Page 106 of Moonlit Kisses

–molly–

Max has his nephew,Austin, over for the afternoon to ‘help’ him change the tires on his Dodge. Austin was almost exploding with excitement when he arrived to spend the afternoon working on his uncle’s car. The day Max offered Austin the opportunity to help him in the future with his tire change, I figured it was lip service because Austin’s so young. But I should have known better. Max is a man of his word and he didn’t hesitate to include his nephew in his afternoon plans. It was so cute how Austin turned up in overalls, much like the ones Max wears. He’s going to be such a great daddy one day.

I thought I’d leave them to their male bonding afternoon and spend the time getting to know my siblings. When I phoned to organize this afternoon, I half expected Noah and Holly to make up some excuse to avoid me. After all, I’m a complete stranger who happens to share their dad. I wouldn’t blame them, but they were as keen as I am for us to get to know each other.

I’ve set up our afternoon snacks on the picnic blanket at the park near the workshop. I wasn’t sure what type of snacks to bring, so I brought a little of everything. Whatever’s left over, I’m sure Max will eat, but if I remember correctly, there won’t be anything left with a teenage boy around. If Noah’s anything like Ethan was, he’ll have a bottomless pit for a stomach.

My breath catches in my lungs when I realize I thought about my brother without my heart splintering into a million pieces. Sure, the memory of him has pain attached, but I’m starting to feel less bogged down by it. I know my sense of loss associated with my family will never go away, but I hope that when I think about them, it won’t always result in me breaking down in a sobbing fit. I need to remember there were a lot of good times, happy times. The only truly sad memory of my family is that they’re no longer here.

I make a promise to myself to focus on the happy times as much as possible.

Dragging my backpack across to me, I check that I have what I need inside and pull out the sketch pads and pencils I brought. I promised Noah I would start teaching him how to sketch today. I figured Holly and I could show him some simple techniques to get him started. There are loads of sketching opportunities for Noah at this park.

When I glance up, I spot Noah and Holly walking toward me, matching smiles on their faces, one with dimples, one without.

I stand as they close the distance. “Hi, guys.” I’m not sure if I should hug them in greeting or not. I always hugged my family and I hug Max’s family too. I decide to do what I’ve always done. They can let me know if they don’t like it. Stepping forward, I hug Holly. “Hey, Holly.” Then Noah. “Hey, Noah. I’m glad you guys could make it today.”

They each return my embrace. “We’ve been looking forward to spending some time with you. We were bummed we missed out on dinner with you and Max.” Holly smiles at me, then glances at her brother.Ourbrother. Geez, that’s hard to get used to. “Right, Noah?”

Noah nods. “Right. I can’t wait for you to teach me how to draw as good as you.”

Holly’s brows tighten. “I could have taught you how to draw, you know. All you had to do was ask.”

He huffs out a breath and toes the ground with his shoe. “You draw girly stuff.” He flings his arm out in my direction. “Molly draws cool stuff like cars.”

Oh shit!My eyes widen. I don’t want to compete with my newly found sister. “I love Holly’s clothing designs. The stuff she draws comes from her imagination. I just draw what I can see.”

Holly’s eyes snap up to mine and I gesture toward the picnic blanket for us to take a seat. Noah eyes off the array of snacks as he sits as close as possible to the food and I quickly open the containers for him. “Help yourself. I didn’t know what you guys liked, so I packed a few different options.”

“Thanks,” Noah replies as he reaches for a chocolate cupcake.

“Holly, what would you like?”

She scans the food then takes a carrot stick, dipping it into the hummus. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I grab a couple of strawberries and enjoy their sweet juice on my tongue. Max always insists on having berries in the house because they’re my favorite.

We enjoy the snacks in silence for a while, then Noah points toward the scrapbook and sketch pads I brought along. “Is that your book? The one with the car sketch I saw.”

I chuckle at his enthusiasm. “Yeah.” I glance between my new siblings. “I, uh, I also brought my brother’s scrapbook to show you. I figured you’d like it because he only drew cars.”

My heart pounds as I share something that’s deeply precious to me.

Holly’s eyes go soft and she glances over at her brother. Creases form between her brows and then she reaches across to smooth down Noah’s unruly hair. He pulls away, giving her a puzzled look. Her gaze comes back to me and it’s full of sorrow and I know she’s thinking about what I’ve lost.

Noah breaks the moment with his excitement, completely oblivious to his sister’s sadness. “Really. Can I see his drawings?”

“Of course.” I select Ethan’s book and shuffle closer to Noah, then open to the first page. “This book shows his progression clearly. You can see this first drawing is quite basic. But wait until you see his sketches at the end of the book.” Holly balances on her knees behind us, studying E’s drawings closely as I turn each page.

Her hand creeps between Noah and me, stopping me from turning to the next page. “This is where his skill leveled up.” She traces her finger over the line of the roof of the car. “You can see the confidence in his lines.” She snatches her finger from the page. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have touched it.”

“That’s okay. And yes, you’re right. This was the turning point.” I flick to the next page.

“They all look really cool to me.” Noah glances at me with wide eyes. “Do you think I could draw like Ethan?”

“I don’t see why not. Shall we get started?”

“I’m ready.” He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a sketch pad and some pencils. Holly and I chuckle at his excitement.

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