Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
She stepped out from behind Saint, ignoring his growl of protest.
“Babe…”
“It’s fine.”
Melody approached slowly. She looked smaller. Not physically, but the self-assured, seductive edge she’d once worn like armor had vanished. Her eyes were softer too. They had a nervous glint. She held herself like someone who’d learned the hard way that pride could cost too much.
“I won’t take much of your time,” she said in a meek voice. Her gaze darted between them before settling on Beth—the safer choice. “I just… I owe you both an apology.”
Saint didn’t interrupt, but he did place his hand on the small of Beth’s back.
“I was angry. And jealous.” She tapped the side of her head. “There are some things I’m working on, uh… some past things that affected me more than I realized. Not that I’m trying to use that as an excuse or a justification for my behavior. The things I said and did…” She shook her head, face falling into a grimace. “I caused harm I can never undo. I know that.” She swallowed hard, blinking as she averted her gaze to the floor.
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. And I’m getting help, uh… getting over what happened with D-Demo, and… other things. I won’t cause trouble for you or the MC again.”
Beth never told anyone, but she’d imagined this moment many times. In her darker moments, she’d pictured herself unloading months of built-up anger, making Melody feel every ounce of pain she’d caused. But as she stared at the woman before her, smaller somehow, fragile, clearly fighting her own demons, all Beth felt was compassion.
She knew what it was like to survive something that broke you.
She knew what it took to rebuild.
Melody was trying, and that counted for something. Whatever drove Melody to act the way she did and make the choices that caused so much pain, it ran deep. And Melody hadn’t come out unscathed. Physically, she suffered far worse than Beth, requiring surgery and a lengthy and painful recovery period.
So instead of letting this play out the way she’d fantasized, Beth spoke from her heart. “Thank you for saying that. I’m not going to pretend what you did didn’t hurt, because it did. But holding onto anger will only hurt more.” She took a breath. “I hope you find peace, Melody. No matter what happened between us, no one deserves what Demo did to you.”
A tear tracked down Melody’s makeup-free face. Then another. She pressed a hand to her mouth, nodding, unable to speak. Had Beth ever seen the other woman without a full face of makeup? Melody nodded once as relief flickered across her face.
“Are you back in town permanently?” Beth asked.
“I’m not sure. Kinda taking it day by day.” She shifted, wringing her hands. “Well, thank you for hearing me out. I’m gonna go.”
In some ways, it broke Beth’s heart to see the once-confident woman so subdued. She couldn’t say she wished for the old Melody, but hopefully the woman would heal, come out stronger and kinder, and find happiness.
Melody turned and walked out the door, then down the sidewalk without looking back.
Saint exhaled slowly. “Didn’t see that coming.”
Beth shook her head. “Me neither.” She was quiet for a moment, processing. “But I’m glad it did. I didn’t realize how much I was still carrying until I let it go.”
Saint pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You’re incredible, baby.” He slid a hand along her spine. “Ready to go home?”
The mood wasn’t erotically charged as before, but they’d be back there by the time they got home. Riding on his bike always amped her up.
“Home with you? Always.”
The salon lights were dim when they finally locked the door.
Beth’s feet ached, and her throat felt scratchy from hours of talking to customers, but her heart was full to bursting. This grand opening had been everything she’d hoped for and more. The upcoming weeks were packed with appointments and an inbox full of new client requests.
She took a moment to admire the storefront before turning to Saint, who waited for her with an outstretched hand.
“You feel safe here?” he asked as she took his hand.
“Very. There are about six hundred cameras on me all day, a crazy alarm system complete with a panic button in each room, and my necklace.” She whispered the last word as though someone might overhear and snatch the tracking device. “Before I might have called it overkill, but now…” She shrugged.
“Yeah.”
“I kinda like knowing you can see where I am at all times. That’s probably not normal, is it? Maybe too codependent.”
He smiled softly, the smile he only showed her. “Fuck normal.”
She laughed, tears pricking her eyes. “Yeah, fuck normal. I’m happy, and that’s all that matters.”
“Happy looks good on you, baby.”
“Looks good on you too. So does love.”
He leaned down, kissed her lips, and whispered, “Good, because that’s not going anywhere. I will love you for the rest of my fucking life.”