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“You had to do what you had to do. If you weren’t working, then you wouldn’t have been able to provide for him. It’s a double-edged sword, I suppose.”
She nods, but the guilt doesn’t diminish. “I tell myself that, but at the end of the day, I sometimes wonder if I’m able to do enough or if I’m just holding onto him because he’s all I have left.” Her confession is so pure, so vulnerable, and I’m touched she entrusted me with such.
“I understand why you’d feel that way, but...” I hesitate, hoping that I’m not overstepping. “I think that your brother probably feels the same way. My nephews lost their mother very suddenly, and I know that while it caused some problems in their dynamic for a while, they’ve clung to each other.”
“Are you...” She stops herself, shaking her head. “Never mind.”
“What?” I urge her, chuckling at the way her face grows red again. Ilikethis cute version of Melody. More than I should.
She lets out a sigh, pushing her hair out of her face. “Are you related to Jasper Banks? Because I’ve heard that you are... Like you’re a cousin or something.”
“A cousin?” I burst into laughter, imagining the rumor mill circulating through the college. “No, he’s not my cousin. He’s my nephew.”
“Oh...” She giggles. “I see.”
My laugh fades, realizing thatsheis closer to my nephew’s age than my own. Melody could be mydaughter.Granted, I would’ve never had children when I was that young, but still. And that sets my cock—and my head—back on straight.
“Anyway, I don’t have anything else for you to do right now.” I clear my throat. “You can go ahead and leave for the day. I’m sure your brother would appreciate the extra time. I have to get Connor to his horseback riding lessons. He’s recently decided that he wants to participate in rodeos instead of showjumping.”
“That soundsveryintriguing.” She stands, grabbing her things. “You’ll have to let me know how that goes for him, though I’m sure Dorian will know.” Melody then frowns. “But he doesn’t really tell me anything about his friends.”
“Welcome to having a preteen.” I sigh, giving her a knowing look. “I don’t think it’s going to get any easier.”
“Ugh,” she groans, but then laughs. “I’m glad someone understands the pain of a near teenager.”
“Oh, I do.”
I definitely do.
13
Melody
“Do you think you could look over this?” I ask Dr. Banks, standing just a few feet from his desk.
He looks up at me, smiling. “Sure.” He takes the essay from my hand, one that I’ve been working on for my lit class.
Things have been going smoothly for the last two weeks, and I’ve gotten more sleep in this time than I have in years.
I wait patiently as his eyes scan my handwritten essay, which is a weird quirk my lit professor has. She wants our essays to be handwritten most of the time, saying that it’s much more difficult to plagiarize when copy and paste aren’t an option.
“This is really good.” He nods as he flips it over. “I take it you have a knack for writing.”
“I don’t know about that.” I laugh, waving him off. “I don’t really like to write. I do prefer to be doing things with my hands, but that does not include using a pencil.”
He eyes me, making a weird face. “That’s a very interesting statement.”
I feel my face grow warm. “Oh. Um… Well... I just mean I like to bake.”
Dr. Banks chuckles. “Maybe you should have gone to culinary school, then. Or is that just cooking?”
I shrug. “I took some culinary classes at a tech school in high school. I enjoyed it, but I’d like to have a degree, and a business degree provides me with a lot of options moving forward.”
“Smart woman.” He hands me back the essay. “And it’s a great essay. I don’t have any criticisms to give.”
“Really?” I can’t hide my surprise. “I thought it could probably use some tweaking...”
“I wouldn’t change anything.” Dr. Banks glances to the clock on the wall before standing. “I am meeting with one of Connor’s teachers for lunch, so I need to get going. I’ll be back before the afternoon classes.”
