Tray's Sweetheart

by Angela Franklin

  “Excuse me?” Kara snapped making Molly jerk her head up.

  “I mean his love for you. Maybe Tray can be that for Molly.” Chasity reassured her.

  “Excuse me?” Molly said confused.

  “Relax, we aren’t pushing you.” Taylor promised.

  “I thought we were here to plan his demise.” Lindy reminded them.

  “Oh no.” Molly squeaked out.

  “Not like that. We are simply going to make him pay for being a cave man.” Taylor smiled.

  “But he didn’t hurt me.” Molly insisted.

  “Of course he didn’t, he wouldn’t dare, but he still needs a lesson in how to treat you.” Lindy said tapping her chin in thought.

  “You aren’t going to hurt him, are you?” Molly was frustrated with him, but she didn’t wish him any hard.

  “Not physically. We need to hit him where it hurts most.” Lindy rambled.

  “I know what to do.” Kara chimed in.

  “What do you suggest? It has to be bad so he won’t try this again.” Taylor prompted.

  “It’s simple. We take Molly away.” Kara shrugged.

  “Excuse me?” Molly felt like she had a good chance of getting kidnapped again.

  “Oh, that would be bad.” Lindy had a manic gleam in her eyes. “We could take her a few towns over and put her in a hotel for a week and not tell him where she is.”

  “No.” Taylor snapped. “Have you lost your mind? He would tear the world apart looking for her.”

  “It’s no big deal. He would have a new girl tomorrow.” Molly said softly trying to hide the lump in her throat.

  “That’s not true.” Chasity chided her.

  “He had another offer at dinner last night. She was very pretty.” Molly dropped her gaze back to the table.

  “She was also rude and slutty.” Kara added.

  “So was I.” Molly mumbled.

  “How so? Tray had you pinned to the window.”

  “I said mean things to her, then I spent the night at his house.” Molly told the group.

  “That isn’t the same. He wants you, that makes it normal.” Lindy waved her hand to dismiss her comment.

  “He is just being nostalgic. He asked me out in middle school, but I moved away.” Molly was sure that was the real motive.

  “If that was all it was, he wouldn’t have kidnapped you.” Taylor reassured her.

  “Back to our devious plan. How are we going to teach him a lesson?” Kara asked them.

  “We’re going to hide her.” Taylor grinned evilly.

  “You said no when I brought it up.” Kara reminded her.

  “I said no to taking her that far for that long.” Taylor replied.

  “Then what do you suggest? She can’t stay with any of us because the guys would rat us out.” Chasity spoke up.

  “That’s true.” Taylor sighed.

  “I could just go to my apartment.” Molly hoped they would go for it.

  “He will look there first.” Lindy shot that hope down.

  “I know somewhere.” Kara smiled wickedly.

  “Where are you thinking?” Taylor asked.

  “My old apartment. Susie doesn’t rent it out anymore.” Everyone nodded as Kara spoke.

  “Why would she help us?” Molly was barely keeping up.

  “She loves the guys, but after we tell her what Tray pulled, she will be happy to teach him a lesson.” Kara promised her.

  “Can you call her?” Lindy asked.

  “Sure, I’ll be right back.” Kara stood up slowly holding her baby belly as she walked away.

  “How long do you think it will take him to realize she’s missing?” Callie asked.

  “Not long. If it’s slow, he might stop in before he gets off, which reminds me, we have to hurry. Jacob will probably come by soon.” Chasity reminded them.

  “Susie said to bring her over anytime. She is more than happy to help us out.” Kara’s gleeful voice made her wince.

  “Are y’all sure this is a good idea? He didn’t hurt me.” Molly reminded the over excited group.

  “If you don’t show him he can’t do whatever he wants now, he will just get worse.” Lindy promised.

  “You said he was laid back.” She glared at Taylor.

  “With us he is, but with you he gets a little…” Taylor started.

  “Crazy, idiotic, possessive, criminal.” The girls chimed in.

