Page 110 of Finding Molly Parsons

The sky was its usual gray self as the cab pulled away from the house. Goodbyes had been swift, which Carmen appreciated.She desperately wanted to look back as they drove away, a silent plea echoing within her. Yet, surrendering to that desire risked signaling the cab driver to halt, an urge Carmen knew she couldn’t resist.

Home wasn’t the best place for her though, not right now. So, keeping her head facing forward, she muttered to herself some affirming words. “This is the right thing to do!” Enid’s wrinkled hand patted hers in support. Yes, it was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?

???

Arriving a day early in Seattle had not been a straightforward decision to make, but with Maureen accompanying her, Molly didn’t want to wait any longer. If there was a chance for Faith and Maureen to heal, Molly wanted it to happen sooner rather than later.

Hopefully, Faith wouldn’t be too mad Molly had kept Maureen’s appearance a secret. Truthfully, Molly hadn’t known what to do for the best. She certainly didn’t want Faith seeing her mother all beaten and bruised. But injuries like Maureen suffered could take months to heal and Molly couldn’t put off her visit to Seattle without explaining the reason to Faith. Plus, Maureen begged her not to tell Faith, worried her daughter would reject them outright. It didn’t sit well that Molly had gone along with it. The discomfort Molly felt lying was also a major factor in bringing forward their plans.

The time she’d had with Maureen lately gave Molly confidence the woman was sincere in her pledge to make things right with Faith. Although Molly genuinely didn’t know how Faith would react. When her parents had shown up in California, it was Faith who told them she would always keep the door open. Hopefully, that still rang true.

Another reason, and maybe the most scary, was the realization that Molly wanted to see Carmen. Weeks had gone by and Carmen seldom left Molly’s mind. Bessie was relentless in her mission to talk about Carmen. As soon as the kids clicked on to Molly’s internal dilemma regarding the very sexy Carmen Ruiz, they joined in Bessie’s crusade. The result was a night of deep conversations, hard realizations and vodka.

Molly was into Carmen in a big way. Their night together had been hot as hell, but also deeply meaningful. Since leaving Kentucky, Molly had searched for the woman who would make her feel safe. Make her feel at home. And even though Carmen Ruiz was still a mystery, she’d made Molly feel both things.

There was a lot to work through. Molly wasn’t naïve, but that didn’t mean she and Carmen couldn’t explore their options, right? Especially since Molly decided to stay in Seattle semi-permanently. There was too much time to make up with Faith. All Molly had ever wanted was a family again, and she’d been given that opportunity.

Bessie had been the one to push Molly into making the right call. It wasn’t easy breaking a bad habit, but Molly’s tendency to run was that. A bad habit. One she had to stop repeating. Staying in one place, putting down roots with Faith—and hopefully with Carmen—felt like the right thing.

Molly had done her best to make sure Bessie and the kids had people around to help. They knew they could call her anytime, and she planned to visit regularly. Maybe Carmen would go with her? If—that is—Carmen was willing to give them a chance.

As the cab pulled up to the familiar Seattle address, Molly chuckled at the driver, who was cursing another cab ahead of them, which seemed to have pulled out in front, causing him to suddenly brake.

Thanking the driver, Maureen and Molly made their way to the house. This was it, this was the day Molly actively changed her life from nomadic to settled in suburbia.

Giving Maureen’s hand a quick squeeze, Molly knocked several times on the door. Laughter echoed from inside, and Molly was happy to hear Faith’s soft voice teasing Mateo.

“Did you forget some—”

“Hey, Faith,” Molly grinned at Faith’s shocked face.

“Molly!” she screamed. Molly braced herself for the full weight of her niece crashing into her.

“Hey, honey,” Molly laughed.

“Mom?” Faith pulled back, looking between Molly and Maureen.

“We have some things to talk about,” Molly said, holding Maureen and Faith’s hands. Faith simply nodded and ushered them inside.

“Molly, hey chica, it’s great to see you!” Mateo gushed, dragging her in for another bone-crushing hug.

“Mateo, you look great!”

“I know, honey,” he laughed. “So, what’s all this?” he asked, waving his hand at Maureen. Molly couldn’t fault him for being a little cold towards Faith’s mother.

“This is something Faith and Maureen need to discuss,” Molly said plainly.

Mateo turned Faith’s body so she was facing him completely. “Faith, is that what you want?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Mom, you wanna come through to the kitchen and we’ll talk?”

“I’d love that,” Maureen replied, her voice cracking.

Molly and Mateo watched them walk away. Now that part of the day was done, Molly was ready to take on the next. “Um, will Carmen be home soon? I have something to talk to her about.”

Mateo shuffled his feet nervously, his hand scratching the back of his head. “Carmen isn’t here, Molly.”

“Oh, yeah, I figured that. What time will she be back?”

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