grateful. He took a seat and allowed her to rub the alcohol soaked rag over his wounds. She was careful and precise.
“Are you alright?”
She kept her voice low, not wanting Stevie to overhear anything. Kade nodded and reached up, grazing his fingers carefully over her jaw. He smiled.
“I am now.”
Mel blushed and took a seat across from Kade at the table. She really was quite pretty. The kind of woman any man would have been happy calling his wife. Kade couldn’t help but study her.
Mel furrowed her brows.
“What?”
“Do I have something on my face?”
Kade shook his head.
“Nah, you’re just beautiful. That’s all.”
Mel smiled softly and looked down as a deep blush spread over her face. She wrung her hands together and said nothing. Kade exhaled a deep breath. He didn’t see the point in putting it off any longer. All the other boys were getting married—hitching up and having kids with their old ladies.
There was just nothing gratifying to Kade about jumping in and out of bed with random women he’d never get to know. Not anymore. With a sudden dose of confidence, he reached into the pocket of his cut and pulled out the tiny velvet ring box, setting it down in front of a visibly confused Mel. She stared at it with wide eyes, tracing her pointer finger over it before opening it.
“Kade...”
“What are you doing?”
Mel spoke softly, stumbling over her words. Her honey blonde hair spilled over her pale shoulders and fell into her face. She brought her legs up beneath herself in her chair as she analyzed the ring.
It was beautiful.
“I want to marry you.”
Kade spoke steady and with purpose. He reached for Mel’s clammy hand from across the table and gave it a squeeze. She shook her head and looked up at him with a frown.
“You’re drunk...”
There was a brief lapse of silence.
“Aren’t you?”
Kade shook his head. He was, but that didn’t matter. He had made this decision sober.
“I’m asking you to marry me.”
“I want to be able to call you my old lady.”
“But what about Stel-”
Mel started to interject but Kade held up a hand to stop her.
“Stella left five years ago.”
“This is about you and me, Mel. Not Stella.”
It couldn’t have been any further from the truth, but what did it matter? Mel gave Kade a skeptical look and dropped the subject. Neither one of them relished in talking about the past. Especially the aspect of it that involved Stella.
“Why?”
“Why do you want to marry me?”
Mel spoke in a hushed tone and looked over her shoulder at her daughter’s bedroom door. Kade nodded at it.
“I care about her.”
His words were precise and matter of fact.
“I cared about Maddox. I care you. I don’t know, Mel. It just...it makes sense doesn’t it? Us getting married?”
Mel sighed and reached for the glass of wine she had poured for herself prior to Kade’s arrival, taking a long drink. When she spoke her voice was laced heavily with sarcasm.
“Gee, that sure is romantic.”
Kade gave her a nudge and cupped her chin in his palm.
“Come on...”
"Would it really be so bad? You know Dice would be thrilled. And you know Stevie would be...”
Mel shook her head and cut Kade off before he could continue speaking.
“What about me?”
Kade pulled back.
“What’s wrong?”
“You don’t want to marry me? Is that it?”
Mel sighed and picked up the ring box, holding it in front of Kade’s face.
“ This is what’s wrong, Kade.”
Kade was dumbfounded. In the entirety of his relationship with Mel he had been led to believe that this was what she wanted.
“If you don’t want to marry me just say it.”
Mel sighed and stood up. She paced from one end of the small kitchen to the other as she tried to collect her thoughts.
“No Kade. I do . It’s just...I want to hear you say it. I mean, you’ve never even said it! And I get it. It’s not your way. But here you are...”
Mel paused and waved a hand over Kade’s
“Are you alright?”
She kept her voice low, not wanting Stevie to overhear anything. Kade nodded and reached up, grazing his fingers carefully over her jaw. He smiled.
“I am now.”
Mel blushed and took a seat across from Kade at the table. She really was quite pretty. The kind of woman any man would have been happy calling his wife. Kade couldn’t help but study her.
Mel furrowed her brows.
“What?”
“Do I have something on my face?”
Kade shook his head.
“Nah, you’re just beautiful. That’s all.”
Mel smiled softly and looked down as a deep blush spread over her face. She wrung her hands together and said nothing. Kade exhaled a deep breath. He didn’t see the point in putting it off any longer. All the other boys were getting married—hitching up and having kids with their old ladies.
There was just nothing gratifying to Kade about jumping in and out of bed with random women he’d never get to know. Not anymore. With a sudden dose of confidence, he reached into the pocket of his cut and pulled out the tiny velvet ring box, setting it down in front of a visibly confused Mel. She stared at it with wide eyes, tracing her pointer finger over it before opening it.
“Kade...”
“What are you doing?”
Mel spoke softly, stumbling over her words. Her honey blonde hair spilled over her pale shoulders and fell into her face. She brought her legs up beneath herself in her chair as she analyzed the ring.
It was beautiful.
“I want to marry you.”
Kade spoke steady and with purpose. He reached for Mel’s clammy hand from across the table and gave it a squeeze. She shook her head and looked up at him with a frown.
“You’re drunk...”
There was a brief lapse of silence.
“Aren’t you?”
Kade shook his head. He was, but that didn’t matter. He had made this decision sober.
“I’m asking you to marry me.”
“I want to be able to call you my old lady.”
“But what about Stel-”
Mel started to interject but Kade held up a hand to stop her.
“Stella left five years ago.”
“This is about you and me, Mel. Not Stella.”
It couldn’t have been any further from the truth, but what did it matter? Mel gave Kade a skeptical look and dropped the subject. Neither one of them relished in talking about the past. Especially the aspect of it that involved Stella.
“Why?”
“Why do you want to marry me?”
Mel spoke in a hushed tone and looked over her shoulder at her daughter’s bedroom door. Kade nodded at it.
“I care about her.”
His words were precise and matter of fact.
“I cared about Maddox. I care you. I don’t know, Mel. It just...it makes sense doesn’t it? Us getting married?”
Mel sighed and reached for the glass of wine she had poured for herself prior to Kade’s arrival, taking a long drink. When she spoke her voice was laced heavily with sarcasm.
“Gee, that sure is romantic.”
Kade gave her a nudge and cupped her chin in his palm.
“Come on...”
"Would it really be so bad? You know Dice would be thrilled. And you know Stevie would be...”
Mel shook her head and cut Kade off before he could continue speaking.
“What about me?”
Kade pulled back.
“What’s wrong?”
“You don’t want to marry me? Is that it?”
Mel sighed and picked up the ring box, holding it in front of Kade’s face.
“ This is what’s wrong, Kade.”
Kade was dumbfounded. In the entirety of his relationship with Mel he had been led to believe that this was what she wanted.
“If you don’t want to marry me just say it.”
Mel sighed and stood up. She paced from one end of the small kitchen to the other as she tried to collect her thoughts.
“No Kade. I do . It’s just...I want to hear you say it. I mean, you’ve never even said it! And I get it. It’s not your way. But here you are...”
Mel paused and waved a hand over Kade’s