“I’m okay, Molly.”
“You can’t run like that from me. I was so scared.”
“Of what?” I asked, pulling back to see her face.
“I was scared that you would just disappear and I wouldn’t see you again.”
“I would never do that to you, Molly. I told you I love you. I could never just walk out on you.” But wasn’t that why I had come here? “I did come to talk to your dad. I was feeling like I wasn’t good enough for you, but your dad set me straight. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
Relief spread across her face and I felt terrible that I had made her worry. I never wanted to see that look on her beautiful face again.
“How did you find me?”
“I went to Sebastian and he tracked your phone. He didn’t know where you were headed, but when I saw you headed south, I knew you were coming out here. It took me about twenty wrong turns and I almost hit a deer, but I made it.”
“Well, you’re driving home with me tomorrow. There’s no way I’m letting you drive home on your own. You’ll probably end up in Virginia or something.”
“Not if I’m following you.”
“Yeah, I’m still not taking that chance. I’m sure your parents will let us stay the night. I’m fucking exhausted and I just want to hold you in my arms right now. I’m hoping your mom will let us share a bed.”
“Are you kidding?” she grinned. “She’ll take that as a sign that our wedding is just around the corner.”
“Yeah, let’s hold off on the wedding talk for at least a few months.”
“Well, I make no promises. You spending the night here is an invitation for Momma to start planning.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I said, leaning down to kiss her. And just like that, my world was set straight again.
✯✯✯✯✯
“You are so fucking whipped,” Storm said as he got out of his truck. “I can’t believe I had to drive down here today to pick up a fucking car.”
“Yeah, well, you’d understand if you ever went on a trip with Molly. There’s no doubt in my mind that Molly would get lost if she drove home. And I’d never be able to go back and look for her, because she has no fucking sense of direction. She’d turn down every fucking road she saw just because a tree looked familiar.”
“Sinner wasn’t too happy that he had to come along. You want to tell me what that’s about?”
I glanced in the truck at Sinner, but he just shook his head. “Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Right, well, let’s get on the road.”
“I’ll go get Molly.”
I turned to go inside, but Diana came rushing out. I groaned, knowing what was coming. “You’re not leaving already, are you?”
“Yeah, we have to get home.”
“Oh no you don’t. You can’t leave until I feed you boys. I made a big breakfast.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said with a grimace.
“Now, what kind of mother-in-law would I be if I didn’t make a good breakfast for you and your boys after they drove all this way?”
Storm, the idiot, didn’t realize what he was getting himself into when he stepped forward with a big grin. “I could eat. It was a long drive and I’m awfully hungry.”
“Of course you are,” Diana said, patting his face. “Go get your friend and we’ll get you fed before you hit the road.”
I grabbed his arm as Diana headed inside. “You have no idea what you just did.”
He pulled his arm out of my grip and grinned at me. “I think I just got a home cooked meal.” He walked away and called for Sinner to go inside. I shook my head, irritated that I was going to have to sit through another meal. I thought I had gotten us out of this, but now that was all down the drain. We walked inside and Diana laid out her spread of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and homefries. The guys all dug in. I knew better. I went for the toast. That was the safest thing to eat. One hour later, we all walked out of the house. Sinner and Storm were holding their stomachs while Molly and I headed to my truck. It was going to be a long drive for both of them.
✯✯✯✯✯
I couldn’t go back to the courthouse after I testified. I knew that everything I was accused of was horse shit, but if I went back there, I would just get sucked back into that mindset that I was responsible, and I couldn’t let that happen. I knew I wasn’t responsible for Delaney getting murdered. That was clear to me now, but I didn’t need to tempt those thoughts from slipping back in either. Becky’s testimony had been delayed until today and I was anxiously awaiting their return. I knew that Becky wouldn’t want to talk about it, but I could get everything I needed from Coop. When they finally arrived, it took everything in me to hang back until Coop got Becky settled and then came to talk with Cap and I.
“How’d it go?” I asked Coop as soon as he stepped into Cap’s office.
He sighed and shook his head. “About as well as you would expect. They did the same shit to Becky, accusing her of not knowing who attacked her. They said that she was blaming her neighbor because she saw him every day and she somehow put his face in her mind. Becky was in tears up there and he just kept going after her. I almost went up there and beat the shit out of him.”
“What held you back?”
He nodded to Cap. “He did. He was literally holding onto my arm.”
“So, what happens now?”
“They have closing arguments tomorrow,” Cap informed me.
“How’s the prosecutor feeling?”
“He thinks we’ll win. He said the jury seems to be leaning toward us. Of course, there’s no knowing for sure until they come back with a verdict.”
“So, what do we do in the meantime?” Coop asked.
Cap walked around behind his desk and sat down. “Now, both of you get your asses to Dr. Sunshine’s office and get your damn evaluations done.”
