Chapter Two
“What do you think?” Molly asked, crouching down to watch her babies as they took a bite of the latest batch of brownies she’d made. They were in June’s baking shop, about to wrap up for the day. It was a Saturday, and her kids loved hanging around, trying June’s experiments and also helping Molly perfect her baking.
She wished she’d taken more time to practice growing up, but between classes and cheering it had been a struggle. Academics hadn’t come easy to her, so she’d spent all of her free time studying. When she’d gotten pregnant and got kicked out of the squad, she had a lot more time on her hands, and didn’t even have to pretend to fit in.
“It’s … really … chewy.” Sasha rubbed her neck. “Can I have some milk?”
Molly chuckled. “That bad?”
“June says they have to be squishy and chocolately,” Luke said.
Kissing each of her kids on the head, she took the tray of disaster brownies and threw them into the trash. Another disaster, and another try was coming up.
She didn’t get started, though, as a couple of customers entered. June was in the back, icing up some cookies to put on display.
Molly didn’t dare interrupt her while she piped and flooded nearly a hundred cookies. They sold out, and by the time the first batch sold out, June was ready with the next one.
After serving the latest customers, she went back to her kids and helped them with drawings that they’d started. Once they were settled, she began to stock the fridge and the display cabinet.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the little whore who has a job.”
Molly tensed, putting the last bottle of water in the fridge before turning to see Chloe. It had been a few years since she’d heard from Chloe, who happened to be the leader of the cheer squad, and who’d once been her friend.
Her babies were near the counter, and she hoped they didn’t hear.
She stared at Chloe, who was dressed in an expensive-looking business suit, and the sneer on her face made Molly feel ten inches tall.
Her hands fisted at her sides, and she didn’t have a clue what to say. Chloe hadn’t liked her since Dale asked her out. From that day forward, Chloe made her life hell, which only got worse when Molly came to school pregnant.
“What can I get you?” Molly asked.
“I want nothing from you, skank. Look at you, you’ve not even stayed in shape either. Just a fat waste of space.” She looked toward her kids. “And still bringing bastards into the world.”
Molly stepped up close. Any nerves she felt were gone. “You can say whatever you want to me, but you leave my babies out of this.” She made sure her voice didn’t wobble as she glared at the other woman. She may not be able to stand up for herself, but there’s no way she’d let anyone be spiteful to her kids.
After Sasha asked her what “a skank and a whore” meant a few months ago, she’d stopped her own parents from taking care of them.
“What’s going on here?” Dale asked, and Chloe pulled away, the sneer being replaced by a smile.
“Oh, my, if it isn’t Dale Lewis, still in Winters Fall,” Chloe said.
“I never left.”
Molly looked at his face and wondered if he’d heard what Chloe had said.
Using the distraction to get away, she ruffled her babies’ heads and stood behind the counter, waiting.
“It’s such a surprise to see you here. I didn’t expect that.” Chloe moved toward Dale, and Molly tried not to be jealous as she went to touch him.
Chloe and Dale had been an item at some point in high school, but then, most of the girls she’d known had screwed Dale. She’d not been special.
She’d just been the unlucky one that had the condom break on her. First time having sex, and first time using a condom.
Dale grabbed Chloe’s arm. “How long?”
“Excuse me?”
“How long have you been putting Molly through hell? I had no idea that her own friends had turned on her.”
“What?” All the confidence in Chloe’s face disappeared.
“You, your little clique of girls, you all disgust me. The fact I even gave any of you the time of day disgusts me.” He looked at Molly, then at the two kids. “And if you call my babies bastards one more time, you’re not going to like what I do.”
He shoved Chloe’s hand away, and in her high heels she stumbled. “What?” Chloe looked at Molly, then at her kids.
No one had ever seen the resemblance to Dale before, but when people knew the truth like Trey, June, and even Max, they saw Dale in them.
“That’s right. They’re my kids. Molly is mine. Her babies are because of me. Don’t you ever let me hear her calling her a skank again, because you won’t like what I’ve got to spread about you.”
Chloe rushed away, and Molly’s heart pounded as she looked at Dale. The anger was clear on his face.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said.
Dale went straight to Sasha and Luke’s side. “You okay?”
“Yep. Mommy can’t make brownies,” Sasha said. “I think it broke my tooth.”
He burst out laughing, ruffled their hair, and then moved toward her. The counter didn’t separate them, and part of her was tempted to shout June for help, but she didn’t. She stared at the man who’d given her two precious jewels and crushed her heart in the process. This was what made it so hard to deny him. No matter what they said to each other, she always found herself back in his arms, craving him in ways that she’d never done with another man. No one else could ever match up to him, and she knew it was because she’d fallen in love with him all those years ago. No one else would ever be good enough.
