Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Thorne
The next two weeks are chaotic. My dad texts and insists that I join him and Naomi for dinner. I agree, but only because I can pick the restaurant and bring a date.
By a date, I mean my girlfriend. Taking Mollie out somewhere fancy that she wouldn't go herself is enticing.
What can I say, I like spoiling my girl. Even if no one else in our lives knows that she's mine.
At work, I hit the road for a couple of days, playing Boston, New York, and Philly.
The results of the games are mixed at best; two wins and one loss while Coach switches players around on the board.
Kuznetsov and I play mostly the same shifts, with slightly more coordination between us as we go along.
Then in the third game, Kuznetsov storms into the locker room, slams his bag down, scowling.
And we go on to lose, because he plays so aggressively that he's slapped with a game misconduct and has to sit the whole thing out. Great.
When I get home from Philly on a Sunday morning, I'm delighted to find Mollie in the kitchen, sipping coffee as she tries to teach Gordie to balance a treat on his nose.
She looks adorable drowning in my gray sweatshirt that I purposely left on the bed for her to wear. She doesn't seem to be wearing any pants at all, just those toned legs, bare and gorgeous. I want to face plant between them.
"Wait," she tells him sternly. He whines but doesn't move. Then she claps her hands. "Okay!"
He gobbles the treat instantly while she praises him. "You're such a good boy, Gordie. Good boy."
I sneak up behind her and grab her around the waist. She freaks out for a second, squawking inelegantly until she realizes it's me.
She turns in my arms, her eyes wide. "You're here!" She buries her face against my chest and wraps those pretty legs around my waist. "I missed you, Alex."
I capture her lips, supporting her with one hand while plowing the other through her wild mess of curls. "Freckles, have you been a good girl?"
"Always." Her eyes sparkle and she kisses me again, slower this time. Her body is warm where it's pressed against mine. She feels good in my arms. Natural.
My chest feeling oddly tight, I set Mollie down on the counter and explore her mouth, nibbling and kissing and nipping. Her hand cups the back of my head.
I could kiss her all day, but I want more. She needs to gasp my name as she comes around my cock; maybe then my thirst for her will be slaked.
There's only one way to find out. Pushing the center of her chest, I lower her body across the kitchen island, my hand slipping up her thigh to find her bare. "Fuck, baby. Were you waiting for me?"
She hums agreeably. "Always."
Her answer turns my already heated blood to magma. Brushing my fingers between her legs and finding her damp pussy nearly kills me. "And this is for me?"
Flushed, she nods. "I wanted to touch myself while you were gone, but I waited. I really was a good girl."
"Oh Freckles." I pull at the hoodie, yanking it up, feasting my eyes on her taut little nipples, pale pink and stiff. "We should buy you a toy that I can control when I'm on the road. What do you think? A little clit sucker? Or a big fat dildo for you to ride and think about me?"
I tweak her nipple at the same time as she answers, so her breath comes out in a rush. "I— fuck!"
"I'll take that as a yes to both." I kiss her ear. She's been on my mind constantly the last two week, her gasps and moans and smiles. It's time to make her as crazy as she's driven me while I've been gone.
Suddenly, Gordie starts going nuts, barking at the door. Three seconds later, the front door opens to admit the intruder.
"Ooops!" I look up to see my mom standing there, covering her eyes. A set of keys dangle from her hand. "Sorry, Lex. I was trying to surprise you... Should I have called first?”
Growling, I yank my hoodie down, covering my girlfriend. Mollie is staring over her shoulder at my mom, her mouth agape.
"Mom, what the fuck." I tug the hoodie further down Mollie's thighs. "Why are you here?"
My mom flushes. I see now that she's brought her rolling suitcase in the front door.
"Sorry again. I thought I would be inventive and surprise you by showing up." She looks at Mollie, her smile softening. "I'm Amanda, Alex's mom."
Mollie pushes at me, forcing me to step back, then gracefully hops off the counter. Her face has never been quite so florid as when she puts out her hand. "Hi Amanda. I'm Mollie."
"Hello." My mom looks at me, curiosity shining in her blue eyes. "I'm guessing you and Alex are..."
"She's my girlfriend." I tug Mollie back into my arms and glare at my mom. "You didn't answer my question, Mom. What are you doing here?"
"Can't a mom visit her son?" My mom tucks her medium-length brunette hair behind her ear. "I'm realizing now that I should've called first."
"You think?"
Mollie elbows me. "Alex, she came to see you. You could at least act happy about it."
"It's not really a problem. I'm stopping in to say hi. Tomorrow, I leave at the crack of dawn on an Alaskan cruise with my book club friends."
