“Furious” didn't begin to describe how Melinda felt in that moment. How dare her grandmother pretend that she was stopping her from marrying Daniel because she cared about her. Because she was trying to help Melinda reach her potential. The only thing her grandmother ever did was stop Melinda from living. From being happy.
"Did you know that before this man moved to Amor, he was a criminal?" Melinda's grandmother asked. Her voice shook, like she found this so shocking that she couldn't control herself.
"Yes, Grams," Melinda said through gritted teeth. "Can we take this somewhere else? This seems like more of a private conversation."
"No, I believe this is the right time and the right place," her grandmother said. "You are about to marry a dishonest thug and everyone deserves to know the truth."
"Daniel was responsible for bringing a dirty cop to justice and helping dozens of others get out from under his thumb, and was even instrumental in saving the life of Mayor Freedman's wife," Melinda spat out. "So, can we get on with the wedding? I happen to love the man standing in front of me and we have a hotel suite awaiting us."
Her grandmother's expression darkened. "He is worse than you think, and he will take you down with him."
"Being manipulated into making fake IDs doesn't exactly make someone evil," Melinda said. She squeezed Daniel's hand to make sure he knew she was right there by his side. She wished they could have this conversation away from the dozens of eyes that were staring at them.
"But what about theft?" her grandmother asked. "Does using his position to steal items from the evidence room count? Does the fact that he was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of other people's things make you change your mind?"
She hadn't known about the evidence room stuff. But she was sure it was still tied to Teddy, the crooked cop who had forced Katie, the mayor's wife, and Daniel to work for him. Even if it wasn't, Melinda knew that Daniel wasn't like that anymore. She'd known him for two years now, and he had changed. Even Mayor Freedman trusted him to work in his office, and he had known about his background from the very beginning. Melinda wasn't sure if the mayor knew about the evidence room, but still, Daniel was a good man. And her grandmother was trying to taint his image in front of all her parents' family and friends.
Melinda was about to tell her grandmother that it didn't matter what she said—Daniel was a good man. He would be a wonderful husband, and she was going to marry him.
But then her grandmother said, "If you walk away from Daniel, your parents will sell the diner to Devon and Claire. You will be free to go wherever you would like, and you will receive half of the proceeds to fund your next venture."
Melinda's words caught in her throat, the image of leaving the diner playing in her head. She would be free from it, free to go wherever she chose, free to do whatever she wanted. But Daniel's hand in hers brought her back to reality. What good would any of that be if he wasn't with her, by her side?
She turned and faced Daniel, ready to profess her love for him, in front of them, so they would know without a doubt that no matter what they offered her, she was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. But before she could, Daniel's hand slipped from hers. His brows were furrowed, and Melinda couldn't tell if it was from anger, or embarrassment, or just plain disgust.
"I'm sorry, this was a bad idea," he murmured so only she could hear. "But at least it got you out of the diner. Now you can leave and enjoy the freedom you've always wanted." Daniel hurried away so quickly that by the time everything registered and Melinda understood what was happening, he had disappeared behind the building.
"No!" she yelled. She rushed off in the direction he had gone, tripping over the hem of her dress and her stupid high heels as she tried to cut through the landscape. A small cactus caught the fabric. Melinda yanked the dress and it tore. By the time she reached the front of the resort, Daniel was already driving away. He had left all his things back in his room, because he couldn't get away from her fast enough.
Melinda crumpled into the dirt, tears streaming down her face. Why hadn't she realized she loved him before this weekend? He had been there for her, no questions asked, for two years. She had missed out on so much, taking for granted that he'd always be a presence in her life. And now he was gone. Why would he leave? Did he think she thought less of him? Was he embarrassed? Melinda punched the desert floor with her fists.
"You're better off without him," her grandmother's voice said from behind her. "You are free to go anywhere in the world and choose any man you want."
"Except him."
Melinda couldn't bring herself to look at her grandmother. She wasn't just mad at her. She hated her.
"You'll see, in time, that this was for your own good."
Anger coursed through Melinda's veins. It was the type of anger that makes someone stupid—where their brain stops thinking and only acts on how they feel. Melinda jumped to her feet, her white dress now streaked with brown. She spun to face her grandmother.
"What would you know about what is good for me? The only thing you've done with your life is destroy others’ happiness. I didn't want to be in charge of the diner. Bree doesn't want to marry Mark, a man who doesn't love her and only cares about himself. Heck, she didn't even want to be an engineer." Melinda paused. "Daniel was good. He was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I didn't even realize it. And you know what? He made me good too. I’m not the kindest or most well-liked person, but I want to work at it. Because of him. I want to become less selfish. Because of him. And now you've taken him away from me." Melinda's chest heaved with heavy breaths and she hated the sight of her grandmother, whose eyes were squinted in a glare, like none of this was her fault.
