Chapter Four
“What did he say after that?” June asked on Monday morning.
“We enjoyed our meal, and he took me home.” Molly smiled as she related her date to her friend. “He came around on Sunday and spent some time with the kids because he was working all day on Saturday.”
“How do you feel about all of this? Come on, Molly, give a woman details here. Yours and Dale’s relationship is just so…”
“Weird?”
“Yes, it really is. I mean, every time he looks at you, it’s like you’re the only woman in the world to him, and that is really amazing to watch.”
She nibbled her lip, and June sighed.
“You don’t see it, do you?”
She shrugged. “I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass. After we had sex for the first time, he, erm, he … was with Chloe.”
“What?” June yelled the word, and she winced at the sound. “Dale cheated on you?”
“I don’t know if he cheated. We were never clear on if we were actually dating at the time. Chloe was bragging about her time with him in the girls’ locker room. It wasn’t a very nice experience at all, and I guess it kind of tore me up. The next time he asked me out, I told him no.”
“Wow.”
“Then I just didn’t say anything, and our time together was enough to get me pregnant. Talk about unlucky, huh? Not that I consider Sasha bad luck or anything. I love her so much. Her and Luke.”
June rested her head on her hand. She was sitting at one of the tables in the bakery. They didn’t have any customers at the moment, but that would change in a few minutes when the lunch rush came through.
“I just … we went to the same school, and yet I didn’t know anything about this.”
“I’m not one to brag.”
“Chloe’s a mega-bitch.”
Molly chuckled. “She had her eye on Dale, and I guess she got what she wanted.” Again, she shrugged. “It’s what makes it so hard.”
“What do you mean?”
“Every time he asks me to marry him, I want to. I want to scream from the rooftops, ‘Yes, I want you.’ I’ve loved him for a long time. Longer than before he’d noticed me, to be honest. He’s always been this incredibly sweet guy, and I think that’s what makes it so hard. Because he’s so sweet, and yet I know he’s been with other women. We’ve said some pretty nasty things to each other in the past as well.”
“You have?” June asked.
“Yeah, I’ve not been perfect, June. Far from it.”
June smiled. “I can’t imagine you two arguing or you saying or doing anything bad.”
“It’s different. I’m not the victim here, June. I’m as much to blame as Dale. Before Luke was conceived, he’d come by the house, and Sasha was in bed asleep. He asked to marry him and I gave him my usual answer, and he said something along the lines of, I’m going to stop asking, and then what are you going to do? I turned around and told him that I didn’t need his ass to help me out, so why didn’t he just go back to the whores he liked to stick his dick into.” Her cheeks heated remembering the argument they’d had. “He stormed out of the house, and I went up and looked at my baby.”
“It sounds like you’ve had a constant communication breakdown at every single turn.”
“It’s not been easy,” Molly said. “I can’t even claim to be the saint. On the one hand, I’ve wanted to marry him, but I always remember what he said and how he said it. He didn’t want to be tied down with a baby and a wife. Why would I make him be something he doesn’t want?”
“Well, the tides are changing now. I’ve heard a lot of whispers and gossip the past week, so be prepared for a lot of questions,” June said.
Molly groaned. “You see, this is what I hoped to avoid. He should have just ignored Chloe. I did.”
“Chloe’s a spiteful bitch, and from what I hear she’s had it in for you for a long time. I’d be careful there, and don’t trust her.”
“I never did.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and stood up, heading behind the counter.
June did the same, putting a hand on her large stomach as she did. “This baby is never coming out.”
“You’re not that far along. Believe me, start panicking when you go past your due date. You’ll wish you didn’t complain then.”
“Did you love being pregnant?” June asked.
Molly sighed. “They were hard pregnancies, to be honest. I loved feeling my babies grow, and of course when they kick, and you hear the heartbeat. They’re magical. I only wished a lot of other things would be different.”
“Yeah, well, they’re different now.”
“What are we going to do when you can’t bake?” Molly asked.
She really needed this job but knew the time would come when June wouldn’t be able to keep on working.
“I wish I could say I was ready to take over,” Molly said.
“It’s okay. I’ll find someone.” She patted her arm. “Your job will always be secure, and even if I can’t bake, I’ll be here.”
She loved June, and it was moments like this that she wished they’d been friends in school. They hadn’t been enemies, but June hadn’t been a cheerleader, so they’d never really walked in the same circles until now.
The door opened, and she didn’t have time to think about anything else. Focusing on the customer, she smiled and handed out the first sandwiches that had been ordered.
“I’m so sorry to hear about what happened between you and Dale,” Francis said. She worked at the local library and was a huge gossip.
“I’m sorry?”
“You know, Dale not coming forward to be the father of your babies. I’m so sorry about all the pain you’ve been through.”
“Dale’s been wonderful, honestly.”
Over and over, people who had once sneered at her were suddenly being caring, and she didn’t like the attention, not one bit. She preferred it when they thought she had some kind of disease.
