“Oh, man! You really bit it. Hold on.” The stranger crouched down, ignoring the buckets of rain that drenched them both, and took her quaking hand in his. His hands were strong and steady, giving a quiet calm to her trembling ones. “That looks like it hurts. Come on. Where were you going? I can give you a ride.”
“That’s okay. I live just there.” She tried to keep her finger steady as she pointed two houses down, but failed. “Thanks, though.”
“The one with the red brick?” He watched her nod. “Are you… You’re not Kyle’s kid sister, are you? Molly? Little Molly Luco?”
Molly nodded slowly, wishing she did not look like such a loser in front of the man who only grew more handsome in the rain. He was perfect… and vaguely familiar upon second glance. His chocolate brown hair, bright green eyes and kind smile made forming coherent thought a struggle. His expression of concern was almost too much for her to take. She had always been a sucker for the jock build, but attraction to the opposite sex tied her tongue. “Yeah,” was all she could manage.
“Well, I can walk with you that far, at least. I’m a sort of friend of your brother’s. Liam. Can I help you up?” He displayed his manly hands to prove his innocence.
Liam. Liam Dinatali. Kyle’s best friend in high school was Nate Dinatali, and Liam was his older brother. Now she remembered why he looked so familiar. Star quarterback, all-state in three sports. Not that those things mattered so many years later, but it solidified just how far above her social ranking he was. Add to that having a clumsy moment in front of such a strong and coordinated man, and Molly knew this was the unappealing icing on her sunken-in cake. “Thanks. I’m gross, though.” She hated looking like a drowned rat in front of the man who was so clearly out of her league. She tried to hide her struggle, but the second she put the smallest amount of weight on her left ankle, she plummeted back to the ground, biting off a cry that could not be masked.
Strong arms went around her and gently lifted her from the puddle. Instead of moving forward, Liam sat down on the muddy grass, not regarding his stained jeans a thing to be considered in that moment. The attention nature demanded as it pelted them relentlessly was put on hold when Molly was slipped onto the stranger’s lap.
She had not been babied so in two decades, and the tenderness with which he held her brought forth the tears she hated herself for. That he was being so nice to her was a shock – not because it was him, but because she’d been such a stranger to being treated gently.
Yes, she knew who he was. Once when she was getting her lunch bullied away from her yet again, Liam shared his with her. It was her only time to sit at the cool table, and the temporary bump in status kept the mean girls from picking on her for a while. He’d shared his French fries with her and even cut his burger in half so she could have something to eat. Kyle had never looked out for her like that. He was the food taker, not the food sharer. Liam had done his part to even draw her into conversation at the table of the untouchables in the high school. She’d felt very small that day, but somehow not unimportant. For that one lunch period, she wasn’t invisible. He was a safe place when she was lost that day, and tonight proved no different.
She’d heard through the grapevine that he’d gone to medical school, but that’s where he dropped off the map for her. Of all the people to come to her aid that day, she couldn’t have picked a better fit, or a more obscure person to happen by in her hour of emotional nudity.
Liam held her for three minutes while she cried into his shoulder, his thick brown jacket getting more saturated as they sat on the sidewalk. “It’ll be okay,” he assured her in his deep, mellow voice. He combed his thick fingers through her hair as he held her, noting her shuddering limbs clinging to him. “This is about more than a little mud, huh.” He glanced down at her knees. “How about I get you home, though? That looks pretty bad. I’m a doctor. I can help fix you up.”
Molly nodded into his shoulder, not wanting to pull away and face the near stranger she was blubbering on. In one swift movement, he lifted her with barely a jostle as he stood, carrying her like a child to her house. So starved for kindness was she that her pride didn’t sting as she thought it might, being babied so blatantly. Being cared for was a language she did not speak, so she clung to Liam, lest she get lost in this uncharted territory without a lifeline. She did not look up as they entered, nor did she remove her face from Liam’s shoulder when Kyle chuckled at her injuries. “Have another little clumsy moment, Moll?”
