TheFinalChapter
Molly’s head jerked, waking her from a deep sleep. The sun was shining in her eyes. She hated these sheer curtains. At least, she hated them this early in the morning, while she was still in bed. Give her a couple of minutes and she’d love them again. She rolled out of the empty bed and onto the floor in one swift movement. Her leg landed on a squeaky toy, which summoned the beast. From the other end of the small cabin she could hear the tip, tip, tip of his feet running on the hardwood floors. She turned her head slightly and peered at the closed door from under the bed. The door wasn’t completely shut – it never was. Justin always left it slightly ajar in case Mary called for them at night. The hollow wooden door was nudged open and she could see four, small, furry feet on the floor. In another swift movement, she jumped on top of the bed. “Simon!” she said. The small terrier looked up, startled, and then appeared to smile. With his ears up and his tongue out, he jumped up onto the bed and pounced on Molly. She giggled and fell over, snuggling the little, brown, Benji-like dog.
The ruckus must have awoken the other sleeping beast because they soon heard shuffling from the other side of the door. “Shhh…” Molly said to Simon. She put her hand over the dog’s snout, gently. He licked her hand. The door opened even wider and in walked a small girl in a set of pink pajamas with little purple butterflies on them. Her hair was a mess. It looked as if her hair was a mess, thick with big waves. She looked up at her mother with big brown eyes. A tiny hand raised up and rubbed one of them in an adorable attempt at waking up.
“Morning, Sweetie,” Molly said. “Did you sleep well?”
Mary nodded. She crawled up onto the bed and raised her hands up in the air. Simon hopped over a mound of sheets and fell into her arms. She hugged him – an act that he tolerated – and he licked her cheek. She rubbed her tiny hands all over his back. Mary was never a big talker in the morning. Not before breakfast. Molly just assumed that it was a trait that her daughter picked up from her. She always told Justin that the time in the morning between getting up and before she finished her first cup of coffee was quiet time. However, since they got the new dog, she realized just how much she liked mornings. The afternoons were so hectic and their evenings were always filled with art, making dinner, and bath times. Mornings were slower and quieter. Usually the only sounds were giggles from the bedroom. She snuggled the dog and her daughter for a few minutes until Justin came home from his morning run. He popped his head in the bedroom door.
“How are my girls this morning?” he asked.
“Mmm…” Molly said, half asleep.
“Mm…” Mary mimicked.
The dog snored. Loudly.
Justin laughed. “You going to visit your mom today?” he asked. “You talked about brunch or something.” He turned and took a few steps down the hall, then turned left – into the bathroom. The light flickered on, illuminating a part of the dark hallway – which was devoid of windows or any other type of light in the early morning. At night, when there isn’t ambient light from the other end of the hallway, the sensor night light came on for Mary.
“Yeah,” Molly said. She had forgot about this and pouted at the reminder.
“You want to take Mary with you or do you want me to take her to the bookstore?” he asked from the bathroom.
Molly turned to Mary who looked up at her with big eyes. “You want to see your grandma today?” she asked.
Mary shook her head. “No.”
“You want to go with daddy?” she asked.
Mary nodded. “Books!”
“I heard that,” Justin said from the bathroom. “I’m on it. I’ll take a shower while you nap. When I finish, I’ll get everyone ready to go and you can take your time. You’ll need all the energy you can get to deal with your mom.”
“I’ve got an article to finish up tonight.”
Justin jumped into the hallway, with his blue toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. Mary giggled at the sight. Her childish laughter brought a smile to both of their faces. “Wait, does that mean that you get a new assignment soon?” he asked, spitting tiny flecks of toothpaste into the hallway.
Molly grinned. “Yeah, but I don’t have to take it now. Do you want to go now or should we stay grounded for a little while?”
“We haven’t gone anywhere for a month or so. Let’s spread our wings a little before the summer ends.” Of course she might have just imagined that he said that since his mouth was full of toothpaste. He crossed his fingers. “I’m hopping fur African safari but I’ll be ‘appy with anyfing,” he mumbled through his mouthful.
She motioned toward the bathroom, prompting him to finish his morning routine. He disappeared through the doorway and shut the door behind him.
“All righty, love,” Molly said, kissing Mary’s forehead. “Are you going to be a good girl for daddy today?”
