Page 88 of Moonlit Kisses

“Hey. I’m gonna need your lips back here, Dimples. I wasn’t finished.” He gestures, flicking two fingers at me in a come here motion.

I chuckle. “Maybe later.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Martin messaged me. He asked if it was okay to bring Noah over. I hope you don’t mind. I said they could come at two, when we close.”

“You know I don’t mind.” His eyebrows draw together, causing creases in between. “Are you gonna be okay? I know you’ve been anxious about meeting him.” He stands, his eyes full of concern for me.

“I can’t avoid him forever and I really do want to meet him.” I shrug. Max wipes his hands on the rag he always seems to have handy and then glides his thumb down the side of my face in a barely there touch. His eyes bury themselves deep in mine as though he’s searching all the way to the depths of my soul for my truth. “I promise I’ll be okay. I’m going to do my best not to compare him to Ethan. Ethan was his own person, just as Noah is. I really want to get to know him. By all accounts, he sounds like a sweet boy. There’s no pressure if we meet here.” I chuckle lightly. “He’ll probably be more interested in your truck than he will be in me. Apparently, he’s crazy about cars.”

“Yeah, I remember Martin telling me about that when we took the Sprint out for a test drive.” Max glances across at the truck that he’s started dismantling.

I follow his eyes. “I’m up-to-date in the office. Mind if I sketch the truck for a while?”

He turns back to me. “Go for it. I’m looking forward to seeing your sketches evolve as I restore the old girl.”

I press a chaste kiss to his lips and skip back to the office to grab my sketch pad and pencils. Max gets back to work, and I get comfortable and start outlining.

* * *

“Woah!” The sudden intrusion breaks my focus and I peer up at the boy standing next to me. His eyes are wide as he studies my sketch. “Did you draw that?” He points at the page I’m working on.

I smile at him. “Sure did. You must be Noah.”

Without hesitation, he drops to his butt beside me, crossing his legs to get comfortable on the cement floor. “Sure am. I wish I could draw. The best I can do is stick figures. My grade one teacher taught us how to look for shapes in things to help us draw, but I could never figure it out.” His eyes drop back to my sketch.

“I could teach you, if you like. It’s not that hard.”

His head starts nodding and his wide eyes rise to mine. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

I chuckle. “Not at all.”

“Holly can draw too, though she draws boring clothes. Your drawing is way cooler.”

“I dunno about that. I saw the clothes Holly designed and they were pretty cool. I bet her sketches are amazing.”

He scrunches his nose. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m not into clothes.” His eyes widen. “But Iaminto cars. I want to be a race car driver one day.”

“Really?” He nods like a bobble doll, and I glance over my shoulder, spotting Max and Martin talking several feet away from us. I wave over my shoulder. “Hi, Martin.”

He smiles at me and moves closer. “Hey, Molly. Great to see you.” He bends down and kisses the top of my head in a fatherly way. It’s strange how our dynamic has changed in such a brief space of time. “Is this what you’re working on at the moment?” He gestures toward my sketch pad.

“Yeah. I’m going to sketch the truck at different stages during the restoration as a record for Max.” I smile up at Max.

“You should see the one of the Sprint in the office.” Max gestures over his shoulder toward the office.

Noah stands. “Where is it? I wanna see.”

I stand, too, and we all head into the office where Max proudly shows off my work.

“This is fantastic, Molly,” Martin states without taking his eyes from my work.

Noah turns to me. “You know. I wasn’t sure about having another big sister, because one is enough already. But I think I’m gonna like having you around, Molly.”

We all chuckle lightheartedly, but my heart swells. I was worried about meeting Noah and how we’d get along, but I needn’t have. He’s a great kid. Even though I promised myself I wouldn’t compare Noah and Ethan, they seem very similar in disposition.

As I walk Martin and Noah out to say goodbye, I decide to throw caution to the wind and invite them to Max’s birthday barbecue tomorrow. Emma phoned me last week to ask if I had any plans for Max’s birthday, which came as a surprise since I wasn’t aware his birthday was coming up. I’ve agreed to marry the man and I didn’t even know when his birthday was. I felt like a terrible fiancée.

I’ve carried on the ruse that I don’t know it’s his birthday tomorrow, but I’ve planned a barbecue at a park down by the lake to celebrate with his family. Martin and Noah readily agree to come, promising that Beth and Holly will come along too. I can’t wait to see the surprise on Max’s face.

I spin on my heel and head back into the workshop, locking the door behind me, feeling lighter than I have in a long time. Max has cleaned up and taken off his overalls while I was outside.

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