Roping Melanie by Melissa Ellen

19

Melanie

I’d spent the whole day Sunday cleaning. As much as Avery was excited to meet her aunt and cousin, I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t know what to expect or how his sister would feel toward me. I’d kept Avery from more than just Nash’s life. And I wasn’t too sure if his family would be as cordial and understanding as Nash had been.

I sprayed the kitchen counter one more time with cleaner and rubbed against a stain that would never lift no matter how many times I tried.

“What you need is a magic eraser,” Mom suggested from where she sat at the kitchen table, watching. She and my dad had arrived early, so she could help me prepare dinner while he entertained Avery.

“What I need is a new counter,” I snapped. “Or a whole new kitchen for that matter. This place is a dump.”

“This place is your home. And you worked hard for it. What’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you worked up like this. I’ve especially never known you to care this much about what others thought of you or your things.”

“This isn’t just anyone.”

Mom’s hand came out of nowhere, stopping mine in its tracks. “Let it go, Melanie. Like Gran always said, if they’re here to see you, they’re welcomed. If they’re here to see the house, they can make an appointment.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes. I didn’t need Gran’s little words of wisdom and funny sayings right now. What I needed was to make this house look presentable.

“Now,” Mom said as she confiscated the spray and paper towel from my hands, “we should get started on dinner. They’ll be here soon. We can set a plate over the stain and they’ll be none the wiser.”

I guess that was as good a fix as any.

Soon came fast.

“They’re here! They’re here!” Avery screamed from the living room where she’d been looking out the window almost every minute for the last hour.

The timer for the meatloaf went off as she did. With hot pad mittens covering my hands, I pulled it from the oven and set it on the stove burner. I removed the hot pads and placed them on the counter. As I turned to greet them at the front door, Mom stepped in my path and gripped both my shoulders.

“Before you go out there, you just remember who you are. It doesn’t matter what his family thinks. You’re a good mother. You’ve done of hell of a job at raising her on your own. You work hard and provide for your daughter with the important things. She has a roof over head, clothes on her back, and you love her more than this world. Nobody can judge you for that.”

Once done with her pep talk, she smothered me in a hug while I tried not to cry. “Thank you, Mom.”

“I love you,” she said as she pulled away. “I’m proud of you. You’ve done your best with the hand you were dealt. If they can’t see that, to hell with them.”

I snorted a laugh and nodded my head.

The two of us walked arm in arm out of the kitchen. As soon as my eyes landed on Nash, my stomach took flight.

“He sure is handsome,” Mom said under her breath, then leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I can see why all your common sense went out the window in Vegas.”

I nudged her in the side with my elbow.

Nash, Meg, and Samantha all stood in the entryway, making their own introductions with my dad and Avery.

“Wow, I love this house,” Meg said as she looked around.

Mom returned a nudge to my side as if to say, “I told you so.”

“Thank you,” I said. “It’s a little rundown, but I’m working on fixing it up little by little.”

Meg’s eyes flicked to me and she smiled. It was as gorgeous as her brothers. “I kind of like it. It has charm unlike some of the new construction homes going up these days.”

“Gee, thanks,” Nash quipped, provoking a few smiles and chuckles from all of us.

Meg gave him a light smack on his arm. “You know what I mean.” Then she turned to me again. “I’m Meg, Nash’s sister. You must be Melanie.”

I nodded and held out my hand. “It’s great to meet you finally. Nash has told me so much about you all.”

“I can’t imagine it was anything good,” she replied, giving it a shake.

“I’ve only ever given her the truth,” Nash said, then introduced himself to my mother.

Much like myself and Avery, she was immediately smitten. Enough to make my dad move to her side and put his arm around her as if to remind her she was still married. Once all the introductions were out of the way, we moved to my tiny kitchen like a hungry herd being rounded up. It was a bit tight, but I’d managed to seat everyone at the table.

Though it was a slow start, conversation never lolled once we all settled. I quickly learned Meg was a talker. She brought out a side of Nash I hadn’t seen. It was fun watching them interact and rib each other. Avery and Samantha were in their own little heaven at one end of the table. We’d only been a few minutes into eating, when they claimed they were full and Avery asked if she could show Sam her room.

Normally, I would have told her to eat a few more bites of the food she hardly touched, but decided to let it go. The two of them scooted their chairs back and rushed from the table before we could change our minds.

“So Nash, Melanie tells us you’re building a house outside of town,” my dad said before taking a bite.

Nash nodded as he finished chewing. “I am. I heard from Tucker just the other day that they’re moving right along.”

“You were smart hiring Tucker,” Mom interjected. “It’s hard to find good, honest help these days.”

“I’d love to see the place before we leave,” Meg chimed in.

“Maybe we go at the end of the week. Tucker said they’d be starting the framing by then,” Nash said and then looked at me. “You and Avery should come too, if you can. I’d love to show you guys the place.”

“I think we can make that happen. Let me know what day, and I’ll check my schedule,” I said.

Nash gave me a grin, and I smiled back, loving how he always managed to include us both in his plans.

By the end of dinner, all my nerves were gone. Mom and Dad said their goodbyes, calling it an early night.

After they’d gone, we all moved outside to enjoy the unusually cool summer evening. Nash played basketball with the girls while Meg and I sat at the picnic table and drank our wine.