But then her grandmother's glare softened, and her face fell in a rare moment of weakness. "I only wanted what was best for you. For all of you. I've had so many more years of experience, I thought that if I helped guide you, you could avoid some of the mistakes I made." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
"We all thought we were doing what was best," Melinda's mother said, walking up behind her grandmother. "But it seems like we're the ones who still have some life lessons to learn." Her mother didn't look like the self-assured woman that Melinda had come to know. Her face seemed to have sprouted wrinkles that hadn't been there an hour earlier, and she seemed lost. "When your grandmother suggested that you manage the diner for a time as a way to help you learn how to navigate the real world, your father and I thought it was an excellent idea. It was only supposed to be for a year or two." She sighed.
"After those two years, I didn't think you were ready," her grandmother continued. "I thought you needed more time. That, and, if you moved on, it would mean selling the family business. No one else wants to run it."
"But Devon and Claire are practically family," Melinda protested. "You've known them since they were children."
Her grandmother waved her off. "Yes, yes, I know. But they want to change things. Like the old family recipes."
"They need to be changed," Melinda said. "I'm sorry, but the food at the diner is awful. Any change they make is going to be a good one."
Her grandmother nodded. "You're right."
"Why couldn't you just let me be happy?" Melinda asked, her eyes welling up with tears, gearing up for round two. "So, you didn't want to sell the diner. Wasn't that enough? Why did you have to ruin my wedding too?"
"Because I didn't want you making the same mistake your mother did," her grandmother said.
Melinda's gaze snapped to her mother, who promptly looked down at her feet. "What are you talking about? Marrying Dad was not a mistake."
"No, but marrying my first husband was," her mother said, her voice quiet.
Melinda gaped. "You were married before? Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because it was a chapter of my life that I wanted to forget," her mother said, her gaze meeting Melinda's. "When I first met him, he was charming and sweet, and he swept me off my feet. But after the marriage—well, it turned out he was none of those things. Instead, I found myself living with a liar, a thief, and a man who was abusive when he got drunk."
Melinda felt sick to her stomach thinking of her mother stuck with someone like that. "What did you do?"
"I left with a couple of suitcases, came home, and your grandmother helped me get out of the situation. A couple years later, she's the one who introduced me to your father." She looked at Melinda's grandmother and smiled. "She saved me."
"So…you thought Daniel was going to turn into someone…like Mom's first husband," Melinda said, finally understanding the two women in front of her, after so many years of being bitter. "You really did think you were protecting me."
"Everything we've ever done is because we love you," her mother said. "But we've been wrong. At least about the diner. We'll draw up the paperwork as soon as we get home for Devon and Claire to sign."
The tears that had already threatened to reappear began to flow. "You are wrong about Daniel too. He's a good man. The best. And because of you, I've lost him."
Melinda's mother and grandmother looked at each other, and she could have sworn she saw guilt in both of their expressions, as well as shame.
"I don't know if you're right or not," her grandmother finally said. "All I know is what he looks like on paper—which isn't good. But I think it’s time we trust you. Just let us know if there is anything we can do to help you, and we will. We've been meddling in your life far too long."
Melinda rushed forward and wrapped her arms around both her mother and grandmother. "Thank you for telling me the truth." She pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "But I don't know where I'd even start."
"You could start by talking to him," her mother suggested.
Melinda shook her head. "Words are just that—words. I need to do something bigger. He needs to know that he is my world, and that I'd give up everything to be with him."
"Well, whatever you decide to do, I suggest you change first," her grandmother said. "I don't know if you realize it, but that rip in your dress goes so high, there's not much left to the imagination." Her grandmother reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Let me give you some money so you can buy something nice." She searched through her wallet, pulling out random receipts, her valet ticket, and other miscellaneous items.
Melinda glanced down at herself, her dress torn and dirty. Her hands were muddy from the mixture of dirt and tears. "Is this what love looks like?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else. Her head whipped up. "I know what I need to do." She snatched her grandmother's valet ticket from her hand, hiked up her dress, and ran toward the valet stand. "Grams, I'm borrowing your car," she called over her shoulder.
"But—"
"It's your fault she has to chase down her fiancé in the first place," her mother said. “Good luck, and be safe!" she yelled.
The valet brought the car around, and as Melinda drove past her mother and grandmother, she rolled down the window. "Oh, and by the way, since we're being honest, Daniel wasn't really my fiancé. We were faking it up until the wedding today." She then rolled up the window and left them staring after the car, mouths gaping wide.
Melinda sped out of the resort and onto the open road. It was time to win back her fiancé.