Chapter Nine
Rhett
“I got a call from Holden saying he wants to meet here at six.” I stare at Maverick as he leans against the back of his pickup truck. His head is a mess right now, and I don’t blame him for being pissed as all hell.
“You really think last night was necessary?”
I swallow hard and tuck my hand into the pocket of my jeans. Maverick and I have been thick as thieves since I got out here two years ago. Since then, we’ve revitalized the old MC here together and we’ve built a friendship that feels more like a brotherhood, but I don’t think either of us was expecting to have concurring feelings for the same woman.
“Look, I was drunk. You know how badly I’ve wanted Molly.”
Maverick stares down at the gravel driveway, kicking the stones with the toe of his boot. “Yeah, I know.” He scrubs his hand down over his face, and though he’s not saying it, I see his frustration. “I gotta stay away then, man. I can’t do this. Looking at her, seeing her… body. Hearing her voice and watching her lips move so softly… it’s too much. I almost kissed her today.” His eyes widen. “I wanted to kiss her. I thought about it all fuckin’ day.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I stare at my friend. He’s got it bad, and I can’t blame him for any of it. Molly is by far the sweetest, mouthiest, most legitimate blend of a woman I’ve ever met. She pushes my buttons and challenges me, while simultaneously showering me with love and affection. What she offers is genuine in a world of disingenuousness.
Maverick stands straighter. “You’re in love with her, right?”
I nod slowly, knowing how confusing and hurtful this whole thing is for him. I know what it’s like to love a woman you can’t have.
“That’s all I needed to know.” He taps the back of the truck twice as Rosie’s car pulls onto the dirt road toward the cabin. Molly said that she was giving her a ride home after the shop closed.
“Don’t go. We need to tell her everything and I want you here for whatever happens with Holden tonight.”
“Tell her what? That I’m a fuckin’ idiot that fell for her ex-boyfriend’s games? I mean fuck, dude. When you tell her what he’s been doing, she’s going to be so fucked up. How do we even help her with that?”
The wind blows, carrying a flurry of powdered snow. “Don’t know. Maybe Holden will.”
“Then what? You tell her the truth and I’m still sitting here alone, loving some girl I can’t have.” Maverick stares down at the ice-covered driveway and shakes his head.
“You said the ride in this morning was nice, that you felt a connection.”
“But she’s yours. You made that clear last night when you ripped her off my lap.” Okay, he’s pissed. That’s reasonable. I wasn’t in the mood to share last night. I’m not sure I’ll ever be in the mood to share, but I know deep down it’s what Molly wants. It’s what she needs.
I breathe slowly, trying to find the right words to describe the emotion I’m having. It’s not my forte. “I was confused last night, and drunk. The truth of it is, we share everything.”
“She’s not a fuckin’ case of beer, dude. She’s a whole person. You’re not actually buying into the sharing shit, are you?” he says, his tone lowering as Rosie’s car gets closer to the cabin.
“I think I am. I love her and I want to see her happy. If that’s with us,” I shrug, “it could be worse. Stay tonight. Let’s talk to Holden and see what he thinks about all this. Maybe we can work together to make Molly safe. I can’t do this alone, man. She’s going to need all of us.”
He laughs. “You’re serious?”
I fold my arms over my chest and stare at my buddy. “I can’t believe I’m saying it, but… I am. She needs a lot right now. More than she even realizes yet.”
The conversation settles as Molly climbs up out of Rosie’s car and waves her goodbye.
“That was nice of her to bring you out here. It’s out of her way, isn’t it?” I reach out and pull Molly against my chest, kissing the top of her head as I breathe her in. I missed her so fucking much today.
“Usually, but she’s staying with her bestie Owen for a while. His place is only a few miles north of here. Is everything okay? You guys look like you were in the middle of something serious.” Her dark brown gaze lifts to mine, and I’d do anything to take every worry she’s ever had away. That said, I always want her to know that I’ll be straightforward. After what she’s been through with Tyler, she should never have to second guess with me.
“Holden is coming over at six. We’re going to talk things out with him. I’m hoping the whole psychiatrist thing comes in handy.”
Her brows wrinkle. “What’s going on? You’re scaring me. You sent me this weird text and then I see you guys are out here fighting about something.” Tears stream down her face as she stares up at me with wide eyes. “Tell me what the fuck is going on!”
I glance toward Maverick who’s standing with his hands tucked into his jeans before the overcast sky. “We should take her inside. It’s cold as hell out here.”
“No!” She wipes away her tears and draws her eyes back and forth between the two of us. “Tell me now!”
I flash back at Maverick who’s gone to pacing the space between our trucks. Jesus, I didn’t realize how much an asset Holden would be. Together, Maverick and I are a couple of ill-equipped idiots trying to make sense of emotions we rarely navigate.
“Okay,” I sigh, landing my hand on her small shoulder. “Last week, Maverick came to me with a photo of a girl he’d been talking to online. I’ve known about her for a while, but he’d never shared any pictures.” I reach for her hand and hold it in mine. “The photo of the girl was you.”
“ Me ?” Her eyes widen as she says, “Well, that can’t be possible. I’m not talking to anyone online.”
Maverick steps forward and pulls out his phone, swiping to a gallery of photos he has of Molly. Some are simple pics of her face, but others are much more risqué. Her naked body. Her round tits. Her taking a shower. Her sleeping at night with a t-shirt twisted up around her.
“I showed this picture of you to Rhett.” He scrolls to a photo of her face with a big, wide smile in a field of sunflowers. I know right where the place is on Old Farm Road. “I’d been talking to you for about a year. I shared everything with you, and I believed you were sharing yourself with me. When Rhett saw the photo, he mentioned that he knew you and that you were with someone else.”