Mary nodded and rolled over to her hands and knees on the bed. She sat upright and looked over at the bathroom. “Daddy,” she said, pointing down the hall.
“That’s right. You’re going to stay with Daddy today. You’re going to have a lot of fun reading books and playing with Simon,” she said, ruffling the dog’s head. The dog shook his head underneath her hand and then looked up, licking her hand in the process. He stretched his front legs, leaned back, and let his butt stick out in the process. Mary reached over and petted his back. “You guys are going to have a lot more fun than I will this morning.” She patted them both on the head and then rolled over. “You know,” she started. “I used to be really cool and do cool things and now I’m just lying in bed with a smaller version of me. Later today I’ll try to teach you how to use the toilet. What has my life become?”
“You’re an excellent mother!” she heard from down the hall. Justin’s head popped out from the bathroom doorway. “You birthed a freakin’ human being. You can’t get much cooler than that.” He winked at her and disappeared back into the bathroom.
Molly rested her head back down on the bed. A smile appeared on her face and stretched from ear to ear. This is the life, she thought.
* * *
Molly rolled up to the café on her bicycle. From down the street she could see her mother sitting at one of the tables alfresco. Her crisp white maxi dress made her stick out from the background: the dusty red brick building next to the café, and the café itself – which was an olive green with black trim. The café almost looked too modern for the small rustic town. She rode up and slipped her bike into the bike rack on the sidewalk.
A whiff of fresh baked goods – Molly imaged croissants and donuts from the café – blew past her with the soft summer breeze. “Hey mom,” she said as she walked up to the small wrought iron table.
“Morning, dear,” Maribelle replied. She looked up from her cup of coffee. “No Mary this morning? I’d like to see my namesake. You never bring her over. James and I would love to spend more time with her.”
Molly pulled a chair out from across her mother and sat down. “James doesn’t like kids,” she said. “You could always come over to our little cabin.”
Maribelle nodded and shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to.” Her hands, which were cradling the coffee cup, let go and reached out for Molly. Molly reluctantly placed her hands in her mother’s. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been good. They just published my book you know.”
A small, middle-aged woman in a t-shirt that matched the café walls walked up to the table. She wore thin framed gold glasses and no make-up. She didn’t need any though. Her face didn’t show any signs of aging other than a couple tiny wrinkles when she smiled. “Hey, Molly,” she said. “What can I get you?”
Maribelle let go of her daughter’s hand so that she could focus on the waitress.
“Hey Suzy! Um, a 16 ounce caramel macchiato, please. Hot. No whip. In a to-go cup, please.”
“Coming right up,” the waitress replied. She turned to Maribelle. “Can I get you anything else, ma’am?”
Maribelle shook her head and waved her off. “Published your book?” she said to Molly, ignoring the waitress as she turned to walk away. “The one about your road trip?”
Molly scowled then sighed. She wouldn’t expect anything less from her mother, who treated everyone else like they were beneath her. “It was more than just a road trip. It was a bigger journey than that. You and James should do the same. It was really an eye opening experience. I learned a lot about myself.”
“Me? Live in a car for a year? You know I couldn’t do that. I love my creature comforts.” She looked at her cuticles. “You know that.”
“Yeah, I suppose I always did. I just thought that you’d try something adventurous for a change.”
“Oh, like skipping out on my wedding and running away with some troublemaker who works in a garage?”
Molly pursed her lips and squinted. She looked down at her watch. “Three minutes. Three whole minutes before you said it out loud. That must be some kind of record. I don’t think you’ve held it in that long since I left Kevin at the altar. You must be very proud of yourself.” She slow clapped. “You’re never going to let that go, are you mother?”
“Of course not. You threw away your whole life. And what for? For Justin? Was he worth it?”
“Yes!” Molly spouted. She sat upright in her seat. “Yes, he was totally worth it.” All around her, patrons and another café waitress stopped what they were doing so they could watch. “I did it for love, Mother. Of course, you wouldn’t know about that. You wouldn’t know what it’s like to love anyone other than yourself and money.
“I’m happy, can’t you realize that? I have a beautiful family. We both have fantastic jobs that we love. And no, he doesn’t ‘just work in the garage’ anymore,” she said, mocking her mother’s nagging voice. “He owns it. He has managers that run it. We own the Book Stop now.”
