Page 72 of Moonlit Kisses

We have amazing sex. Fuck me. The sex. She blows my fucking mind. But it’s not only the sex. She blows my mind out of the bedroom, too. She’s been through so much in her life, and nothing drags her down. I have an incredible amount of respect for the woman sitting beside me, something I’ve not felt for the women I’ve dated in the past. Our connection is deep on a fundamental level. I know she said her birth control shot was due, but I can’t remember when that was. Maybe I could convince her to skip it.

The cake is cut and handed out and we all go silent except for the occasional moan. I hate that I notice Emma putting on a show for Theo as she moans around her fork and then slides the cake off in a long stroke. She glances up, noticing me watching her. I raise one eyebrow in a ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ look. My fucking sister smirks at me and shrugs. Typical.

As soon as Molly swallows her last bite of cake, Kenny cheers. “Yay! I can do your hair now.” She hops down from her seat. “C’mon. Let’s go inside. I have everything already set up.”

“Ah, Munchkin. I think you’d better wash your hands first. I don’t think Molly would like chocolate cake smeared through her hair.” Theo rises ready to clean up his daughter. Well, niece, but that’s neither here nor there since he adopted her.

Molly stands as Theo takes Kenny inside. “You don’t have to let her braid your hair. You know.” Emma clarifies.

“Oh no. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly.” She gives my sisters the full dimple experience and I can tell my sisters think she’s pretty great.

The girls move inside while I help Dad and Cristo clean up from dessert. Kenny runs into the living room excitedly. “I needFrozenon while I do Aunty Molly’s hair.”

Of course she does because the million times she’s already watched it will never be enough. Lachlan and Austin groan. “Noooo. Not again.” Austin drops his head back on his shoulders, looking up at the ceiling, adding to his dramatic response.

Molly chuckles. “She needs to make sure she’s doing the braid correctly. Which means Kenny needs the movie on as a reference.”

Lachlan latches onto Molly’s explanation. “Yes. It’s like when I build my Legos. I need the picture as a reference to know I’m building it correctly.”

Molly smiles at my nephew. “That’s right. We won’t mind if she has the movie playing, right?”

“No. I guess that will be okay. But I’m gonna go play outside with Poppa and Pappoús,” he responds.

“Me too,” adds Austin.

The boys head out the back with Cristo and Dad, and Molly sits on the designated cushion on the floor, crossing her legs. I know she was worried about being around this many people, but she’s coped like a champion. The opening scene fromFrozenplays and Kenny attacks Molly’s hair with a brush, dragging Molly’s head back sharply.

Emma steps in, placing her hand over Kenny’s, stopping her. “Kenny.” She waits until Kenny looks at her. “You need to be gentle. You don’t want to hurt Aunty Molly.”

Kenny’s bottom lip quivers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Aunty Molly.”

Molly twists around and drags Kenny into her lap, snuggling her close. “You didn’t hurt me, lovely girl. I wasn’t quite ready. Long, smooth strokes work best with my hair.” She winks at my niece, putting her at ease.

See, she’s gonna be a great mom. I need her to have my babies.

Kenny brushes, combs, twists, and miraculously braids Molly’s hair as she patiently sits for almost an hour. She’s got fancy hair clips sticking in and out of everywhere and it looks a total mess, but when Kenny asks Emma to take a photo to show Molly, she gushes over how fabulous her new hair-do looks.

Mom, Emma, and Sarah all look at me withthatlook on their face. The one that says they know I’ve found the one. The one that’s perfect for meandperfect for our family.

Trust me. I know.

As the party winds down, we say our goodbyes. Each member of my family hugs Molly for long minutes, almost to the point it’s a little uncomfortable. Even Lachlan gives her a brief hug, which is unheard of until he’s known someone for a while. I remember he latched onto Theo quickly, too. Perhaps he has a sixth sense about whether someone is a decent person.

Mom hugs me extra tight as she whispers in my ear. “Molly’s absolutely wonderful. She’s definitely a keeper.” When she pulls back, she pats my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

I’m not sure what I’ve done to make her proud, but I’ll take it. I’d rather she be proud of me than disappointed.

Molly and I climb into my car and as we pull out of the driveway, she releases a long breath, then giggles. “I don’t know what I was worried about. Your family is amazing.” She looks across at me. “I felt especially welcomed from the minute I walked in the door. You are incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such great people.” She leans across, laying a chaste kiss on my bristly cheek. “Thank you for bringing me.”

“You’re welcome. I’m pretty sure my family’s in love with you and will expect you at every Sunday lunch from this point forward.”

Her head snaps toward me and her eyes widen. “Really? I’m glad I made a good impression. It meant a lot to me to be invited. I didn’t want to mess it up.”

I reach across and squeeze her thigh. “I don’t think you could ever mess up after my last girlfriend.” I tense my jaw and look out the passenger window before looking forward. “She, uh, she wasn’t very nice to my family. You’re the complete opposite.”

“I wondered what those funny looks were about. I was worried I’d done something wrong.” She fidgets with her bracelet.

“Nah. They were in shock that I brought home someone so sweet.” She chuckles and I’m relieved that she’s not going to dig any further about my previous girlfriends. I haven’t had the best track record with the women I’ve brought home in the past. “Are you gonna tell me what you girls were talking about in the kitchen after lunch?”

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