“I love that shot, and the edit you did on it was incredible, Owen.”
“Thanks. Yeah, I took a lot from here. You can’t help but want to capture all this beauty.”
“Exactly. That’s why anywhere I go, I have a camera. It’s how I remember everything. I can recall how something tasted or smelled by looking at an old shot I took of it,” Molly explained, hoping he would understand that her love for photography ran deep. “It’s like this scrapbook of my memories of my life. Without taking them, I think I’d be lost.”
He looked away from her and stared at the log. “I get that. Once upon a time, I loved taking pictures.”
“Why don’t you do it now? I couldn’t imagine not having my camera on me. I swear that I’d die if I stopped taking pictures,” Molly rambled.
“Yeah, I used to feel like that way, too. But you don’t die. You survive.” He stood, pulling her up, then turned around and grabbed her hand, leading her away.
She had more questions than answers, but somehow knowing that he’d loved photography as much as she did made her happy.
They got back on the boat. Owen’s mood was somber. Molly didn’t want to pry even more than she had, but there had to be a reason why he’d stopped taking pictures—a major one.
Once they docked they stayed on the boat for a while longer. The lights from the harbor cast an eerie glow on the murky water.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” Owen asked.
“Um, I’m not sure. Maybe some much-needed grocery shopping.”
“That’s true. You have nothing in your fridge. I don’t know how you survive.” Laughter came from him, but it was awkward.
“Takeout.” So cooking wasn’t one of her finer skills.
“So, no plans then?”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that when I go grocery shopping that also means I’m shopping for coffee. That is a staple I cannot and will not live without,” she said playfully.
“So you’re free after you pick up some magic beans?”
Molly giggled. “I guess you could say that. Why?”
Owen grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb in small circles. He seemed to be stalling, but he finally said, “I wanted to take you to meet my parents.”
Molly swallowed. Meet his parents? She hadn’t even told hers about him yet. Only Mackenzie and Tiffany knew about Owen. She had wanted to see where this relationship was headed before Molly told her parents or brother. They had seen her go through enough relationships to know that they usually never worked out. They knew her pattern, and she’d long since decided not to bother them with anymore crummy attempts at a happily ever after. Her family looked at all of her prospective relationships like a joke—that she’d never taken any of her romances seriously and that she was simply playing a game.
Oh crap, Owen and I just leveled up, didn’t we?
Chapter Sixteen
“He wants you to meet his parents? Wow, shit just got real, didn’t it?” Tiffany said.
Molly nodded. “I think so.”
They were sitting on Mackenzie’s living room floor. It was still Friday. Granted, it was late, but better late than never to celebrate Friendship Friday with her girls.
“I know. I’m a little surprised that he’s ready to have you meet his folks.” Mackenzie nibbled on a slice of pizza. “But it’s a good thing, right?”
Earlier Mackenzie and Tiffany had ordered one with every topping possible and were already hanging out at Mackenzie’s place, having their own Friendship Friday night together. Molly couldn’t help but feel a small stab of jealousy. Molly was sitting cross-legged and reached for a slice, then started picking off the bell peppers and onions. “I’m terrible at meeting parents. I get all nervous and act like an idiot.”
“No, you don’t,” Mackenzie tried to assure her.
“No, I do. Remember Kevin’s parents. His mom hated me. Or what about Nick? I think his mom wanted to murder me. Then there was David’s dad. He was more interested in me than his son was, and that pissed off his wife.” Molly laughed, even though it really hurt knowing that these mothers hadn’t liked her. She worked on removing the mushrooms from her pizza and continued, “It’s usually the moms that can’t stand the thought of me not cooking or being little Miss Betty Crocker for their baby boys.”
“So what if you don’t cook or act like a fifties housewife. Who the hell cares? As long as you love the guy and are good to him, isn’t that enough?” Tiffany asked.
“Nope, I don’t think so. That’s why we are all single,” Molly pointed out, flicking more onion off her pizza slice and onto her paper plate.
“We’re single. You aren’t,” Mackenzie countered playfully. “But I get what you mean. Gideon’s mom loved me, so I totally thought she’d be an awesome mother-in-law. Then when we broke off our engagement, I never heard from her again. It’s like that was it. She was done with me.”
“Well, it would kind of make sense, right? You weren’t with her son anymore,” Tiffany said.
“I don’t know, but I thought we were closer. I even ran into her at the grocery store one time. She was polite, but it felt so weird.” Mackenzie frowned.
“Why does he even want me to meet his parents? I mean, I can understand why you met Gideon’s. You guys were going to get married, but…”
Mackenzie and Tiffany gave Molly a knowing look.
“He’s obviously serious about you, Moll,” Mackenzie stated as she stretched her long, pajama-covered legs.
“It’s only been a few weeks that we’ve been dating.”
“Yeah, but you got hit with that fish months ago and that’s really when all this started,” Tiffany explained.
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course we are,” Tiffany laughed.
“But gosh, meeting his parents… I’m just not ready yet,” Molly whined, pushing her pizza away. She’d lost her appetite. Her stomach had been in knots ever since Owen had asked her to meet his parents at the end of their date.