  “Are they all like this?” How did they stand it, Molly wondered?

  “At times, but usually it only comes out if we pull away.” Lindy shrugged.

  “Alright, let’s move her before I go back to work.” Taylor rallied the girls and they snuck her into the apartment over Susie’s.

  Chapter 5

  Finally, it’s time to go home, Tray thought as he jumped in his truck at the end of his shift. He hadn’t been able to get away long enough to run home and check on Molly. Hopefully she had forgiven him already, if not he would kiss and cuddle her until she did. He cut his truck off and all but ran up the steps to get to her.

  “Molly, I’m home, Sunshine.” He called as he unlocked the door.

  “Molly?” He called louder when he didn’t find her in the living room or kitchen.

  Tray moved room to room calling her name. When he had checked the whole house, he went out the back door hoping she was in the back yard. When he didn’t see her, he texted her Sunshine, where are you? He waited a few minutes, but she didn’t text back. Going back through his house, he grabbed his keys and got in his truck. He drove like the hounds of hell were after him as he went to her apartment. After knocking for five minutes with no answer, he started calling the girls. When he asked if they had seen her, everyone said “no” and hung up on him. Getting desperate, he called Cameron.

  “Hey, Tray, is that girl bothering you again?” Cameron asked.

  “No, I can’t find Molly.” Tray rushed out.

  “When did you last see her?” Cameron asked all business now.

  “This morning at my house before I went to work.” Tray tried to control his nerves.

  “I can’t do anything until she’s been missing twenty-four hours.” Cameron told him. “Have you checked with the girls, maybe she’s getting to know them.”

  “They said they haven’t seen her. Please, I have to find her.” Tray’s voice cracked. He was afraid he had lost her.

  “Stay calm. I can’t officially do anything, but I will check around.” Cameron promised, then hung up.

  Tray couldn’t just sit around and wait, so he got in his truck and started driving up and down all the streets of the town. An hour later his phone rang.

  “Molly?” He asked, praying it was her.

  “No, it’s me.” Cameron mumbled.

  “Please tell me you found her.” Tray pleaded.

  “I know where she is, but I’m not sure I should tell you.” Cameron’s words confused him.

  “Why? Is she okay?” Tray knew it was bad if Cameron didn’t want to say it.

  “She’s fine, but I could arrest you right now.” Cameron snapped.

  “What?” Tray was so confused.

  “Seriously, you kidnapped her.” Cameron’s anger was clear in his voice.

  “I did what I had to to keep her. You should understand that.” Tray wasn’t in the mood for this. He needed Molly back.

  “You’re right. The girls are going to kill me, but you deserve to know. She is at Kara’s old apartment over the diner.” Cameron sighed.

  “Thanks.” Tray hung up and pointed his truck toward the diner.

  In the five minutes it took him to get to the diner he went from thankful she was okay, to mad that she had ran away and hid from him. As he shut off his truck and stomped up the steps, he had no idea what emotion would come out when he saw her. As he knocked on the door, okay more like pounded on it, he took a deep breath to calm himself.

  “Tray.” She said softly as she opened the door.

  Without his conscious decision to do so
, he wrapped his arms around her and sealed his lips to hers. She gasped and he deepened the kiss. With in seconds he had picked her up, walked inside, shut the door, and pinned her against it. She moaned and scrapped her nails across the nape of his neck causing him to forget where they were and why. It was perfect bliss until she bit his lip, hard.

  “Ouch! What was that for?” He pulled his head back and growled.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She snapped wiggling against the iron grip he had on her.

  “I’m taking back what’s mine.” He snarled at her.

  “I left all of YOUR things at your place.” She glared up at him.

  “Wrong, you took the only thing I need.” He pressed closer leaving no space between them.

  “I’m not a thief. I didn’t take anything. I follow the law unlike you.” He could tell she was grinding her teeth in anger.

  “Don’t you dare smile at me while you accuse me of stealing.” She pushed against his chest.

