Make You Believe (Bulldogs MC #1)

7: Sometimes, Love Isn't Easy

^^ Steven (Mel's Dad) ^^

As I stood on the beach looking at the surf shop in front of me, I couldn't quite get my head around it. When I was younger, my dad had worked in an advertising agency. Now, I was standing outside his surf shop, on the beach in California. I'd known he'd opened it, of course, he had told me all about it on the phone. But standing here and looking at it was surreal. My dad had pretty much lived in suits for my entire childhood, always the professional. Even though I'd known about the shop, I hadn't really known what to expect.

I took a deep breath and pushed aside the beads that hung down covering the doorway. The shop was small, with railings displaying wetsuits covering one wall. The entire back wall was covered in surfboards, and the shop floor was a maze of clothing displays showing shirts, board shorts and bikinis. There was a small counter in the corner that held a cash register and boxes of what I'm guessing was board wax. I had never surfed in my life; every beach trip we'd taken when I was younger had consisted of sunbathing and occasionally paddling. Which just made it even stranger that my dad had opened this place.

The sound of a door opening made me jump and I turned to see a man walking out of a door that had a 'Staff Only' sign on it. He was in his early twenties and was about six feet tall. He had brown hair that hung over his ears in tight curls, and brown eyes that reminded me of coffee. He smiled when he saw me, and I saw the dimples either side of his mouth.

"Hey. Can I help you?" He asked, tilting his head at me. I must've looked strange to him; standing in the shop and looking around like I had entered a different world.

"Um, I'm looking for Steven," I said quietly. My stomach was full of butterflies and my nerves had kicked in.

"Stevie? Sure, he's in the back, I'll just get him," He grinned.

Stevie?! What the hell?

I nodded at him and tried to smile, but I think it came off as more of a grimace. He poked his head through the doorway he had just come from, and I busied myself looking at the surfboards.

"Which one are you interested in?"

I froze when I heard him behind me. I'd spoken to him on the phone recently, but hearing him up close was something completely different. I turned around slowly and took a good look at him. He was as tall as I remember at almost six feet, but his brown hair was now speckled with grey. His laughter lines were more pronounced now, and instead of the clean-shaven look I had grown up with, he had stubble along his jaw. He looked strange to me in his patterned shirt and board shorts, with sandals on his feet. His eyes widened as he took me in.

"Melody?" He almost whispered, looking me up and down.

"Hi Dad," I said, just as quietly. I flinched as he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. It had been almost ten years since I'd seen him, and I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with that yet. However, as his arms tightened around me, I found myself relaxing and hugging him back.

He pulled back and looked at me. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? I mean, not that it's not fantastic to see you, because it is," He babbled, and a smile broke out onto my face.

"I'm fine, Dad. I just needed a break and I haven't seen you in so long, I thought I'd come and visit," I shrugged.

He put an arm around my shoulder and turned to face the younger man I had spoken to before. "Dane, this is my daughter, Melody. Melody, this is Dane. He's my business partner, and friend,"

I put a hand out for him to shake. "It's Mel," I said, trying to sound polite. I had stopped everybody calling me Melody after my dad had walked out; he was the only person who did apart from my mum, and that was only if I was in trouble.