“You had to live with that through high school?”
“Chloe hasn’t liked me for a long time. She wanted you, and when you asked me out on a date, I became public enemy number one. Then of course when I got pregnant, it was a lot more fun for her.”
“I had no idea.”
“It was a long time ago. Don’t worry about it.”
“A long time ago? It was six years.”
“And to some that is entirely another life. Honestly, Dale, it’s not a problem.”
She saw that to him it still was a big a problem.
“You’re not a whore.”
“I know that. Don’t worry about it.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I don’t like it. There’s no way I’m ever going to be able to stand someone calling you that. I won’t allow it.”
She touched his hand where he held her. “It’s sweet of you.” It would be so easy for her to fall for him. Dale had that way about him where he did or said certain things, and she always just swooned. It was her punishment, or at least that was what she always assumed. When it came to him, she’d always found it hard to resist him, which was why she had Luke. After the birth of her second child, she’d been determined to always take precautions, and even though it cost her money to see the doctor, she’d gotten on the pill as soon as possible.
There had been a lot of times since Luke’s birth that she and Dale had hooked up as well.
Pulling away from his touch, she offered him a smile. “Thank you for saving me there.” She needed to put some distance between them.
“Go out with me Friday night,” he said.
“Next week?”
“Of course. I couldn’t ask you about last Friday. It’s already gone. Trey and June have already said they’ll look after the kids. Please, Molly, trust me.” He stepped closer to her. “I’m not going to hurt you. Give me this chance, please. I’m not the guy that you once knew. I’m different now.”
She bit her lip and found herself nodding her head before she could stop it.
“Okay. Yes, I’ll go out with you Friday.”
“It’s a date.”
He stepped toward her, and she couldn’t help but take a step back. She saw the sadness in his eyes and instantly regretted it, but he’d already moved toward their kids. He bent down, kissing first Sasha on the cheek, then Luke, ruffling their hair before he left the shop.
“I thought you were going to say no,” June said.
Molly glanced toward the doorway of the bakery to see her friend there. Icing covered her cheeks and fingers.
“I was.”
“Why?”
“I just … I … I don’t want to have a broken heart again, and Dale’s stomped on it more times than I can count. I don’t want to be another woman that caves to him.”
“He loves you,” June said.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s guilt. I sometimes think he feels guilty for what happened.” She rubbed at her temple. “Are you sure you’re okay to watch the kids Friday? I can cancel.”
“No. You’re not canceling. You’re going to have some fun. Trey and I need the practice. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” June gripped her shoulders and then kissed her cheek. “You’ll have fun, you’ll see.”
****
“You nervous?” Max asked, eating another handful of potato chips.
Dale glared at his friend before looking at his reflection. He wore a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, and boots. Winters Fall was not known for its fancy restaurants, but he loved The Sexy Cowgirl. They served great food and beer, and played some awesome music. What he needed was to take Molly away from being the mom, away from being the girl he’d knocked up, and show her he was still that guy she’d liked in high school.
He didn’t even know if she liked him anymore, let alone cared. Sure, they had great chemistry that never fizzled out. She was the one girl that had gotten away from him, and he didn’t like it.
Over the years he’d tried not to care, which had been easier to do when he didn’t see her every single day. The moment he saw her, she always had the power to awaken feelings inside him he’d tried to forget.
It never worked.
“This is the first chance she’s given me in a long time, Max. She’s the mother of my children, and at every single turn has turned down my marriage proposals. I even tried to order her to marry me, and that lasted a couple of days before she said no. What do you think?”
“You could have just said yes instead.” Max shoved in another handful of potato chips, crunching on them.
The noise grated on his nerves. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t Max’s fault. This was his own fault.
“Thank you,” Dale said.
“What?”
“I wanted to thank you for taking care of Molly when I wasn’t there, and for being yourself with her.”
“You’re welcome.” Max scratched the back of his head. “Just show her how you feel without being cocky about it.”
Dale sighed.
He loved her.
There was no doubt about that.
He’d screwed up at every single point with her. He wasn’t going to do that again. He was older now, wiser, and knew where he’d gone wrong.
“Don’t ask her to marry you tonight,” Max said. “Just be yourself as if you’ve both not seen each other from high school, and don’t have that very messy history that seems to always come between you two.”
“I’m not embarrassed to tell the world I fathered those kids. She didn’t want anyone to know.”
“I get that. I even understand why she didn’t want the world to know, so everyone wasn’t gossiping behind your back. Seeing as you told Chloe, the biggest blabber in the town, everyone will know by the time you walk into that bar tonight.”