“Suck it up, cupcake. This is part of it.” Mackenzie winked at her and offered to refill her wine.
Molly sighed. “Do you think they drink?”
“Why?” Mackenzie asked as she filled Tiffany’s glass.
“Because I have a feeling that’s the only way I’m going to survive dinner.”
“Oh, stop. You’ll be fine. Just be you.” Mackenzie smiled gently at her. “They’ll fall in love with you just like Owen did.”
“Or offer for them to throw a fish at you,” Tiffany teased. “That might be a good ice breaker.”
“God, I wonder what they must think. Some clumsy fool that gets clobbered by a flying fish.” Molly rolled her eyes, recalling how dumb she must have looked.
“It was his fault, not yours, so they can blame their son, if anything,” Tiffany explained. “He could have hit anyone.”
“But he hit you,” Mackenzie added. “It was fate.”
“That’s what he said that day.”
“Because he knew how rare and odd a thing it was to happen,” Mackenzie continued to say. “It was all meant to be, Molly. He knows it and that’s why you are meeting his parents. You’re the one.”
Tiffany reached over and hugged Molly. “Hey, you were the catch of the day. He finally reeled in the best fish in the sea.”
* * * *
Her stomach thrashed about. Her nerves were a jumbled mess, and Molly was quiet as Owen drove them to his parents’ home.
“It’ll be fine. Why are you so nervous?” Owen asked as he steered the car through the narrow streets of a quiet neighborhood far from downtown.
“Because they are your parents.” Really? Do I need to explain why? Meeting anyone’s family for the first time was nerve-racking, but it was far worse if you were meeting those of a boyfriend. There was more judgment involved than with just a friend. Scrutiny at its best, there was nothing like being pinned under a microscope for the parents to look for any flaw, any red flags.
“My paren
ts are the nicest people. You’ll love them,” Owen tried to convince her.
“Of course you think they’re nice. They’re your parents. I’m not worried about not loving them. It’s more about them not liking me,” Molly admitted.
“Babe, they know how happy you make me. I’ve told them. That’s all a parent wants for their kid—for them to find happiness.”
“I know, but moms want their boys to marry perfect women that can cook, clean and raise perfect little children. I’m not perfect, not in the least.”
“That’s why I love you. You’re you. You’re talented, beautiful, sexier than hell and, above all else, you make me happy.” He looked at her as he parked the car. His eyes spoke volumes. They were filled with love and honesty. Her heart melted a little, if nothing else she’d endure meeting his parents just for him. Molly had a feeling she’d do just about anything he asked if he kept looking at her like that.
But Owen being Owen, he kept up small talk and told her funny stories all the way there, just to keep her from being so scared. As it turned out, though, once she’d entered Owen’s parents’ home, all her preconceived notions were squashed immediately.
* * * *
She hated being wrong, but in this case she didn’t mind it. Molly’s sides actually hurt from laughing so hard. They looked through several thick photo albums in his parents’ living room. Decades of family celebrations—birthdays, Christmas, Halloween and more—were glued to the yellowing sheets in the books. Molly sat next to his mother as she pointed out the many phases of Owen’s life. Owen had inherited his mother’s beautiful gray eyes, but he was the spitting image of his father. Sharing memories like that helped Molly feel even more connected to Owen, seeing him as an infant, toddler, a little boy covered in mud, then as an awkward teenager. As a photographer, Molly appreciated his mother giving her the inside glimpse into their family, and she could tell that his mother cherished the photos with all of her heart and was proud to show off her son. Though it was obvious that the woman adored Owen, she seemed quite happy and pleased to meet Molly.
Dinner hadn’t been awkward at all. It had been wonderful and delicious and, much to Molly’s surprise, it hadn’t been his mother who had prepared the dinner but his father. Somehow that made Molly love his mother that much more, especially when she’d admitted to not being very good in the kitchen and that the only reason she hadn’t starved to death yet was because of her husband.
Molly could honestly say she’d never been more comfortable or felt more at home in all her life. Owen was right. They were nice people. All her fears were gone and she looked forward to the next dinner.
Saying goodbye was almost difficult. Molly would have gladly spent more time with them, especially going through the family pictures, and his mother assured her there were tons more to look at. Molly couldn’t wait.
“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Owen opened the passenger side door for her to get in.
Molly stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him. “Nope, it was great.”
“I think they really liked you.”
“Well, yeah, what is there not to love?” Molly teased as Owen wrapped his arms around her.
“My thoughts exactly.”
* * * *
“God, babe,” Owen whimpered.
Molly was straddling him, firmly gripping the headboard of her bed. She rocked back and forth, swallowing his thick length entirely inside her and it still wasn’t deep enough to satisfy her. She’d already come a few times, and she was inching toward another threshold where an orgasm waited on the other side. She was nearly there, but Owen kept talking. Not that she minded a little communication during sex, but right now she was focused.
“Shh,” Molly ordered him as she picked up speed. He was hard and she was wet—the perfect combination. Almost there.
Owen’s hands tightened on her hips. There was a sheen of light sweat on his bare chest. In actuality, the poor guy had to be spent. They’d lazed around in bed nearly all day, kissing and snuggling, which, of course, always led to Molly needing more.
