Page 44 of Moonlit Kisses

“I’m gonna go wash my face. Be back in a minute.” I close the bathroom door and study myself in the mirror, sucking in as much air as I can. After rinsing my face with cool water, I pat it dry, then take a couple of deep breaths, reminding myself I can do this. I’m strong, just like Mom.

I walk back to the table with my shoulders back and a new resolve to work through this. “Do you think we should do like a … paternity test or something?” I stammer. “You know, to make sure.”

He opens his mouth and closes it again. “I guess so. If that’s what you would like to do.” He reaches across, covering my hand with his. “But I don’t need it to know you’re mine, Molly. I can see it in your eyes and the timeline matches.” I can too, but I wanted to give him the option. It must be tough to suddenly meet the daughter you’ve never laid eyes on before. He grips the box and draws it close. “I brought some photos to show you. I thought it might be a good place to start.”

I nod. “You have photos of Mom in high school?” Excitement bubbles in my tummy at the prospect of seeing photos of her when she was young. For obvious reasons, she had nothing to show me from her life back here.

“Yeah. You wanna see?” He smiles and his dimples, that match mine, pop.

He opens the lid with a flourish, and I can’t wait to see what he’s got to show me. He pulls out a handful of photos and shuffles through them, then slides one across the table to me. It shows Mom, sitting on a picnic blanket beneath a giant tree. She looks tiny compared to the trunk behind her. “She’s about fifteen in that photo. I thought Nicole was the prettiest girl in school and even though my friends gave me a hard time about dating a junior, I didn’t care one bit.”

Martin spends the next fifteen minutes showing me photos of Mom when she was a teenager. She looked so carefree and happy—a regular teenage girl, spending time with her boyfriend and her friends.

The rumbling of an engine reminds me I should be getting ready for work. I look at Martin with apology. “I’m sorry. I really need to get ready for work. Max already had to rearrange his schedule yesterday because of me. I don’t want to let him down again today.”

Martin collects the photographs quickly. “Sure. I understand. I’ll get out of your hair.” He digs into his pocket and pulls out a card, sliding it across the table toward me. “Uhm, here’s my number. Maybe when you’re ready, we could … uh … meet for a coffee and a chat. I’d like to get to know you, if that’s okay with you?”

“Of course. I’ll call you and we can work out a time.”

He slides the box closer to me. “You can keep that if you want. Look through the photos at your own pace. If you have questions you want to ask me, I’m an open book. Really, I am.” He holds out his hands.

The vibe between us is weird. We’re both nervous and unsure of what to do. Should I give him a hug goodbye? I decide to go for it. He accepts the gesture and pulls me in tight, swaying from side to side.

It feels weird to hug a relative stranger this intimately.

A knock at my internal door disrupts the moment and we pull apart.

CHAPTER22

–max–

Martin’s truckis parked in front of the workshop as I pull in, making my temper flare. I can’t believe he showed up this morning. It would have been better to give Molly some time to get her head around their relationship, rather than bombard her the very next day. I draw in a deep breath because ultimately, it’s between the two of them to work out. It’s none of my business.

As I climb the stairs, I prepare to lay eyes on the woman who’s quickly overtaken my life. Sleeping next to her and waking with her in my arms is something I could easily become addicted to. I run my hand through my hair and sigh. I probably shouldn’t have kissed her. She’s got enough going on in her life at the moment. But could I stop myself from tasting her?Hell no.And if it weren’t for her alarm, I’m not sure I would have stopped at all. I wanted to strip her bare and taste every inch of her body, paying special attention to the haven between her thighs.

I knock on the door, when all I want to do is storm inside and demand Martin give her some space. It opens, revealing Molly still wearing her running gear. He must have been waiting here when she came back from her run and because she’s a sweetheart, she didn’t turn him away. Her smile is instant and genuine; their time together must have been okay, because she looks relaxed, which means I can calm down.

“Hey.” She waves her arm out for me to come in and looks across to Martin. “Martin was about to leave, because I need to shower and get ready for work. I don’t want to let you down again.”

I step through the doorway and place my hand on her hip as I lean in to touch my lips to hers. Now that I’ve kissed her, I want to do it all the time. She sucks in a sharp breath but doesn’t pull away.

“Hey,” I whisper against her lips. I tip my chin toward Martin. “Martin.” Clearing the door, I close it behind me. “Take your time. If you need today off, that’s okay too. Yesterday took a toll on you.” I glare pointedly at Martin.

“Thank you, but I’ll be okay. It’s better if I stay busy, anyway.” She thumbs over her shoulder toward the bathroom. “You two can catch up if you like while I get ready.” She glances between the two of us, then heads into the bathroom. Martin and I stay put until she closes the door, and we hear the water turn on.

I step toward him, my eyes narrowed. “Do you think it’s a good idea turning up here today?” I wave my arm out. “You could have given her a couple of days to come to terms with what the two of you figured out yesterday.” I’m proud of how well I temper my tone when, in reality, I want to punch this guy in the face and I’m not a confrontational person.

He steps toward me. “I appreciate your concern for Molly, but this is a family matter between the two of us.” Martin raises his brows.

“I get that. But you didn’t see how upset and confused she is about this.” I run my hand through my hair in frustration that he’s not considering Molly’s wellbeing.

His shoulders drop. “Beth said I should give her more time, but when I think about everything,” he shrugs, “I’ve already missed too much. I don’t want to miss another second.”

I blow out a heavy breath. There are no winners here. Both of them have a lot to work through. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it from your point of view.” A squeal sounds from the bathroom and the water shuts off.

“Shit. I never fixed the wiring yesterday. I’ll go down and grab my tools and fix it now. The heating system’s wiring is likely to be corroded. I’ll take a look.” He heads for the outer door.

“Thanks. I completely forgot about it yesterday.” I move to the bathroom door to check on Molly. “You okay in there?”

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