Where Love Lives

by Street, K.

  “Hold on.” He practically growled the command as he withdrew his hand.

  He repositioned my body, and I clung to him as he undid his belt and then extricated his dick from the confines of his black dress pants.

  Shifting the material of my thong aside, he guided his shaft to my pussy and pushed inside.

  The sensation of him stretching me was heaven.

  Using the wall for support, Easton held on to the backs of my thighs as he thrust his hips. Driving inside me over and over.

  Easton knew my body. What I needed without me having to give it a voice. Like a well-choreographed dance of muscle memory. Every touch of his skin against mine was a contact high.

  He rocked deeper and harder. Soon, I was barreling toward climax. His name was on my lips as I fell over the edge. Seconds after I came, Easton growled his own release.

  Hours later, Easton snored softly beside me. I watched the rise and fall of his chest. Memorized the look of peace on his face. I wanted to live here, in this moment, forever. If I could only be that girl.

  I breathed him in one last time and then slipped from beneath the plush covers. My eyes darted around the room, searching for my bra. Finding it, I put it on and then shimmied into my dress and tucked my thong into my wristlet.

  I took one long, last look at Easton and quietly crept out of the room as soundlessly as possible.

  Two

  Easton

  Molly was gone. I knew it before I even opened my eyes. I stretched, my palm meeting the cool, empty sheets where her body should have been.

  Anger tore through me.

  Un-fucking-believable. She does not get to do this shit again.

  I reached for my phone, firing off a text.

  Me: Where are you?

  Several long minutes passed without a response. I wasn’t the type of man who sat around, staring at his phone, waiting on a woman, not even the one who owned every part of me as much as I wished she hadn’t.

  After a shower, I quickly dressed and shot off another text.

  Me: Never mind. I’ll find you.

  Her response was almost immediate.

  Molly: Last night was a mistake.

  Me: Bullshit.

  I hit Send, shoved my phone into my pocket, grabbed my wallet, and then headed down the hall to the elevator. When Molly had left Maplewood Falls all those months ago, I hadn’t gone after her. I’d be damned if I made the same error twice.

  Last night, when the girls had gotten into the elevator, Molly had asked for the seventh floor. How I remembered that bit of information, I wasn’t sure. If it took me pounding on every single door on the seventh floor until I found her, then I would do it.

  I only had to knock on five doors before Molly appeared on the other side, staring at me with a dumbfounded expression. I pushed past her, entered the room, and made my way to the window before turning to face her.

  “A mistake? You think it was a mistake?” I growled.

  Molly stood with her back to the closed door. “Keep your voice down.”

  Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Paige stepped out, fully dressed. If she was hungover, I couldn’t tell.

  She looked at Molly and then at me. “Well, if this isn’t hella awkward. You two kids look like you have some things to discuss, so I’m going to make myself scarce.” She shifted her attention to Molly. “Unless you need me to stay.”

  “No. It’s okay.”

  Paige gathered her purse and slipped on her shoes before she righted herself and pointed a finger in my direction. “If you hurt her, I will hunt you down and kick your ass.”

  Ironic, considering I was the one standing here, bleeding out.

  She squeezed Molly’s hand in a show of solidarity before walking out the door and leaving us alone.

  “She’s still a spitfire, I see.”

  Ignoring my comment, Molly crossed her arms over her chest and began to speak, “Last night shouldn’t have happened. It was a mistake.”

  “Don’t.” I jabbed my finger into the air.

  “It’s the truth. It changes nothing.”

  “You’re right because I’m still in love with you.”

  She shook her head. “No, you aren’t.” Sadness washed over her features. “You’re in love with a version of me that doesn’t exist.”

  “What the hell does that even mean?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We got caught up in the moment. One night fueled by alcohol and bad decisions doesn’t make it any less true. You’re just too blind to see it.”

  “What are you so afraid of? You think that I don’t know you?” I closed the distance between us and reached for her hand. “You bite the tip of your index finger when you’re nervous. You eat peanut butter straight from the jar and hum when you lick the spoon. Family gatherings make you uncomfortable. And you’re stubborn as hell.”

  Emotion swam in her green irises.

  I cupped her cheeks between my palms. “I love you with all that I am.”

  “Please … don’t do this.” She blinked back the threat of tears.

  “I need the words. Tell me you don’t want me. That you don’t love me. Because if you can do that, I’ll walk out that door, and I won’t ever look back.”

  Time ticked by as I waited for the words. The urge to press my mouth to hers burned through me, but I needed an answer.

  Molly closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, and when she opened them again, it was as though a switch had been flipped. She grasped my wrists, removing my hands from her face, and then took a step back and straightened her spine.

  I braced myself for impact.

  Her face was devoid of emotion as she delivered the blow. “I don’t want you. I don’t love you.”

  Pain ripped through me. I dropped my head to the ground, giving it a shake before I looked back at her. “You win.” I gave her my back and made my way to the door. “Molly,” I said, reaching for the handle.

  “Y-yeah?” Her voice cracked, but I didn’t turn around.

