“You got me a gift?” I asked, surprised, taking it from her gently.
She giggled. “No, silly. I’m only six. Melanie gave it to me to hold ’cause she didn’t have pockets.”
Faye climbed into my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. I looked over at Mel, raising an eyebrow.
She smirked. “Figured I’d give you an early Christmas present.”
I frowned slightly, caught off guard. “Christmas? It’s still over a month away. We still have plenty of time for gift shopping.”
Colt and Abigail wanted to get married on November 11. It’s Abigail’s birthday. And Blake’s too—Colt’s brother. The one who died. So we still had time to think about Christmas presents. My chest tightened. I didn’t know Blake, but I knew what that kind of loss looked like. Felt like.
Melanie leaned closer, brushing her lips against my ear. “Besides… after that stunt you pulled out there, I’m glad I have something special to give you. And no, you’re not sleeping in the back of your truck for embarrassing me.”
I laughed, a little relieved. “Damn. Thought I was in trouble.”
“In fact…” Her voice dipped low. “I might let you take my ass before our honeymoon. That’s how turned on I am right now.”
That pulled a grin from me. “You sure you don’t wanna leave before they cut the cake?”
She swatted my shoulder. “Just open the box.”
“Yeah, Nick! Open it!” Faye bounced in my lap, eyes wide with excitement.
I set the box on the table and peeled off the lid. Inside was a necklace—silver-gold chain, delicate but solid. At the center hung a small heart, black on one side. I picked it up. The heart spun between my fingers, and the gold glinted on the reverse side. Light caught the surface, and both sides shimmered like crystal.
“Thank you, princess,” I said, my voice low.
“You’re welcome,” Melanie said, her voice softer now. “I figured you had enough purple hearts. So… I wanted to give you mine. You turned my toxic heart into a heart of gold. Just by loving me.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
For a long second, I couldn’t say anything. My throat felt tight. I blinked fast, but the sting behind my eyes didn’t go away. I hadn’t cried in years, not since the desert, not since Blake’s funeral, not since a hundred other silent losses that hardened me. But right then, I felt it coming.
She thought she was the lucky one. She didn’t know. I was the one who won the damn lottery. She had walls higher than anyone I’d ever known, and somehow, she let me in. When her guard was down, when she wasn’t fighting the world, Melanie’s soul was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Are you guys gonna have a baby now?” Faye asked, completely deadpan.
We both laughed. Melanie leaned into me, her fingers lacing with mine.
“One day,” she said. “But we need a bigger house first.”
“And we’re in no rush. Nick’s old, but I’m only twenty-two—we’ve got time.”
“I’m not old,” I said, mock offended.
“Not according to your mom.”
We were still chuckling when Faye turned serious.
“You guys could always adopt me,” she said, her voice small.
My heart stopped.
“I know Abigail and Colt said they would, after the last foster parents didn’t work out… but I don’t think they really love me like they love Chloe. ’Cause she’s their real daughter. And one of Bodie’s friends said I was a bastard child. I didn’t know what it meant, but it sounded… bad.”
I had no words. Just silence. My jaw clenched. My chest ached in a way I couldn’t describe. Melanie didn’t miss a beat. She reached out, gently placing a hand over Faye’s and looked her right in the eye.
“Hey,” she said, voice firm but tender. “You are not what that stupid kid said. Do you hear me? And Colt and Abigail do love you. Like their own. And so do we.”