“It’s not a real job though. I mean... It’s a gawd forsaken bookstore, Molly. What kind of living is that?”
“It’s a happy one. It’s a quiet one. We can come home from our travels and enjoy our quiet life. Until I decide to pick up another article. Then we fly off – around the world. We enjoy life. Tell me. When you’re on your deathbed, are you going to have any regrets? Because I can assure you that I won’t.”
“You won’t regret leaving Kevin?”
“I will never regret that. I am living my life to the fullest. I just got published. I have a family. I love my job. I don’t feel like a waste of space. We have a bookstore in my favorite town. We have a house and no mortgage. Mom, I couldn’t be happier. Why can’t you be happy for me?”
“A tiny cabin out in the middle of the woods though…” she said. “What kind of legacy is that?”
Molly snickered. “Do you even know what a legacy is, Mom? Legacies aren’t just about money and properties. They are about what you can pass along. I can honestly say that when Justin and I pass away – if we were to die in a car accident tomorrow, we wouldn’t just leave behind property and money to Mary. We would leave behind our values after we’re gone. We’ve planted trees in the forests. We’ll pass along amazing stories. We’ll pass along our beliefs about living without regrets, what it means to inspire others… We’ll have books, articles, photographs, and stories about our triumphs. Hopefully, we can pass along our sense of adventure. We would leave behind more than just monetary things, Mom. If we die tomorrow, I know that Mary will know that we love her. I can’t say the same for you and James. Or… Dad.” She finally tore away from the gaze that she shared with her mother’s brown eyes. The waitress who was fixated on their argument, smiled sheepishly at Molly before skittering away. That’s when she realized that everyone else was doing the same thing: walking away with smiles on their faces.
“I love you,” Maribelle suddenly blurted out. “I only want what’s best for you. I don’t know how to show you in any other way than this…” Her voice trailed off.
Molly sighed and took the purse that was hanging off of her shoulder and set in on the table. She pulled out a small notebook and a pen. It was a hardcover notebook, bound in beautiful black leather. It was soft to the touch, but taut and strong enough that it didn’t seem as though it would rip as soon as it touched something. “I got you something,” she said.
“Is it a copy of your book?” Maribelle asked. “What was it called again?”
“No, I didn’t think you really wanted to read it. It’s called ‘Living the Legacy’.”
Maribelle shrugged. Molly didn’t respond to the small nonchalant yet dismissive reaction. Instead she just continued. “It’s a notebook. So that you can start your own list. This pen is one of my favorites. It writes pretty smooth and has a nice cushy grip for you.”
Maribelle stared at it, then glanced up at Molly. “A bucket list?” she said. “Isn’t that kind of morbid?”
“Well, then don’t call it a bucket list,” Molly said. She couldn’t help but smile as she reminisced about the conversation that she had with Justin that night, so long ago. “You don’t have to call it a bucket list. This list is a sign of adventure and hope after all. You’re just making a list of goals and passions. What are the things that you hope to do in the future?”
“Spending some time with my granddaughter would be nice,” Maribelle said with a grin.
“Something more specific than that,” Molly retorted. “What else? Maybe something about traveling? Or starting a job? Art? Creating something? You’re great at interior decorating. Would you want to go to school for something like that?”
Maribelle glared at the notebook. “I’m too old to do stuff like that.”
“You’re never too old for that,” Molly said.
The waitress set the paper cup with the black plastic lid on their table. The cup was an olive green to match the building. “Can I get you anything else?”
Molly shook her head but stopped her before she could walk away. Her hand disappeared into her purse and reappeared holding a $10 bill. “You can keep the change if you tell me what you would put on your list,” she said.
“My list?”
“You know. Your list of goals and passions. Hopes and dreams for the rest of your life. What is something that you’ve always wanted to do?”
“Oh, like a bucket list?”
“Well, if you want to call it that.”
Maribelle couldn’t help but interject. “It’s morbid, isn’t it?” she sputtered.
“It’s not necessarily morbid,” Suzie said. “Um, let’s see. If I could do anything. Money’s no option?”
“Don’t even worry about limitations like that.” Molly replied.
Suzie thought for a moment. “I’d like to go to Uganda and check out the gorillas.”
“Gorillas?” Maribelle said. She snickered.
“Well, then what would you do?” Suzie asked, her face scrunched in annoyance.
“Something a little more elegant than hanging out with gorillas.”