  Anger and agony twisted inside me, twining into a thickly corded rope. “I never want to see you again.”

  Three

  Molly

  I clenched my fists, and my fingernails pierced the tender skin of my palms. I welcomed the sharp bite of pain.

  “I never want to see you again.”

  The quiet finality of his words had thundered through the air, detonating like a bomb beneath my feet and forming a crater in the depths of my soul.

  I had wanted to scream at him not to go. To tell him that I loved him with nearly every part of me. Instead, I stood there because I was irrevocably broken and he deserved so much more. My scars ran too deep. I’d never be able to give him what he needed. To be who he needed me to be.

  So, I had remained silent as Easton walked out of my hotel room and out of my life forever.

  Several minutes after the door clicked shut, I climbed onto the bed I never slept in last night, reached for one of the overstuffed pillows, and curled into a ball around it. Tears streamed down my face, the weight of loss settling deep into my bones.

  And I had nobody to blame but myself.

  Four

  Molly

  Two and a Half Months Later

  I sat on the cold tiles with my knees bent and my back against the wall, feeling worse than death.

  Paige knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I groaned.

  Liar.

  I wasn’t fine. Nope, not even close. Fine and I … we weren’t even in the same stratosphere. Truth be told, I was seconds away from freaking the fuck out.

  “I’m calling bullshit, my friend.”

  “Ugh. Go away.”

  “I’m going to the grocery store to pick up a two-liter of Sprite, some soup, and a case of Lysol wipes. I love you, Molls, but I really need you to stop spreading your germs like some free-loving hippie. If you aren’t any better by tomorrow, you’re going to the doctor.”

  Despite h
ow bad I felt, I couldn’t help but laugh. Paige wasn’t a total germaphobe, but she was a sympathetic puker. Something I had been doing a lot of lately.

  “Be back soon.” Her footsteps carried her away.

  I should’ve told her to save her money because lemon-lime-flavored soda and Campbell’s were not going to help. I doubted they carried anything down at the Fresh N’ Low that would. Unless Paige bumped into Sheldon Cooper at the supermarket and talked him and his nerdy little herd into building me a time machine, I was screwed.

  How ironic, considering that was how I’d gotten into this mess.

  I stared at the trail of plastic sticks along the edge of the tub. The plethora of pink lines, plus signs, and blue stripes flashed like neon. A few spelled it out right there in the little window, plain as day.

  Pregnant.

  I was pregnant.

  Even with the evidence screaming in my face, I was still in shock. Until this morning, I had been able to explain away every symptom. Irregular periods were normal for me, so technically, I wasn’t late because Mother Nature liked to dick me around. My birth control had lapsed since leaving Maplewood Falls, and I hadn’t made the time to go to the gynecologist. It wasn’t like I was having sex anyway. Then, I started getting sick, but I chalked it up to food poisoning. When it had gotten worse, I’d just assumed I had the flu.

  Obviously, I’m an idiot.

  My gut twisted, and I lurched forward, dry-heaving with enough force to burst a dozen blood vessels. When I was finished, I leaned back to claim the small amount of real estate along the lip of the tub not covered in positive pregnancy tests to rest my head.

  Before Paige made it home from the store, I managed to scrape myself off the floor and clean up the bathroom. Afterward, I took up residence on the couch where Paige found me when she walked in the door.

  “Girl, you look like hell.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered.

  She carried the groceries in and then busied herself in the kitchen. A few minutes later, she reappeared, setting a bowl of soup and a glass of Sprite on the coffee table in front of me.

  I readjusted and sat up, reaching for the drink, taking a sip before putting it back. I eyeballed the soup and smiled. “Chicken and Stars?”

  She shrugged. “It’s what my mama always made me when I was sick. Can I get you anything else? Maybe tissues? Perhaps a surgical mask or a stay at a spa in Siberia?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for taking care of me. I’m not sure what I would do without you.”

  “Right? Just look at me, being all maternal and shit.”

  Maternal. The word felt like a sucker punch. At least I had an opening. “I don’t have the flu.”

  “You’ve been retching off and on for three days,” she said, cutting me off and making a face. Then, she used her index fingers to make the sign of the cross.

  My lower lip quivered, and I could feel the sting of tears. Somewhere between the bathroom floor and the couch, the shock had worn off, and reality had set in. “Paige … I’m pregnant. All that”—I brought my hand up to my mouth and gestured forward—“is morning sickness.”

  Paige’s eyes widened while her mouth formed the perfect O. “You’re pregnant?” She dropped onto the opposite end of the couch and faced me. “Like pregnant, pregnant? With a baby?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s not a puppy.” The words were tinged with self-deprecating laughter.

  Her brows creased as she bit her lip. “Are you sure? I mean, maybe the test was wrong.”

  “All twelve of them?”

  “Twelve! Holy shit.”

  “You can say that again.”

  And because she was Paige, she repeated, “Holy shit. What are you going to do?”

  That is the million-dollar question.

