Her eyes sparkle, and an actual smile flickers over her full pink lips. “And I get to choose the movie?”
I roll my eyes, feigning mild annoyance, but the truth is I’ll do anything as long as it involves being close to her. “If you insist.”
My pulse is racing as I dry off from the shower. We’re staying in and eating pizza on the couch, so why do I feel like I’m fifteen and about to go on my first date with Cindy Green? She was the head cheerleader in high school, and it took me months to work up the courage to ask her out. She said yes before I even finished the question, and I’ve never felt that nervous around a woman since. Until now.
I walk down the hallway toward the sound of her voice. Is she only just ordering the food? No, I can smell pizza. A familiar voice joins hers, and my heart drops through my stomach.
What the fuck is Tyler doing back in New York already?
I make my way into the kitchen and see the two of them hugging. They part when I walk into the room, and Mel looks at me, tears glistening in her eyes. “Tyler came home early.”
He spins on his heel. “Yeah. Thanks for looking after my girl while I was away. I can take care of her now.”
I lick my lips and stare at the two of them. She’s my fucking girl. At least I thought she was, but she’s so goddamn happy to see him. Maybe he is the right person to take care of her. She married me out of guilt over her family and nothing more. She’s already told me she wants to walk away from everything to do with them, and I can’t help but think that includes me too.
“He brought up the pizza.” Melanie nods to the box on the table.
“Great. You two should take it with you,” I say, having to force the words out of my mouth.
Her face falls, and I want to kick myself in the ass for saying it, then kick Tyler out of my apartment, but my stupid pride won’t let me.
“I guess I should go get my things then,” she says quietly.
I don’t answer her. Instead I glare at Tyler, the man responsible for ruining my fucking night, and quite possibly my whole fucking life.
Mel slips out of the room, and Tyler plants his hands on the kitchen counter, his lips pressed together in a thin line and his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“You know I always respected you. Always thought you were this super smart guy who didn’t give a fuck what other people thought of you, but I …” He shakes his head. “Now, I guess I know better.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He licks his lips and glances at the open doorway before turning all his attention back to me. “She’s the best damn thing that’s ever happened to you, Nathan. And I think you know that too.”
My hands ball into fists. “Don’t assume to know what I’m thinking, Tyler.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare.” He barks a sarcastic laugh and sits at the island, then takes off his baseball cap and runs a hand through his hair. “You know, she always loved animals. Begged her daddy for a dog every single Christmas and birthday from the day she could talk. And when she turned thirteen, a few months before he was killed, he finally gave in.”
Why the hell is he telling me this right now?
“But Mel didn’t want no new puppy. Nope, she made him take her to the pound. And when we got there, she chose the oldest, ugliest mutt you’ve ever seen in your life. I mean this thing had a gray muzzle and one eye, but she insisted he was her dog. Now Mel’s mom might be a stone-cold bitch, but Luke adored his kids. He didn’t want his little girl getting attached to a dog that only had a little bit of life left in him. When he sat her down and explained that this dog likely only had a few years left at best, you know what she said?”
I suppress a sigh. “No.”
“She looked him square in the eye and said, ‘We could get a puppy who gets sick and dies or gets run over. Love doesn’t care how much time we have. It just takes its happiness where it can find it.’ And he got her that dog on the spot. She called him Floyd, and he was her best buddy for three years. He died a few days after she turned sixteen, and she was fucking heartbroken. Her mom told her she was stupid for getting so attached to something she knew was going to die, but that dog brought her happiness and comfort that can’t be measured, and I know for a damn fact she still would have chosen him if she knew he only had three months left.”
A knot of emotion balls in my throat, making it hard to speak, so when I do there’s a distinct crack in my voice. “Cute story.”
Tyler gives a single shake of his head and huffs a laugh. “The point is, Nathan, nobody knows what tomorrow’s about to bring. You have to grab onto whatever little slice of happiness while you can, and you have to fucking live in it. If your relationship with Mel is truly over, yeah, you should absolutely let it go. Things die all the time, but killing them to stop them from dying is my idea of batshit crazy. So if you’re only ending this with her in case it might cause you more pain later on down the line, well then, for all your fancy degrees and your razor-sharp brain, you’re the biggest fucking fool I ever met.”
He walks out of the kitchen, and I’m left staring after him with so many questions and feelings running through my head that I sway on my feet.
The sound of soft footsteps shakes me from my daze. A second later, she walks through the door, dressed in a sweater and jeans, her cheeks pink and her eyes red like she’s been crying.
“Where’s Ty?” she asks, her voice thick with emotion.
I shake my head. “I thought he went to look for you.”
She glances behind her. “Maybe he went to the bathroom.”
I walk around the other side of the island, my heart racing faster with each step I take toward her. She watches me, chewing on her lip and shuffling her feet.
I take a deep breath, remembering how excited she was just a half hour earlier at the prospect of watching a movie with me. Tyler’s right—if life has taught me anything, it’s that happiness doesn’t always last, and we have to hold onto whatever slice we can get of it. “Stay, Mel.”
She blinks up at me, and I take another step, closing the distance until we’re only inches apart. “What?” Her voice is barely a whisper.
“Don’t go home with Tyler.”
“I d-don’t understand. Like stay for tonight?”
I slide a hand to the back of her neck and stuff the other one into the pocket of my sweatpants to stop myself from picking her up, carrying her to bed, and chaining her to it. “No, not for tonight. Not to give me a kid. And not because you feel guilty or because of anything to do with our families. Stay for me. Because you are the only thing in this entire world that I cannot fucking live without.”
Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak. Her breath hitches in her throat.
“I love you, Mel, and I would die tomorrow if it means I get to love you for today.”
Tears fill her eyes, and for a heart-stopping, world-ending moment, I think she’s going to tell me that it’s too late. “I love you too, Nate.”
I move on pure instinct, crashing my lips against hers as I wrap my free arm around her waist and pull her body flush against my own. Sliding my tongue inside her mouth, I claim her, groaning with relief and desire, and the sound mingles with her whimpers. Her hands snake around my neck, fingers tangling in my hair and pulling me closer. She feels so good in my arms, but I need more. I’m done waiting. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything before.
