Page 60 of Love is a Harmony
But that would be a lie.
“Are you crying?” Melanie leaned over the still-sleeping Stella to wipe a tear from his cheek. Her lips pressed together like she was suppressing a laugh.
“No.”
She held up her damp thumb. “Proof. Wonder what the media would think of this.” She held her fist to her mouth like a microphone. “Rocker Noah Clarke bawls like a baby as Anna and Elsa save the day.”
He batted her hand down. “I’m not bawling like a baby, but they’re the only family each other has, and they love each other so much.”
“Personally, I was hoping for some mega smooching with Kristoff.”
“Of course you were, perv.” He shot her a grin.
“Melanie Ann Snyder!” The familiar voice came from the doorway, and Noah closed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening.
“Dad.” Melanie jumped from the bed, her face reddening. “I wasn’t expecting you until dinner.”
Mr. Snyder’s hard eyes roamed from Noah to Melanie. “I had a last-minute meeting scheduled for tonight, so I decided to come see if you wanted to go out to lunch instead.”
Noah had known the head of the label for just as long as he’d known Melanie, but there was a harshness he’d never connected with. It was no secret in their offices that the old man didn’t approve of Noah’s antics and had considered dropping him for years to clean up the label’s image.
In all the time he’d known him, Noah didn’t know if he’d ever seen the man smile.
“Dad.” Melanie stepped closer to her dad, and the man seemed to relax. “We were just watching a movie. Stella was asking for me and—”
“Why was she asking for you?”
“Well, we spent a lot of time together in France, and—”
“You’re not her mother, Mel. And you told me this marriage wasn’t real.”
“It’s not. I didn’t lie to you.”
He grunted. “Well, get ready. We’re going to lunch. Noah can head home.” He still hadn’t met his eyes.
Melanie placed a hand on Noah’s arm before realizing she shouldn’t do that and withdrawing it. “I’ll wake Stella up and get dressed. Will you two kill each other if I send you both out to wait in the living room?”
“Please, Melanie,” her dad scoffed. “Give me more credit than that. I’ll only maim him.”
For a moment, Noah wondered if Mr. Snyder was kidding. He said it with such coldness, no laughter in his voice.
Melanie gave them both an uneasy smile. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Mr. Snyder cut Noah a harsh glare until Noah turned and left the room. He closed the door behind him and stood in front of it like he feared Noah would try to break through while his daughter changed.
Noah sighed and sat on the couch, resting his forearms on his knees. “Sir—”
Mr. Snyder snapped his eyes to Noah. “What are you doing, boy?”
Noah couldn’t remember the last time anyone called him boy—other than Nan—or did it with such disdain. Melanie and her dad were close, and Noah now knew why. After her husband died, she’d probably turned to him.
“Sir,” he started again. “Melanie and I are just friends.”
“Friends.” He shook his head. “Is that why you convinced her to marry you? I’ve told her time and again not to get close to the musicians. But does she listen to her father?”
“She married me to protect my niece. That’s it.” As much as it hurt to say, that was the truth. Melanie didn’t look at him the way he’d started looking at her.
“You forget, young man, I have known you as long as she has. I remember the scrawny kid who showed up with nothing except his even scrawnier drummer by his side. I had high hopes for you then because you were a nice kid. And then, you started screwing up, putting our label’s image at risk. So, no, Noah, I do not want you to be friends with my daughter.”
