Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I’ll bring cash next time,” I say, which makes everyone burst out laughing again.
A bottle of wine, more pasta than I ever wanted in my entire life, and more mob stories later, and I head outside. It’s a nice day in Chicago, lots of sun, moderately warm. I head into the coffee shop two blocks away and find Melody sitting where I left her, sunk down low in a booth with her laptop in front of her, scrolling through pictures of Bomber she uploaded to Instagram.
“Sorry that took so long,” I say and sit down across from her. She closes the laptop lid and blinks at me.
“You’re done? It’s over?”
“It’s over.” I put the brown paper bag down in front of her. “Except for this. I owe them for this.”
“War. What did you do?”
“This is my debt to pay back. Don’t you worry about it.”
“Seriously. War. What did you do?”
“I made the easiest decision of my life.” I reach into the bag and get down on one knee right there at the edge of the table. Her eyes widen in confusion. “I want to swear something to you, Melody. I swear I will never lie to you again. I might lie to other people, but never to you, no matter what, no matter how small. I love you, I need you, and you will always have the real me, no stories, no half-truths. Everything, no matter how ugly.”
“War,” she whispers, hands over her mouth. “What are you doing?”
I flip open the box. The ring is much nicer than I expected—simple, elegant, probably insanely expensive. The diamonds sparkle in the low cafe light and people are staring, but fuck them. All I can see is Melody.
“I love you. I want to love you until the day that I die. Marry me, Melody.”
She holds a trembling hand out. “Yes,” she says and laughs once sharply. “Yes, I will!”
I slide the ring on. It’s big—but it slips down and she cries as I pull her to her feet and kiss her hard.
Chapter 29
Melody
Bomber limps from the stable and I walk alongside him, leading him by the bridle. He moves gingerly, gently, each step probing and uncertain, but I coax him on. Ford, Kat, and War watch from the fence, the late summer sun beating down on my back.
“You’re doing so good,” I say softly as we make our way around the paddock. “Good job, Bomber, you’re so good, you’re such a good boy.” I keep praising him, talking softly and calmly, trying to make sure he doesn’t spook and hurt himself. The vet says the leg is all healed, and now it’s a matter of whether the mended bone will carry his weight without cracking all over again. We’ve been doing some minor rehab work, strengthening the atrophied muscles, getting him ready for the big day.
And now it’s finally here. Nerves jangle in my chest and sweat rolls down my back, but I don’t let him sense how uneasy I’m feeling. We keep up a slow but steady pace, and Bomber seems comfortable, almost eager to be outside. I can’t blame him—the poor guy’s been cooped up for months now, and I’m sure he’s itching to get back out into the world again, even if he has to move as a snail’s pace.
“You did so good,” I say as we head around and back into the barn. He snorts in response like he’s accepting my praise and heads right back into his stall. I take off his kit and wipe him down, and go meet the others at the picnic benches when I’m done.
“That looked really good,” Kat says, sounding relieved. “Think it’ll hold?”
“I think so,” I say and lean against War. The engagement ring sparkles on my finger. “The vet says he’s ready, and I can’t keep him locked up inside forever, right? Time to get him moving.”
“You’re doing great,” Ford says and checks his phone. “And now I have to run. Seriously, Melody, great job.” He stands, kisses Kat’s cheek, and heads off with a wave.
Kat watches him go. “He’s really proud, you know,” she says, glancing back at me. “The Instagram page you set up for Bomber has been driving a lot of interest to the farm. Seriously, we’ve gotten, like, dozens of interested buyers just from your posts alone.”
“Tell me about it, I’ve been fielding all their emails, and those are just the ones you guys know about.”
Kat laughs and stretches. “Good work today. I think I’m going to go for a little walk before I have to hunt down my husband and pry that phone from his ear.”
“Poor guy’s always busy,” War says with a lazy smile. “Must be nice.”
Kat walks off, and I lean over to kiss War. He kisses me back, lingering for a second longer than he needs to. “Hello, handsome,” I say.