Shit. "You really should have called me when you were planning this, Mom. Dad's in town too, and we already have dinner plans."
I'm not sure who looks more shocked, my mom or Mollie. Mollie says, "We?"
"Yes." I don't really want to explain the politics of my secret relationship to my mom, so I go with being curt. Mollie looks perplexed but doesn't press me on it.
My mom, though, is another matter entirely. "You are in a relationship and going to dinner with your dad?" she wonders. "What kind of alternate dimension did I fall into?"
My arm tightens around Mollie. My whole family situation is fucked up beyond reckoning, but I need Mollie to stay right where she is, not run away scared.
Luckily, she seems content to wrap her arms around my waist and settle her head against my chest. For a second, I suck in her sweet scent, and everything is all right. I feel like I'm okay.
"I can go to a hotel..." Mom is saying.
I shake my head and sigh. "No, it's fine. You just surprised me, as intended. Mollie's things are in one of the guest bedrooms, but there is an empty one. Let me show you."
Kissing Mollie lightly on the lips, I murmur, "Can you put on some pants?"
"Like I want to be naked around your mom." Mollie bounds off, Gordie right on her tail.
“Mom. Seriously?”
“Well, I just used the same gate code as when I stayed here last time. How was I supposed to know you were entertaining a guest?”
“Again, Mom. Mollie lives here, she’s not a guest. Come on, I can get you settled in the hallway down here.” I show my mom to the small guest bedroom. "Sorry, it's probably kind of dusty. Mollie uses the doorway for her aerial silks but otherwise, the room never gets used."
"It's fine, Alex." My mom holds her arms out to me, beckoning. I hug her briefly and she pats my arm. "Mollie is very pretty. She seems sweet."
"She is sweet." I rub my mouth, not knowing quite what to do with my mom. "Should I try to reschedule my dinner?"
"No..." she says, pursing her lips. "I was thinking that maybe I could join."
"What? You hate Dad. At my high school graduation, you two had to be physically separated because you couldn't stop bickering."
Mom gives me a sidelong glance. "That wasn't my best moment."
"No." I hesitate. "Shit. I was supposed to tell you this, but things kind of got away from me. You're going to hate this, but Dad is bringing a date, too. Uhhh she's someone I used to date."
Mom's expression sours. "Your dad is dating a girl you used to date?? What the hell?"
"Yeah, it's awkward as fuck." I fold my arms across my chest. "But at least Dad is making an attempt."
"At what? Being an old skeeze?"
"I don't know. He wouldn't stop blowing up my phone until I told him I'd come."
My mom heaves an exaggerated sigh. "Alex, you don't have to go."
"I'm going. I'm taking Mollie as a buffer."
My mom pulls out her phone, already scrolling. "Well, leave it to me. I have some cards to play."
"Are you sure you want to do that? You moved to Florida just to get away from him."
"No, I moved to be near the Atlantic Ocean and all the sunshine." She pats my chest. "Go on, find your girlfriend. We'll talk later."
Leaving her to play cards or whatever she's planning, I go in search of Mollie.
On the way to the restaurant, my mom is glowing over nearly every answer Mollie gives her. "A figure skater? Really?"
Mollie flushes. "Yep. Until I got hurt, I was pursuing it as a career. Now I work for the Seattle Havoc." She glances at me briefly. "My brother, Beck, is on Alex's team."
“Oh! Your friend Beck, Lex? This is his sister?”
“Mhm.” My hands tighten on the wheel.
"That's amazing. And you said you handle social media for the team?"
"Mostly TikTok, but yes. It's not as cool as your job sounds. Marketing seems like the wild west."
My mom snorts. "My boss wishes."
We pull up outside L'Alsace, a French place I want Mollie to try. "Everybody ready?"
Mollie gives my arm a squeeze. "Lead the way."
We find my dad and Naomi whispering to each other at a big round table. I tug Mollie close and prepare myself for emotional whiplash.
"Dad."
"Alex." He nods at me, then Mollie. "Mollie, hi." Then his gaze flits to Mom. "Amanda. It's been a while."
Mom's face is stuck in this killer-clown-style smile. "Hi, Mike. And... Naomi, is it?"
"Yes!" my ex-girlfriend, now maybe-stepmother beams at my mom. Clearly whatever kind of fake hype shit my mom is on, Naomi is on it too. "Sit, sit!"
I can't put myself next to Naomi, so I stare at the booth for a minute. My mom takes one for the team and scoots in first. I follow, leaving Mollie with the outside.
Before we can force ourselves to make conversation, the waiter bustles over, offering us menus, helping us choose wine. After that's done, though, we're back in the same place.