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Chapter Twenty-One
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2024-10-29 19:42:56A few blocks away, Reid rose from his seat on the sofa in the living room and slipped his phone into his pocket. He quietly crept down the hallway to check on Michael. Peering in the door, he could see his son’s chest rise and fall, illuminated by his Jake and the Neverland Pirates night light. He held his favorite teddy bear in his arms, and every once in a while, his upper lip would twitch, as if he was still talking, even in his dreams.
Smiling, Reid turned and made his way back down the hallway. He had no idea what it was that made Michael seek out Melody Murphy, but he was glad Michael had done so. Even though Reid wasn’t sure if he was even capable of starting a relationship at this point in his life, he did enjoy spending time with her. She was witty and insightful, always volunteering to help other people. She’d rearranged her whole life to help her mother, and now she was going out of her way to help Michael. Melody tr
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A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Two
Delaney drove a Dodge Charger, and since she wasn’t sure she could attach the Christmas tree to the top of her car, she’d borrowed her dad’s old work truck. Even though it was almost twice as old as they were, it was in good running condition, thanks to her dad’s constant repair. Still, as they chugged along down the highway, every bump sent Melody clutching the dashboard to steady herself, and before they were even a mile out of town, she’d given up on trying to drink the hot cocoa Delaney had brought her. The chocolate chip muffin, however, she had managed to devour. There were some perks to being best friends with the most talented baker in town.They were a few miles from Shepherdstown, the dusting of snow they’d gotten in Charles Town looking more like an inch or two here, though the main roads were clear, and the sky was dropping large, fluffy flakes on them. The GPS reminded Delaney to turn left in one mile, and
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Three
“Hey, Michael!” Melody said, forcing a smile and trying to pretend like she hadn’t almost wiped out.As usual, he flung himself around her legs, and Melody found herself losing her balance again.“Are you okay?” Reid asked, coming up behind his son.“Yeah. Old truck. No running boards,” she muttered.“It’s nice. What is it? A ’63 Chevy?”Michael released her as Delaney came around the front of the truck behind Melody. “It’s a ’64,” she said. And then extending her hand, she added, “Hi, I’m Delaney.”“Reid, nice to meet you,” he said, reaching past Melody to shake her hand. “It’s a classic,” he added, obviously talking about the truck.“Thanks. It’s my dad’s pride and joy. I’m surprised he
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Four
Michael was eagerly offering a particularly unimpressed reindeer a handful of hay he’d somehow managed to free from the bale in the corner of the enclosure, and Melody couldn’t help but admire his tenacity. “Thank you for helping Delaney out,” Melody said, walking alongside Reid at a leisurely pace. As long as they could see Michael, there was really no need to rush.“I’m kind of surprised she didn’t have that worked out already,” he replied, his hands deep in his coat pockets. “She really didn’t know what she was going to say if she couldn’t find him?”“Well, in her defense,” Melody offered, “sometimes it’s a lot harder to actually carry out those types of plans once you’re in the situation. I mean… sometimes even the best planning doesn’t quite go as as expected.”“Yeah?” he asked. &ldq
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Five
Reid followed, and just before she reached the bench, he hurried around her and wiped the thin layer of snow from the seat.“Thank you,” Melody said with a smile, taking a seat. He found a spot next to her, and Melody was glad to see he chose to sit only a couple of inches from her instead of completely on the other end of the bench, which was also an option.“So no tree for you today?” Reid asked, folding his hands in his lap and leaning forward, his eyes following Michael across the snow.“No,” Melody said, trying to keep her voice cheerful. The song playing now, “Jingle Bells” had no true significance, which made it easier. “My dad always said, ‘Only Murphy’s pick out the Murphy Christmas tree.’ So Mom and I will go in a day or two, I guess.”“Why haven’t you gone already?” he asked, glancing at her for
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Six
The phone rang twice before her mother answered with a cheery but distracted, “Hello?”“Hey, Mom. How are you?”“Hi, Melody. I’m good. Just getting some baking done. Are you at the tree farm?”“Yes,” Melody replied. “I just had a quick question.”“Is it snowing there?” her mother continued, as if she hadn’t heard Melody’s last remark.“Flurries, nothing too heavy.”“Oh, it must be so pretty. And did Delaney find her farmer?”Images of Delaney standing next to an older gentleman with a pitchfork next to a pigsty filled her mind, and Melody stifled a giggle. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Delaney still talking to the man who must be Josh. “She did. She’s talking to him now.”“Wonderful. And
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Seven
“You almost hit that old lady!” Michael shouted, and though the woman never even turned to see what was going on, Melody could just imagine what might have happened if the wayward projectile had knocked her over.“I think that’s enough snowballs for now,” Reid said, walking over to them, cautiously, as Michael still held a snowball in each hand. “But,” he said putting his hand on Melody’s shoulder, “I owe you. And I never forget a debt.”Melody broke into a sheepish smile. “It was his idea,” she said, gesturing at Michael with her head.“Oh, I know. And he will pay, too,” he confirmed, eyeing his son in a playful, but menacing way.“You’re silly, Dad,” Michael said, clearly not frightened by the threat.“Why don’t you drop that snowball, tell your friends goodbye, and let
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Eight
Reid borrowed one of the many saws the Taylors had on hand for their customers to use to cut down their trees and was given two tree tags, one for Melody and one for himself. Then, he set out to find his son and their new friend. It didn’t take him long to spy them only a few rows away from where he and Melody had been sitting watching Michael play. He knew his son well enough to anticipate a lengthy selection process.He made his way through the snow, which was now deep enough to cover his boots, thinking about his conversation with Melody. She had been more forthcoming with information than he had expected, though he still wasn’t exactly sure what it was about Christmas music that made her so upset. It sounded like her father really loved this time of year, and being a musician, he must have had a great fondness for the holiday classics. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Melody was struggling today. The holiday season must hold a lot of
A Christmas Melody Chapter Twenty-Nine
Reid looked at Michael for just a moment, making sure he wasn’t about to change his mind about which tree he wanted and demand they keep looking, and when Melody put her hands on his shoulders and said, “You are going to have the best Christmas tree Santa has ever seen,” Michael beamed, and Reid dropped down to the frozen ground to saw through the thick trunk.“Is there anything we can do to help?” Melody asked.“Just make sure it doesn’t fall on you—or me,” he replied. He cut through most of the trunk, leaving just enough to keep it from tumbling over and then crawled out from underneath the branches. “Mikey, you want to finish it off?”With a proud smile, Michael scurried under the tree, and Reid climbed under next to him, guiding his hand as the saw cut through the last little bit, sending the tree crashing to the ground.“Timb
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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
