Page 98 of Right in Front of You

“How about you dance for me, Mr. Fireman?”

He growled, “I like that, Doctor. As long as you promise to wear your scrubs and stethoscope around your neck, I’m game.”

“You have one twisted mind, you know that?”

“And don’t try to pretend that yours doesn’t match mine perfectly. We both know that you’d be lying.”

“We do fit well together, don’t we?” I smiled, leaning down to kiss him.

“I’m going back to Hope Bay tomorrow. Captain Clark wants to assess my progress to see when I can go back to work.”

“It’s funny how you refer to your father as Captain.” I turned on my side and propped my head up on my arm, tracing circular patterns over his chest.

“Why funny?”

“Because he’s your father.”

“He’s always respected me as a son, a man, and a firefighter, separately.”

“And I’ve always been so jealous of your relationship with him. He’s a great dad.”

“He is. I’m grateful for my parents every day.”

“As you should be.” I stopped moving my finger.

“Molly, what your father did… It’s not your fault. It’s sick.”

“I know.”

“It’s also not your fault that he’s your father.”

“I know that as well, although since that day, I haven’t thought of him as anyone remotely close. Referring to him as father, it’s… it’s just a formality, I guess.”

“You know you could still press further charges against him. You know, for what he did to you when you were young.”

I sighed. “I don’t want to go back in time. I want to forget it. In fact, when I’m with you, it always feels as if I’d already forgotten about it.”

I could tell he didn’t like the part where I didn’t want to press additional charges. But he didn’t mention it again.

“Good. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

I lowered my lips to the scarred part of his torso and kissed the newly formed skin there.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and I lifted my head, confused.

“For what?”

“For my skin. That it’s not… smooth and perfect.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Carter Clark. It’s absolutely perfect. It’s a sign of your strength, braveness, and love. It’s a sign of saved lives and perseverance.”

“I love you, Molly Fowler. I want to love you forever.”

“I love you too, Carter Clark, and I will love you forever.”

The problem with our proclamations was that our forever had other plans.

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