Page 95 of Moonlit Kisses

I lose the battle and the tears burst forth on a sob. It’s like my heart’s been split down the middle with an ax and I can’t get enough oxygen into my lungs. Max’s arms come around me, pulling me into his warm body. I rest my ear against his heart, listening to the steady rhythm as I work to calm myself. Thank God he’s here.

“I … I’m sorry, Molly. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Martin whispers.

“It’s okay, Martin.” The vibration of Max’s voice touches my ear as he calmly strokes my hair and reassures Martin.

How do I explain these tears aren’t because I’m angry or hurt, it’s because I needed him to acknowledge his mistakes so I could move forward? These tears are full of relief that he’s owned up to his choices, and he’s taken responsibility for them, even though some of them were technically out of his control.

“Oh, dear. What’s going on out here?” Beth’s voice breaks the silence.

I pull away from Max and wipe my eyes. “I promise I’m okay. Sorry about that. Do you have a bathroom where I can clean myself up?”

“Of course, follow me.”

I clean up and when I come back out, Martin, Beth, and Max have moved to the table where dinner has been served. Roast chicken with all the trimmings. I love roast chicken. It was something we rarely had because it’s so expensive, but Mom always made sure to have it for my birthday after we started living with Jack. As I sit, I promise myself that I’m going to enjoy this meal and I won’t become swamped with memories—it’s not fair to everyone else if I’m always breaking down into tears.

Martin and Beth serve us and the first few moments are quiet as we all dig into the delicious meal. The chicken tastes different to the way Mom cooked it. It’s got more of a smokey flavor to it. “This is delicious. Thank you for going to so much trouble.”

Beth waves off my compliment. “It was no trouble. It’s a family staple in this house. One of Holly’s favorite meals.”

I smile at her and it’s genuine and full of hope. “It’s my favorite, too.” Beth smiles, appearing pleased at her choice of meal. These small connections are giving me hope that I’ll be able to forge strong relationships with my new family.

As we eat dinner, Martin and Beth glance at each other, then their eyes land on me. “I’ve got a funny story to share about Nicole, Beth, and me if you’d like to hear it?”

My eyes slide to Max and I swallow. Maybe hearing about some of their fun times will help. “I’d love you to share it with me.” Max reaches across under the table and lays his hand on my thigh, squeezing it in support.

“Oh, no. Which story are you going to share?” Beth chuckles.

Martin looks at her with a sparkle in his eye. “Remember Mr. Fitzroy?”

Beth’s eyes snap to mine, then back to her husband. “Oh. Do you think that’s the best story to share?”

“Hell yeah. It was hilarious. Not that we thought it was funny at the time, but looking back.” He sighs and glances away. “Good times.” He nods to himself as he becomes lost in the memory.

Beth’s eyes come back to me. “They were fun times. I think we were about sixteen. Well, you were eighteen.” She swipes Martin’s arm in jest. “Old enough to know better.” She winks at me.

“Mr. Fitzroy was Nicole’s neighbor. He had a swimming pool.” I feel like I already know where this story might be heading.

“He was the only person with a swimming pool in the neighborhood.” Beth adds.

“He was away on vacation and it was the hottest, muggiest night. We couldn’t escape the heat. It had been days and days of the same stinking, hot, unbearable temperatures. The girls and I deci–”

Beth shoves her hands on her hips. “Hang on there. If I remember correctly, you coaxed Nicole and me to do it. We weren’t so sure it was a good idea.”

Martin tilts his hand from side to side as if Beth’s recount isn’t quite accurate. “Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, we took the opportunity of Mr. Fitzroy being away and decided to go for a swim late one night after we’d been at a party. The guy used to keep his gate locked, which meant we had to climb his fence to sneak around the back. The girls and I stripped down to our underwear and jumped in. It was heaven.”

Beth nods. “I remember the sheer relief to finally have a reprieve from the heat. It was so good.”

“Yeah. I’m not sure how long we swam, but we were having a great time. Suddenly, all the lights inside the house came on and before we could react, all the lights across the back of the house switched on and Mr. Fitzroy came storming out of the back door, yelling at us and threatening to call the police to report us for trespassing on his property.” Beth and Martin chuckle.

“I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast. I jumped out of that pool, scooped up my clothes, and ran to the corner near the fence where it was still dark.” Beth giggles. “Nicole, though …” she shakes her head, “she wasn’t so keen on climbing out with Mr. Fitzroy watching because she had white underwear on.”

A gasp escapes as I imagine Mom’s embarrassment. “Oh, no.”

Martin grimaces. “Yeah, I climbed out quickly, too, not realizing I left Nicole in the pool all on her own. Mr. Fitzroy was cursing up a storm something fierce. Lights came on next door and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis came out to investigate what was going on. Nicole was still in the pool, clinging to the edge, trying to hide her body while Mr. Fitzroy was shouting across the yard to her parents about what a terrible job they had done and that their daughter was a miscreant.” Martin chuckles and Max joins in.

“Her parents were yelling at her to get out of the pool and she was yelling that she couldn’t because her underwear was see-through. I was trying to put my clothes back on over wet skin. Martin was hopping on one leg, trying to get his jeans back on and Nicole stayed in the pool, defiant.”

“Oh my gosh, that sounds just like Mom,” I add with a chuckle.

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