Don't Want To Miss A Thing

by Mansell, Jill

  ‘Love you, Delph.’ He ruffled her fine dark hair and tickled her ears.

  ‘Dadada.’ She beamed back at him.

  She’d been saying it for weeks. Now, finally, it was true. He was legally, officially her father. Every time he thought about it, Dex wanted to burst with pride.

  But really, what a year it had been; both the worst and best of his life. Laura’s death had knocked him sideways and everything had changed from that day forward. Who, though, could have predicted the amount of joy that had resulted from it? Gone was the carefree bachelor lifestyle, the high-flying career and the flashy car and apartment that had gone with them. Gone, too, was the endless stream of girls in his bed . . .

  Well, nearly. The money wouldn’t last forever; in a couple of years he’d have to think about going back to some kind of work. But for now Delphi was his number one priority.

  And he was perfectly content with the girls currently in his bed.

  ‘Going to give Molly a kiss, then?’ Dex indicated the still-sleeping form beneath the other half of the rumpled white duvet.

  Carefully, Delphi lifted a handful of Molly’s hair off her face and planted a wet kiss on her uncovered cheek.

  ‘Ah.’ Molly opened her eyes and said sleepily, ‘That’s a lovely way to be woken up.’ The charm bracelet on her wrist jangled and glinted in the sunlight as she rolled over on to her back and scooped Delphi into her arms. ‘Morning, sweetie pie. You smell gorgeous.’

  ‘Why thank you,’ said Dex.

  ‘I was talking to your daughter.’ Molly poked her leg out from under the duvet and nudged him with her bare foot. ‘If it’s compliments you’re after, a cup of tea might help.’

  She looked so beautiful, lying there with her cheeks flushed with sleep, her eyes bright, her glossy blond hair spread across the piled-up pillows. And Delphi sprawled over her chest. Dex knew without question that Molly was the one for him. He loved every single thing about her. She’d helped to make him into a better person and just being with her made him want to be better still.

  Watching her now, Dex experienced that inner surge of joy once more. He hadn’t told her this, because there was a limit as to how soppy a normal man could be, but each day he woke up, he loved her more than the day before. And every day, too, he found himself thanking God that some other bloke hadn’t come along before him and snapped her up first. Just the thought that he could have missed his chance with her—

  ‘Ahem.’ Another playful nudge. ‘Still waiting for that cup of tea.’

  Upside down on the bedside table, Molly’s mobile phone began to ring.

  ‘Probably one of your other boyfriends,’ said Dex.

  ‘Brilliant! Can you reach it?’ She held out an arm. ‘I’ve got a baby on my chest.’

  When Dex picked up the phone and saw the name on the screen, he laughed. ‘It is one of your other boyfriends.’

  She took Delphi’s fingers out of her mouth. ‘What? Who?’

  ‘Vince.’

  ‘Seriously? God, I hope nothing’s happened.’ Concerned, Molly grabbed the phone from him and said, ‘Hello? Is Muriel all right?’

  Dex watched as she listened to the reply, then visibly relaxed. Molly nodded at him and whispered, ‘She’s fine.’

  Then Vince said something else that made her eyes open wide.

  ‘Hang on. Sorry, the phone slipped . . . can you just say that again?’ Her face a picture of disbelief, Molly switched to speakerphone so Dex could hear too.

  ‘. . . OK, I’m here in Briarwood, at the pub. The Swan. With Lois.’ Vince sounded as if he were reading from a statement he’d prepared earlier. ‘Sorry to be calling so early but I needed to tell you before you heard it from my indiscreet grandmother. And I felt you deserved to know the truth before the rest of the village finds out.’ He cleared his throat and carried on. ‘That evening you ended our relationship, I ended up spending the night here. And now Lois is pregnant and I’m the father. Obviously this was never meant to happen but we’ve had a long talk about it and . . . well, we’re going to see if we can give things a go. So there you are. That’s the situation. I hope that’s OK with you.’

  Dex looked at Molly. Molly looked back at him in astonishment. Finally, she exclaimed, ‘My God, Vince, of course it’s OK! This is . . . amazing. You old devil!’

  ‘I know. Quite out of character for me.’ Vince sounded somewhat dazed himself. ‘But sometimes these things happen for a reason.’

  ‘And Muriel already knows, does she?’

  ‘Yes, she found out yesterday.’

  ‘Is she thrilled?’

  Vince’s tone was dry. ‘Thrilled is the understatement of the year.’

  ‘In that case,’ said Molly, ‘we’re thrilled too. Congratulations. To both of you.’

  Audibly relieved, he said, ‘I’ll tell Lois. Thank you.’

  ‘Also,’ Molly added, ‘tell her no wonder her boobs are looking so fantastic.’

  ‘Right.’ After a moment’s hesitation, Vince said uncertainly, ‘I’ll pass that message on to her too.’

  When the call was ended, Dex took the phone from her and said, ‘Now he’s going to think you’re a complete lesbian.’

  ‘Did you see them, though? They were just magnificent.’ Molly mimed the voluptuous outline of Lois’s stupendous breasts, then smiled and shook her head. ‘Well, well, who’d’ve thought it? Lois and Vince. That’s some news to wake up to, isn’t it? The things that go on in this quiet little village.’ Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she gazed up at him. ‘Still, he’s just going to have to get used to us. Same as you did.’

  Dex lay down on the bed next to them, while Delphi played with the frog-on-a-shovel charm on Molly’s bracelet. ‘I’m never going to get used to you. You’re in a class of your own. Although, I have just had a thought.’

  Molly tilted her head and leaned across for another kiss. ‘And that is?’

  ‘If this thing with Vince and Lois works out and he ends up coming to live in Briarwood,’ Dex’s mouth twitched, ‘you’ll always have someone on hand to deal with your rust spots.’

  Molly raised a playful eyebrow. ‘Hmm, I was rather hoping I wasn’t going to get rusty, not now I’ve got you.’