Page 50 of Moonlit Kisses

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Martin’s truckis parked in front of the workshop as I pull in, making my temper flare. I can’t believe he showed up this morning. It would have been better to give Molly some time to get her head around their relationship, rather than bombard her the very next day. I draw in a deep breath because ultimately, it’s between the two of them to work out. It’s none of my business.

As I climb the stairs, I prepare to lay eyes on the woman who’s quickly overtaken my life. Sleeping next to her and waking with her in my arms is something I could easily become addicted to. I run my hand through my hair and sigh. I probably shouldn’t have kissed her. She’s got enough going on in her life at the moment. But could I stop myself from tasting her?Hell no.And if it weren’t for her alarm, I’m not sure I would have stopped at all. I wanted to strip her bare and taste every inch of her body, paying special attention to the haven between her thighs.

I knock on the door, when all I want to do is storm inside and demand Martin give her some space. It opens, revealing Molly still wearing her running gear. He must have been waiting here when she came back from her run and because she’s a sweetheart, she didn’t turn him away. Her smile is instant and genuine; their time together must have been okay, because she looks relaxed, which means I can calm down.

“Hey.” She waves her arm out for me to come in and looks across to Martin. “Martin was about to leave, because I need to shower and get ready for work. I don’t want to let you down again.”

I step through the doorway and place my hand on her hip as I lean in to touch my lips to hers. Now that I’ve kissed her, I want to do it all the time. She sucks in a sharp breath but doesn’t pull away.

“Hey,” I whisper against her lips. I tip my chin toward Martin. “Martin.” Clearing the door, I close it behind me. “Take your time. If you need today off, that’s okay too. Yesterday took a toll on you.” I glare pointedly at Martin.

“Thank you, but I’ll be okay. It’s better if I stay busy, anyway.” She thumbs over her shoulder toward the bathroom. “You two can catch up if you like while I get ready.” She glances between the two of us, then heads into the bathroom. Martin and I stay put until she closes the door, and we hear the water turn on.

I step toward him, my eyes narrowed. “Do you think it’s a good idea turning up here today?” I wave my arm out. “You could have given her a couple of days to come to terms with what the two of you figured out yesterday.” I’m proud of how well I temper my tone when, in reality, I want to punch this guy in the face and I’m not a confrontational person.

He steps toward me. “I appreciate your concern for Molly, but this is a family matter between the two of us.” Martin raises his brows.

“I get that. But you didn’t see how upset and confused she is about this.” I run my hand through my hair in frustration that he’s not considering Molly’s wellbeing.

His shoulders drop. “Beth said I should give her more time, but when I think about everything,” he shrugs, “I’ve already missed too much. I don’t want to miss another second.”

I blow out a heavy breath. There are no winners here. Both of them have a lot to work through. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it from your point of view.” A squeal sounds from the bathroom and the water shuts off.

“Shit. I never fixed the wiring yesterday. I’ll go down and grab my tools and fix it now. The heating system’s wiring is likely to be corroded. I’ll take a look.” He heads for the outer door.

“Thanks. I completely forgot about it yesterday.” I move to the bathroom door to check on Molly. “You okay in there?”

“Yeah. The water turned freezing again.” The door opens, exposing Molly wrapped in a threadbare towel. She peers around the apartment. “Has Martin left?”

“Not yet. He’s gone downstairs to grab his tools. He’ll fix the wiring today since we all forgot about it yesterday.”

Molly blows out a breath. “Oh, thank goodness. Every time I have a shower, I cross my fingers that it won’t go cold, but it doesn’t work.” She giggles. I’m not sure how she’s still finding humor after everything she’s been through. “I’ll get dressed. Back in five.”

Yeah right. I’ve never known a woman to be ready that fast. I openly admire her long legs until she closes her bedroom door. Sure enough, she comes out of her bedroom as Martin steps back inside to fix the hot water.

* * *

As Molly and I share lunch, I study her for any signs that she’s still upset. But there’s nothing. I shouldn’t be surprised, because she gave no outward sign about her situation or how much she’d lost until the other night.

“Are you okay?” I’m not going to attempt to guess how she’s feeling. Having two sisters, I know how difficult it can be to gauge a woman’s emotions.

She raises her head, her eyebrows scrunched. “Yeah?” Her voice is unsure, the single word coming out more like a question.

“Are you okay after Martin showed up unannounced this morning?”I’m still pissed about it, and it had nothing to do with me.

“Oh right. It was a surprise, and I definitely wasn’t ready. But I didn’t have the heart to turn him away.” She scrunches up her nose. “It was pretty awkward. He left some photos of my mom for me to look at, though, which is pretty cool. I never saw what she was like when she was young. When she left, she didn’t take any of that sort of stuff with her.” She shrugs and stays silent for a few moments, and I think that’s all she’s going to say. “I’m a bit confused, though.”

“Yeah. What about?”

“I dunno. He … he basically abandoned Mom when she told him she was pregnant. But he seems incredibly upset about missing out on being in my life. His reaction doesn’t add up.” She shrugs and picks at her sandwich.

I run my thumbnail across my bottom lip as I collect my thoughts. “Maybe he’s always regretted his decision. I don’t want to make excuses for the guy, but he wasonlynineteen when he knocked up your mom.”

She drops her sandwich back to the desk and straightens. “My mom wasonlyseventeen. But she took full responsibility. Made important decisions and stuck with them.” Her eyes scan around the office, like she’s looking for something. “Mom had to grow up fast and face the reality of her situation. She didn’t walk away—she couldn’t. Her life was hard. Damn hard raising a baby on her own. Living in a car. Barely getting by. Working minimal jobs that allowed her to keep a baby in the back office for short periods of time.” Her voice cracks and her eyes become glassy.

Well, fuck.

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