“Bathroom?” Liam inquired, ignoring Kyle every bit as much as Molly was. Kyle waved him in the right direction, not judging her injuries or the two sopping wet people as enough of a reason to pause his video game.
Liam kicked the lid of the toilet down and sat Molly atop it. “First aid kit?” he asked, examining Molly’s knees with a frown.
The shaking was worse as she pointed to the cabinet below the sink, but Liam was a decent enough guy not to comment on it. He knelt down in front of her, but he was so tall, he was still at eye level with Molly, who refused to look at him. “So, do you think your jeans are ruined?”
Molly nodded. She knew if she looked into those green orbs again, she would be sucked into their vortex, like all those cheerleaders he dated in high school. She already cried in public once tonight. She did not relish the idea of repeating the crime.
“Good. I hear cutoffs are all the rage.” Liam ripped the slashes on her jeans clean across, allowing him to get a better look at the deep wounds. “Rags you don’t care about?”
Molly pointed to the cabinet again. “Under there on the left side.”
Liam took a few out and wet the terrycloth with warm water. He blotted at the fresh blood for several minutes, alternating between dabbing and pouring antiseptic on the raw flesh. The silence was hard to take, but Molly was unsure how to speak after having humiliated herself so thoroughly.
“Rough night?” he inquired, his kind green eyes meeting her brown ones before refocusing on her injury. He was gentle with the cloth, treating her as if she was fragile. Somehow this small act gave Molly the permission to allow herself to feel fragile instead of hunkering down and taking it, until the day of too much finally came to a close.
“Yeah. Thanks for getting me home. And you don’t have to do this. You don’t even know me.”
Liam did not look up at her, but smiled at her knee. “Little Molly Luco. I remember you. Black pigtails. Purple bike. Quiet as a mouse.” He blew his warmth onto her knee, which had stopped bleeding under his care. “Look at you, all grown up. You were a cute little thing.”
Were? Molly questioned silently, but then immediately regretted the thought. How vain. “Thank you.”
“You’re still quiet. Still cute. Only thing missing are those pigtails.”
She blushed, biting on her lower lip as she processed the compliment. She was occasionally given praise on her performance at work, but no one commented on her appearance all that much. Her mouth went dry as she mumbled a quiet thanks. Then she motioned to her knee. “Can’t remember the last time someone carried me. Probably around the same time I stopped wearing my hair in pigtails.”
“No trouble. What’s the point of going to the gym if there aren’t pretty girls to sweep off their feet every now and then?” He fished around the kit and found two large Band-aids. After he stopped the bleeding and cleaned her off, he affixed them to her knees.
Molly studied Liam. He looked on her injuries with overwhelming kindness, and did not call her out on her earlier breakdown. He had long, dark lashes that swept his cheeks when he tilted his head down. He had perfect teeth, and a dimple in his left cheek that gave away his striking features when he smiled at her. She fished around for conversation to make her look like less of an idiot, but words escaped her. She’d always had a problem with speaking her mind. Mostly she’d been taught to stay out of the way growing up.
“Kyle invited us back to stay here for a bit. He and Nate haven’t seen each other in ages. I hope that’s oka
y.” He looked up at her, and she closed her gaping mouth quickly.
It was the first time she was not secretly mad at Kyle for having his friends stay over without telling her. Usually they trashed the place. She guessed Liam would not be so thoughtless. “Sure. What are you in town for?”
Liam took her hands and turned them so he could examine her palms. Frowning, he dabbed at them with the antiseptic. “Our mom’s sick. Cancer. She’s refusing treatment. We came to be with her since it’s nearing the end.” He shook his head. “Well, I came to be with her. Nate came to talk her out of refusing chemo. She’s pretty stubborn, but it’s genetic, so it’s anybody’s guess who’ll win.” He offered a shrug and smile from his kneeling position in front of her, as if he meant to say it all in an off-handed manner. “Our sister’s got six kids, and they’re staying with Dad right now, so Nate and I were just gonna check into a motel, but Kyle was nice enough to save us the hassle.”