“I don’t get it. I wasn’t talking to you. I didn’t take these pictures. I—”
“We believe that Tyler took the pictures of you and that he was sending them to multiple people online.” A blustering wind passes between us, bringing with it the scent of pine from the nearby woods.
“Why would he do that?” She scoffs as she says, “What’s the point?”
Maverick sighs and tucks his hand into his pocket. “Money.”
She shakes her head and narrows her gaze as though she’s confused. “You paid money for these?”
“No,” he tugs his hand over his beard, “I sent you money.”
“You sent me money?”
He stuffs his hands in his pockets. “I thought it was you.”
“But we never talked, we never met, and we didn’t FaceTime. Why would you send me … him money?”
“It’s fuckin’ stupid, I know.” He blows out a breath. “You… he… was telling me that you had this shop that was going under, and I didn’t want you to lose it.”
She shakes her head quickly then leans against the truck, searching for support. I want to offer it to her, but I also understand that she might need space.
Maverick continues, “I wanted to get together, but you … he … always had a reason, and it sounded so believable. Besides that, by then I was in love with you… or the version of you that… anyway, I was also laid up after the accident and I didn’t want you seeing me like I was. It wasn’t until a week ago that I showed the picture to Rhett hoping he’d seen you around town so I could find you.”
“Wow.” She puffs her cheeks and blows out a breath of air. “What the fuck? I’m so sorry, Maverick. So, this morning when you told me you’d been in love with a girl, that girl was me.”
He nods and pulls her against his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right then. Rhett and I thought it was best if Holden was here to help you through everything.”
She twists toward him, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. He’s not a good man. I—”
“Sweetheart,” he kisses the top of her head, “you don’t need to apologize.”
Molly twists her hair to the side of her shoulder and looks toward me and then Maverick. Her cheeks are red from the cold and wind. “How do I get my pictures back? How can I get him to stop?”
“I’m gonna start by beating the shit outta him,” Maverick groans. “We’ll see what happens from there.”
Tears fall down her cheeks quickly. “How did he get the pictures of me in the shower or in bed? I—”
“You … he told me that he set them up for me. He probably set up cameras without you knowing.”
“Like he did in my shop.”
“What?” I reach out and brush the back of her hair as she lies against Maverick’s chest. “What do you mean?”
“A few months ago, he got all paranoid that I wasn’t actually going to work so he set up cameras in my shop to monitor me.” She shakes her head. “I’m sure he can still see everything I do. I need to figure out how to turn everything off, but I don’t want to kick the hornet’s nest right now.”
Fuck! This is all so much more convoluted than I thought.
I take off my coat and wrap it around the jacket she’s already wearing, and Maverick pulls his hat down over her ears. “You’re okay now. We’ll take care of you.”
I know she’s heard those words a thousand times only to be disappointed by them again. I know he’s told her after fits of rage that he’d take care of her. I know he’d hold her after hurting her and tell her that everything would work out, only to prove it all wrong again and again. That fact is the reason I can never let her down. None of us can. I can forget the milk or leave the trash in the bin, but I can never leave her feeling unprotected.
“What else did he tell you about me?”
“That your parents died, and that you were essentially raised by your brother. That you loved the color orange and reading. You… he would tell me all about the books you read, and we’d talk about the characters and their motives and—”
Her teeth chatter as she says, “So he was listening to me so he could use it online? Awesome.”
“So everything’s true?”
“Very true. Right down to the part about my failing shop. Rosie told me today that if things don’t turn around by next month, she’ll have to sell her part of the shop, which means I have to sell mine too. There’s no way I can buy her out.”
“Fuck…” We squeeze Molly tighter, forming a bubble of heat around her. “We’ll figure it out. You’re not losing your shop.”
“It’s okay. I don’t need anyone’s help. It is what it is. Someone is teaching me a lesson right now. That’s all. Maybe something better is waiting for me.” Tears stream down her cheeks and I try to brush them away before the cold can get to them. “I think I’m going to head to the bathroom quick. You guys good if I take a break?”
Maverick and I nod as she stands and makes her way into the warmth of the cabin.
“Well, this fucking sucks.” Maverick folds his arms over his chest then unfolds them just as quickly before reaching for his phone. “Fuck!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to go check some poles. They lost power up in Rugged Mountain. I think there’s another storm system moving through. I’ll be gone the next few hours. Say goodbye to her for me, okay? I’ll be back by morning.”
“Dude,” I grab his arm before he walks away, “don’t do it. We need to think it all through.”
He narrows his brows and his eyes darken. “I’ve thought it through.”
I don’t even think Maverick knows the half of it, but I’m not getting into it all right now. He doesn’t need to lose his life or his freedom fucking with some asshole.
“Come on. Holden is on his way. We’ll have dinner and then get everything sorted out.”
He shakes his head and taps the back of his truck. “Like I said, man, I’ve got work. You, ugh, you do you and I’ll catch ya later.” A moment later, the exhaust from his truck is a cloud in the air and I’m alone in the driveway wondering how I can help my friend, Molly, and myself all at once. Usually, I can figure out puzzles like this rather quickly. This one is taking a lot longer than I’d like.
The porch door slams shut, and Molly stands with her long fuzzy jacket unzipped. She’s holding something, but I can’t see from here what it is.
I step closer, crunching through the snow as I stare at the girl I’ve loved for as long as time can remember. A tear falls down her cheek as she holds a plastic stick in the air.
“You okay, trouble?” I climb the steps to hold her.
“Yeah. I’m just,” she sighs and wipes away another tear, “I’m pregnant.”