He’d told Max about what went down at the bakery. Even retelling the shit Chloe said had made him so angry he’d punched the fucking wall he’d been working on. Max had simply shrugged as if it wasn’t news to him, which again only annoyed him. He should have known what was going on back in high school. Chloe had always been a nasty bitch, and much to his shame, he’d not cared because out of the entire cheer squad, she’d been the easiest.
Yes, he’d been a huge bastard, but that had all changed.
“Make her forget, and if people stare, act like it’s not a big deal. You want to win her over, you’ve got to step up into the big man shoes now,” Max said, finishing off his potato chips.
Dale left his apartment, which he’d begun renting after he left Max’s, as his friend started to grate on his nerves.
His friend was constantly screwing two and three women at a time, and didn’t seem to have a care in the world.
That life for him was over, and it hadn’t been a good one to start off with. The more he thought about Molly and his kids, the more he wanted a family.
Climbing into his car, he drove toward Molly’s house. It would be a lot easier if she let him move in, and they could pay the bills, and live life together, but she wouldn’t let him. He also knew it was partly his fault.
Through the years, when they were alone and she didn’t give him what he wanted, and he wasn’t talking sex either, he’d say some nasty shit and leave.
Each time, he regretted it and would come crawling back.
He was done being the asshole and lashing out for no good reason.
Arriving outside her door, he took several deep breaths, feeling this could be the change that he’d been hoping for.
He always carried the engagement ring he intended to give to her, and it was stored safely in his wallet, but that wasn’t coming out tonight.
Walking toward her door, he pressed the bell, waiting.
Seconds passed, and she opened the door. There was no Sasha or Luke playing around her feet as she did. Just Molly.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey. I didn’t think you’d turn up there for a moment.”
“Can I admit I did a really girly thing?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I was nervous, so I invited Max to my place to check to make sure I looked decent.” He stood with his arms outstretched, and gave a twirl.
She chuckled, and he fell. Damn, he’d missed that sound coming from her so much. “You look very handsome.”
He held his hand out. “Can I see my lady?”
She rolled her eyes, but opened the door the entire way, revealing her figure-hugging dress. Since having Luke she’d filled out, making her tits larger, her hips, thighs, and stomach rounder. His cock began to swell, and a wave of arousal pulsed through him, which he pushed aside.
Tonight wasn’t about sex, and he was determined to make it a night to remember.
Molly held his hand, and gave him a little twirl of her own. She looked sexy as fuck in the dress, which had some sparkles across the hips that only seemed to enhance her curves. Maybe going out was a big mistake, because he didn’t want anyone else seeing how sexy his woman was.
She was all his, and had been for some time.
“You look so beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
He waited as she locked her door, and when she placed her arm through his as they walked toward his car, everything felt right.
This was his woman.
When he picked her up on their first date in high school, he’d known she was special. She was the first girl he’d even tried to impress, and been the only girl since then that he thought about the most.
When he opened the door for her, she thanked him, and climbed inside.
Get a grip, Dale. Focus. This is your chance.
He got into the car, and his hands were shaking, his nerves trying to get the better of him, but he didn’t stop.
Starting up the car, he pulled away from the curb and began the short journey toward the bar.
“I wanted to talk to you before we got to the bar tonight,” he said.
“Okay.”
“Can we … I want to … forget about the past between us. I don’t mean our kids, because I don’t want to forget about them. I mean everything in between. The shitty things I’ve said and didn’t mean.” He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I know I don’t deserve another chance, and you’re probably scared right now that I’m going to break your heart, but I promise you, I won’t.”
“I don’t want to keep remembering the past, Dale. It …it’s not the best memory, so I’m happy for us to go on and think just of the future.” She gave his hand a squeeze, and in that simple action, he actually believed that they could move forward.
Arriving at the bar, he saw it was already busy. He parked so that if more people arrived, he’d still be able to get out. When he was younger, he’d been a fool and had to walk home because people who’d brought their cars had drunk, and left their vehicles to pick up the next day. He’d not been able to get out from his spot, and since then, he always made sure he could leave at any time.
He didn’t mind the walk, but if he didn’t have to take it, he wouldn’t.
Parking up, he quickly left the car, and rounded toward Molly’s side, opening the door. He held his hand out, and she took it without any hesitation.
“I’ve never been here,” she said.
When he took her out in high school, they went to the diner. They’d been way too young to even try getting in the bar.
“Well, you’re in for some surprises, and a lot of fun.” He saw a bunch of men waiting outside having a smoke, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He wanted everyone to know before he even entered the bar that she belonged to him, and there was no way they were taking her away from him. He’d never been this possessive over a woman before. Molly was different. From the moment she agreed to go out with him, she’d belonged to him. Now he just needed her to see it herself.