Chapter 23 – Molly
“Shut up,” Cassie said, walking up to my new house for the first time, holding up one of the boxes I had packed. “You’re telling me he flipped this entire house and then just handed over the key. No strings attached?”
“Yep. That’s exactly how it went down. Ask Jace. He was there.”
“Oh, he told me last night at dinner, but I thought he was just overly happy to have his best friend back so he was trying to talk him up,” Cassie said, laughing.
“He even built you a new chicken coop,” Ellie said, pointing to the small building off to the side of the house.
“There’s a greenhouse tucked between the oak trees too. And he put heated floors in the master bathroom,” I added.
We made our way into the living room, and Cassie set the box down. “Shit,” she said. “I’d forgive him too.”
“He could’ve fixed up a shack for me, and I still would’ve forgiven him,” I said. “I forgave him because what kind of person cares about their son so much that they make sure he always has a place to live—even if he’s never actually going to live there with him?” I added.
“How was your first night sleeping here?” Ellie asked, glancing around the living room filled with stacked moving boxes and furniture the guys had been hauling in all morning. A few more boxes and I’d be moved in.
“It was great,” I said easily. “The bed Liam picked out for the master is so comfortable. And it’s so quiet out here in the country—nothing like having neighbors. I could hear birds chirping when I woke up this morning and watched the sunrise.”
Ellie’s eyes swept the room before narrowing slightly. “So…where did Liam sleep?”
“Well…” I started.
Cassie and Ellie immediately exchanged looks, identical smiles spreading across their faces as they leaned in.
“Molly!” Cassie squealed.
“It’s not what you think,” I said quickly, trying to shut down their giggles. “The air mattress popped, and I felt bad making him sleep on that tiny couch while I laid in a king-size bed. We literally didn’t touch all night.” I paused. “Except when I kissed him on the cheek before bed.”
Both of them squealed like middle schoolers.
“I knew it!” Cassie said. “Liam wasn’t his usual grumpy statue self this morning. I saw him smile—twice—and I knew there had to be a reason he was so unusually chipper.” She grinned like a detective who’d cracked a case.
“Million-dollar question,” Ellie started. “Why did you kiss him goodnight?” She waited, practically vibrating with excitement.
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “Why do I do half the stuff I do? My brain has zero self-control. I just…did it.” I let out a quiet breath. “And the worst part? I don’t regret it. Not even a little.” I looked between them, lowering my voice. “What does that mean?”
“I know what it means,” Cassie said, leaning in. “It means you still like-like him.” She punctuated it with a wink.
“What if he doesn’t like-like me back?” I asked, wincing the moment the words left my mouth.
“Did pregnancy make you go blind too?” Cassie said, shifting her weight onto one hip and crossing her arms. “That man clearly still cares about you. You two are just too scared to say it out loud.” She shook her head. “It’s honestly painful to watch.”
Ellie stood next to Cassie, happily nodding in agreement.
Just then, all three guys walked in, each carrying a box. “That’s the last of them,” Liam said as they set the boxes down.
“I’m about to pass out from starvation,” Colt announced. “Can we please go get food?” He looked around, clearly searching for backup.
“Let’s go, brats,” Ellie said, herding everyone toward the front door. “Girls in my car. Boys in Liam’s Jeep,” she added.
Liam hesitated, clearly unhappy with the car situation.
I stepped closer to him, tilting my head up so he had no choice but to meet my eyes. “I’ll be fine, Liam. You’ll be right behind us the whole time. Nothing bad is going to happen,” I said, trying to reassure him.
And maybe myself, too. Because lately, the only time I felt truly safe was when Liam was close by.
“I don’t like it.”
He reached out, resting his hand on the small of my back, thumb pressing lightly. His jaw tightened, eyes scanning me once more as if he were internally debating with himself. His unexpected touch sent electricity through my entire body.
“I’ll be within view the entire time,” I said softly. “And I promise to sit right next to you the whole time at lunch to make up for the lost time,” I added, offering a playful smile.
He let out a slow breath, fingers flexing once before dropping his hand. “Fine,” he said finally. “But if one thing happens that I don’t like, you’re pulling over and getting in the car with me. Understand?”
I nodded, still spiraling from his touch.
——————————–
We ended up going to the Twisted Spur for lunch. For obvious reasons, we didn’t sit at the bar—just the general seating tucked away on the other end of the room. For a small-town dive, the place served up surprisingly good food.
We all squeezed into one of the semicircle booths in the corner. Ellie and Colt took the middle with Cassie and Jace on one side and Liam and me on the other.
The waitress appeared almost immediately, thanks to the place being a ghost town at noon on a Saturday. By nightfall, though, the Twisted Spur would be packed from wall to wall.
Country music played softly in the background as we sat there, talking and waiting for our food to arrive. When one song faded out and the next began, I recognized the melody.
“I love this song,” I announced to the table.
Liam tilted his head, listening closely, as if he were trying to place it. “Dance With Me, Molly,” he finally said.
Jace looked at him, confused. “You want her to dance with you?”
I laughed. “No, that’s the name of the song by Keith Whitley. It’s literally called ‘Dance With Me, Molly.’ He’s singing about a girl that left him, so now he’s sad and wishes he could have one last dance with her,” I explained.
Before anyone could respond, Liam slid out of the booth and held his hand out toward me as the chorus started up.
“Dance with me Molly, please?” he asked, a soft smile pulling at his mouth.
“Are you crazy?” I laughed, convinced he had to be joking.
“Definitely,” he said, glancing down at his still-outstretched hand. “But I still want you to dance with me.”
I hesitated for a beat. “Um… sure,” I finally said as my heart fluttered in my chest.
Liam led me to the center of the empty dance floor. He wrapped one arm around my back, pulling me in closer than I expected, his other hand warm against mine.
We swayed gently, back and forth. After a few seconds, Liam started singing along under his breath. I couldn’t believe he knew the words. His eyes locked on mine as we swayed to the beat.
“Dance with me, Molly, just one more time…”
His voice was deep and surprisingly good. As he sang to me, the rest of the world faded around us. His eyes kept flicking between mine and my lips.
Was he going to kiss me? Oh my gosh.
Right here, in front of everyone? My knees went weak. Shit. Pull it together, Molly.
It’s just a slow dance. And he’s just serenading you. That happens all the time—you’re not that special.
My pulse raced hard enough that I could hear it in my ears.
As the song faded to an end, I caught Cassie out of the corner of my eye, holding her phone in the air as she recorded the entire moment. I rolled my eyes, giggling because this had to be the cheesiest moment I had ever found myself in.
Suddenly, low chants of “kiss her, kiss her,” started coming from the table, making the already cheesy moment that much worse. I looked up at Liam as he looked down at me, clearly waiting for my permission.
“Well, are you gonna kiss me or not?” I teased. “Give the people what they want.”
Liam slipped his arm around my shoulders, his other hand finding the small of my back. He twisted me slightly, just enough to shield us from the ridiculous onlookers in the booth to our left.
I held onto his chin, my skin tingling from his stubble. His lips met mine like a magnet to its force field, locking instantly. It was one simple kiss, but the feeling lingered on my lips long after we exited the dance floor.
In that moment, it felt like everything between us changed—again.