son. Lucas means more to me than anything, and even before you proved it in real life, I knew you’d do everything in your power to protect him. Still, he’s my son, not yours. You don’t have any obligation to stay here, Mel. Gabe and I would figure it out.”
Melody nodded and let out a breath. In the back of her mind, she’d known Emersyn would be rational about this. That was always how she was, anyway. “I just didn’t want to disappoint you. And what about Roman? Do you think I should go for it?”
Emersyn giggled. “Are you writing his name in little hearts on the inside of a notebook, because I feel like we’re in high school! I went through some of that with Gabe, too. Yes, go for it. See how he really feels.”
“Yeah.” Melody thought about how quickly Roman had shut her down when she’d reached out to him. He’d come right back to her aid a few minutes later, and she could swear he’d been in her mind during the attack, but it still worried her. “What if he rejects me?”
“I doubt he would.” Emersyn raised her brows and pinched her mouth, looking sassy. “You’re one hell of a catch, Mel. The absolute worst he can do is say no, anyway. Then you’ll move on, and you’ll get past it. I promise. For right now, though, you rest.” She patted Melody’s arm, collected her bag, and slipped out of the room.
Melody lay there, staring at the ceiling. Emersyn was right. She couldn’t live her life waiting for something to happen and hoping it would all work out. There was nothing wrong with standing up for what she wanted and asking if it could be possible. She wouldn’t demand anything from Roman that he wasn’t willing to give freely, but Melody had never been such a meek and mild woman to only take the minimum and be all right with it.
Flicking off the covers, she sat up in bed and swung her feet over the side, though the stabbing pain in her ribs made her immediately regret it. That damn bear had done a number on her. She’d heal up soon enough, but she could at least go find Roman.
The door to his room was slightly ajar, and classic rock filtered out through it. Melody smiled, realizing she’d had no idea up until this point what kind of music he liked. There was still so much to learn about him. There was so much more to both of them than just the events over the past few weeks. His visit was going by quickly, but they still had time before he was due back in Wyoming after Christmas. Melody knocked softly.
“Come in,” Roman barked.
She pushed the door open to find him standing next to the bed, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. A suitcase was spread on the comforter, already packed with a neatly folded stack of clothes, a row of socks, and a few books. Roman was in the process of folding another shirt when he looked up at her. He said nothing.
“What’s going on?” Alarm bells were clanging in her head, and her heart was pounding so heavily, she could hardly hear the music anymore. “I thought you weren’t going back until after Christmas.”
“I’ve changed my mind.” He turned away from her as he pulled open a dresser drawer, saw that it was empty, and slammed it shut again. He took a pair of jeans from the next drawer down.
Her throat was thick as she tried to swallow. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t what she wanted. She was supposed to have more time. They were supposed to have more time. How could they work it all out if he wasn’t even in the same state? “Why?”
“There’s no reason for me to stay here any longer.” He put the jeans in his suitcase and crossed the room to the closet, opening the door wide to double-check that he’d gotten everything.
Roman didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t need to for Melody to understand. “You could’ve at least told me.”
His eyes met hers for only a fraction of a second. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Now, hold on a second.” She stepped forward, wincing at the pain in her side once again, but was determined to get past it. “What, exactly, makes you think there isn’t anything to tell? At the very least, I’m the one who oversees the daily functions of this house. I think I deserve to know