Molly looked down. Owen’s eyes were closed and he almost looked like he was in agony. Am I hurting him?
“You okay, babe?” Molly asked.
“I’m close,” he managed to say in ragged breaths.
Thank you, God. Me too. Molly picked up her pace and trained her efforts on meeting her goal. The finish line was just ahead, and she could feel the pressure building inside her. She changed her angle just a bit, enough to apply more pressure to her hungry clit. Finally, the wave crashed over her at the same time as Owen groaned and arched up farther into her. She could feel the heat of him coming deep inside her. When they’d both finished, she collapsed onto Owen’s chest. The room was quiet except for the pounding in her ears as her heart rate tried resuming a normal beat.
“Should we order a pizza?” Owen finally asked.
“You need more energy for another round?”
“Babe, the gas tank is empty, and I think I’m out of service now,” Owen admitted.
As Molly rolled off him, she grabbed his quickly deflating manhood. “I see that. How’s your tongue feeling?”
“Fine. Why?” Owen threw her a confused look.
Molly kissed him hard and pulled away with a wink. “Then you’re hardly out of service.”
They both laughed as Owen brought her back, closer to him.
* * * *
Summer had officially arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The gloomy and rainy days took a vacation during this time of the year. People were out and about everywhere. Seattle came alive in the summer. Everyone was making the most of the short window and that included tons of visitors. The days were longer and felt endless. The sun was staying up far past its winter bedtime now. Molly took advantage of it, scheduling all-day shoots because the lighting was perfect for hours.
Work was going great. Her relationship with Owen was amazing and life was good. They had settled into a nice routine, even including Mackenzie and Tiffany. Mackenzie was now out of school and had invited them all over for game night and dinner and she’d met up with Owen and Molly for lunch. Tiffany had recently invited them over for fondue and they’d all eaten far more cheese than the average human should ever consume. Mackenzie and Tiffany adored Owen, treating him almost like a big brother. Things felt natural, which had been a huge concern of Molly’s in the beginning. She was able to put those worries to bed and focus on the happiness that was in front of her.
Owen and Molly had hung out with his parents a few more times, including a day trip on Owen’s boat. She found herself growing more attached to them, and she had even met his siblings when they’d come to Seattle to visit. He had a younger brother who looked nothing like him, and a sister, a sweet girl who was just starting her second year in college. Owen and his siblings bickered and teased each other, but anyone could see that they loved each other immensely.
After seeing him with his family and spending time with them herself, Molly had decided it was the right time to have him meet hers. Even that had gone well. Her father and brother were convinced that Owen was the coolest guy ever, and her mother was beyond impressed with him. No real surprise there, though. Owen had the best manners of any guy she’d ever dated or brought home. He’d also come equipped just as he had when he’d met her friends for the first time—flowers, baked goods and his charm, of course.
Molly couldn’t believe how smoothly everything was going. She couldn’t help but feel like it was going too well, and she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or could this be how life will go now? None of her past relationships had been so easy. And the old saying that ‘Anything worth having doesn’t come easy’ kept taking root in her mind. Shouldn’t this be harder?
But then Owen had hit her with that one question over dinner had that left her filled with anxiety. She’d kind of been waiting for it to come up, but not this soon. She didn’t think they were anywhere near crossing over that weird threshold where one
asks the other to move in then the other has to decide if they are willing to leave the security of their home. Apparently, Owen felt that they were ready to cross that bridge and he wanted her to be the one to give up her place.
She’d lived in her apartment for years, since right after she’d started to make a name in the photography business. Sure, it was over-priced, much like her studio, but it was her space. Was she really ready to move into another person’s domain? Follow their rules? She’d lived with someone before. Moving in had not been an easy adjustment. Merging her stuff with his had been a disaster. Then she’d tried again with another guy but, this time, she’d had him move in with her. It had ended up feeling more like an invasion than a shared residence. Molly wasn’t so sure if moving in together was the right call.
Owen seemed pretty confident that it was the next step for them to take. Molly was barely starting to spend overnights, but moving more than her toothbrush and an extra pair of underwear? Well, that was commitment. It was one thing to be asked to stay the night, but to share their lives under one roof? That was big. Would things change between them if she did take the leap of faith?
Mackenzie and Tiffany said she could always keep her apartment for a couple of months, just in case it didn’t work out. They were right. It was a good option, but Owen said it made him feel like she was only one foot in, and he wanted both. Easy for him to say. He wasn’t having to give up his home, put stuff in storage and try to fit into a space that wasn’t his.
Molly sipped her first cup of coffee of the day as her mind toiled with all those thoughts. Things were going so well. Why did Owen have to complicate things? In the back of her mind, she knew it was because it was the next logical step. They were getting serious. She did want that eventually, and by now she was pretty sure she loved him more than anything in the world, but they hadn’t even discussed marriage at all. Was that part of the game plan? Molly hadn’t even told him that she loved him. She hadn’t heard him say those three little words either, so she had been waiting to say it. She didn’t want to risk being the foolish one. What if he didn’t actually love her? What if she was only his Mrs. Right Now?
Reeling in Love Page 20