Molly’s mouth fell open again. She did not know what to say to that, so instead of speaking, she asked him questions with her eyes. Her eyes never misspoke. She tried to communicate condolences and warmth. Words were never her strong suit. She waited to utter her first word until she turned three, letting all the other talkers bypass her by a long margin.
Liam shook his head. “Don’t go looking at me like that. Then I’ll be the one crying and you’ll have to carry me home. I don’t think you could manage it with that ankle.”
The easy nature with which he broached the sensitive subject bespoke of wounds he was not yet ready to take seriously. Molly understood that better than most. Instead of making him talk about it further, she slipped her arms around him, covering his shoulders like a sheet of protection against the raging storm outside the house and inside of himself. She didn’t have the words, so she tried to put it all into a hug.
After a few seconds of holding his body straight, Liam sunk into her, forsaking his airy demeanor. It was not romantic. It was not desperate. It was humane, and the first solid gesture that actually offered the comfort he had been without through the entire process of his mother deteriorating.
Molly held Liam, and smiled when he rested his cheek to hers. She tangled her fingers in the small hairs at the base of his neck, letting him know he could let his guard down, and she would be careful with his emotional baggage. He exhaled what seemed like a year’s worth of anxiety and stress, letting out wordlessly some of what he’d worked so hard to keep bottled up. His arms snaked around her and squeezed, his thumb stroking her side as she combed her fingers through his hair, turning the jock high school idol and confident doctor into a pile of jelly in her arms. She’d never had so much power, or felt so connected to another person. She felt needed in a way that wasn’t always taking, and appreciated in a way that made her feel human again, instead of Kyle’s workhorse.
When he finally released her and pulled away, it was with a forced smile. “About three more seconds of that, and you might’ve seen the girl version of me. Not a pretty thing, that. I look terrible in heels.”
Molly did not laugh at his joke, but instead cocked her head to the side as if to ask him if that was what he really wanted to say.
Liam cleared his throat, noting with chagrin how much her gentle presence was relaxing him into lowering his guard. “Your ankle. Let’s get your shoe off and take a look at the damage.” This time it was him refusing to look at her, lest he fall into her abyss. With great care, he untied her shoelaces and slid off both shoes and socks, throwing them into the bathtub. “You’ll want to keep that elevated.” He reached for the gauze and began wrapping her ankle in a slow, methodical way that communicated years of practice.
She had never been so thoroughly touched by such a handsome man before. She sorely wished he was not handling the most off-putting part of her body. Seated on a toilet was hardly a position of seduction. She was just glad shaving her legs was part of her daily routine, or she would have been embarrassed beyond recovery. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem. What were you doing out there, anyway? It’s supposed to be the storm of the year over the next few days.”
“Feeding the neighbor’s dog. Letting him out.”
“Well, I sure hope Fido appreciates the lengths you went to for him.”
“I’ll be sure to demand double the kisses from him next time,” Molly assured him with a soft smile.
“That’s one lucky dog.”
A loud knock intruded upon their companionable exchange. “Hey, Moll. I need you to go pick up the takeout. I ordered Chinese from Wong-Fu’s, but they’re not delivering tonight because of the storm.”
“Okay,” she answered her brother, dreading going back out in the torrential rain. She grabbed a rubber band from the counter and wrapped her long hair into a ponytail to get it out of her face.
Liam frowned. “You can’t put weight on that ankle, much less drive.” He shook his head. “Kyle, she can’t go. Either you pick it up, or send Nate out.”
Molly stared at him, her mouth hanging open once again. Never. Not once in all the years she lived with Kyle had anyone stuck up for her and told Kyle to shove it. Kyle was the charming one. The golden child. The one with all the untapped potential.
“What?” Liam asked of her astonishment. “Not to tell you how to run your life, but your ankle needs to be elevated if you want to use it again anytime soon. Driving like this would just wreck it more. I’d put tap dancing on hold, too.” He quirked his head to the side, sizing up her awe, and then smiled at her as he put a finger under her chin and shut her mouth for her.
