, I could fight a different kind of battle-the kind that healed instead of destroyed.
42
MELANIE
“AModino D’Angnello with extra linguini.” I place the plate of food on the table.
“Would you like another one?” I asked Robert. After visiting the restaurant a few times, I knew Robert as a true regular.
“I think this one is my favorite.” He says.
“You say that with each dish you try.”
“I can’t help it. Each week, I try a new one, and it’s like I fall in love all over again. I need to stop coming in here or I may need a crane to carry me out.”
I laughed. Robert was a fit man for being in his sixties. He was too thin. “Nah, you could use a few extra pounds, and my mother-in-law told me that when men gain weight, it just means they are happy.”
“Then I’m extremely happy. But I blame all the marketing I‘ve been seeing about this place. If I had never known about it, then I would be ten pounds lighter.”
My chest swelled with pride as I stood back, admiring his comment.
“You don’t say?” A smile tugged at my lips, slow and satisfied, as the weight of countless late nights and relentless effort finallygave way to triumph. Once trembling with doubt, her hands now rested confidently on her hips. I had done it. The victory wasn’t just in the achievement itself but in the journey—the obstacles I had crushed, the self-doubt I had silenced. My eyes gleamed with a mixture of joy and relief, and as I exhaled, it felt like breathing in success itself.
“Yes, so thank your marketing company.”
“You can do that yourself since you’re looking at her,” flashed a cheesy winking smile.
“That makes sense. Every time I walk through these doors, I feel this rush of joy. The food is incredible, sure—but it’s more than that. It’s the way this place feels, the way you make it feel. Sitting here, sharing a meal, looking up and seeing your beautiful face… that’s what makes it truly worth it.”
My cheeks heated crimson. “Stop it, Rob, you’re going to make my head float away.”
“I doubt that, Melanie. You pretend to be conceited but deep down, you’re not. You just have a hard exterior because you’ve been so hurt in your past.”
“Okay, Mr. Philosopher, didn’t know you were getting deep on me at dinner tonight,” I say through a chuckle.
“When you get my age, you focus on unsaid things in a conversation.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second.”
He sniffs the aroma of his food before him, before digging in. “This smells amazing.” He stirs his fork, wrapping noodles around it.
“Let me go check on my tables before I come back around, and you can boost my confidence some more. Until then, enjoy.” I tell him before walking off. I checked on my other two tables before heading to the kitchen in the back to steal a kiss from Nick.
I needed something—anything—to numb the fire clawing inside me. Something to keep me from screaming or sobbing or shattering into a thousand pieces on the floor.
We’d been gone for hours. Long enough that I let myself hope. Stupid, reckless hope that maybe this time, she’d want to spendChristmas with me. Just me. It had been years since it was the two of us. And Nick—always so damn considerate—had offered to disappear for the evening. Said he’d go to Colt’s, give us space. Time.
