Chapter 15
CHASE
I’ve never been the kind of guy to lose my head or heart over a woman, and that’s not changing any time soon. Yet after one night with Molly, I’m floating on some orgasm-induced cloud.
It’s not like I took a vow of celibacy or anything, but I outgrew wasting my time with buckle bunnies years ago. I’m choosy about the women I sleep with, especially since the accident. Recovery gave me an excuse, but the truth is, no one’s lit me up like that in a long damn time.
Everything was different with Molly. The way she let go and gave herself over to the connection between us fed something in me I didn’t know I was hungry for.
I’ve also never been much for sleepovers.
But I couldn’t imagine a better way to wake up than with her warm, sweet-scented body curled into mine.
When I fitted myself along her back and took her slowly from behind, it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Just us in our own little bubble of need and desire.
And for the first time in forever, I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
She felt it, too. I know she did. We didn’t talk about what it might mean going forward, but I saw it in her eyes before the kids got home.
Her friend Sadie dropped them off Saturday morning, along with Ian Barlowe, the football legend himself. I knew he lives in Skylark, married to Sadie, but this was the first time I shook his hand, and the guy’s got a grip like he was born to break bones.
They hung around for a bit, and Laurel must have talked up Fancy, because Sadie was eager to meet her.
Apparently, she’s a sucker for anything with four legs.
The whole group ended up following me to the barn, which shouldn’t have made me nervous, but it did.
As if I were on display in a different way than I am on the back of a bull.
Sadie and Ian didn’t mention the circuit or ask what I’m doing next. For once, no one wanted something from me. There was no angle or pressure, just real conversation. It was refreshing as hell.
If Molly shared anything with Sadie about the deal I made with Linda, she kept it close to the vest. They talked flowers and building plans like nothing was off-kilter. And I loved that for both of us, even if I can’t wrap my head around how to make this work.
After they left, Molly, the kids, and I had the most uneventful, ordinary, and, in my opinion, amazing day.
We did chores, worked in the greenhouse, made dinner, and then played rounds of Uno for hours.
It felt like the most natural thing in the world to hang out together—almost like we were an actual family.
Yep, my idea of a perfect Saturday has switched from the bar scene to getting my ass kicked in cards by two first graders, like I was auditioning for Dad of the Year or something.
Yesterday, I took them over to Ray’s ranch. He and Janice are fostering a litter of shelter kittens, and I figured if I’m already playing the part, I might as well bring in the big guns. Kids and kittens? Game over.
I could tell by the looks Ray kept giving me that he’d picked up on the fact there might be something going on between Molly and me. The strangest part is that I have no desire to deny it.
Molly doesn’t exactly share that sentiment and only lets me steal a couple of quick kisses while the kids are upstairs getting ready for bed. I respect her boundaries, even though I’d rather ignore them and pull her into bed again. And again.
But for now, I’m keeping my dick in my pants and hoping—hell, maybe even praying—she decides another round or two (or twenty) is what she wants.
In the meantime, I’ve been mulling over ways to handle the situation with the land. I want to buy it, but I also want Molly to be able to keep her flower farm running. If she wants the farmhouse, I’ll build another one. No hesitation.
Sure, I keep telling myself this is all for Teddy. I’m looking out for his widow and kids because he was my best friend.
Yeah, I think we all know there’s more to it than that.
By this morning, the golden haze of the weekend with our shared chores, quiet laughter, and soft kisses has burned off like morning fog. The kids are at school, and Molly is back to treating me like the hired help. Just a guy lending a hand until her ankle heals.
“You’re welcome to drop me off at Sunnydale,” she says, like she thinks I’ve been quiet on the drive into town because I’ve got someplace I’d rather be. “I usually visit with a few residents after my weekly flower delivery. Monday mornings are sing-along time.”
I nod as I pull into the assisted living facility’s parking lot. “I know. My mom lives here.”
Molly draws in a sharp breath. “Were you going to mention that to me?”
I grip the steering wheel tighter. “I just did.”
“Alright then.” Her voice gentles, like she’s reading the tension radiating off me. “What’s her name?”
“Brittany Lynn.”
Her eyes brighten. “I’ve brought her flowers a couple of times, but we haven’t spoken much.”