Her voice came out a whisper. “No one says no to Kyle.”
Liam scoffed. “Well, this’ll be a shocker of a week for him.”
She leaned forward, sticking to her hushed tone. “Kyle’s been drinking. I can do it. My ankle barely hurts anymore. You fixed it perfect.”
“What a sweet little liar you are.” Liam helped her to stand, noting that she did not put any pressure on the injured foot. “I’ll tell you what. You make it to the couch, and I’ll go with you.”
Molly nodded, dipping her head down to hide the pink rising in her cheeks. He was so tall; her head only came up to his shoulder. She took one step forward, and immediately regretted it. Biting back a scream, her ankle cursed her for being stupid as she nearly fell to the ground.
Once again, the strong hands found her, righting her before she could do more damage to herself. “Not quite,” Liam admonished her. “This is the part where you say, ‘Liam, you’re so wise. I should always listen to you. You’re handsome, too. What are you doing Friday night?’”
In lieu of answering, Molly clung to his wet button-down shirt, permitting her head to lean against his chest while she reassembled her bearings. This task became futile when she felt him dip down and press a kiss to her hair. She was new to the concept of being treated like a woman, but she understood the sweetness enough to cling to it as long as it would have her.
“How about this,” Liam began, holding her to him in a way that could not be misconstrued as accidental. “You sit here, and I’ll bring you some clean, dry clothes. How does that sound?”
“You’re… You… Why are you being nice to me?” Molly questioned quietly as Liam lowered her back down to the toilet seat. She wasn’t sure what sort of ulterior motive there might be, but there had to be some sort of catch.
“Well, I’ve tried curing people by yelling at them, and it never took. Best stick with Western medicine.” He took in the confusion on her pretty heart-shaped face. “Who wouldn’t be nice to you? You’ve got like, the sweetest face I’ve seen in ages. Now, where’s your room?”
Molly shook her head. “Clean clothes are in the basket in the laundry room. I just haven’t taken it upstairs yet.”
He cocked his eyebrow at her. “Trying to keep me away from your bedroom? Smart. I’ve always had a thing for trying on ladies’ yoga pants.”
“I’m happy to share. You’d look dashing in my pink pair with little r
ed hearts on them.” Molly sniggered, picturing his perfect posterior in the skin-tight clothing. “You really don’t have to do this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Be back in a minute.” He held up his finger seriously. “No cartwheels while I’m gone.”
Molly waited in shock, mulling over the mild flirtation until Liam let himself back in, handing her a stack of clothes. “Wow. Um, thank you. This is… And you’re a guest here. It’s… You’re very kind.”
Liam crooked his finger under her chin and lifted it so he could look at her face more fully. “For the last time, it’s no trouble. You act like it’s a chore to fish through your lacy delicates.”
Molly’s eyes widened, and then she realized she had not washed anything objectionable. “Looking for more of my things to try on?” she kidded, loving how easy he was to joke with.
“Your thongs fit me perfect. We’re at the point in our relationship where we can share stuff like that, right? Now, I’m going to grab my luggage from the car and get changed myself. You alright?”
Molly nodded, her innocent chocolate eyes still trying to comprehend his sweetness toward her.
He gave Molly an appraising glance. “Don’t suppose some more of your clothes would fit me, do you? Save me from going back out in that storm.”
Easy as that, Liam brought a smile to Molly’s lips as she shook her head. “Prom dress is at the cleaner’s.”
“Ah. So that’s how it is. I carry you into the house, but you won’t share your girly dresses with me? Selfish, selfish, selfish.” He exited after the two shared a smirk and a look of appreciation that lasted perhaps five seconds longer than it should have.
Chapter Four
Nate
Molly fumbled into her black yoga capris and peach long-sleeved thermal shirt. The clean clothes made her feel infinitely better, though Liam still bewildered her. She hobbled to the door and opened it, surprised to find Liam waiting for her. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you wait. You’re soaked, too! I’m sorry.”
Unraveling Molly Page 2