“Cap-” Coop started, but Cap shot him down.
“No. No more fucking excuses. You’ve both gotten out of this for way too long. You’re done with the trial, and now it’s time to get back to work.”
Coop’s face hardened and his hands balled into fists. “Becky still needs me. Kayla still needs me.”
“Bullshit,” Cap spat. “You need to be near them so you know they’re alright, but we have women stopping by every day to be with them. We have a therapist working with Becky to help her recover and Dr. Sunshine has been here to talk with both of them so they don’t have to leave yet. The only one not ready to move on is you. And they’re not going to make any progress if you’re here babying them. Trust me, I did the same fucking thing with Maggie after she was attacked. I’m telling you, they need this as much as you do.”
“Fine,” Coop bit out. “But I’m not going on any overnights until I know for sure that they’re ready for it. I’m only doing installs.”
“Everyone else will be happy to hear that. They’re sick of that shit. Now get out of here. I only want to see you again when you’ve done your evaluations.”
We both nodded and made our way out of his office and back down to the panic room.
“I hate this,” he said as we walked through the tunnel.
“I know, but we have to try to get back to normal.”
“There is no normal. Nothing about any of this will ever be normal.”
“It’s just a new normal,” I reassured him. “Trust me, after Delaney died, I was sure that everything was always gonna be shit. But I have Molly now, and she makes everything better. One day, Kayla and Becky will be out there and living life again, and you’ll realize that you have this whole life ahead of you. And it’s going to be fucking perfect.”
“Since when did you become all optimistic and shit?”
“The moment I realized that Molly is everything I need.”
“Yeah?” he grinned.
“Yeah.”
“Well, just watch out. I was like that too.”
I nodded. “And then everything went to he
ll,” I said, realizing where he was going with this. But he shook his head.
“No, then I was stupid and started handing out advice to everyone I knew. Don’t worry, it’ll pass and then you’ll realize how fucking crazy Molly really is.”
He slapped me on the shoulder and walked away. Nah, that wouldn’t happen. Molly was a little eccentric, but I would never think of Molly as crazy again. At least, I really fucking hoped not.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Molly
“Tony,” I gasped as he slid between my legs. “I have to get to work.”
“No, you don’t.” I felt him grinning against my back as he thrust in and out of me.
“Yes, I do. I’ve taken off more time in the last week than I have in my entire life. Gus is gonna fire me.”
His hand palmed my breast and squeezed lightly. “Tell him to fuck off. You don’t need to work.”
“Yes, I do.”
He shoved into me harder, like he was trying to fuck the answer he wanted out of me. His fingers started manipulating my pussy, making me so wet that he was slipping in and out of me.
“If I lose my job, I’ll lose my apartment.”
“You can live with me,” he murmured in my ear. “Your apartment is too small anyway, and it’s not safe.”
I groaned as he thrust inside me harder and faster. “What about my cat?”
“The demon can come too.”
He pressed on my clit and I flew over the edge, tingles racing through my body as I came on his cock. My heart was beating so fast, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I just came or if it was because he asked me to move in with him.
I turned slightly so that I could see him and did my best to hide my grin. He was asking me to move in with him. That was just one step from getting married. In just a matter of weeks or months, I would be Molly Russo. It had a nice ring to it.
“Well, I might have to shift a few things around, you know, make sure that I can get out of my lease.”
“I’ll buy out your fucking lease.”
“I won’t be a kept woman,” I said mockingly. It was a total lie. I could see myself being a kept woman if it included cooking, cleaning, and raising his kids. That was the dream, keeping your man happy at home.
“I would never dream of it. And you don’t have to worry about cooking anymore once you move in with me, because Susan cooks all the meals at the bunker.”
“Wait, you don’t want me to cook anymore for you?”
“No, it’s just…you know, you wouldn’t have to.”
“But I like cooking for you. Momma cooks all Daddy’s meals. It’s just the way it’s supposed to be.”
“Uh…right, but when we have kids, you’ll probably be too tired.”
“You want kids?” I asked. I knew I had stars in my eyes, and I even saw the slight panic on his face, but he brought it up. And that had to mean that he was at least thinking about it.
“Yeah, one day. I mean, we should take our time and think about timing and make sure we have time for all the stuff in between that we would need time for. You know, timing is everything,” he rambled.
I nodded with a big grin on my face. “I agree. Timing is everything.”
“So, we’ll wait,” he said, almost like he was reassuring himself.
“For now,” I grinned. “Now, I need to get up and go to work.”
“I thought I just told you to quit,” he said, snatching my arm to pull me back.
“And I love that you want me to quit my job and live in your bunker, but I can’t leave Gus in the lurch again. Besides, what would I do with my day?”
“Be at my beck and call. Give me blow jobs whenever I have a break.”
