Page 36 of Catching Dreams

“You know, there is a shower in the bathroom that you can use,” the nurse suggested. “This is a double room, and there is no one using the other bed. If you want to take a nap in that bed, while your friends watch your son, I will change the sheets myself.”

“And you won’t be far. If he wakes up, we’ll wake you up,” Molly said.

“Are you sure?” he asked the nurse.

“Go,” she said. “It’s a benefit to me, so I don’t have to smell you anymore.”

We all laughed, and Mack headed to take a shower.

“I have a card game we can play while we hang out here,” Emma said as she rifled through her huge purse. She brought out the box of the same card game we had played the other night, Apples to Apples. I had a feeling this would be our group's favorite game!

“Crap, that means Dominic and Molly are going to win. They had some kind of psychic connection when we played this last time,” I said with a groan.

“Yes! You’re right,” Dom said as he smiled over at my wife. “That explains so much.”

“I didn’t think about that either!” Molly exclaimed and hugged her brother. “Let’s kick some butt, bro.”

When visiting hours ended, we left a sleeping Mack and a sleeping Nico as we headed back to Trinity Falls. It was hard to leave them, but only the immediate family could stay after visiting hours. The nurse promised to wake Mack up the minute Nico did, and we trusted her. We then dropped Emma back off at her hotel and visited longer with Dominic’s mom and brother. There was a teary goodbye, and Molly felt that although Dominic was her only blood relative, she had found a whole new family. I loved seeing her connect with them, just as she had felt comfortable with my family. They all promised to come visit when Cupcake Curveball had its grand re-opening. Molly shed lots of tears when Jessica said, “Please, let me know when the babies are born. I want to come visit. I know they aren’t technically my grandbabies, but maybe I could be an honorary grandma.” Molly, of course, loved that idea.

Dominic had to leave the next day for a few away games, so we dropped him off at the dorms. Molly and Dom gave each other a lengthy goodbye hug, and I could already see their connection building. I was glad she would have him to look after her when I wasn’t around all the time. I had to laugh to myself at the memory from the hospital earlier tonight. When Molly and Emma had gone off in search of some coffee, Dom had given me the “big brother” talk about how I had to treat his little sister with respect or he’d kick my but. Considering I was over half a foot taller than him, Mack and I both had a good laugh.

“What are you chuckling at over there, Ty?” Molly asked as she got back in the car.”

“Your brother gave me the “big bro” talk about how I’d better be good to you.”

Molly gave me a huge grin and put her hand over her heart. “I have an older, protective brother! Just what I always wanted.”

I just laughed and shook my head. “Who is half a foot shorter than the guy he threatened.”

“I don’t care. I have a brother who is protective of me, and I just love him. Oh, man! Is it too early to love my brother? Is it okay that I told you before I told him? This is all new territory for me.” She pulled her car out of the dorm’s parking lot and back onto the road.

“I don’t know if there is a rule book. I think it’s great that you love your brother and that he’s going to be here for you.”

“Did you know he loves to make sandwiches? He loves experimenting with different meats, cheeses, toppings, etc., to make them gourmet and exciting. I do the same with some of my baked goods! It’s so cool how we have that in common!”

“You know what? Now that you mention it, I had a sandwich at lunch once before a game and remember it being an odd combination. I didn’t even know who had made it, but I was told it was nut-free, so I dug it. It was grilled cheese with pepper jack cheese, pickles, barbecue sauce, and a fried egg. It was one of the best sandwiches I had ever had.”

“That sounds disgusting and messy,” Molly said with a giggle. “But I bet it was good since Dom made it.”

“So, I have some interesting news. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad,” my insurance agent, Amber Fletcher, said. She was the cousin of my realtor, Autumn. “Gerald and Lisa Portillo, who own Uncle P’s Dry Cleaning, have decided not to rebuild. They are going to take their insurance pay out and are moving to Florida. As you know, they have the lot next to your bakery. I talked to Autumn, and if you are interested in buying it, I would make an offer quickly. That way, you could have a larger bakery, not to mention a bigger living space above. She also mentioned that you could buy both lots, just have more living space above, and rent out the second lot for more income.”

I looked at Tyler and sighed. That was a lot of information to take in and a big decision to make.

“With two babies, more living space would be nice,” my husband mentioned. “How much more are we talking? I make a little more in Double A and don’t spend very much.”

“Actually, not much since it’s just the lot,” Amber said, gesturing to the contractor. “The out-of-pocket expenses will be discussed when you talk to Mr. Stefan McDonald here.”

“Have you ever thought about just taking the pay out?” Tyler asked, out of nowhere.

“What?” I asked, almost in shock.

“I don’t know. It’s nothing we’ve ever discussed before, but maybe you could rebuild your bakery in Bristol and be closer to me.”

“What happens when you move up to triple A in Bluffton and play for the Storm? And then when you get called up to the Coyotes? Do I move my bakery to every city? What if you get traded to the St. Louis Vikings? Do I move my bakery there?” I was so angry I was practically shaking.

Tyler held his hands up in surrender. “Molly, baby, I am so sorry! I didn’t think…”

“No. You didn’t.” All of a sudden, my emotions were all over the place, and I felt tears well up in my eyes. “Do you know how badly I would love to be closer to you all the time? Don’t you know how much I miss you? If it were just us, I would say to the heck with it all and get a food truck to follow you around from stadium to stadium. But we have these babies to think about. I want them to have a stable home. I want to rebuild here, Tyler. I feel at home here. This is central to all the Coyotes’ minor league teams, which just makes sense. I know it hasn’t been that long but…”

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