Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
MOLLY
I was sitting at my desk on my prep period when Elle strolled into my classroom with a smirk on her face.
"It's your first day back from maternity leave. Don't you have catching up to do?" I nervously tapped my pen on my desk.
"Of course I do, but I would be an awful friend if I didn't come check on you after what happened this weekend."
I rolled my eyes. "You spoke to me several times during the day yesterday after you dropped me off and even last night after Rhett came home. What more is there to talk about?"
"Oh, I don't know." Elle rocked back on her heels. "How about have you spoken to your husband since you got back?"
This time I glared at her. "You know damn well I haven't."
Elle threw her hands in the air. "And why the hell not? I gave you his number yesterday. Why haven't you called him yet?"
I tossed my pen on the desk and stood up.
I needed to pace. To rid myself of the nervous energy that was coursing through my veins.
"And say what exactly? Hey, Parker, it's me.
You know your wife. The one you drunkenly married in Vegas and probably had sex with.
Yeah, that's a great conversation starter. "
"It's better than ignoring him. The two of you are going to have to see each other eventually. Like this Sunday for Savannah's christening."
I winced at the reminder. How the hell had I almost forgotten about my own goddaughter's christening? Oh that was right. I was dealing with an existential crisis at the moment.
"I know that." I huffed.
"Are you sure? Because it's going to be even more awkward if the first time the two of you speak is in front of a bunch of people."
"Maybe he'll just ignore me. Did you ever think of that?" I continued to move back and forth in front of my desk.
"I understand you might not know your new husband very well, but I can say for certainty that's not going to happen."
Damn my best friend for knowing Parker so well. Truth be told, I didn't actually believe he would let it go. I was just hoping that was the case.
"A girl can dream," I mumbled under my breath.
"Molly, talk to me." Elle stopped me midpace and ran her hand down my arm. "This isn't like you."
"What if he doesn't want me now that we're sober?" I hated how unsure I sounded. This wasn't me. I was normally loud and boisterous. I lived life to the fullest. As one could see by the fact that I got married to a man I barely knew.
"Oh please," Elle scoffed. "Any man would be crazy not to want you. You're beautiful inside and out. Not to mention fun to be around."
I gave my friend a sad smile. "I've always done crazy things, but this one tops the cake."
Elle matched my sad smile with one of her own. "I mean, yes it does, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing, does it?"
I lifted my shoulder ever so slightly before dropping it back down. "I don't have the answer to that."
"You're really worried about this, aren't you?"
"I know it seems crazy since I'm usually the one who takes life by the horns and makes it my bitch, but for the first time, I don't know what to think about the mess I’ve gotten myself into."
"I might not know Parker all that well because, let's be honest, these guys love to be a mystery, but I can't see him being an ass about this. It's not like you tricked him into marrying you. The two of you are to blame."
I snickered at that. "I would actually have to remember the moment to know how it happened."
No matter how hard I tried yesterday to recall the memories of our drunken night, they were just outside my grasp. Just when I thought I would get a glimpse of them, they would slither back into the deep recesses of my mind.
"Well, I can tell you for certainty Parker doesn't remember either. Rhett spoke to him on the plane and last night. He's just as lost as you are."
I didn't know if that made me feel better or not. I was kinda hoping one of us would have some answers, and since it wasn't me, I wanted desperately for it to be Parker.
"Has he said anything else?"
I knew I sounded desperate, but Elle and I had known each other long enough that she wouldn't judge me for how I was acting.
Elle gave me a small shake of her head. "He just wants to talk to you. I made Rhett promise that he wouldn't give Parker your number. You're the one who ran away. I think it's only fair you have your space until you’re ready to talk."
"Have I told you, recently, how great a friend you are?"
Elle bumped her hip against mine. "I already know I'm awesome. I don't need you constantly telling me."
I rolled my eyes. My friend was as modest as ever. "I promise I'll talk to him. It might not be today or even this week, but I promise I will. I just need to wrap my head around things."
She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I know I came in here hot demanding you talk to him, but I only want what's best for you. If you need time, then I'll do everything in my power to give that to you."
I tipped my head against my friend’s. "I appreciate it. I don't even know what's holding me back, but until I do, I don't think it's fair to drag Parker into my fucked-up head."
Elle squeezed me. "I don't think you're fucked up."
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, okay. We both know you're thinking it."
Elle held up her other hand and showed me the small space between her two fingers. "Okay, maybe just a little."
We both laughed at that.
"I should probably get back to my own classroom. I have so much to catch up on now that I'm officially back to work."
I don't want to let her go, but eventually I do. "I'm so happy you're back. No offense, your sub was great but nothing beats having you here with me. I thought I was going to die of boredom."
Elle just shook her head. "What you really mean is you didn't have anyone to torture with your science experiments."
"That's exactly what I mean."
Elle, once again, chuckled, but she let me go. "I'll see you at the end of the day. We still walking out together?"
I gave her a small smile. "Of course we are. It's one of the many things I missed while you were gone."
My friend smiled back and hers was just as sad. "Try not to think about things too much. Take your time and I've got your back."
"Love you, Elle."
"Love you too, Molls."
I waited until Elle left my classroom before I went back to my desk and dropped into my seat with a huff. I even went as far as to drop my forehead onto my desk with a soft thwack.
This week was going to suck, and I only had my drunk self to blame.
Well, and maybe a little bit of Parker too. He was in the same boat as me. Too bad they were different boats, and I wasn't ready to jump in his so we could figure this out.