A Road to Let Go (Fallen Tuesday #4) (28 page)

“
You
do have a home,
”
Jake said.
“
With me. In New York. You
came there for your life to change and it has. The same for me. Let
’
s change our lives together,
Mel.
”

Mel slowly nodded. The immensity of
the news weighed on her heart, but looking at Jake gave her a sliver of hope. When
she saw the sincerity in his eyes, Mel knew she had fallen in love with him.

(26)

Jake held Mel as much as he could.
He hurried to get their bags packed up and then they were off to the airport to
get out of Washington. There was no private jet available at such short notice,
so Jake bought two first class tickets and made sure Mel was comfortable. The
snuck through the airport with their heads down, able to get by without being
noticed. Mel looked a little lost and distant. He hated to see her like this.
He just didn
’
t know what to
do to help, other than just be there. Maybe that would be enough.

They were a couple hours into the
flight when Mel looked at Jake.

“
Do
you think he loved me?
”
Mel
asked.

“
Who?
”

“
My
father.
”

Jake felt his heart sink.
“
I would like to think so, Mel.
But if I say that, then you
’
ll
wonder even more why he left. Maybe he had his own secrets and was too afraid they
would hurt everyone.
”

“
Yeah.
Sure. What about your father? Do you
…
care?
”

“
No,
”
Jake said.
“
I forced myself to realize a
long time ago that I couldn
’
t
go back and change his decisions. And I certainly don't stand here today and
worry about it. He took his path, I took mine.
”

“
Paths,
”
Mel said.
“
Everyone keeps using that word.
I don
’
t like being on a
path.
”

Jake kissed her head.
“
You are on a path, sweetheart.
With me. And whatever you need to go through and do right now, just know I
support you.
”

“
I
believe you, Jake.
”

“
Good.
If you need a week to yourself, take it. If you need to cry for an hour, do it.
If you want me to hold you, I will. If you want me to disappear, I will.
Anything you need.
”

Jake touched Mel
’
s chin and offered a smile. Her
lips flickered a half smile. It was good enough for him.

“
Right
now I just kind of want to sleep,
”
Mel said.

“
Then
sleep, sweetheart. When you wake up, I
’
ll
be sitting right here.
”

“
Hold
my hand, Jake,
”
Mel said as
she closed her eyes.

Jake took Mel
’
s hand and interlocked his
fingers with hers. A few seconds later she slipped away to sleep and it left
Jake sitting there staring at her. Every now and again he felt eyes upon him
and when he looked, it was no surprise to see fans of Fallen Tuesday on the
flight. When someone asked for an autograph Jake politely said he would sign
anything for anyone once the plane landed.

When the plane did land, Mel was
awake but didn
’
t look very
refreshed. Jake couldn
’
t
really step into her shoes, but damn, he wanted to help her so badly. It didn
’
t seem fair that Mel had
uprooted her life to find something that just wasn
’
t meant to be. Jake wanted to use as much of his
own time as he could to make that up to her, even if he had nothing to do with
it.

As they left the plane, Jake stood
in the terminal with Mel at his side. He kept his promise and signed at least
fifty autographs, took pictures and fielded questions. Seeing fans like that
filled Jake with a lot of hope. But when he looked at Mel, it hurt because this
did nothing for her. This was why he wanted Mel to create the artwork for the
album. She needed to do it. It would be something very different and could
possibly open more doors for her.

“
You
ready?
”
he asked Mel.

She put her hand out and nodded.

Jake took her hand and led the way
through the airport and to yet another waiting car. Jake wanted his car so he
had the driver take him to the practice stage. While they were there, he wanted
to show Mel where the band prepared for the upcoming tour.

There was nobody else at the
practice stage.

Jake opened the doors and let Mel
inside.

“
Wow,
this is awesome,
”
Mel said.

“
I
know,
”
Jake said.

He grabbed Mel
’
s hand and rushed her up on
stage. He turned her around so she was facing the empty chairs.

“
This
is what it
’
s kind of like,
”
Jake said.
“
We stand up here as those seats
fill up with sets of eyes watching our every move, mouths singing every song,
and souls looking to us for an experience they'll never forget.
”

“
I
don
’
t think I could do it,
”
Mel said.

“
I
sometimes think that. But then I remember what it
’
s
for. What it means to the fans and to me. And to the band. Then I get up there
and rock.
”

“
It
all sounds so romantic.
”

Mel leaned back to Jake. He put his
arms around her. He interlocked his own fingers and held her. He started to
sway a little, loving this moment.

“
It
will be good,
”
Jake said.

“
What?
The tour?
”

“
No
…
your life, Mel. I promise you
that. If you
’
re with me, it
’
ll be us together. Our own
stage. Our own tour. Our own
…
everything.
”

Jake wanted to say
love
so
bad. He wanted to just get it off his chest. That word. That emotion. Damn, it
meant so much. He wasn
’
t
like the other guys
…
not
Luke, Gray, or even Trent. They had all found love and weren't afraid of it.
Jake wanted it all with Mel, but he wasn
’
t
sure how to say it. Some of the scars from Chloe felt like open wounds considering
he hadn
’
t talked to her
yet. He needed Chloe to understand that they were done for good.