  He grabbed the hand she was trying to push him away with, and pulled it to his mouth. After kissing her palm, he rubbed the stubble of his jaw on the sensitive skin of her wrist. He felt the shiver that ran through her at the new sensation. When she closed her eyes, Tray leaned in and rubbed his chin against the smooth column of her throat. She moaned and threaded her fingers in his hair, keeping him against her. He gently nipped the tendon between her neck and shoulder and she collapsed in his arms.

  “Don’t worry, Sunshine, I’ll always catch you.” He whispered softly in her ear. “It’s time to go home now.”

  Molly nodded and he pulled back. After one more quick kiss, he took her hand and led her down the steps to his truck. He sat her on the seat, then got in and started it up. As much he wanted to drive straight to his house, he knew she started work tomorrow and would need clothes and her car. He pulled her gently from the truck, then up to her apartment door.

  “Thank you for bringing me home. I’ll see you later.” She said as she stood in front of the door she had just opened.

  “You misunderstood, Sunshine, this is just a pit stop. You need some clothes and your car. We both have to work tomorrow.” He reminded her.

  “Which is why I’m staying here.” She squared her shoulders.

  “Then I’ll grab some clothes and be right back.” He leaned in for a quick kiss, but she pulled back.

  “No. I stay here, you stay there.” She said slowly as if he was being slow.

  “I am staying where ever you are, so are we staying here, or going home?” He wasn’t backing down. After having her with him last night, he wasn’t going back to sleeping alone.

  “We barely know each other…” She started.

  “You know me enough to know how to rip my heart out.” Tray growled at her.

  “What?” Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

  “You left our house, and hid from me. I was so scared when I couldn’t find you that I called the Sheriff.” Just the reminder made him want to lock her away forever.

  “The girls could have told you. You didn’t have to involve him.” Molly whispered softly.

  “I called them all. No one would tell me anything.” Tray took a deep breath and reminded himself she was here and she was safe.

  “I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have kidnapped me.” She arched an eyebrow at him, challenging him.

  “I can’t kidnap what’s mine. You need to decide, here or home.” He refused to back down.

  “My bed is only a full size.” She whispered as if talking to herself.

  “We would just have to sleep closer together.” He smiled, he liked the sound of that.

  “No.” She snapped her head up to glare at him.

  “Then get some clothes and let’s go home.” He couldn’t resist leaning in for a little kiss.

  “Fine, but just for tonight.” She huffed.

  “No, get enough to get through to the weekend, then we’ll come get the rest.” He watched the shock cross her face.

  “I’m not moving in with you.” She stomped her foot and he grinned. “I’m serious.”

  “Me too, Sunshine, I won’t spend another day without you.” He stared in her eyes, hoping she saw just how serious he was.

  “We just met yesterday.” Molly shook her head.

  “Wrong. I fell for you years ago, we just have a lot of time to make up for.” He wrapped his arms around her.

  “It’s only a matter of time till you get tired of me. I need to stay here.” He knew she believed what she said.

  “I will never get tired of you. Please, go get your stuff. I will cook when we get home.” She didn’t believe him, but she nodded and turned away.

  He knew it would take time to convince her, but he would. He would make sure she knew just how loved she was, because he did love her. She wasn’t ready to hear it yet, but he could show her without saying the words yet. While she was gone, he looked around her living room. She had several pictures sitting around the room and he knew most of them were her mother. He carefully rounded them up, knowing she would feel more at home with them there. It took about ten minutes for her to come back to him. She had two big suitcases so he was sure she had what she needed.

  “Why do you have all my pictures?” Molly tilted her head and stared at him.

  “I’m taking them home. You can put them where you want while I cook dinner.” He handed them to her, then took the suitcases and they locked the door and went to his truck.

  “Stay close and follow me home.” Tray said wrapping his arms around her.

  “’Kay.” She murmured. He kissed her, then got in his truck and made sure she stayed close.

