Chapter Sixteen

Mel was up early on Saturday, unable to sleep much the night before. Then again, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since she and Adam had left Chicago.

Waldo curled into a ball on her lap while Mel sipped her tea, her old, familiar pink twinset and plain black pants giving her comfort and keeping her warm in the chilly kitchen. Through the window above the sink she could see the lovely sunrise, all bright purples and golds, but she took little joy in the dawning of her twenty-fifth birthday. At least her schedule was packed with all the prep for the party this afternoon, so she could keep busy and not sit around and stew over what had happened with Adam. More than she already was, anyway.

A knock sounded on her front door, and Mel’s heart jumped into her throat before she quickly quashed those wishes. It wasn’t Adam. Couldn’t be. There was no reason for him to come here now, not after he’d ended things on the phone.

Heck, he hadn’t so much as texted her for a week.

I’m not the guy for you. I never was.

Knowing how he felt didn’t make dealing with her heartbreak any easier.

The knocking continued, more persistent now, and Mel sighed, setting her tea and Waldo aside to walk to the front foyer. Whoever it was, they weren’t going to go away any time soon. “I’m coming. Jeez. Hold your horses.”

Truth be told, she didn’t feel like seeing anyone. She passed by the mirror and gave herself a passing glance. Hair stick-straight and held back by her trusty plaid headband again, dark circles under her eyes, gray tinge to her complexion. Yep. Perfect look to greet an unwelcome visitor. She yanked the door open and stared at the smiling face on the other side.

“Morning, bestie.” Lilly pushed inside, a bag of pastries in one hand, a holder with two Venti coffees in the other. “Your emergency caffeine-and-sugar infusion has arrived.”

Mel shuffled down the hall after her friend, grouchy on what would mostly likely be the worst day of her life. She’d have to spend hours acting cheerful and happy while she was dying inside. Spend the day knowing Adam didn’t want her, had never really wanted her, even as he’d touched her and kissed her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Spend the day knowing she really would end up as the crazy cat lady she’d always imagined.

There wasn’t enough coffee in the world for that kind of torture.

“Come sit before you fall down.” Lilly gestured toward one of the stools at the island. She placed a steaming cup of joe and a glazed doughnut on a napkin in front of Mel, then reached back into the bag and pulled out a bear claw, setting it beside the doughnut. “This seems like a two-roll kind of emergency.”

“I can’t.” Mel dropped her head into her hands, covering her face. Waldo snarled, demanding his breakfast, too. Without missing a beat, Lilly prepared it, grabbing the can of food from the fridge and his food bowl from the pantry while Mel watched her through her fingers. “My life is over.”

“Don’t be silly.” Lilly stopped and gave Mel a head-to-toe appraisal. “Okay, maybe you’ve taken a step back in your style choices, but seriously. Where’s the disaster?”

“I fell in love with Adam Foster, that’s the disaster.”

“Right.” Lilly set Waldo’s dish on the floor for him, then took a seat on the stool beside Mel’s, giant coffee in hand. “Well, I did warn you he was dangerous.”

“Please don’t say I told you so,” Mel said, knowing she sounded pathetic. “Even though you did. I thought if I changed I could be confident and slick like one of those Kardashian girls who always look perfect and dress perfect and have perfect lives, but all I’ve done is make a fool out of myself. Now Adam’s gone, and I’m still the same boring dork I always was.”

“Aw, sweetie.” Lilly rubbed her back. “You might be a dork, but you were never boring.”

“Gee, thanks.” She sniffled and swiped the back of her hand across her damp cheeks, staring at the pile of carbs on the counter in front of her. “I’ve had a crush on Adam since high school.”

“I know. I meant it as a compliment. I’m a dork, too. We’re all dorks, in our own way.” Lilly chuckled. “And the whole love thing with Adam? I knew it. Everyone in Point Beacon knew it. You followed him around like a loyal puppy, big heart eyes and all.”

Mel took a huge bite of doughnut, not caring about the crumbs dusting the front of her.

