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Chapter Forty-Eight
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Reid was quiet, and Melody thought maybe she’d overstepped. He’d joked before about her wanting to kidnap his son—did he think now maybe she had lost her mind? Had she? “Do you really want to do that?”
“Yes, I do,” she said. “I’m sorry if that sounds crazy, Reid. But there’s just something about Michael that lifts my spirit. I can’t quite explain it to you, but moving back here has been so difficult on me. When I lived in Chicago, I had distractions. I could sit in my apartment and pretend that my dad was at home with my mom, watching TV or playing the piano. Of course, I didn’t do that because that really would be nuts—but the option was there. I wasn’t constantly reminded that he was gone. Now that I’m back here, I’m bombarded with the scents and sounds I associate with him. I can’t walk down the stairs without thinking I’ll see him standing by t
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A Christmas Melody Chapter Forty-Nine
The day crawled by at a snail’s pace, and as much as Melody tried to focus on her work, she was having a hard time getting anything done. As soon as she’d dig into a box, she’d start to replay bits and pieces of her conversation with Reid the night before and completely lose track of what she was doing. Or she’d sit and stare at an antique, thinking about what she should wear or what he might say that night instead of considering how to price it or how best to market it. By the time Reid began to send her pictures from the party, she’d given up on actually getting any real work done and was sitting in front of the television with a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie on.“You are missing out!” his text read, and he sent her a series of pictures involving children running around a classroom, gingerbread houses with sagging roofs, ornaments with acrylic fingerprints on desks coated with a dusting of glitter,
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty
Turning the TV off, she went upstairs and stood in front of her closet. She knew she’d need to dress warm, but this was also an important date to her. While she’d normally just wear jeans and a sweater, didn’t she need to dress up a bit? After much deliberation, she finally decided on a long emerald green sweater that set off her eyes and thick black leggings that would match her black dress coat. She could wear her black boots as well. She didn’t even know for sure if Reid would even get a chance to see the sweater since they very well may be outside the entire time wearing coats, but she wanted to look nice just in case. An hour later, after a shower and a battle with her makeup and hair, she decided she was finally ready to head downtown. It was almost 4:00 now, which meant she’d be able to help out her mom for a little while before the parade, and she was hopeful that would keep the butterflies at bay and her mind on other things.
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty-One
Eventually the two ladies came out, still laughing like school girls, and Sarah rang up the old clock her friend had picked up. “Bill is going to love this,” the woman, dressed in a loud red coat with shimmering rhinestones across the lapel, mused.“I certainly hope so,” Sarah replied, her face beaming. “All right, Ruth. Here it is, darling. Now you two kids stop by and say hello before the parade. Melody and I will be right out there on the bench in front of the store.”“Bill will be excited to see you,” Ruth replied with a giggle, “but not as excited as he will be to see this clock!”“Take care, dear,” Sarah said as her friend headed for the door.“See you in a bit, hon,” Ruth shouted back and then added, “Goodbye, Melody!”Turning to smile in her direction, Melody said, “It was ni
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty-Two
“Is it almost time for the Christmas parade?” Michael asked for at least the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. “I want to go see Miss Melody!”Reid was standing in front of the mirror in the master bathroom trying to decide if he had made a mistake wearing his blue sweater over the top of his blue-and-white plaid shirt. “Will this be too hot with a coat on, too?” he mumbled to himself. He’d already changed at least four times, and it seemed odd to him to even care what he was wearing for a change, especially since he’d likely have his coat on the whole time, but he wanted to look nice for Melody, even if she couldn’t see it, and he was lost in his own reflection when Michael’s yelling from the attached bedroom became more invasive.“Dad? I wanna go!” the kindergartner said, coming in and slamming his hands down on the counter.“We will.