“He’s one of the good ones,” Meg said after a few minutes of us quietly watching Nash interact with the girls.

“He is . . .” I agreed. There was no point in denying it. In the short time I’d known Nash, it was as plain as day.

Meg turned her gaze to me. “And my spidey sense tells me you’re both into each other.”

I attempted to hide my flush behind my glass of wine as I took a drink.

“Don’t bother denying it,” she continued once I started to respond. “You two have been giving each other the look all night. Don’t think I didn’t notice. Plus, he told me as much.” Her grin was as bright as the green eyes she shared with my daughter and Nash.

“I admit, I’m attracted to him. Very attracted. But”—I shook my head—“I have to think about what’s best for Avery right now.”

“I get it. Trust me. Just don’t wait too long. He won’t stay single forever.”

The thought of Nash marrying or even dating someone else made my stomach roll. Meg turned back to watch the girls and Nash, leaving me to my thoughts.

“They sure are having fun,” she mused.

“Yep.”

“What do you say we get off the sidelines and get in on this game?”

“I think that sounds like a great idea.”

She smiled and stood from her bench seat. I returned her smile and rose from my own. Meg ran ahead, stealing the ball away from Nash as he dribbled. “Heads up,” she shouted before tossing me the ball. I caught it with ease and immediately followed up with a jump shot from where I stood in the grass. The ball swooshed through the net.

“The girl has skills!” Meg hollered, retrieving the ball.

Nash cocked an eyebrow in my direction. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

“I may have played in school.” I shrugged as if it were nothing.

“Momma was the star of her team,” Avery boasted the way she had about Nash’s achievements last week at the doctor’s office.

I walked over and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks, peanut. I was trying to keep that on the down-low.”

“Why would you want to hide that?” Nash asked.

“Because now that you know, you’re going to want me to play with you guys. And I don’t want you to hate me after I beat you in every game.”

Meg cracked up laughing.

Nash narrowed his eyes at her.

“What? You are a poor loser.” She shrugged and bounce passed him the ball.

“All right,” he said, dribbling it as he spoke with a challenge in his voice. “What do you say we do a little game of three on two? You and Mel against me and the girls?”

“Yeah!” the girls screamed in unison.

I looked over at Meg and gave her a nod.

“You’re so on, brother.”

It was a close game, but in the end, Meg and I dominated. We were all exhausted and sweaty. But it was worth the fun and memories. And the stolen touches and glances between Nash and me. Meg was right. They were undeniably flirty. There’d been a point he’d wrapped his whole body around mine from behind as he tried to steal the ball but instead gave me a tight hug. I’d wanted to turn in his arms and kiss him then and there, audience be damned. Chemistry wasn’t our problem, though. It was the six-year-old heart we could potentially break if she got her hopes up.

“Can Sam stay the night?” Avery begged as soon as the game ended. The girls were still wound up and not quite ready to say goodbye.

“Please, Mommy. Can I?” Sam turned to Meg.

Meg immediately turned to me. With a silent conversation between moms, I gave her the okay. “You don’t even have any clothes or your toothbrush here.”

“I could always run to the motel and grab her things to bring back,” Nash offered.

Meg looked at me again. “Are you sure about this?”

“It’s fine,” I assured her. “As long as you’re okay with it.”

Meg sighed. “All right, then.”

The girls cheered and high-fived. “Come on, let’s go play in my room,” Avery demanded, leading the way in a sprint. Sam was right on her heels as they raced into the house.

“I think I’ll just ride back with you,” Meg said to Nash. “That way I can pack her things, then shower and pass out. I’m not sure I can stay up much longer.”

“Sounds good,” Nash replied as the three of us walked toward the house.

Once inside, I gave Meg a hug goodbye.

“I’ll be back by in a few to drop off her stuff,” Nash told me as they walked out the front door.

“Okay.” I nodded. I watched and waved from the porch as they drove off, then headed back inside to clean up the wine glasses and a few of the pans from dinner I’d been soaking in the sink. Afterward I made a bed in Avery’s room for Sam to sleep on. By the time I was done, there was a knock on the front door.

I opened it to Nash. He held up the pink duffle bag with a sexy grin.

“It’s a little pink for you, but I can see why you chose it.”

“The mermaid. There’s something about mermaids that I’ve always loved,” he teased back.

I laughed and opened the door wider, allowing him inside. “They’re in Avery’s room.”

He nodded and walked down the hallway to deliver the bag. I sat on the couch, tucking a leg underneath me. A few minutes later, Nash returned to the living room, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“I guess I should head out.”

“You can stay if you want,” I said.

He roughed a hand through his hair and sighed. “Hell. I want to, Mel. I want a lot of things I can’t have. It’s why I need to leave, right now. I don’t want to mess this up.”

I scooted to the edge of the couch, ready to stand and do—what? Beg him to stay? Tell him I wanted to take the risk? Or simply walk him out? I wasn’t sure what I wanted any more. My mind was telling me one thing while my heart was saying another.

“You don’t need to get up,” Nash said, closing the short distance between us and pressing a kiss to my hairline. It was enough to stop me in my tracks. “I’ll lock the door behind me,” he added, already headed in that direction. When the door shut, my heart sank.