“Tell me what happened, from the beginning,” Lilly said, leaning an elbow on the island. “Might make you feel better to get it out.”

With a sigh, Mel relayed the whole sordid tale, her heart aching each time she thought of Adam—that first sweet day at the mall when he’d helped her pick out new clothes; the night in Indy at the Tipsy Wench; the first time they’d made love; the last weekend in Chicago. The way he’d held her so tight, like he’d never let her go. The way he smelled, tasted, kissed, smiled.

“I’m so stupid.” Mel groaned, talking around another mouthful of doughnut.

“Sweetie, love is all about being stupid.” Lilly handed her another napkin, then stole a hunk of bear claw to nibble on. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be the weirdest pairing ever. I mean, I wasn’t a supporter of this, and I still hate to think of you getting hurt, but it’s obvious you’re miserable. I want you to be happy, sweetie. Lord knows, I’ve made enough messes in my own romantic life. Opposites do attract, so there’s that. Plus, it’s not like you two don’t share history together, even before all this.”

“That’s the problem, though. Our history. Adam’s convinced he’s not good enough for me—that I deserve to be with someone so much better. I don’t want anyone better. I just wanted him.” Mel’s temples pounded, and her hands shook from the rush of sugar in her system. At least Waldo was happy again, post-meal, his plump, fluffy body balled on his bed in the corner. “Oh, it doesn’t matter anyway. He broke things off and made it clear we’re over. He doesn’t want me like that. He doesn’t do love or relationships.”

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Lilly crossed her arms. “So, you’re just going to accept that?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Mel shifted on her stool. “It’s more complicated. There’s the fact that he’s best friends with James. They’re partners in Victory Vets, too. I don’t want to jeopardize any of that for Adam.”

“Except you love him.”

“Yes. I love him.” Mel covered her face again, tears burning her eyes. Who was she fooling? She couldn’t get over Adam. Not today, or tomorrow, or perhaps ever. But maybe she could go on in life. She had her house, her cat, her career, an interview for the Indy job next week. And if her life was a solitary one going forward, she had lots of practice being alone.

“Right.” Lilly stood, looking more determined than Mel had ever seen her. “What time are you due at your parents’ house?”

Mel sighed and stared at the clock above her stove. “Ten.”

“Okay.” Lilly hoisted Mel up from her stool and marched her down the hall toward her bedroom. “Let’s get you ready for your big day.”

“But—” Mel dug in her feet against the hardwood floor. “I don’t feel like getting fancy.”

“We’ll see about that.” Lilly tugged Mel into the bathroom, then let her go. “Take a nice hot shower while I pick you out something to wear.”

“But I already took a shower and I’m dressed.”

Lilly gave her a quick once-over, then shook her head. “Nope. Definite do over. Go!”

Mel did as she was told, too exhausted to argue. She closed the door behind her, then leaned against it while the water heated in the shower and filled the room with steam. She might have changed her looks, but her heart still felt the same as it had before—vulnerable.

After stripping, she stepped under the spray, letting the warm water soothe away her aches and pains from another sleepless night. Some birthday this was turning out to be. She wished she didn’t have to go to the party. Wished she could go far away from Point Beacon and the past and the man she’d let herself fall in love with when she damned well knew better.

But her parents were counting on her, and she didn’t want to disappoint them.

She also didn’t want tongues to wag any more than they already were about her and Adam.

Nope. It was time to face the facts and her future and get it over with.

First, the party. Then the workweek ahead. Then her interview in Indy.

No matter how pointless or painful things felt now.

One day, one step, one move forward at a time.

…

Adam sat in the office at Victory Vets on Saturday morning, staring at the blank white wall across from him and wondering exactly when his life had gotten so out of control.

They’d closed the place down today in honor of Mel’s party, so all was quiet. He’d figured he’d get some work done, catch up on the unopened mail and bookkeeping that had gotten away from him the past few weeks since he’d been busy with Mel.

