Melody felt a tear in the corner of her eye, but she didn’t brush it away, and despite the sadness, she realized she was smiling. “No one ever calls me that—except for my dad. And you.” He looked surprised, but before he could attempt to apologize, she said, “I really like it when you call me that.”
The crooked grin she found so endearing was back. “Good.”
Melody took a deep breath and let it out. There was more she wanted to say, but she hesitated to do so. Even though this didn’t feel like a first date, it really was one, and she didn’t want to alarm him. At the same time, she thought he needed to know how much he had already helped her make the holidays special again. “There are so many things I’ve done this Christmas that I never thought I’d do again. You and Michael have changed everything for me. You’ve made me see the magic of the season again. An
“Well, technically, it was Michael who wanted to ask you first,” he said, as if she had hurt his feelings. “So if you said no, you’d really be saying no to him.”“You know I want to go,” she said, swatting at him, though she didn’t reach anywhere near far enough across the table to actually hit him. “What do you think he’s going to ask Santa for?”Reid became slightly more serious, and Melody remembered the conversation they’d had in the hallway when she’d been helping them decorate the Christmas tree. “Hopefully it will be something I can buy at a store. I have gotten him some things I know he’ll like, and some stuff he needs, like pajamas and socks, but I’m honestly not sure what his big request might be.”Melody nodded and took a drink of her coffee which was almost cool enough not to be scalding now. She much prefe
Melody smiled so brightly, she was sure she rivaled the Christmas lights. “You know, when Michael bribed me into going along with this, I was skeptical at first. But I guess you’re okay. At least I’ll get some candy out of the deal.”He laughed, and Melody was proud of herself for catching him off guard. “That boy would not trade candy for anything in the world—except for maybe more time spent with you. Even if you are only here due to bribery, thank you for coming.”With no further explanation necessary, Melody said, “Thank you for inviting me.”“Do you think we should go rescue your mom?” he asked, coat in hand.“I think we better go rescue you--middle-of-the-night you. She’s probably sugaring him up so that he’s bouncing off of the ceiling.”“We’d better hurry then,” Reid sa
“Did you have a nice time?” Sarah asked, flipping on a lamp and straightening up a few things Michael had apparently strewn around the room.On weak legs, Melody made her way back into the living room and dropped onto the sofa. “Yes,” she said, knowing she was still starry eyed.“Take your coat off and stay a while,” her mother said.The phrase was something her father would have said, and it jarred Melody back around a bit. She had forgotten she was still wearing her coat, so she began to unbutton it.Sarah folded the throw blanket up and sat it on the back of her chair and then sat down to face her daughter. “He seems like an awfully nice young man, Melody.”Her coat on the sofa beside her now, Melody agreed. “He is, Mom.”“And Michael is a doll.”“I know. There’s
The snow from the night before crunched under her feet as Melody carefully climbed the steps to the library, Michael’s hand in hers. Reid was on the other side of him, and even though it wasn’t slippery, the idea of tumbling down the steep flight of stairs did not sound appealing, particularly since there was quite a crowd of people around.Ever since Reid had picked her up about thirty minutes ago, Michael had not stopped talking, and he continued to chatter all the way to the door. Melody had always loved this building. She wasn’t certain, but she believed it was colonial revival. It crossed her mind that Reid would know for sure, but asking would mean interrupting Michael. He was in the middle of a soliloquy about how Santa takes care of his reindeer, and Melody felt it might be rude to interrupt.Once they entered, Michael was finally quiet as he gasped in awe. The wide open space where the children usually gathere
Just as it had the night before, the feel of Reid's hand in hers gave Melody the sensation of warmth and safety. Melody felt herself relax and decided to concentrate on enjoying the moment, and as they continued to slowly make their way to the front of the line, they began a discussion of popular Christmas movies which completely took her mind off of her mom, her dad, music, everything except for Reid and his uncanny ability to quote holiday films.When there were only a few other families in front of them, Michael looked up and said something to his friend before trotting over to join them. “Dad, we read Olive the Other Reindeer,” he said, slipping under the tinsel.“That sounds like a great book, buddy,” his dad said. “Did you have fun with Hailey?”“Yeah. She’s going to church tomorrow. Am I going with Mrs. Gregory?”“As far as I
Melody dropped to her knees. Even though that is what she had suspected, actually hearing him say it was still a shock. Trying to keep her expression nonchalant, she asked, “You did?” Michael nodded sharply. “What did he say?”“He said he’d see what he could do, but that was a tough one this close to Christmas,” Michael said with a shrug, his face showing disappointment.“I’m sure that would be difficult, Michael,” Melody agreed, stroking his hair again.“But, Miss Melody. I didn’t ask for just any old mom.”“You didn’t?” she asked, confused.“No,” he replied, his little face quite serious. “I asked for you to be my mom.”Melody felt all of the color drain out of her face as she fumbled for a response. Luckily, Reid came up behind her just then and
Reid looked at Melody's lips and then back to her eyes before clearing his throat and scooting away from her just a bit, and Melody was certain he was having the same thought she was. “Of course, I know we still need to take our time and not rush into anything. It’s only been a few weeks, after all.”“Right,” Melody agreed quickly, wondering how her face could feel so warm when she was sitting outside in the cold. “I guess we don’t need to wonder how Michael will feel about it.”Reid laughed. “No, I think his reaction might be a little different than yours when you found out about your mom dating again.”Melody felt the urge to elbow him in the ribs but didn’t do so. She realized now she’d been acting selfishly, and she owed her mother an apology. In fact, she wanted to make sure she was home when her mother got back from her date so she could spea
Melody exited the assembly area of the church where the ladies had put together another nice luncheon for those who would be staying for festival rehearsal and made her way into the sanctuary. She’d sat with her mother and Mr. Haywood this time, along with Michael and the Gregorys, and the more she’d gotten to know Curtis, the more she could see why her mother was attracted to him. He was certainly a successful, respectable man, and Melody felt foolish for ever having tried to convince her mother not to follow her heart.Michael hadn’t mentioned his father at all—not even once—the entire time Melody had sat right next to him. She found that peculiar but didn’t nudge him because she wasn’t sure how he felt about Reid not being there. Whether or not he had made up an excuse or just told Michael he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, she was certain it would still be difficult for the little boy to stand on