Chapter Forty-Eight

Reid 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