His chest ached with the familiar pain of missing her, but he forced himself to concentrate on the stack of receipts and ledgers in front of him. Best to get this cleared away, regardless of how his head throbbed and his lip hurt from the pummeling James had given him last night.

God, what a freaking mess. He hadn’t spoken to any of the guys since he’d walked out of the Tipsy Wench last night, though his cell phone had blown up constantly since then. Adam wasn’t ready to face that nightmare yet.

He exhaled slowly and scrubbed a hand over his face, wincing at the bruise on his jaw, his rough stubble scratching his palm. What he really needed to do was put Mel out of his head and his heart and move the hell on. James had been right, much as he hated to admit it. Adam would never be good enough for his little sister. Like he hadn’t known that already. Still, it stung more than he’d cared to admit for his best friend to just come out and say it like that.

He’d always thought the Bryants had his back. They’d taken him in like one of their own, had rallied around him in times of trouble. But that fondness apparently only stretched so far, and last night he’d run smack into that boundary.

Mel deserved better. She always had.

He wasn’t going to the party. No sense rubbing more salt in an already-raw wound. Besides, things were strained enough between him and James. Not to mention the fact that she’d take one look at him and know he’d been lying on the phone that day. His true feelings for her were written all over the lines of fatigue in his face, the dark circles and bags under his eyes. The only social gathering he was fit to go to right now was a funeral.

Here lies the heart of Adam Foster. Gone but not forgotten.

Then he’d proclaimed his feelings in front of James and the entire bar last night, too, like some sappy, sentimental idiot.

Speaking of sappy…

He opened the desk drawer and pulled out a small black box. He opened it to reveal a necklace with a small gold heart pendant. With a sigh, he sat back in his chair. He’d bought it from the boutique in the hotel when they were in Chicago, thinking he’d give it to Mel as a going-away gift. A sort of graduation present for all she’d accomplished.

Which was stupid beyond belief really. Like, “Here, have a present. Goodbye.”

You really suck at love.

Exactly why he stayed way the hell away from it usually. But with Mel, he hadn’t been able to help himself. She’d seen past his exterior, past the bad-boy persona he cultivated, to the real, flawed, vulnerable man beneath. Instead of turning away, she’d embraced it, embraced him. She’d made him feel good and true and worthy.

She’d made him feel like maybe someday he might have a chance to be the guy she always thought he was. Even if it was all shot to crap now. Even if he’d fired the bullet himself.

For those few brief weeks with her, he’d glimpsed what his life could be like.

For that, and for all the wonderful moments they’d spent together, he’d be eternally grateful. That’s why he’d bought this necklace for her. As a symbol of what they’d shared.

Regardless of what he’d told her over the phone, he’d treasure those times with her for the rest of his life. His original plans to give it to her had fallen through, so he’d drop the necklace off at her parents’ house today before the party, then skip town for a while to avoid any temptation to go back and see her. Things would be easier that way.

The sound of a key in the lock on the entrance to the garage had him straightening in his seat and setting the box aside. No one else was supposed to be here this morning, but maybe one of the guys had forgotten something when they’d left last night. He leaned slightly to peer out his office door. “Jag? That you?”

James appeared in the doorway a moment later, looking as haggard as Adam felt. There was a purple bruise on his cheek and jaw, too. “We need to talk.”

If that wasn’t the understatement of the century, Adam didn’t know what was.

Still, he was still smarting from the night before and wasn’t in the mood to be overly welcoming. He grunted and hiked his chin toward the empty chair in front of the desk. “If you came to yell at me again and tell me how worthless I am, skip it. I got enough of that from my old man to last me a lifetime. Punches, too.”

With a wince, James plopped down into his seat and gave Adam a pointed stare. “Don’t put this all on me. You went behind my back and dated my sister, dude. That’s just wrong.”