“
Turn
around,
”
Jake said.

Mel turned and put her arms around
his neck. Jake wasted no time in kissing her. They started to make out, and
Jake felt like he was in his own fantasy of having a beautiful woman up on
stage with him.

However, the kiss was short lived
as Mel broke it off.
“
Come
over tonight. My place.
”

“
Okay,
”
Jake said.
“
We
’
ll
go right now. Let me just stop at my place first and get some fresh clothes.
You have me a little worn out and out of clothing.
”

Mel smiled.

Jake loved when she smiled. She
needed to do that more. No matter what. And Jake would find a way to make that
happen. He felt like he had another purpose in his life right now.

They went back to the car and as
Jake drove, he reached over and took Mel
’
s
hand. Somehow everything felt right even if Mel was conflicted about her life. There
were at least a dozen times on the ride to his apartment that Jake caught
himself looking at Mel wanting to tell her how much he cared about her. And that,
perhaps, he
loved her
.

“
When
do you see your band again?
”
Mel asked.

“
Probably
today,
”
Jake said.
“
I told them I would have some
cover art to show them.
”

“
Really?
”

“
Yes,
”
Jake said.
“
I promise you, Mel, you can do
this. I hope I
’
m not coming
across too pushy, but maybe what happened was meant to be your closure. You
have nothing left to seek or worry about. You can focus on yourself and go
forward.
”

“
Not
just myself, Jake,
”
Mel
said.
“
Us.
”

Jake pulled into the parking lot of
the apartment. He parked and got out of the car. As he did, Mel
’
s cell stated to beep.

“
Oh,
that
’
s Alex,
”
she said.
“
I should talk to her for a
minute. Okay?
”

“
Sure,
”
Jake said.
“
Come up when you
’
re done.
”
Jake leaned into the car and smiled.
“
I might be naked.
”

“
I
just might not take this call then,
”
Mel teased.

Jake laughed and told Mel what
apartment was his.

With an extra kick in his step,
Jake rushed to the apartment building and up the steps. Maybe it was a little
wrong to be this happy when Mel had gotten such bad news, but Jake believed it
was all for the best. It had to be for the best. If her father had left and went
through the trouble of changing his last name to disappear like that, then
finding him wouldn
’
t have
done any good for anyone. Not that Jake wanted him to be dead, but it at least
was the end to the road. That
’
s
what mattered. And now Mel could take a different road.

Jake opened the door to the
apartment, stepped inside, and froze. For a brief second, the world stopped,
then spun, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he swore she wouldn
’
t be there.

But she was.

“
What
the hell are you doing here?
”
Jake asked.

Panic ran through his body,
wondering what the hell to do next. Chloe was in his damn apartment and Mel was
outside in his car. The last thing he wanted was for Mel to meet Chloe or get
involved with this.

“
You
called me,
”
Chloe said.
“
You wanted me to come back.
”

“
I
…
what? When did I say that,
Chloe?
”

“
I
heard your voice,
”
she
said.
“
What you said
…
it meant a lot to me, Jake.
”

Chloe walked from the dining room
table. Jake put a hand out and shook his head.
“
No.
That
’
s not what that was,
Chloe. That was my peace offering. This is all over. For good.
”

“
I
don
’
t believe that,
”
Chloe said.
“
That
’
s not how we work.
”

“
We?
We
aren
’
t anything.
I
’
m sorry for what happened
between us when you came back. It was unresolved issues from the past and
nothing more. Okay?
”

“
You
said you
’
d never abandon
me,
”
Chloe said.
“
You said that on your voicemail.
”

“
This
isn
’
t what I meant,
”
Jake said.
“
I meant if you hadn
’
t
…”

“
If
I hadn
’
t lost the baby?
”
Chloe asked.

“
What
baby?
”
a third voice asked.

Jake
’
s
heart stopped. He turned around and saw Mel standing in the open door to the
apartment. She looked at Jake. Then to Chloe. Then back to Jake.

“
Mel,
”
Jake whispered.
“
I tried to tell you
…”

“
Who
is this?
”
Chloe asked.

“
I
’
m
…
nobody,
”
Mel said.

She looked at Jake, blinking. Her
eyes were glossy. She lifted her phone and said,
“
I
’
ll call for a ride. Don
’
t worry about it.
”

“
No,
”
Jake said.

Mel stared for a few more seconds.
Those were the longest seconds of Jake
’
s
life. In those seconds, hearts were breaking and Jake felt helpless.

*

Mel rushed from the open door and
Jake chased after her. She made it to the front door of the apartment building
before Jake could get to her.

“
Mel,
wait a second,
”
he said.
“
Just
…”

“
Jake,
stop it,
”
Mel said.

Her mind and heart were racing all
over. Thoughts came and went, scattering everywhere. She had the door open, but
there was no car waiting for her. There was nowhere to go. And not just right
then. She had nowhere to go in life. Everything had exploded around her.

“
You
don
’
t get it,
”
Jake said.
“
How I feel
…”