“Like what then?” Suzie asked, her voice breathy and haughty.
“Pick out some elegant fabric in Paris so that I can design my own line of dresses,” Maribelle replied. By the end, her voice petered out.
“Really?” Molly said. “I mean, I always knew that you were stylish. I just didn’t know that you’d rather be making dresses instead of fixing up a room.” She grinned. “I’ll totally support you in that,” she said. She took the notebook from in front of Maribelle and started jotting something down in it, then slid it back over.
Her mother took it from the table and opened it up. “Go to Paris for fabric, to start my own fashion line,” she read out loud. As the words left her mouth, the look on her face softened. She nodded then looked up at Molly. “Will you, Justin, and Mary come with me?”
Molly grinned. “Well, I’ve never been to Paris before,” she said. “And this would make an excellent article for the travel magazine that I work for.”
* * *
“Living the Legacy”
By Molly Shaw
Dedicated to Stephen Yaeger and Michael Shaw
We are taught many things in our short lives. The lessons that we learn make up a large part of who we are. Justin and I were taught that life is precious. Once you realize what your values are, you can mold your life to match your dreams. This book is about finding your passion and about finding the values which will lead to you following your dreams.
When I married Justin, he asked me the most difficult question I’ve ever had to face: What do you want to do? I could tell from the tone in his voice that he wasn’t trying to figure out what was for dinner. He didn’t want to know if I wanted to go see a movie or go on a hike. He wanted to know how I wanted to live my life. Travel? Create? Love? Give? I wanted to do it all. But mostly, I wanted to write. I knew that before I could do that, I needed to have a story to tell and the best way that anyone can come up with a story is to live their life. So that’s what we’ve done.
Justin and I have notebooks that were inspired by his father, Michael. These books are filled with our hopes and dreams. Some might call them Bucket Lists. I call them our adventure books. Some people mocked us. They said that since we have a baby, we aren’t able to live our lives to the fullest but that just convinced us to prove them wrong. It was us against the world. We took a road trip around the United States, visiting all of the 48 states (we’ll try for Alaska and Hawaii later). It took us a year. There is something that is nostalgic and Americana about a road trip around the country.
We had cheap beer in Vegas. We camped in the desert between Arizona and Nevada. We stayed in cheap hotels. We stayed at quaint, themed bed and breakfasts. Our favorite was the fifties style B&B with the diner on the other end of the property. There were canyons and mountains. We went shopping, took pictures, and read books in the most unique places: in the middle of the woods, on trains, in the middle of the desert, and next to a waterfall. The highway was our destiny and left our lives open to whatever we wanted. We took the back roads too. We stopped at roadhouses, truck stops, diners, and as many bookstores as we could find. We filled an empty suitcase with treasures from the most tucked away bookstores that we could find.
While we were on the road, we even started a notebook for our little one, Mary Bella. We put in our hopes and dreams for our little girl, but of course, left it open for her to add her interests, passions, and wants as well. We can’t wait for her to grow up and add her own dreams. She’s already so much fun. We’re so excited to see how much fun we’ll all have together.
Bucket lists can be so morbid. That’s why we’re not calling this your bucket list. Sure, you may be listing everything that you want to do before you kick the bucket, but think of what you’re really doing. You’re leaving a legacy – stories and photographs to share with your children. You’re planting seeds for the future. This isn’t your bucket list. This is your Legacy List. Join us on this journey. Together we’ll find things to explore, create, love, give, learn, experiment on, and challenge ourselves with. Together we’ll find our true calling and passions.
* * *
The door chimed as it hit the bell which hung down from the ceiling. It was now a familiar sound – a sound that signaled the beginning of a great day. The Book Stop smelled musty today. Justin must have gotten a shipment of new books from some antique shop, Molly thought. The door chimed again as she opened it to prop it open. She walked back to the other end of the small building and began opening windows.
“It’s a little musty in here, isn’t it?” Justin said underneath a stack of books somewhere.
“Yeah,” Molly agreed. “Where’s Mary and Simon?”
“They’re upstairs in the loft playing.”