“She’s not very social.” I shrug. “Or communicative.”
“Huh. Is that where you get it?”
I breathe out a small laugh because I know she’s trying to lighten my mood. “Mom has early-onset dementia. She’s always been quiet, but now even more so.”
“I’m sorry, Chase.” She reaches across the seat, her hand brushing mine, and it feels like more comfort than I deserve.
“She’s doing okay, and my sister—” Damn.
Why is there a stupid catch in my voice?
I clear my throat and try again. “My sister handles most of it, getting her to appointments and making sure she has the right snacks. I’m more involved now that I’m here, but my sister’s a better caregiver.
Mom...” I trail off, swallowing hard. “There was never any question who was her favorite growing up.”
“I’m sure she’s happy to see you more often,” Molly says. But there’s an undertone I can’t identify in her tone. I have a feeling she knows what it’s like to hope for something not meant for you.
“Yeah, maybe.”
She glances at me as I pull to a stop in front of the building. “Does your family know about the arrangement to buy the farm?”
“Tentative arrangement,” I clarify.
“It’s your plan for staying in Skylark.” She takes her hand back, and I have to clench mine into a fist to resist the urge to reach for her again.
“No one knows except you, Linda, and the realtors.” I rub a hand along the back of my neck. “It’s not a done deal.”
“I know,” she says, far too brightly. “Like I told you, I’m going to find the money to make a better offer than whatever you’re giving her.”
When she’d said it in bed, naked and fierce, her eyes dancing like she wanted nothing more than to best me, I’d found her competitive spirit incredibly attractive. I’m not sure she truly believes it, but hell if it doesn’t make me smile.
We get out of the truck and circle around to the bed, where her scooter’s loaded. I’ve made a few modifications, adding a basket for her supplies, and attaching a wagon with a makeshift hitch so she can haul more without overtaxing herself.
“I’m happy to carry everything in,” I say.
“I want to practice maneuvering with weight in the wagon.”
“But I’m right here.” I hold out my hands. “Cheap labor.”
“You sell yourself short, Calhoun.”
Something about the way she says it makes me want to believe her. To lean into her confidence the same way I leaned into her touch.
The way she so easily shifted past her anger about keeping the deal quiet bothers me. It’s clear she’s accustomed to being left out of decisions that affect her, like being brushed aside is par for the course.
We load the wagon with flowers, and she lets me carry the two biggest. It’s a slow trek through the parking lot, and even though I can see sweat beading on her brow, I also know she needs to feel like she’s handling things.
I get that better than most. I built a career out of being self-reliant. Just me, a bull, and eight seconds on the clock.
What I don’t understand is why Molly keeps downplaying her own value. Within a week of spending time with her, it’s abundantly clear that everybody who knows her loves her.
Not me, of course. I don’t do love.
But I like her. More than I’ve liked anyone in a long while.
I hate how easily I bought into Teddy’s bullshit before the wedding and believed that she’d trapped him with a pregnancy.
That he was some kind of hero swooping in to save her reputation.
I should have known better, and he should have, too.
It’s clear that my old friend failed to appreciate how luck had smiled on him when Molly came into his life.
Teddy had a family most people only dream about, and he didn’t just take it for granted. He threw it all away.
Not just the day he took out a raft when the water was running dangerously high. Based on everything I’ve witnessed and the little she’s told me, he made her feel like less at every turn. Like she was lucky to have him instead of the other way around.
I’m ashamed to admit I wasn’t much better.
I told him she wasn’t good enough based on nothing but the kind of assumptions I should have known better than to trust. I knew how captivating Teddy could be when he wanted something.
If he’d decided he wanted Molly, he would have charmed her without thinking about the potential consequences of that one night stand.
Once she got pregnant, he should have stepped up completely. She and the twins had been counting on him to be the man they needed. To put their safety and security above everything else. He never should have taken that risk on the river.
If a person wanted to, they could argue that the choices I made for most of my career were just as dangerous. But I didn’t have anyone depending on me. If I got trampled or paralyzed, broke bones or suffered head trauma, who would care? My sister? Ray and Janice? Not my mom or dad, that’s for sure.
I scrub a hand over my face and give myself a mental shake. Look who’s running for Mayor of Maudlin Town.