  *****

  What had she gotten herself into? She had barely been here a week and already she had been drawn into a group, and got a boyfriend, sort of. What did you call this? Crazy is how it sounded. For heaven’s sakes, she was moving in with her middle school crush. How did this even happen? And she started her new job tomorrow. Crap, she didn’t know what time to be there. She grabbed her phone and called Taylor.

  “Hey, are you still at the diner?” Taylor asked when she picked up.

  “Um, no. The sheriff told him where I was.” Molly bit her lip, hoping Taylor wouldn’t be mad.

  “I’m surprised it took that long, so, where are you?” Taylor sighed.

  “I’m in my car.” She answered hesitantly.

  “He let you go? Why do I feel like I’m missing something?” Taylor sounded confused.

  “Well… not exactly. I’m on my way to his place.” It was the truth.

  “And…” Taylor drew out the word.

  “Fine, apparently, I am moving in with him.” She really hoped Taylor didn’t call her a slut.

  “That sounds right.” Taylor laughed.

  “Are you laughing? This isn’t funny.” Molly couldn’t believe Taylor was laughing at her.

  “I’m not laughing at you. The men around here will do just about anything to get their woman. Tray is no different. Did you at least agree this time?” Taylor had stopped laughing.

  “Sort of. We are almost there, so I need to know what time to come in tomorrow.” Molly was beginning to think this whole town was crazy.

  “Nine would be good, unless you want to wait till you get settled.” Taylor sounded serious.

  “I’ll be there at nine, see you then.” Molly promised.

  “Good, we’ll talk then.” Taylor hung up.

  Molly pulled her car in beside Tray’s truck and took a deep breath. She was still confused, but now that she was here, her heart beat picked up in excitement. Before she could reach for her door, Tray had it open and was reaching for her. He held her hand as he walked her to the door. He opened the door, then scooped her up bridal style and she squealed.

  “Welcome home, Sunshine.” Tray kissed her lips as he walked inside the house.

  Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. Instead of setting her down, he carried her to the couch and sat down, keepi
ng her on his lap. He never broke the kiss. She needed to breath, but she didn’t want the kiss to end. Just when she thought she might pass out, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

  “I should go get your stuff and bring it in, but I don’t want to walk away from you.” Tray breathed.

  “I’m not going anywhere, and I’m kinda hungry.” She reassured him.

  “I’ll be right back.” He stood and sat her back on the couch.

  Molly didn’t know if she should thank the girls for helping, or kill them for upsetting him and pushing him to this. He seemed happy that she was here. It wasn’t fair that he was doing all the cooking, but she didn’t know her way around yet. Maybe she could cook tomorrow.

  “Get your stuff settled while I cook. You know where the bedroom and attached bathroom is. There should be plenty of space for this, and I’ll make more room for the rest. If you want any of the pictures hung up, we can do it after dinner.” Tray left everything in the living room and went to the kitchen.

  Molly debated going to a spare room, but figured if she did that, he would just throw a fit and put it all in his room. That would mean twice the work. She pulled the suitcases behind her, and pulled one up on the bed to put everything away. She had brought most of her clothes with her. There wouldn’t be much to pack if he was serious about moving her in. She felt guilty as she started opening drawers to find empty ones. As she unpacked, she took out what she needed for the bathroom and set it to the side. She would have to go get a small bag to keep this stuff in. Just as she was putting them back in her suitcase, he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her.

  “Why are you putting all that back in your suitcase?” He asked pulling her close.

  “I don’t have a small bag to put them in, so I’ll keep them in here till I go to the store and get one.” She placed her hands on top of his on her stomach.

  “Why not just put everything in the bathroom where it goes?” He asked confused.

  “You don’t need me cluttering up your space with this girly stuff.” She shrugged and he let her go.

  As she turned to leave the room, he grabbed the suitcase and headed for the bathroom. She followed wanting to see what he was doing. She stood in the doorway and watched as he put everything away. When he turned and saw her standing there, he smiled.