  “I don’t know.” Truthfully, I didn’t have a clue. I’d barely had time to process anything. “I’m terrified.”

  Paige scooted closer, smoothed my hair off my forehead, and then took my hands in hers. “Listen to me, Molls. I’ll be here, and I’ll support you every step of the way, no matter what you decide. If you want to keep the baby, then I’ll be the best auntie in the entire world. Whatever choice you make, I’ll stand by you. There’s no judgment here.” She pulled me into a hug. “Ride or die …” she whispered in my ear.

  “Accomplice or alibi,” I whispered back. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

  She released her hold. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “You don’t know that.” I shook my head. “What if I screw this kid up for the rest of its life? What if I don’t know what it needs or how to love it?”

  “Molly …”

  “I don’t know the first thing about being a mother.”

  “It’s not like you had a stellar example. Look at it this way; at least you know what not to do.”

  “Leave it to you to find the silver lining in this mess.” I blew out a hard breath, wiped my face with the backs of my hands, and then reached for my soup, hoping that the salty broth would calm my stomach.

  Later that night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my flattened palm pressed to my nonexistent belly. There was a person growing inside me, and the only thing I felt was numb.

  What if I’m just like my mother?

  What if it’s too much and I leave my baby the same way my mother left me?

  All those doubts and fears swirled in my head like tree limbs in a tornado.

  Five

  Molly

  A little over a month had passed since I discovered I was pregnant.

  A few days after I’d found out, I’d made an appointment with an OB-GYN. Dr. Wilson had confirmed the pregnancy, and the minute I’d heard the galloping of my baby’s heartbeat, there was no going back.

  I still hadn’t told Easton, but this wasn’t the kind of news I could drop on him via text message or email. I was already fifteen weeks in, and though I didn’t really look pregnant quite yet, I couldn’t put off telling him much longer.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Paige asked from the doorway of the bedroom.

  I finished stuffing my clothes in my overnight bag and then turned to face her. “I appreciate the offer, but this is something I need to do on my own.”

  “All right. But I’m only a phone call away.”

  “I know,” I assured her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I gave her a quick hug before grabbing the rest of my stuff.

  Even though Atlanta was only about two hours from Maplewood Falls, it was Memorial Day weekend, and the very thought of driving there and back in the same day was too daunting to consider. I couldn’t imagine Easton rolling out the welcome mat, so I had made reservations at the Maplewood Inn, a bed-and-breakfast on the edge of town. Now, I just needed to get on the road.

  Twenty minutes later, I was on US-19, headed north. Anticipation had my stomach in knots, which made the nausea worse than normal. I had to pull off the highway twice to get sick. As it turned out, I was one of the blessed few who experienced morning sickness no matter what time of day it was. Dr. Wilson had said it should taper off, but so far, it had only gotten worse.

  When I finally arrived at Easton’s place, I was both relieved and disappointed to discover his truck wasn’t in the driveway. I absently bit my nail while I decided what to do. For the briefest second, I debated on turning the car around and forgetting the whole thing. I knew that wasn’t really an option.

  Exhausted and wanting to get it over with, I reached for my cell and called the only person I could think of who might be able to help me, knowing full well that Easton would never answer my call. Especially when the last words he had spoken to me were how he never wanted to see me again.

  “Hello?”

  I cleared my throat. “Hi, Helen. It’s Molly.”

  Helen was the receptionist at Chadwick Designs and Development, the company Easton owned. The same company I used to work for.

  “Molly? Molly Davenport?”

  “Ye
s, ma’am.”

  “Well, isn’t this something?” Her tone wasn’t haughty. She sounded genuinely surprised.

  “I’m sorry to bother you.”

  “You’re not bothering me. I’m a bit shell-shocked, is all. I mean, you didn’t even say good-bye; you just packed up and left.” The hurt in her voice made me cringe.

  “I know, and I’m really sorry.”

  “Well, that’s a start.”

  Helen was flamboyant and sweet, and she was also a sucker for romance. I was hopeful it would play in my favor even if I wasn’t here with any romantic notions.

  “Helen, I never meant to hurt you or him.”

  “Then, why did you?” she pushed.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Complicated,” she huffed, and I could almost see her eye roll. “Your generation comes up with the most ridiculous excuses. It isn’t complicated in the least. Y’all just can’t get your heads out of your asses, but that’s none of my business.”

  An image of Kermit the Frog sipping tea flashed through my head.

  “Molly, are you there?”

  “I’m still here, and I’m actually here … in town. I really need to speak with Easton. He isn’t home … do you know where he might be?” I braced myself for her answer, waiting to be shot down.

  She was quiet for several seconds. “You’re not going to stir things up, are you?”

  “I’m not here to cause any trouble, I promise.”

  “All right.” She finally gave in. “He’s probably over at Saylor’s new place for the barbeque. They invited me along, but my husband, Harold’s family has their annual reunion this weekend. Saylor and her sweet little boy moved here from Charlotte last fall. She took over your old job, you know.” She rattled off the address.