Molly looked overhead and found Mary playing in a secured playpen. She hadn’t remembered seeing the loft at all when she was a kid. It wasn’t until she found herself in charge of this place that she finally noticed it. The addition seemed like the perfect place to have a little reading area for the customers but for the time being it was a perfect play area for their little girl. Mary loved having it and it allowed them to bring her to work. They secured the railing with a Kid Kushion Safe Banister Guard. It was a clear piece of sheeting that attached to the bars of the railing. They could see through it to see what Mary was doing and Mary wouldn’t be able to get caught between the wooden balcony rails or fall over the edge.
“Hey, Sweetie!” she called.
“Hi, Mommy,” Mary called. She mimicked Molly’s wave. Simon lay on the cool hardwood floors. He wasn’t an extremely hairy or furry dog but he still had a fur coat on.
Molly stretched at took a step toward the back room. She had finally converted the room into her office a few weeks prior.
The bell didn’t ring because the door was open but someone like Nattie didn’t need any music to make a big entrance. “Molly!” she called from the front. “It’s your most beautiful best friend! And I have something for you! Come shower me with hugs and kisses!”
When Molly finally made it out from behind a stack of books, and around the corner to the front entrance, Nattie was standing in the middle of the walkway, arms outstretched. “Don’t leave me hanging,” Nattie said. “Come give me some sugar!”
Molly laughed and bounced over, giving her a big hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever! How are you?”
Nattie pulled herself away. “I’m good! As you can see, I’ve been losing weight.” She took a step back and did a twirl so that Molly could get a good look at her.
Molly stared but couldn’t see anything different. “Well,” she started. “I have to say, you look fantastic. Ravishing. Gorgeous.” She paused. “And so thin.”
“You lie. No wait. I lie. I gained a couple pounds. Eating your way through Italy will do that to you though,” she said with a loud chuckle.
“I thought you were supposed to stay in Italy for at least another week.” Molly said, leaning up against a bookcase.
“Well I was but then I realized what the date was. I wasn’t going to miss the look on your faces when I gave you your two- year anniversary present.”
“Aw, sweetie, you didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. But I’m not going to do it here. Your present is back at your place. The little cabin by the lake. I want to see your faces so you have to take me with you when you go home.”
“Okay,” Molly said. She stretched out her arms for another hug. “I’m sure that we’ll love it.”
“Not to brag but I know you will. This had your names written all over it. When I saw it, I was like… Oh good gawd, this is the one!” She held out her hand, which had a gift bag hanging from it. “And this is for the most adorable god daughter on this planet.”
Molly motioned toward the loft. “Mary, Simon, and Justin are up there. Come on.”
Molly led the way up the back stairs into the loft area. It was more spacious than it looked from the ground floor. One far wall was painted teal and had bookshelves built in over a desk area that spanned the entire wall. The beautiful hardwood floors were a light wood, which matched the grey, teal, and orange checkered rug. There was also a matching orange bean bag chair. A grey futon with white and orange striped pillows. A white and teal lamp sat beside the futon. An art easel stood in the corner next to a white projector screen which hung from the other far wall. Recessed lighting helped illuminate the play area. Mary was putting her toys away in her oversized toy chest.
“She’s cleaning up?” Nattie asked. “Seriously, she’s the perfect kid.”
“Actually, this is just one of the ways that she likes to play. She’ll take absolutely everything out of that toy chest, dump it all out on the floor, then pick it all up again.”
“Really?”
Molly shrugged. “She must get it from her daddy.”
They both looked at Justin, who was sitting on the futon reading a book. He shook his head. “Just ask anyone. I never cleaned up my sh-”
“Justin, watch your mouth!” Molly called.
“My stuff…” he said, slow and deliberately. He patted Simon, who was sitting on the couch next to him. Simon woke up and stretched. His little legs went rigid and his neck stretched back. After a moment, he hopped off the couch and shook himself before walking over to the girls for some attention.
“Simon!” Nattie said with a squeal. “I swear, I’m going to take you home one of these days. One day, when they’re not looking, I’m just going to put you in my purse.” She looked up at Justin. “I thought you wanted a bigger dog anyway. You can just give me Simon to me and you can get another one.”
Justin called for the dog, who trotted toward him on a happy step. “Simon is Mary’s pup,” he said. “We’ll never give him up. You should stop trying.” He motioned toward the bag in her hand. “What’s that? Did you say that was a present for Mary?”
Nattie nodded. “I’ll give it to you if you come give me a hug,” Nattie said, reaching out. The little girl scampered over and wrapped her tiny arms around her.
