Page 68 of Moonlit Kisses

“Everything’s fine, officer. Thanks. We were getting ready to leave,” Max speaks for both of us.

“Okay. Just to remind you that public indecency is a fineable offense, and we’ll leave it at that.”

“Thank you, officer.” I finally find my voice. The bright light disappears and the officer steps away from Max’s car. “Shit!” I whisper-giggle.

“Damn. I felt like a kid again.” He searches around on the seat for my bra but comes up empty. It’s too dark to see anything. I pull the straps of my dress up and shiver as I do up the zipper. “You’re cold. C’mon, let’s go.”

Max drags his underwear and jeans back up and we both climb out of the back seat and readjust the front seats. I grab my sweater and put it on as I situate myself. The officers give us a tilt of their heads as Max starts the engine and pulls out. Once we’re on the road, we both break out into laughter.

When we settle down, Max takes my hand in his, resting it on his firm thigh, and rubs his thumb back and forth. “I think you should move in with me.” He glances across at me.

“You’re full of ideas tonight,” I chuckle.

He shrugs. “It makes sense. I don’t see the point of wasting time. As I said, I’m all in.”

I bring his hand up to my mouth and kiss the palm. “I’d love to move in with you.”

His smile is big and bright, and I know I’ve made the right decision.

CHAPTER32

–max–

Could life get any better?

Nope. I don’t think it can.

Molly’s all moved in. Having her toothbrush in the holder with mine gave me a sense of satisfaction this morning that can’t be explained.

Mona constantly hinted that we should move in together, but I didn’t want her in my space. I needed time and space away from her and didn’t want her in my home for more than the night. She’d always linger on a Sunday morning and I’d hate it. But with Molly, I wish we didn’t have to leave the house to come to work. If I could stay home with her all day, it wouldn’t be long enough. I huff out a chuckle to myself as I disconnect the muffler bracket from the worn rubber hanger.

My, how things have changed. I never thought I’d feel this way, but here I am.And I fucking love it.

I slide out from under the car I’m working on to be greeted by a pair of work boots. My eyes follow the path upward to identify the owner of the boots. Martin. I quickly glance across to the door that leads into the office.

Martin follows my path. “Hey, Max. Molly’s not in the office.” I push up from the trolley and stand. “I came to see her. I … uh … I’ve tried to give her some time, but I think we need to talk.” He tucks his hands in his pockets, shuffling on his feet.

I nod. “Hey, Martin. She’s probably grabbing our lunch.” I wipe my hands on a rag. “You don’t think it’d be better to wait for her to contact you when she’s ready? She was pretty upset after your last chat.”That’s an understatement.

He glances down at the floor and shrugs. “It’s been a month. I’ve already lost too much time. I want to get to know my daughter. Ineedto get to know my daughter.” He runs his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Beth and Holly have spoken with her and they said she was open and friendly. I’m hoping I can repair some of the damage I’ve caused with my carelessness.”

“Maaax! Lunch is–” Molly freezes in the doorway of the office. I can tell from here that she’s trying to decide what to do. She takes a tentative step forward—so fucking brave. “Hi, Martin.” She stops a couple of feet away, then looks at me. “I didn’t realize Martin had his car booked in today.”

Martin steps closer to her. “Hey, Molly. I didn’t. I … uh … I hope you don’t mind me stopping by unannounced, but I wanted to see you.” His shoulders drop. “I’m sorry. I probably should have called first. I keep messing this up.” He takes a step back and spins on his heel to leave. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy your lunch.”

Molly glances at me, her eyes wide. “What should I do?” she whispers.

“It’s up to you, Dimples. He just wants to talk.” She blows out a breath and studies the floor as if the answer lies there somewhere. She spins around and runs after him. I follow along at a slower pace. Molly catches up to Martin as he’s about to climb into his truck.

I can’t hear what’s being said from here, but Molly points toward me. He nods and she comes to me. She stops close and I use the loops of her jeans to pull her closer. I study her eyes carefully and she smiles at me. “I’m okay.” I nod and kiss the tip of her nose. “Do you mind if I spend my lunch break with Martin?”

“Of course not. You don’t need to ask my permission.” I glance up at Martin. He’s watching us closely and I want him to be aware that I’m watching out for Molly. I lean down and take her mouth in a heated kiss. It takes a beat for Molly to respond, but when her tongue strokes against mine, I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. We pull apart slowly and I touch my forehead to hers. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Thank you.” I don’t understand how she fills two simple words with so much gratitude, but she does. “We’re going to the park down the road.” She thumbs over her shoulder.

“Take your lunch with you.” I dash into the office to grab it for her.

She climbs into the cab of Martin’s truck. With narrowed eyes, he lifts his chin at me, and I return the action. I watch the truck until they disappear, then return to the office to eat lunch on my own. I hope this chat goes well. Family’s important to Molly and I want her to have family surrounding and supporting her. She deserves to have the world.

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