Page 69 of Moonlit Kisses

–max–

I pullMolly’s hand into my lap to stop her from fidgeting with her bracelet. “I don’t know why you’re nervous. My family’s not that scary.”

Her head snaps around to me. “Oh, I’m sure they’re not. Your sister’s lovely, as are her kids. It’s that I’m not used to extended family get-togethers.” I squeeze her hand. “It was only Mom and me for so long and then Jack came along. Then, a few years later, they had Ethan. It was only ever the four of us for birthdays and special holidays.”

I glance at her, then back to the road. My heart breaks for this woman and the things she’s missed out on. “It’s noisy, but it’s always fun. If it gets too much, give me the signal and I’ll get you out of there.” I wink at her before settling my eyes back on the road.

She chuckles. “What sort of signal?”

“How about you tug on your left ear and give me a wink with your right eye?” We both burst out laughing and I think it was exactly what she needed to calm herself down.

“Thanks. I needed that.” She shuffles the gift bag sitting between her feet on the floor, a crease forming between her sculpted eyebrows. “Do you think Lachlan will like his present?”

“He’s going to love it. But I have to warn you. He won’t be overly demonstrative about how much he likes the gift. It’s just the way he is.” I glance across at her. “He’s on the Spectrum, which means he responds differently to things.”

She waves away my warning. “That’s okay. All kids are different. Ethan never liked people making a fuss over him. When he was little, he would cry whenever we sang happy birthday.” She chuckles a little at the memory. “I think we all have our idiosyncrasies; not everything has a label.”

I love that view. Mona always had awful things to say about Lachlan whenever she spent time with my family and I would have to remind her to keep her opinions to herself. I can’t, for the life of me, work out why in the hell I stayed with that woman.

“Tell me. What was it like having a younger brother that much younger than you?” She doesn’t open up and talk that much about her family so I hope I haven’t overstepped.

She takes a deep breath. “It was wonderful. I was old enough to appreciate him and his different stages. Though, I remember it didn’t impress me when he’d wake up during the night for a feed, but I soon learned to sleep through the noise. I used to love it when Mom would let me sit on the couch and cuddle with him when he was a newborn. Even though he was tiny, he was a chubby baby. He’d look up at me with his big inquisitive eyes and wrap his fingers tight around my finger. When he was a little bigger, he would suck on my nose.” Her eyes are full of love and her smile confirms it’s a happy memory for her. “I remember when he first started eating solids. The stinky smell of his diaper.” She scrunches up her nose as she giggles and my heart soars to hear her laughing as she remembers her brother. “Jack used to pretend to faint.” Her dimples are deep, and her eyes are sparkling with joy. Jack sounds like he was a terrific stepdad to Molly. I only hope her biological dad can be equally terrific.

“Oh yeah, I remember Em’s boys used to stink when they first switched over to solid food. It’s not pleasant. I was never too keen to change their diapers once that happened.” I take the turn into Emma and Theo’s driveway and turn off the engine.

She turns to me with wide eyes. “We’re here already?”

“C’mon. It’ll be fine. I promise.” Leaning across the console, I give her a chaste kiss, then climb out of my car. I know the second Mom lays eyes on me with Molly, she’s going to know that I’m head over heels in love with this woman. My only hope is that she doesn’t embarrass me too much.

With Molly’s hand secure in mine, we make our way up to the porch. Sarah’s standing inside the door when we enter and, knowing her, she saw my car pull up and made sure she would be the first one to greet us. She’s probably annoyed that Emma has already met Molly.

“Max. It’s great to see you.” She wraps her arms around me, pulling me in close. I refuse to release Molly’s hand, so I return her hug with my free arm, whacking her in the back with the gift bag I’m carrying for Lachlan. “Oh my gosh, she’s so freaking pretty … and tall,” Sarah whispers in my ear before pulling back to greet Molly. “Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m Max’s favorite sister.” She leans forward to embrace Molly. “It’s nice to meet you, finally.” Molly gives Sarah her full smile, dimples and all. Sarah’s eyes widen as she chuckles. “I can see why Kenny thinks you’re a Disney princess.”

Molly laughs. “Hi, Sarah. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Uncle Maaaaax! Aunty Mollyyyyyy!” Kenny comes running from the back of the house, leaping at my body. “You came!” She squeezes my cheeks in her tiny hands and lands a kiss on my nose. “And you brought me a princess to play with.” Molly, Sarah, and I chuckle at our niece, who stole our hearts from the minute we first met her.

Molly tickles Kenny under her arm. “Hi, Kenny. I washed my hair, especially this morning, so you could do a special braid for me.”

Kenny reaches across, smoothing her hand down Molly’s long hair. “It’s so silky.” Her eyes go wide. “I collected all of my best hair ties and ribbons together and I’ve got my special brush and comb. It’s gonna be so much fun.” She wriggles her body, so I place her on her feet. Molly chuckles as Kenny runs back to where she came, shouting. “Mommy. Daddy. Uncle Max’s princess is here!”

Molly’s eyes widen and her cheeks flush prettily. “Oh my gosh. I’m so far from being a princess.”

Sarah turns to her. “Are you sure about that? With your pretty eyes, gorgeous platinum hair, and dimples. Not to mention,” she waves her hand up and down Molly’s form, “your stunning figure. You’re like a real-life Disney princess.” She moves closer to Molly and motions for her to lean down. “Is my big bro being good to you?”

Molly smiles widely as she nods. She looks at me as she answers Sarah, “He absolutely is. He’s the best.”

My hand tightens around hers and my chest puffs out a little, knowing that I’m giving her what she needs. “Uh, Sis, do you think you can let us into the house?”

We’re still standing inside the front door, for fuck’s sake. She pokes her tongue out at me and spins on her heel, leading the way to the back of the house. I lean down slightly and steal a quick kiss from my girl.

“Ewwww, Uncle Max is kissing Aunty Molly.” Austin’s voice rings out, breaking the moment. I drop my forehead to Molly’s and we share a laugh. When I pull back to study Molly’s face, she’s flushed, and her eyes are sparkling with happiness. I love this look on her. It’s one I hope to keep on her face for a very long time. I love that the kids are already calling Molly, aunty. It’s like they’ve been inside my mind.

It’s all I can think about.

How I can make her mine forever.

We step into the kitchen, and I place my gift for Lachlan on the counter and drag Molly forward to meet Mom. I wrap my free arm around the woman who made me the man I am today and pull her in close, kissing the top of her head. “Hey, Mom.” I pull Molly in beside me. “This is my girlfriend, Molly.”

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