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty-Three
Now that Michael’s dangling legs were no longer an obstruction, he slid over a bit closer to Melody. The smell of warm vanilla and peppermint alighted in the breeze, and he debated whether or not to tell her she smelled good or she looked nice—or neither since her mother was sitting right beside him.Melody smiled at him, and said, “You look really nice,” as if she’d been reading his mind.“Thanks,” he replied. “I was just about to say the same thing. I mean, that you look nice. Not that I look nice.”She giggled, and he hoped she knew him well enough now that his silliness wasn’t enough to send her running for the hills. “Thanks.”An older gentleman stopped to say something to Sarah, and he watched Melody’s eyebrows raise and then lower. She stared at her mother for a long moment and then, with a hesitant smile, said quietl
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty-Four
Bishop’s Diner was just a block or two off of the main drag downtown, and even though it was crowded with other people who had the same idea to stop by after the parade, Melody and Reid were able to get a booth. The waitress, a woman Melody had gone to school with named Valerie, was nice, though her usual chattiness was curtailed by the crowd, and she’d hustled off to get their drinks while Melody pretended to look at the menu though she was really paying much more attention to Reid than what was printed on the laminated paper in front of her.“So what’s good here?” he asked, flipping it over a few times before setting it down and locking eyes with her.Melody felt her cheeks warm and glanced down at the menu. “The chicken fried chicken is good. That’s what I usually get. Most everything is pretty good.”“Chicken fried chicken,” Reid mused, steepling his finge
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty-Five
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
A Christmas Melody Chapter Fifty-Six
“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
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A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Eight
Mrs. Gregory played the last chord, and Melody realized there were tears streaming down her face. The song had come straight from her heart. The words, the tune, the message was all there, engraved in her heart forever, just like the memory of her father.She smiled out at the audience, hearing their applause and knowing it wasn’t for her but for her father who had loved her on earth and her Father who loved her in Heaven still.A few moments later, after a blur of hugs and congratulations from Mrs. Gregory and whomever else happened to be backstage, she found herself making her way down the aisle to join Reid and Michael, not quite sure how she’d gotten there.Michael hugged her, and Melody scooped him up and set him on her lap, wrapping her arms around him as Reid slid his arm around her. The adult choir was about to begin their first song, but Reid leaned over and whispered into her ear, “You reall
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Seven
“I want to thank all of these wonderful children,” Mrs. Gregory was saying into the microphone as the kids left the stage to find their parents in the audience. “I want to thank all of the parents and church members for all of their support. I want to thank Mrs. Agnes Watson for her hard work in rehearsal and ask each of you to keep her in your prayers. Most of all, tonight, I want to say a special thank you to Melody Murphy who agreed to play piano for us at the last moment. Melody, if it hadn’t been for you, all would be lost. Thank you, Melody.”The room erupted in applause, and Mrs. Gregory came over, microphone still in hand. Melody stood and gave a shy wave to the crowd as Mrs. Gregory wrapped her free arm around her. “Are you ready to tackle that last obstacle, sweetheart?” she whispered into her ear.Melody pulled back and locked eyes with her, not sure if she should be upset that Mrs. G
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Six
Finding a parking spot was not easy, and Reid insisted on dropping Melody off at the church and then going to park the truck. She didn’t want him to be late, but she knew she had to be on time, and the program would be starting in just a few moments, so he wished her good luck and she ducked inside, trying to concentrate on his proclamation at her house instead of the butterflies in her stomach.When Melody reached the sanctuary, she saw her mother seated with the rest of the adult choir members in the first few rows next to Mr. Haywood. Melody waved, and by the expression on her mother’s face, she could tell Mrs. Gregory had spoken to her. Sarah mouthed, “You look gorgeous!” and Melody silently thanked her before rushing back stage.“Oh, Melody! Thank heavens!” Mrs. Gregory said as she rounded the corner. “My goodness! Look at that dress. You look like an angel.”“
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Five
The hustle through the crowd back to Reid’s truck and the short drive to her house was a blur, though Melody was aware that all the way home he was holding her hand, his thumb tracing calming circles near her thumb, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of her closet peering inside, wondering what to do.She knew she had an appropriate dress hanging in the back of her closet. She’d shoved it back there exactly two years ago when she’d been so disgusted by it she’d never wanted to see it again. Her father had picked it out for her. It was white with silver rhinestones, and though it was a little fancier than anything she’d worn for the festival before, it went perfectly with the song he’d written for her to sing that night. There were other garments she could have worn, but standing in front of the closet, she realized, if she was going to face her fears, she may as well face them completely.
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Four
The Christmas Festival was an all day event that started the morning of Christmas Eve with a craft fair, as well as various baking, art, and craft contests, activities for the children, and of course, the Christmas concert at the church. Most of the events were outside or in different buildings around the downtown area, but the concert would be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church like it was every year.Reid picked Melody up mid-morning and they spent most of the day walking around visiting the booths and checking out the contest winners, including Mrs. Gregory’s sugar cookies. Soft Christmas music played over the downtown PA system, and even when a familiar song came on, Melody realized it wasn’t bothering her as much as it had before. Somehow in the past few weeks, she’d learned to associate ideas other than memories of her father with the songs that used to make her heart ache.Michael particularly lik
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Three
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
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-Two
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
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty-One
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
A Christmas Melody Chapter Sixty
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