When Max, Dale, and Trey entered the bakery, she felt an overwhelming relief to see him. Trey moved toward his wife and pulled her into his arms, while Dale came to her side. She didn’t try to pull away as he cupped her face and kissed her deeply.
“Wow, this sucks. June, you need to hire someone else so that I can get a smooch come lunchtime,” Max said. “I feel totally lonely here.”
“You kiss so many things I feel you should come with a warning,” June said, laughing.
“Please, if you knew how good I kissed, you wouldn’t be giving Trey here the time of day. You’d totally be in my hands.” He then puckered his lips, making kissing noises.
Molly laughed. “Don’t you have a date or something?”
“Nope. I am dateless, womanless, and it would seem friendless. I feel like I was the last to know about June and Trey, and I was. I was also the last to find out that Dale is the father of Sasha and Luke. I’m the last to know everything.” Max sighed, and stared at the counter. “I need to comfort eat from all my loneliness. What’s good?”
“Everything,” Molly said.
She looked toward Max and saw someone waiting behind him. Kissing Dale on the lips, she turned toward Aria Smith, who was waiting to be served.
“What would you like?” she asked.
Aria was twenty-three years old, and had been behind them two years in school. From what Molly remembered, she’d been a quiet girl, and bullied for her weight and her deep auburn hair.
“Could I have the chicken salad in a roll, please?”
Max turned to look behind him.
Out of all the men, Max had something to say to everyone about anything, but when he looked at Aria, he didn’t say a word. Molly finished serving her up, and took her money, handing her the change.
“Thank you.”
“Hey, Aria,” June said, moving toward the counter and pulling away from Trey.
“Yes?”
“Did you do that baking course that you kept mentioning?” June asked.
“I did.”
“I don’t suppose you’d be interested in taking over from me after a trial run, would you?” June patted her stomach. “I’ve got all the recipes you’d need.”
Aria was so shy and timid that it completely took Molly’s breath away when she saw her smile. “I’d totally love to do that.”
“Excellent. Would you come by this weekend, and we can check it out?”
“I’d love that. Thanks, June.”
Before anyone else could say anything, Aria was gone.
“You know her?” Trey asked.
June tapped him lightly on the stomach. “Of course I know her. We used to bake together in high school. We were the ones that made all the cookies that you guys bought. She loved baking and always wanted to train professionally. Once I graduated and left, we lost touch. I wonder what she’s been up to.”
“I don’t remember her,” Dale said.
“You were too busy screwing cheerleaders,” Max said.
The tension in the bakery mounted, and this was Molly’s cue to get more food.
****
“Thanks a fucking lot, fucker,” Dale said. He gave Max the finger and left, finding Molly in the back, placing the gingerbread cookies neatly onto a serving platter.
She glanced back at him. “You can’t get too close.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to come too near.” There were so many mixing bowls, but seeing as it was a bakery, he understood why.
“Max is a total asshole. You shouldn’t listen to anything he says.”
“I’m not going to hold the past against you, Dale. I want to move on. Everyone who came into the shop today all had something to say about our situation,” she said, looking back at him. “I don’t want people thinking you’re a bad person.”
“I am a bad person. I didn’t step up when I should have.”
“You tried to step up, and I wouldn’t let you. I won’t let anyone say otherwise. We can do the blame game all we want, but it doesn’t change anything.” She finished putting the tray together, and turned toward him. “I don’t want you to feel responsible for what happened. It’s not your fault.”
“Can I come over tonight?” he asked.
He’d seen that she still wore the ring he’d given her.
“I’d love that. I’m making lasagna.”
“My favorite.”
“It’s Luke’s favorite, too.”
“Kid takes after his father.”
She chuckled. “Every week, we have a day where we cook each other’s favorite. Yesterday we had spaghetti, which is Sasha’s favorite. Today it’s lasagna, and tomorrow we have tacos, but I make sure to put less spice in theirs, and they love it.”
“So how about Thursday I come over and cook steak for us all? That’s one of my favorites.” He didn’t want to move too fast, but he also didn’t want to go too slow either.
“I’d love that.”
“Kids can eat steak?”
“They can. I don’t like to serve it rare though. I like to make sure it’s thoroughly cooked.”
“I will take that on board.” He tapped his head. “I had no idea you could cook.”
She laughed. “I couldn’t in the beginning. I was on ramen noodles and takeout food. It wasn’t exactly healthy for me or the baby, so I’m learning to cook every single day. June’s doing everything she can to teach me how to bake, but it’s not something I’m a natural with. I’ll get there.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but I think you’re a wonderful mother.”
He saw the tears in her eyes, and cursed. He didn’t mean to make her cry.
“You know, that is the nicest thing that anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you, Dale.”
June entered the kitchen and paused. “I ruined a moment, didn’t I?”
“No, no moment ruined,” Molly said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Max has your order,” June said.
He nodded and left, following his friends across the road toward the tattoo parlor that Trey owned.
Max was already eating when he arrived.
