“I’m so sorry…” Her voice breaks, but I only hold her close.
Having her in my arms gives me the strength I need to fucking breathe. “I got your text.”
My voice is quiet, and her arms tighten around my waist. In my mind, she’s such a huge presence, while in reality, she’s actually quite small in my arms.
Her head tucks against my chest, and I hold her, threading my fingers in her hair, inhaling her warm vanilla-caramel scent.
“I didn’t even know those printers would save an image.”She struggles a little, and I relax my hold so she can step back and meet my eyes. “They should have a warning on them.”
“They do.” Edward’s tone is flat. “It’s in the fine print, but they tell you the images will be saved in their system.”
“You must be Edward.” Melody shifts so her back is to my chest, and my hands go to her tense shoulders.
“You must be Melody Dunne.” He steps forward, taking her outstretched hand in a shake. “I was very impressed by your knowledge of football. Then my cousin told me your father is Scout Dunne, which explains a lot.”
She nods, and her tone is thoughtful. “My dad and I would watch the games together every weekend when I was growing up. He taught me everything I know. We had a special relationship, which is why I’m so sorry. I would never have jeopardized yours.”
The crack in her voice stops her words, and I lean down to kiss the top of her head. She turns in my arms, hugging me again.
Cricket scoots across the floor with a little squeal, and I give Melody a brief squeeze before stepping back and lifting my little lady into my arms. She makes noises like she’s trying to tell me something, but I only grin, shaking my head.
“Okay,” I say, then I turn her to face Melody. “Tell this lady what’s on your mind. Apparently she’s the one who outed us.”
“Knox!” Melody shrieks, and I can’t help a laugh.
She’s so freaked out, it somehow makes my anxiety easier to manage. Or maybe the way we’ve built our relationship on sharpening each other brings out the strength in both of us.
I don’t know what it is. I only know having her here makes it feel like we can figure this out together.
“You know I didn’t mean for that to happen, don’t you?” She leans closer, rubbing her nose against Cricket’s, and mylittle girl coos, shoving sticky fingers into Melody’s hair. “Oops, oh, no.”
We spend a few seconds unthreading her baby fingers, eliciting yelps and ouches from Melody. Finally, they’re free, and Melody whips her hair back in a band.
“I would never have done that.” She kisses Cricket’s little head, catching one of her hands and kissing her knuckles.
It’s all so natural and cute, just like the night we all spent together getting a crash course in being a family. Edward’s words are in my mind,She loves you…
“Have you decided to come with us to Newhope?” I lift my hand, tracing my finger along the top of Melody’s cheek. “There’s no point in trying to keep our relationship a secret. Everybody knows now.”
Her brow quirks, and she squints one eye up at me. “What is our relationship?”
I lift my chin with a laugh. “Valid. A few days off the grid might give us a chance to sort it out.”
She looks at the little girl sitting on my side, sucking her finger, and I’m certain she’s about to say yes when another sharp knock freezes all of us. Her blue eyes fly to mine, and my brow lowers.
A voice in the hall asks for Mr. Knox Bradford, and my chest tightens. It sounds like a woman, which is possibly a good thing.
“You have got to speak to Mrs. Burnbaum about buzzing people in,” Melody whispers sharply, and I can’t argue with that.
“Coming,” Edward says calmly, going to the door.
“Edward,” I hiss. “We need a plan.”
“Whatever it is, it’s better to face it head-on.” I’m about to tackle him when he opens the door then steps back, crossing his arms. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
His tone is firm, and I exchange a glance with Melody.Edward is a badass, and I wasn’t expecting this when he said to face it head-on…like a boss.
The woman is dressed in a navy suit, and she takes a step away. “Mr. Bradford?” She looks from Edward to me, and while my cousin maintains his Rock of Gibraltar pose, I step forward, extending my hand.