As Nattie played with Mary, Molly sat down beside Justin. “Hey,” she said. “How goes things?”
“Ehn, okay, I guess. How’s your mother?”
“She’s actually doing better than I thought. I just always assumed that she was this superficial person with no dreams of her own but she actually does. She has this passion that I never actually knew about. I guess I never really gave her a chance to tell me though. I was just too busy judging her and whatnot.”
“Amazing what you can do and see when you have an open mind,” Justin offered. He put his arm around her shoulder and she reciprocated by laying her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad that you’re starting to patch things up with your mom.”
“See, now you’re just getting ahead of yourself. I didn’t tell you about the part where she criticized the house, my job, my hair, how we raise our child, and the world in general.”
Justin shrugged. “Well, at least she’s feeling all right. I’d hate to see what she’s like when she’s feeling ornery.”
She smacked him. “She has no other mood. It’s either ornery or sleeping.”
He laughed and then reached over and kissed her head. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Do you ever wish you went through with the wedding to Kevin after all?”
“Oh, gawd no. I do have days where I wonder what took me so long to finally realize that spending the rest of my life with you was what was going to make me the happiest.”
“Does your mother-”
She placed her hand over his mouth. “Don’t you dare ask what my mother thinks of our relationship,” she said, half- serious, half- jokingly. She rolled around and faced him, kissing him on the lips and gazing into his eyes. “Justin Shaw, I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. There is nowhere else I would rather be than here with my favorite people and the love of my life.”
* * *
“But you love to cook,” Molly said as she held onto Justin’s hand. They walked down Stewart street with a hop in their step.
“Mary’s with Miguel and his family. I figured that you’d enjoy a nice night out in the city. You used to love this stuff and I haven’t been here for a year or so.”
“Well, okay then, Mr. Spontaneous, where are we going, exactly?” With her free hand, she straightened the skirt on her red dress.”
“Nowhere fancy, sorry. One of the guys that came into the bookstore yesterday was talking about Lamot, which is some hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant. Apparently there’s really good food there.” He motioned toward a small restaurant that was sandwiched in between a couple of other eateries. It didn’t look like much on the outside but as soon as they stepped into the place, there was a sudden change in atmosphere. It was sleek and modern with some trendy Asian flair. To the right was a handful of booths. To the left was a bar with fifteen to twenty barstools.
A chef poked his head out from the kitchen. “Ah! Seat yourself. Waitress will be with you in just a sec!” He disappeared before they could answer. Justin chose the closest booth to the door and Molly just went along with it. They chatted for a minute before something behind Justin caught her eye.
“You’re not making eyes at some guy are you?” Justin asked, as he raised his water glass to his mouth.
“Don’t be silly. That head just looks familiar. That’s all.”
Justin turned around and caught a glimpse at a couple sitting at the far end of the bar. The man – who had his back to Molly and Justin – was chatting up some girl, who didn’t look interested at all. He quickly excused himself to go to the bathroom and she immediately whipped out her phone. “Emergency call?” Justin whispered. “You think she’s calling a friend for help?”
Molly shrugged, not that Justin could see her since they were both watching the girl’s actions.
“Hey,” she said into her phone. “I’m fine I guess. This guy is soooo boring though. You owe me one.” She paused while her friend said something on the other end of the phone. “Yeah, well, I told you I don’t normally like lawyers.”
“Noo…” Molly said in a loud whisper.
Justin turned back to his wife. “Kevin?”
Molly thought back to what the man looked like. “Oh my gosh, that is Kevin, isn’t it? I should warn the girl.”
“Oh whatever,” the girl said over the phone. “This guy is such a tool. If he wasn’t so rich, there wouldn’t be anything going for him. He’s so wrapped up in his work. Definitely not dating material.”
Justin looked at Molly again. “It looks like she’s not interested anyway.” They both looked in the girl’s direction again, just in time to see Kevin walk out of the bathroom. Molly hid her face behind a menu.
“Hey,” Kevin said. “So you want to come back to my place?”
“I don’t know. I think I’d rather just go home. Do you mind?”
“No,” he said. Molly recognized the tone in his voice. “No, I don’t mind at all. I’ll take you home right away.”
As they walked past the booth where Molly and Justin were sitting, he glanced at her and they caught each other’s eye.