“I see you didn’t wait for me.”
“Your sandwich is on the counter. You were too busy flirting with your woman to see us leave.”
“She is my woman,” Dale said, taking a bite out of his sandwich and thinking about Molly.
“Can you believe this is where we’re at?” Trey said.
“What do you mean?” Max’s words were jumbled as he spoke with his mouth full.
“I’m married and about to have a kid. Dale has two kids, and is trying to get the woman he wants to marry him, and you’re tongue-tied around Aria.”
Dale raised his brow as he looked toward Max.
“You were tongue-tied?” he asked.
“I was thinking about what to buy.”
“Bullshit. You couldn’t form any words while Aria was in the room. The moment you saw her, you went all silent, and only spoke when she’d left the place. Does that tell you something?”
“It tells me that I was hungry.”
Dale laughed. For the first time ever he saw Max’s face go bright red.
“Holy shit, do you have a crush on her or something?”
“I don’t even remember her.”
“Now that is a total lie,” Trey said. “There’s no way that you go that way when you look at a woman.”
Dale saw the guilt in Max’s eyes. “What did you do?”
“What?”
“Look, I don’t remember the last time you looked guilty about something, but it is bothering you. Just let us know what it is so we can help you,” Dale said.
He took another bite of his sandwich as Max finished chewing his.
“I may have said some shitty things to her is all. Kind of like the realization I was a prick.”
“You’re only just seeing this now?” Trey said.
“Look, I was an asshole at school. I get it. I thought I ruled the school. Chicks wanted me, and I didn’t have to worry about getting my fucking head down and studying. I made a lot of mistakes, and one of those mistakes was Aria, okay? I wasn’t nice to her.”
“We’ve all made mistakes,” Dale said.
“Yeah, well, some mistakes are best not dwelled upon, okay? When I see Aria next, I’ll apologize. It was just a shock, and I saw how nervous she was. Maybe it’s hanging out with you two pussies or something. I don’t know. Either way, I don’t like this feeling.”
The doorbell rang.
Time for chatting was over. Trey took the guy to the back, while Dale made his way behind the counter, checking out the latest ink that Trey had done. Some of their clients didn’t mind having the designs photographed and placed in his book.
“I called her lard ass,” Max said, drawing his attention.
“What?”
“That’s what I called her. You and Trey weren’t there. I was pissed off about something, and she was in the way. I yelled in the cafeteria ‘lard ass,’ and everyone laughed. I don’t recall her coming to the cafeteria again.” Max ran a hand down his face. “I don’t even think I found it funny at the time.”
“What made you so angry that you would do that?”
“I don’t fucking remember. It could have been a teacher calling me useless back then. I had a short temper.”
“And you think now is any better?” Dale asked.
“I need to take a leak.”
Dale blew out a breath, watching his friend leave for the bathroom. Max with guilt was a strange sight.
Flipping through the portfolio, he caught sight of a heart with names inside, and he paused. Grabbing a pencil, he began to sketch an idea, with Molly and his babies’ names inside.
The doorbell sounded as he was finishing up. Putting the paper to one side, he looked up to see Chloe.
“Hi, I hope it’s okay to drop in like this,” she said.
“Are you here to badmouth my woman?” he asked, glaring at her.
“You heard it all wrong, to be honest. I didn’t mean those things. It was just a shock to see her, and to see that she now had two children.”
“They’re both mine.”
“How can you be so sure?” Chloe asked. “We all know a lot of guys wanted to date her in high school. What’s to say that you didn’t scare them all off so easily?”
He’d already figured out her game. Molly had been the girl that most guys wanted, but he’d put fear into every single one of them to stay away from her. She’d been sweet, kind, and sexy rolled into one package. She never gave any of the guys the time of day. That was why it had been such a big deal when she agreed to date him.
That’s because she’s yours.
“I missed you, Dale.”
She reached out to put a hand on his arm, and he pulled away from her touch. “What do you want, Chloe? I told you back in high school. You and me, it’s never going to happen. I don’t give a shit the kind of lies you spread, and you do. The only thing you spread more than lies is your legs.” She gasped, and he rolled his eyes. “Please, get over yourself. You’re clearly here to cause a problem between Molly and me.”
Her glare said it all. “You shouldn’t have ever been with her. What did she have that I didn’t?”
“Wow, still trying to fuck Dale, are we now?” Max said. He tutted. “Couldn’t handle breaking him and Molly up when they were younger, so you’re going to try to do it now?”
“Get out of my shop, Chloe. Don’t consider yourself welcome here ever again,” Trey said, who’d joined them in the doorway.
Chloe flicked her hair back, gave them both a glare, and left. He watched the door close behind her before turning toward Max. “What do you mean she broke Molly and me up?”
“Put two and two together. I heard the rumors about your hooking up with Chloe right after you dated Molly.”
“It’s not true.”
“Yeah, but Molly didn’t know that, and I bet that’s the reason she never wanted to date you again.”