Page 104 of Moonlit Kisses

–molly–

Driving home from the lake,I fill Max in on everything the girls told me. “Beth’s going to work on getting the permits we need to have our wedding ceremony on the beach. Apparently, you normally need longer than five weeks, but because she deals with that sort of stuff all the time, she’s pretty sure she can get it approved more quickly for us. She’s also got a celebrant that she uses regularly, so she’s going to check if she’s available.” I draw a breath.

“Sounds good, Dimples.”

“Yeah. And Emma told me about the florist her and Theo used.” I wrack my brain, trying to remember the name. “Blooms and Balloons, I think.” I glance across to my groom-to-be. “I think we’ll have everything organized quickly with everyone’s help.”

“That’s where I got your roses from. Cassia, the owner, is incredibly helpful.” He lays his hand on my thigh. “Don’t forget I can help too. Give me a list of tasks and I’ll get them done.” And there I go, falling in love a little more. “It’s my wedding too. I don’t expect you to do everything, especially since I’m the one who wants to get married quickly.”

“I want to get married quickly, too. There’s no point in waiting.” I flick my eyes across to Max, then look back at the road. “Did Martin talk to you about paying for everything? He wants to cover the whole thing, including our honeymoon if we want one.”

“He spoke to me about it and I said the decision would be yours. It’s an incredibly generous offer.”

“I know. He said it’s the least he could do since he hadn’t contributed financially while I was growing up.” Max’s hand lands on my thigh and he squeezes it. “I didn’t accept his offer because I wanted to speak about it with you. I hadn’t realized the two of you had already spoken.”

We pull into our driveway and head inside. Max pulls me into his arms. “It’s up to you. It might help Martin with some of the guilt he’s carrying about letting Nicole and you down.” He shrugs and leans forward, pressing his lips tenderly against my forehead.

“I’ll think about it, but not right now. I’ve got a gift for you.” His eyes widen as I pull away to collect his present. “Go sit in the living room. I’ll bring it to you.”

He’s sitting on the couch when I return. I’m hoping he likes his gift because I struggled to figure out something at short notice. “Happy birthday, Max.” I hand him the gift bag.

He accepts it with a curious smile. “You didn’t need to get me anything. Organizing the barbecue at the lake with our families was more than I ever expected.” He takes my hand, kissing the palm. “My favorite part was the way you woke me up this morning,” he says as he wriggles his eyebrows.

Leaning forward, I chuckle as I taste his lips. “Open it.”

He pulls out the large square gift to open first. I’m hoping he doesn’t think it’s a stupid idea. He peels away the paper, revealing the custom map I had made. He reads the inscription. “When Max asked and Molly said yes.” He looks at me. “What is this exactly?”

“It’s what the night sky at the beach looked like the night you proposed to me.” I hold my breath, waiting for his response.

His eyes widen as he studies the map. “Fuck. This is incredible. We need to get one done for when we get married and every time one of our kids is born. We can make a wall of these babies.” He leans forward, cupping the back of my head, and pulls me into him and we meet halfway. I open immediately, welcoming him eagerly.

I love kissing this man.

“I’m relieved you like it. I was worried you’d think it was pointless.” I point my chin toward the bag. “You’ve got something else in the bag.”

He dips his hand in, pulling out the small box. He glances up at me and then tugs at the paper to open the box. He studies the contents for a long time, then glances up at me. Holding up the keyring I had specially made, he asks, “Are you serious? This is my car. How did you do this?”

“It’s from a little store on Etsy. I managed to get a rush order at short notice.”

He’s wobbling his head from side to side as though he can’t believe I got him something for his birthday. “These gifts are really thoughtful. Thank you so much.” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down and stands, holding his hand out to me. “Allow me to show you how much I love these gifts.”

My lady parts flutter in delight. I’m about to get very lucky.

* * *

I wipe my sweaty hands down my jeans. My heart feels like it’s going to beat right through my rib cage. Max wanted to come with me, but I needed to do this on my own. I needed to prove that I can still deal with things that may be difficult by myself. That I haven’t become completely dependent on Max. I knock on the door and hear little claws scratching on the floor before tiny barks greet me through the door. Footsteps sound and then I hear, “Shhh, shhh, Christian.”

The lock disengages as the dog continues to bark. Surprised blue eyes so much like Mom’s greet me above a wiggling gray ball of fur. “Oh, Molly. This is a wonderful surprise.” She steps away, then returns with a key to unlock the screen door. “Please come in. I’m thrilled to see you.”

She steps to the side, allowing me inside her home. When Beth gave me Joanna’s address and phone number, she also gave me some information which made my decision to visit easier. I want to get to knowallof my family. Life’s too short to miss out on opportunities. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by unannounced.”

“Not at all. I’m just so happy that you have.” She leads me through to a sitting room that overlooks a common area in the middle of the unit complex. My eyes catch on a large photo of Mom hanging in a prominent position on the wall. She notices me gawking and gives me a small smile. “Nicole was such a beautiful girl. So spirited and full of life.” Her smile turns sad.

She offers me a drink and then sets about making it while the little gray fur ball acquaints himself with me. He’s absolutely adorable. His name seems very formal, though. Joanna returns with cups of coffee on a tray and what appears to be homemade shortbread. “Would you like some?”

“Thank you.” I point down at her little dog, which has finally settled on his bed, huffing out a sigh and dropping his head to his little paws, his ears still twitching. “Your dog is cute.”

Her eyes drop to him, and she smiles. “I always wanted to have a dog, but my husband would never agree. The place I lived in when I first left him didn’t allow pets. I finally saved up enough to buy this place fifteen years ago and one of the first things I did was get a rescue. Unfortunately, that dog passed away and then I got Christian. I named him after one of my favorite book characters.” The connection dawns on me, and I’m certain my eyes are as wide as saucers. Does that mean my grandmother has readFifty Shades of Grey? “Have you read the books?” she asks with eyes full of mischief, reminding me of Mom when she was sharing exciting news with me.

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