page13 (2/2)

“No, George Keep packing I’m done here With all of it”

“What do you mean?” Gran cries

“I’ames You hurt Darby iive s And I’m done with it Cut me off I’ll build a new company with my family and ill be happy while you will sit in this mausoleum with your pilfered antiques and rot away in loneliness” I pocket e and fly down the stairs The shackles of the Willits ehed heavily on my shoulders and now that I’ve made my decision to leave, I feel like I could lift the entire house My pace picks up, nearly running todriveway I should have left years ago When Ito force her to fit into the mold that Gran had decided we should all fill That was my mistake and I almost lost Darby Now that I have my second chance, I won’t waste it

Chapter 20

Darby

“I could kill her,” Melody says for the tenth tiotten to her house

“She’s not worth the jail ti drink I missed this Not asover to see Melody Veronica was like a niece toa baby Someone for Veronica to play with I’ve missed so much, which is a hard pill to s, but I can’t dwell on it

“They havehts “We’ve ether And for what?” I can see the tears bri in her eyes

“We’ll ether Veronica thinks she’s gotten herself a new baby doll She’s been all over Jax since alked in the door “I hope they are as close as Jonas and you are” I’ve always loved their relationship Melody and Jonas have a bond that can’t be broken It didn't ran wanted I always adotten soran but unlike her, she had a heart

“They will I have no doubt about that” Melody s theh to be a real house

“Jonas built it He was here whenever he wasn't working or looking for you He would do anything to keep busy It hurtto deal with the loss of you myself”

“What is wrong with your gran? Why would she do this? This is beyond hate” She’s even cut Melody out of her life for the most part Melody's husband told her to do whateverherself froht here but she doesn't care about the you could put on it

“As much as I hate her soree out on No matter howht we lost you, we lost him, too”

“I proly leave Jonas I love that man”

>

“I know that” Her bright blue eyes that ht you were dead I know the way that you two look at each other I see it every day when I look at my own husband”

“There is a lady here with a dress,” Melody's husband says from the backdoor

“He had a dress sent here?” I stand up from my chair I shouldn’t be surprised in the least Jonas always did whatever he thought would make me happy

“He said you were getting et I just thought I was going to get ht here in the backyard “We had already picked one out before everything happened Remember?”

“I do” Melody had planned a few s had been set in stone The dress was so past a bridal store We had been so excited about it

“I called and told the it over”

“Are there ht now?”

“I think we all knohat Jonas is doing,” Melody's husband says Yes, he is dealing with Gran I have no idea how that will go but I’ not well I tried to reason with her once That had costelse from me

“Daddy!” I hear Jax screaet used to hearing him say it I look over to see that Melody has tears in her eyes again as she watches Jax run through the grass into Jonas’ open arles uncontrollably My heart explodes with happiness Jax can feel it, too Fro him Daddy was second nature to him

“You going to be ree to do anything Jonas asks him