Page 104 of Tangled Up In You

At first, he'd shied away from Molly, because her impulsive recklessness had reminded him not so much of Gina, but of the way he'd been when he was younger. He'd put that part of him away after her death. It had been the only way to get through the grief. He'd told himself that if he could survive the pain, he'd be done with pain. He wouldn't go down that road again. But he was already halfway down that road, and the irony was that he wasn't even sure that Molly wanted to be on the road.

He'd spent so much time pushing women away, afraid they'd want a commitment, it hadn't occurred to him that he might meet someone who also didn't want a commitment.

"Look at me," Molly suddenly called out. His gaze moved toward her as she lifted both her hands off the handlebars. "No hands."

He smiled at the pure joy and freedom on her face. "I told you that you could do it."

"It still feels good to actually do it." She put her hands back on the bike. "Should we head back?"

He nodded, even though he hated to end the ride. He had this worrisome feeling that every minute only brought him closer to a goodbye that he didn't want to hear. But he was thinking too far ahead. It had only been a couple of weeks. She wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

When they returned to the house, Drew and Cassie were there. Adam took steaks and chicken out of the fridge as well as some appetizer trays he'd picked up at the market, and then headed out to the barbecue. Drew, Cassie, and Molly followed, settling in at the patio table with sodas and appetizers.

As he got the grill ready, he listened to their conversation, amazed at how much Drew had to say. In a few weeks, the kid had really opened up. And Drew was sweet with Cassie, always making sure she had what she needed. He even got up to switch places with her so she wouldn't be looking into the sun. He was a good guy, and he was happy. That's all his dad had wanted, all Adam wanted.

He wasn't even half responsible for that happiness. Cassie and Molly had played a much bigger role, but he'd put Drew in a place where that could happen, and he was glad he'd done it.

Molly came over to the barbecue. "How's it going over here?"

"It's good. Everything is cooking."

"Your house, this view…" She swept her hand toward the lake. "It's beautiful, Adam. Do you still appreciate it? Or have you been here so long you don't notice it anymore?"

"I appreciate it every day. It never gets old. What's the longest you've lived anywhere?"

"Two years and eight months, and that was here in Whisper Lake. Only one other city made it past the two-year mark, but barely."

"I can't imagine moving so much as a child."

"I can't imagine what it was like to live in one house your entire childhood. Chelsea told me you never moved."

"No. My parents moved into the house I grew up in three months before I was born, and they're still there. I didn't leave Denver until after Gina died. I needed a change then. For the next six years, I moved around. But once Lizzie moved here and put out a tempting call to join her, I decided to make this town my home."

"Did you know right away that Whisper Lake was it for you, or did it take time?"

"I knew within a couple of weeks." He hoped she'd figure that out in even less time. "See, I can be impulsive," he teased.

"I don't think that's exactly impulsive but skinny-dipping in the lake and making love on a bear rug definitely added some cred to your ability to be spontaneous."

"I liked both. I only had one problem with the bear rug."

"What was that?"

"I kept seeing that urn in the window. I felt like Phoebe was watching us."

"We did give her something to see," Molly said with a laugh. "I know I need to put the urn somewhere permanent, but I haven't figured it out yet."

"You'll make the right decision," he said, as he flipped the steaks and checked on the chicken. "How do you like your steak?"

"Medium is fine. I'm not that picky."

He frowned. "Wait a second. Are we getting back to the low expectations? Because I want to cook you the perfect steak. Tell me exactly how you want it, and I will make it happen."

For some reason, his words seemed to bring moisture to her eyes.

"Molly? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you said something really sweet. I'd like my steak medium rare, with a juicy pink center."

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