Adam let his head fall back, and he looked up at the ceiling as his gut twisted tight. “I never meant for it to happen. She came to me one night with a harebrained idea with the makeover and the lessons on flirting, and you know how Mel is. If I hadn’t helped her, she would’ve recruited some other guy, and I thought you’d prefer if I kept an eye on her.”

“But you did more than watch out for her, didn’t you?” Hurt and anger warred in James’s gray gaze. “We talked about that. Made promises. You said you’d steer clear of Mel.”

“I know.” Adam squeezed his eyes shut. “You think I wanted this to happen? C’mon, man. You know me better than that. I don’t do relationships. I don’t do love because stuff like this happens. Things go wrong, people get hurt. Hearts break.”

He felt raw and achy and way too vulnerable. Ever since he’d learned what was what as a kid, he kept his back to the wall, never letting anyone too close, never letting his guard down. Except with Mel. She was the one person he felt totally comfortable with. He trusted her.

“You love her,” James said. It wasn’t a question.

Adam sighed and lowered his head to meet James’s gaze. “I did. I do. But I know I can’t have her. So I broke up with her last weekend. It’s over. You don’t need to worry.”

“Last weekend?” James frowned. “After Miguel’s wedding? The guys told me you two were there.”

“Yeah, we were.” An image of Mel’s face from the night of the reception flashed into his head. She was so beautiful, so kind, so open and caring and adoring. For a guy who’d never had that growing up, it was like balm to his weary, wounded soul. And yes, he put on a brave, confident front for the world, but with Mel he didn’t have to, and that was one of the things he’d miss about her most of all.

Well, that and her laugh. And her scent. And her soft curves. And…

Aw, hell. He missed every single thing about her.

“You want to kick my ass for that, too?” Adam asked. “Go ahead. I don’t think I could feel any more awful than I do right now anyway.”

His phone buzzed again on the desk, and this time he picked it up. James was here now. No sense avoiding the messages anymore. Except this time, it wasn’t a text. It was a calendar reminder about Mel’s party this afternoon. Cursing, he tossed the stupid thing back on the desk, screen side up. He shouldn’t have come in to work today. He should’ve gotten on his bike and ridden until he ran out of gas, then spent the night far away from Point Beacon, far away from Mel, far away from his past and his heartache and all his mistakes.

This week had been one of the worst of his miserable life, and that was saying something.

Truthfully, he’d lost count of the number of times he’d almost called Mel. One day he’d even strolled up the street, past the library, on his lunch break, all in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her. But in the end, he knew he’d done the right thing, ending it all. Them as a couple would never work. There were too many cards stacked against them—their backgrounds, her family, the small-town mentality where everyone had their place and things never changed.

Still, his heart squeezed tight with regret.

He wished he could go back in time, before he’d fallen too hard and too fast for Mel, before he’d screwed everything up with James. All he could hear echoing in his head was the sound of Mel’s crying as he’d broken up with her over the phone.

James was still watching him from across the desk, his gaze narrowed and his expression unreadable. If the guy wanted to fight some more, honestly, he was out of luck. Adam didn’t have the energy, and there really wasn’t much left to be said anyway.

Adam had slept with Mel and lost his heart in the process.

Welcome home, James.

God, he’d never felt so low. Not when he’d gotten beaten up every day after school because of where he lived. Not when his prom date had turned out to only have gone with him because she’d lost a bet with her girlfriends. Not even when his mom had walked out of his life.

Probably because Adam had known his mother had never really loved him.

But Mel does love you.

Hell, she’d said so their last night together, with as much bravery as Adam had ever seen in soldiers on the battlefield. He’d battled one thing or another for most of his life, and he was so damned tired of fighting.

“Are we done here?” Adam asked, weary to his bones.

“No. We’re not.” James crossed his arms. “You’re my business partner. You’ve been my best friend for more years than I can count. And you went behind my back with my sister. My sister! How the hell am I supposed to feel about that?”

“I meant what I said. If you want me to leave Victory Vets, if it will make things easier for you or Mel, I’ll do it. For her.”

