Make Me Yours (Bellamy Creek #2) - Melanie Harlow Page 0,103
and open a bottle of good whiskey one of them had brought.
A discussion ensued about the merits of Irish versus Japanese versus Tennessee whiskey, and I excused myself, saying I was going to offer my help to his mom in the kitchen. He gave me a look that said he was sorry, and I reassured him with a smile.
In the kitchen, I found a harried Mrs. Mitchell trying to keep the trays of appetizers full, make room on the table for dishes neighbors had brought, and keep up with the empty plate and glass collection. When I offered to help, she called me an angel and asked me if I’d stir the meatballs, then dump them into the serving bowl on the counter.
I stayed busy in the kitchen for the next hour, during which Cole brought me a second glass of wine and kissed my cheek before disappearing again. When the second glass was gone, I had to use the bathroom, and since someone was in the one on the first floor, I went upstairs to the second. The door was closed, but I decided to wait rather than go back downstairs.
I couldn’t resist peeking into Cole’s room, pushing the door all the way open and snapping on the light. I hadn’t been in here since the night I’d helped choose his outfit for Griffin’s party over a month ago. It made me smile, thinking how much things had changed.
But one thing hadn’t—the wedding photo was still on his dresser. Unable to help myself, I picked it up and looked closer. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel a punch of jealousy because he’d loved her. I understood she was part of his story the way Mariah was too. And even though I knew he’d always have a place in his heart for her, it didn’t bother me. I knew there was room for me too.
I just wanted to be part of his story—even if I hadn’t been the beginning, I could be the happily ever after.
If he’d let me.
“Cheyenne?”
I turned and discovered Mariah in the doorway. “Oh! Hey, honey. I was just . . .” I set the photo down and decided to change the subject. “Are you having a good time?”
“I was, but my friends had to leave.” She shrugged. “Now I’ll be bored the rest of the night. What are you doing up here?”
“Um, I came up to use the bathroom, but someone was in there.”
“I was. Sorry.” She looked guilty.
“That’s okay.” I smiled at her. “Then I just wandered in here. Your dad is a very neat person, isn’t he?”
“We have to be. Grandma gets mad if we don’t make our beds first thing when we get up.”
“Well, it’s not a bad habit to form.” I turned and looked at Cole’s bed, surprised to see a stuffed animal there. Laughing, I pointed at it. “What is that?”
“Oh, that’s Prewitt.” Giggling, she went over and retrieved it. “He’s a platypus. My dad gave it to me once because I was scared there were monsters under my bed. He first tried to tell me there was no such thing as monsters, but I didn’t believe him, so he got me Prewitt, because monsters are only afraid of one thing, and that’s platypuses.”
I laughed, taking the stuffed animal from her. “Your dad is smart. What’s it doing in here?”
“Oh, I gave it to him for a while because of his bad dreams.”
My heart skipped a few beats. “Bad dreams?”
“Yes. He said there’s a monster in them.”
I nodded slowly. “Oh.”
“He woke me up one night last week because he was yelling so loud, so I offered to let him sleep with Prewitt.” She made a face. “Then he hugged me, but he was all sweaty so it was gross.”
I tried to smile, but I’m not sure I did. “What—what night was that? When he woke you?”
“Hmm, let me think.” She squinted. “It was the night my grandma was gone. The night we watched The Grinch.” Her face lit up. “Hey, I bet that’s why Daddy had a nightmare about a monster!”
I swallowed, but the lump in my throat remained. “You could be right. But we better put Prewitt back so your daddy doesn’t miss him.”
“Okay.” She took the stuffed platypus from my hands and replaced it on Cole’s bed. “Daddy said you’ll share his room at the new house. So maybe he won’t need Prewitt.”