“Molly,” he said suddenly.
Molly looked around. It was already too late. There was nowhere where she could hide. She squeaked in surprise, not thinking that he would recognize her. “Hey,” she said. “Glad to see you again. It’s been so long.”
“You don’t have to feign that tone,” Kevin said. “We might not be engaged anymore but that just means that we don’t have to placate each other either.” He nodded a quick hello at Justin. “Hey,” he said. He turned to Molly again. “How is your little girl?”
“Come on,” snapped his date, standing in the doorway. “I want to go home.”
“More behaved than your little girl,” Molly said with a grin. Kevin rolled his eyes.
“How long were you waiting to unleash that clever comeback?” Justin asked when Kevin finally walked out the door.
“Haha, too long.”
* * *
The next day came too fast. The sun had yet to break through their windows when Molly’s alarm went off. She swatted at it like an annoying mosquito. “Nope,” she muttered under her breath. “Five more minutes…” She had just began to snore again when the lights in the bedroom flickered on. “Ugh,” she groaned, trying to put a pillow over her face. “No, no, too early.” She loved the feel of the sheets against her bare skin and the pillow under her head. She didn’t want to leave them just yet. “Can’t. Go,” she played. “Trapped. In. Sheets.”
Justin chuckled. “Come on. We’ve got to get a move on if we want to beat the morning traffic. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. I’ll go get Mary ready.”
“What?” Molly said pulling the pillow away from her face. She rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed. Justin was already dressed and showered. “When did you get up?”
“About an hour ago. I already packed the car. Just need your suitcase and the overnight bags in the bathroom.” He kissed her on the forehead before heading into the hallway.
Molly could hear Mary babbling to herself in her bedroom. She always woke up when Justin did. Their biological clocks must have been synchronized when Mary was born.
“I don’t know who’s more excited for Disneyland,” Molly said. “You or our little peach.”
“Would it be more embarrassing or less embarrassing to say that Mary is more excited?”
“Probably more since I know that you’re lying,” Molly said, slipping into a nightgown. She made her way into Mary’s room. She was already standing up with her hands up on the edge of her Devon crib.
“Mommy!” she squealed.
“Morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”
Mary nodded. She wasn’t sure if Mary knew what she was saying or if she was just emulated the gestures that her parents did. Molly pulled the lever on the crib which dropped the supports on one of the sides. The side of the crib came off and Molly put it to one side so that Mary could crawl out of bed. She hopped down onto the floor and immediately reached up for a hug.
Molly held her in her arms and carried her into the bathroom. “What are we going to do now? Do you know?”
“Brush!” Mary said, excitedly.
“Yay!”
“Yay!” Mary emulated. They both giggled.
“But first it’s potty time, okay?” Molly said then, as she set Mary down on the floor. She helped Mary onto the potty training seat and sidestepped to the front of the sink.
“I filled a travel mug with coffee for you!” called Justin from the kitchen. His voice echoed down the hall.
“Thanks!” she said.
“Thanks!” Mary repeated.
“I filled your sippy cup with juice!” Justin said.
“Yay!” Mary replied.
Molly laughed, spraying the mirror with toothpaste. “Cwap,” she said, with a mouthful of white foam.
“Cwap,” Mary repeated.
* * *
“Let me get the first leg,” she said, holding her hand out. “There isn’t much traffic out. I’d like a shot at the wheel.”
Justin tossed the keys to her. “That’s my girl.”
Molly hopped in the driver’s seat and looked in the rear view mirror. Mary was in her car seat, happily kicking her legs and playing with her stuffed giraffe. The passenger door opened and Justin hopped in, dressed in a blue plaid button up shirt, a white undershirt, and a pair of jeans.
He looked at her and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling as he grinned. “You okay?”
Molly still didn’t like driving but there were a lot of things that Molly didn’t used to like that she was getting used to. Wiping bottoms, talking with her mother, cooking on a regular basis… She hadn’t realized it when she was engaged to Kevin but what she really missed wasn’t just freedom and adventure, but true unconditional love. And now she had it all.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m great.”
{{**}}
Dear Bad Boy Lover,
Thanks so much for reading this novel and I really hope you are enjoying this series.
The other books in the “Bad Boys In Bed” series are listed below, go collect them all :-D
(This One!)
Stay beautiful
Kendra x x