“So, you really just want me to be your sexual slave.”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
He was so cute, but I was running late, and I already promised that I would be at work early so I could meet Jenny and fill her in on what had happened recently. If I left in the next twenty minutes, that would give me at least ten minutes of solid time to fill her in.
“I have to go.” I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips and then slipped into the shower. He ended up joining me and I was twenty minutes late for work.
✯✯✯✯✯
“I can’t believe that he went to your dad for advice,” Jenny said, munching on some peanuts that were sitting in a bowl on the bar. “That’s so hot.”
“I know, and definitely sweet.”
“Right?”
“And he asked me to move in with him this morning,” I said excitedly.
Jenny squealed, but Gus groaned and shook his head. “Don’t do it, Molls. It’s too soon. You two don’t know enough about each other.”
“Oh, please. I know practically everything there is to know about him.”
“You couldn’t possibly know everything. Molls, I’m telling you, you need to give it time to really get to know him. If you move in with him and give up your apartment, that leaves you completely vulnerable.”
“To what? Gus, I already know that he’s the one. I can feel it in my heart. And he loves me. He told me so, and we’ve already covered kids-”
“He wants them?” Jenny asked excitedly.
I nodded vigorously. “He said we should give it some time, so I’m thinking he wants to wait until after the wedding.”
“So, in a few months,” Jenny nodded.
“No, that’s not what that means,” Gus chimed in. “Time means that he doesn’t want to start in the next year.”
I looked at him funny. “No, that doesn’t sound at all like what he meant. Besides, it’s not exactly like we’ve been careful.”
“Oh shit.” Gus shook his head and took my hands in his. “Molls, please tell me that you’re on birth control.”
“Yeah, good one,” I snorted. “No, I’m not on birth control. Who have I dated that was worth going on birth control for?”
“Does he know that?”
“Well, I haven’t told him, so I’m guessing no.”
“Molls, you have to tell the guy that sort of thing. See, this is what I’m talking about. You can’t just move in with him and act like all this shit will work itself out.”
“Well, it’s just as much his responsibility. I didn’t see him rushing off to grab condoms. Besides, we both want this. It’s going to happen at some point. And I’ve always believed that fate would take its course when I found the right man.”
“So, we need to get back on track for planning the wedding,” Jenny said. “I’ll start calling around-”
“The wedding will be in my hometown,” I interjected. “Momma wants the same man that married her and Daddy to marry Tony and me.”
“Okay, I’ll start looking for dresses, flowers-”
“Sorry, Momma’s already working on that.”
She sighed irritatedly. “Then what does your maid of honor get to do?”
“Well, you can call Momma and find out what she needs help with.”
“This is so awesome,” Jenny said, clapping her hands excitedly.
“Oh, and Gus, I’m going to have to quit my job at some point. Tony asked me to this morning, but I told him that I couldn’t leave you hanging.”
“Right, because you’ve been so helpful over the last week.”
“Hey, I said I was sorry.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and if I was another manager, that wouldn’t fly with me. Now, get back to work. There are more orders to screw up before you ride into the sunset with your man.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Tony
“Uh, Tony?” The guard from the front of Reed Security was on the line. “I have a woman here that says she’s here to move in.”
I grinned wide, causing Cap to stare at me funny. He was just about to inform us about what happened in court today when my phone rang.
“Yeah, let her in. I’ll set it up with Cap and Rob.”
“Alright,” he said, sounding pretty skeptical.
> I hung up, chuckling to myself.
“What are you going to work out with me?” Cap asked.
“Molly’s moving in.”
“What?” Coop said in shock. “Like, as in, moving all her stuff here and living with you?”
“Exactly.”
“Isn’t that kind of fast?”
“Not everyone moves at a snail’s pace like you do,” I shot back.
“Hey, Becky and I moved on a totally normal timeframe. You’ve known this woman for just a little over a week. And let’s face it, she stalked you for over half that time. You didn’t even like her!”
“Well, that all changed. I told you, things are different with her. I love her and I know that she’s the one. That’s not about to change anytime soon.”
“Yeah, until she does something insane, like get pregnant.”
“She’s not like that.”
“Not intentionally,” Cap pointed out. “But you have to admit, she acts without thinking. Have you been wrapping it up?”
“No, but I assume she’s on birth control.”
“You assume,” Coop said slowly.
“Alright, it’s not the smartest thing I’ve ever done, but if she got pregnant, I wouldn’t care. I told you, she’s the one.”
“So, you’ve basically had a one night stand with a woman and you’re ready to marry her,” Coop summarized.
“That’s how you look at it.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s how everyone’s going to look at it,” Cap said.
“I don’t give a shit. People will see what they want to see, but the only thing that matters is how I see her. You’re not in my relationship. You’re seeing it from the outside, so you can’t sit there and pretend like you know what she does for me.”
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