CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The sun was barely rising when Molly’s eyelids fluttered open. Still half asleep, she smiled as she thought about the wonderful dream she’d had, one in which all of her forbidden fantasies had come to life.
The shift of an arm over her waist—a very muscular arm—brought her completely awake.
How could she have thought it was a dream, even for five seconds?
And how could she have thought this was okay? That she and Harry could have one night together, one night to experience again the headiest pleasure she’d ever known, without ramifications?
It was an understatement to say that things with Harry had already been complicated. She’d known better than to further complicate them with sex.
Especially when it felt like so much more than sex.
The last thing she should do was let herself fall for Harry again. But if ever there was a fast train to falling for him, it was this. This warmth. This connection. This joy. This all-encompassing pleasure.
Last night, as soon as he’d looked into her eyes…told her that memories of her were what had gotten him through all the years…put his hand over hers and pressed a kiss to her skin? It truly had felt like being tossed onto a roller coaster right before it took off at full speed, then loving every moment of the thrilling ride.
Only now, in the clear light of day, was she forced to admit what a fool she’d been. To risk everything so hard won. Her independence. Even, possibly, her relationship with her daughter, if Amelia caught wind of what had happened and wasn’t okay with it.
Okay, so all the signs pointed to Amelia hoping Molly and Harry would get back together. But that didn’t mean she wanted her daughter to find out about them this way.
Especially when Molly still had no idea what them even meant just yet.
She wriggled out of Harry’s arms. “Harry.” She whispered his name, but he didn’t budge.
It didn’t help that he always looked so sexy in the morning, with his morning stubble and his bare chest and his…
No. She couldn’t allow herself to go there. Not when it would only make her want a play-by-play repeat of last night.
She already wanted that, but it didn’t matter right now. He needed to get back to his bedroom before Amelia woke up.
Molly put her hands on his shoulders and shook him, just hard enough to get his attention. “Harry, wake up!”
At last, his eyes opened. Confusion—and then unfettered joy—lit them. “Molly.” He reached for her. “Come lie down with me.”
She’d never wanted anything so much. Just to lay her head on his chest and listen to his heart beat while he held her. She had to force herself to say, “You need to go back to your bedroom. Now, before Amelia wakes up.”
“She’ll understand.” He tugged her so that she was lying on top of him, skin to skin. Every inch of her heated up. Wanted. She was about to lose the battle with desire when he added, “We’ll just explain that we’re back together.”
A splash of cold water shot through her veins, making her scramble off him and over to a corner of the bed. The farthest corner, with the sheets held up to cover her nakedness.
“We’re not back together.” She hated seeing the hurt in his eyes—pain she’d just put there. Still, she needed to remind him of what he’d said. “No promises. One night. That’s what we agreed on.”
“Last night wasn’t just about our bodies.” Gone was the lazy pleasure, the sleepy joy. He was pure determination as he sat up in bed and faced her. “It wasn’t just about pleasure. It was about us. About how we feel for each other.”
“I knew it was a mistake.” She hated that the beauty of the night they’d shared could be so easily lost, that every word from her mouth was eroding it further. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
“You know I don’t agree. You know I think it’s exactly what should have happened.”
“Can’t you see that there’s too much at stake for us to blindly jump forward into a relationship? If it doesn’t work out, Amelia will be crushed.”
“Molly.” Harry reached for her, and for all her big words, she couldn’t stand the thought of pushing him away again when he threaded his fingers through hers. The sheet covering her fell away as he asked, “Why do you think it won’t work out?”
All her fears, her worries, her insecurities rose up inside of her. “There’s too much history between us.”
Harry’s eyes were so dark, so intense, that she actually shivered. “If anyone knows that even the darkest histories can have beauty in them—beauty that never goes away, but only gets richer and better—it’s the two of us. We proved that last night, didn’t we?”
“Last night all we proved is that we’re both still attracted to each other and have no self-control.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Please, just go.”
* * *
Harry knew better than to internalize what Molly had just said as he crept from her room to his. She couldn’t have responded to him the way she had last night, couldn’t have asked him to love her, then fallen asleep so trustingly in his arms, if she truly believed that all there was between them was attraction.
But after being on cloud nine the night before, he also couldn’t deny that it felt like he’d just crashed and hit the pavement with a painful splat this morning.
He’d been so sure that making love, even if they hadn’t made any verbal promises to each other, would move them forward.
He turned on the faucet in the shower and let the water rush over him, the sound of the spray masking his groan at the realization that, at least as far as Molly was concerned, they’d taken a step backward.
He wanted another chance to convince her. Wanted more time to make his case without having to hop out of Molly’s bed to sneak down the hall before Amelia saw him. But by the time he dressed and headed into the kitchen, Molly was gone.
She’d left a note on the kitchen table.
A—
I need to get to work early today, and since it’s Tuesday, I have class tonight. If you’re hungry, eat dinner without me and I’ll make something for myself when I get home. Hopefully your dad can help you with whatever you need while I’m gone. I’ll have my cell phone on, just in case.
Love you,
Mom
Feeling even crankier that there was no note for him, he was banging the pots and pans so loudly as he got bacon and eggs ready that he almost didn’t hear Amelia say, “Good morning.”
“Good morning, sweetheart.” He opened his arms, and when she walked into them, he immediately felt a million times better. When Aldwin walked up, Harry scratched the top of his head.
“Are you going to come to school with me this morning to work on the sets?” She grabbed a piece of toast that had just popped up from the toaster and slathered it with butter and jam. Aldwin happily hoovered up the crumbs that fell on the floor. “Or are you going to work with Mom again?”
“She didn’t invite me,” he grumbled. “I’d love to walk over to the school with you, if that’s okay with you.” He was really happy to spend time working on something that meant so much to Amelia.
She let Aldwin out to take care of business, then said, “My friends couldn’t stop talking about you all day. And then I got a bunch of texts last night while I was doing homework asking if you were available.”
“Your friends want to know if I’m available?” He was horrified by the thought.
“No. I mean, the texts were from my friends. But their moms are the ones who want to know. Don’t worry, I told them you’re off the market.”
“You did?”
“Of course.” She looked at him like he was operating on only half his cylinders. “You’re still in love with Mom, so how could you date anyone else?”
Harry had to sit down. Good thing the bacon and eggs were done, so he could turn off the burners and pull up a kitchen chair.
“How’d you know?”
“You’re joking, right?” She let Aldwin back in, then took over where he’d left off in the kitchen, putting a plate of food in front of him, then sitting down with her own breakfast, Aldwin at her feet. “Every time you look at my mom, you get all gooey eyed.” She forked up some eggs and swallowed them before adding, “And she gets the same way every time she looks at you.”
At last, he felt more cheerful. “She does, doesn’t she?”
“Totally. Although I think she’s still kind of freaked out by everything, so that’s making it harder for her to see how perfect you guys are together.” Amelia got up to grab the orange juice from the fridge and poured them each a glass. “Give her some time. She’ll come around.”
Harry had never thought he’d be getting relationship advice from a fifteen-year-old, let alone his fifteen-year-old daughter. Nonetheless, he knew she was right.
Molly needed time. Time to wrap her head around everything that had changed.
Time to get used to not being Amelia’s only parent.
Time to forgive him for pushing her away in college, and to forgive herself for not knowing he could be her baby’s father.
Time to see that she could trust him not to take her for granted again.
Time for him to woo her properly, with the kind of romance and care that she deserved.