The Perfect Love Story

Chapter 13

          Our husbands and TJ came home after only about 45 minutes of partying. They were watching a college game and having some beers while Rebecca and I had dessert in the kitchen. Melody was watching Eloise and Bryce in the pool and bouncing Kingsley as she slept. Bryce was in a swim vest and a car floatie and Eloise was enjoying pushing her brother around the pool.

"Hey, Leanna. There's some guy at the front door looking for Melody." TJ looked a little frustrated as he came into the kitchen.

"Excuse me," I told Rebecca, following him to the front room. "Matthew." It came out in a whisper. Matthew was Melody's ex-fiancé. He cheated on her with one of their older college professors two months before their wedding. He was holding a huge bouquet of pink carnations, Melody's favorite. "What are you doing here?" That I knew of, Melody hadn't spoken to him since they broke up.

"I just want to talk to Melody. Please." His look was pleading and as much as I wanted to turn him away, I felt like it wasn't my place.

"Um, just give me a sec. Stay right there." I went out to the backyard and Melody smiled as she looked up at me. She was sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water.

"Lea?" I guess my facial expression gave me away because her smile instantly faded. "Is everything okay?" She asked me, getting up carefully so that she wouldn't drop Kingsley.

"Matthew is here. He wants to talk to you." I played with my hands. "I can send him away if you want, I just thought you had the right to know."

"Oh." The look on her face was a mixture of devastated and tired. "I guess I should go see what he wants." She handed Kingsley back to me and Rebecca came out to watch the kids with me.

"Is everything okay, Lea? Who's that guy?" She asked me as we sat in some of the chairs. I gave Rebecca a tiny smile as I rocked Kingsley back and forth.

"It's my little sister's ex-fiancé. He cheated on her when we were back home, and she called off the wedding. I don't know what he wants, but I assume it has to do something with wanting her back. He was her high school sweetheart, and I don't know if he ever really moved on from her." I sighed softly. "If Melody wants him back, I guess it's not really my place to stop her. It really killed her when he cheated on her though." I didn't want Melody to get hurt again, but maybe if Matthew was sorry then he could make her happy as they had been before.

"You've talked about Melody before. She's a smart girl like you said. I'm sure she'll make the right decision." Rebecca smiled at me, and I smiled back at her. I was grateful to have her as a friend.

Melody's POV

I came out of my bedroom the next morning and Matthew was still sleeping on my couch. Matthew was the love of my life. My first instinct was to kick him to the curb, but as soon as I looked into his soft hazel eyes, I had to hear him out. I made myself a bowl of cereal and went to sit out on the front porch.

"So, I saw that Matthew's car was still parked out front. He spent the night?" I jumped a little when I heard my older sister's voice.

"Um, yeah. He just slept on my couch." She sat down next to me and smiled softly. I could tell that she wasn't here to judge. "He wants to get back together. I was apprehensive about the whole thing, but he said he wants to take things slow. He said that he was going through a tough time when his dad died, and his grades were slipping. The professor offered to bring his grade up and that's what started the affair." I played with my cereal, trying to focus on my breathing. I didn't want to have an anxiety attack.

"Well, if you want him then I won't stop you." Leanna played with her hands. "And if he breaks your heart again then we'll just have JJ castrate him." She nudged my arm playfully and I gave her a cautious look. "I promise I won't judge you no matter what you decide, Melody. If he makes you happy then that's fine." She took a deep breath.

"Okay." My voice was almost a whisper. "Thank you, Leanna. You're a really good big sister." I ate a spoonful of cereal. "So, your birthday is coming up later this week, what do you want to do?" I asked her.

"Actually, I want to split my birthday into a couple of days. I want to do a girl's night with you and Rebecca and then dinner with JJ on my actual birthday. I'll be five weeks postpartum on my birthday and we want to try and see if we can be...intimate for the first time since Kingsley." She told me and I made a face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to give you any gross details. I was just wondering if you'd be able to watch Kingsley the night we go out. Here in the guest house."

"Yeah, of course. I'd be glad to take her for that night." I smiled at her and Leanna let out a soft breath.

"Okay, I'm going to head back into the house. JJ and I want to have breakfast together as a family before he must head off to practice. I'll see you later." She got up and I watched her head back to the main house. I sighed softly as I got up and went back into the guest house. Matthew was sitting up now, rubbing his eyes.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked him as I rinsed my bowl. I already knew that the couch wasn't comfortable. I figured he deserved it.

"I slept great. Dreamed of you the whole night." He gave me his signature wide smile and I did my best to return it. "So, what are you thinking?" He asked me, chewing on his lip.

"I'd be willing to start over. But we're starting on thin ice. It would be nice if this could work, but we're not going to just go back to the way we were in an instant." I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"I completely understand, Mel. Whatever you need, I will be here to provide." He seemed like he was being honest. He was the Matthew I fell in love with. Or at least, he was acting like him. "I'm going to get an apartment here in Texas. I've been looking, but I wasn't going to sign a lease until I talked to you." He pressed his lips together. "Can I pick you up for a date on Friday evening?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I already agreed to babysit Kingsley on Friday. It's Leanna's birthday and she's going out to dinner with JJ." I told him as I washed my bowl.

"How about Thursday night?" He asked, chewing on his lip. I smiled slightly and then nodded my head slowly. I had butterflies in my stomach, and I couldn't tell if it was negative or old feelings being stirred up.

"Sounds like a deal. I'll come to pick you up at 7 on Thursday." He left without another word, and I took a deep breath, brushing some hair out of my face. I opened the door to let Milo in from the yard. He trotted over to his water bowl and took a long drink. Hopefully, I was doing the right thing in the end.