He loved that garage almost as much as he loved Mel, and he didn’t want to see it, or the guys who worked there, hurt because of things between him and James. James loved the business, too. He knew how much it would hurt. They’d come up with the idea together, written the business plan as partners, had five- and ten-year plans in place.

None of it mattered now. Because all Adam wanted was Mel.

James took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, staring down at the desktop. “After you left Afghanistan, there was a firefight, outside one of the villages near our base camp. We went to patrol the area.” He closed his eyes. “The enemy snipers came out of nowhere. It was pitch black. We barely had time to take cover. Three guys didn’t make it.” His breath caught, and he swallowed hard. “All I could think about, huddled in the dark, scared out of my mind, was you guys back here in Point Beacon. About my parents and Mel, and the business. I vowed to protect them with everything I had.”

Adam blinked several times, taking that in. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want anyone to worry. I’m Mr. Perfect. I should be able to handle everything, right? That’s my job. That’s who I am. Except that night I couldn’t handle anything.” James gave a rueful chuckle. “It didn’t feel good, to know I failed.”

He leaned forward resting his forearms on the desk. “I hate to tell you this, James, but you’re not perfect. No one is. I’m the worst one of them all. But you can’t take on all the problems of the world.”

James snorted, giving him a pointed stare. “Yeah? If that’s true, then your past doesn’t have to equal your future.”

Those words set Adam back a few paces.

“Look, dude. Am I happy that you took my sister to Miguel’s wedding in Chicago, then broke her heart? No. Also not thrilled that you went behind my back and dated Mel, either. And I swear to God, if you hurt her again, I will personally make you regret the day you were born.” He sighed and stared out the open office door. “But you’re one of the best men I know. You’re like a brother to me. You’ve spent your whole life thinking you’re dirt, and the town gossip hasn’t done much to change that opinion, but I know the truth. You’ve had my back more times than I can count. You work harder than anyone I know, and you’re loyal to a fault. Considering what we’ve been through together and the fact that my sister seems to think you hang the moon and stars, I’ll give you my blessing.”

Stunned, Adam blinked at him. “You sure? Family’s everything. I never had one of my own, but you guys showed me what a real one could be like and made me feel a part of yours. I’d rather die than destroy that.” He hung his head, knowing he’d probably gone too far already, but what was one more step over the cliff? “But I do love Mel. More than anything.”

“Get up,” James said, pushing to his feet.

Wary, Adam did as he asked, bracing himself for another punch to the face. Instead, James came around the desk and pulled him into a bro hug so fast, he didn’t have time to react. Adam just stood there, slack-armed, as James pounded him hard on the back. “Welcome to the family. For real this time.”

“Uh.” He coughed once James let him go. “Thanks. For the welcome and for the nice stuff you said. But I’m pretty sure Mel needs to be the one to decide if she’ll have me or not.”

Uncomfortable, he wiped his hands on his jeans, his mind whirling.

A few weeks ago, Adam might’ve felt differently about what James had just told him, might have argued or tried to run himself down before someone else could do it for him, but being with Mel, seeing her transformation, had made him realize that maybe James was right.

Maybe his past didn’t have to equal his future.

People could change.

Mel had been the ray of light in his dreary life, and he’d do anything to get her back. If that meant becoming the man she thought he was, a man she’d be proud to be with, then hell yeah, he’d gladly slay that dragon, make any changes, no matter how painful, as long as Mel was by his side. Now all he had to do was convince James and everyone else in the town he was serious.

“You coming to the party later?” James asked from the doorway.

“I don’t know.” Adam shuffled over. He had a lot to think about. Lots of plans to make if he was going to win back the woman of his dreams. “Maybe I shouldn’t.”

James slung his arm loosely around Adam’s shoulders and walked him across the garage toward the exit. “Dude. Don’t be ridiculous. You definitely should. Now we just need a plan for you to win my sister back.”

They were almost to the door when Adam stopped and headed back to the office. “Wait. There’s something I need first…”