Authors: M. Dauphin
15-
Tatum
I’ve been walking on cloud nine since Molly gave me that test, so pumped I haven’t been able to sleep much all night. I can’t fucking believe it, but it looks like I’m getting a second chance at being a dad. A second chance I will not screw up.
She’s been asleep most of the morning after our late night talk last night, and I’ve been right here next to her, watching her sleep. After our talk she fell asleep in my arms, the only way she has been able to fall asleep since the incident a few weeks ago. I have my laptop to get some work for my dad done while she sleeps soundly, killing two birds with one stone per say.
Molly doesn’t know the types of jobs I used to do for my dad. She now thinks I’m doing book keeping for him on the side, which isn’t really a lie. This type of book keeping, however, is more like tracking the next set of targets for my father. It’s nothing compared to the lives I fucked up when I lived in Texas, but it definitely helps. My father isn’t a bad man, really. I like to think of him as a vigilante, though the police would beg to differ if they ever truly found out what he did. Yes, as his son I feared him at certain points in my life, especially during my teen rebellious years. His own flesh and blood learned very fast not to cross him. Once I learned the ropes of the family business, though, it was hard not to get involved. The money was a nice touch too, I guess.
My e-mail dinged and up popped a new message from my father. Speak of the devil.
Tatum,
I hope this finds you well. I looked into the matter you asked me about. No one at the hospital remembers what happened with your son’s belongings when he passed, even though we gave specific instructions to discard of everything. I wasn’t getting complete answers from a female source I have in the hospital so I will send in Mat. He will find out the truth behind this. Something seems off, though, so I will keep on it. I am truly sorry about this, I can’t imagine how it felt to open that box.
I know you also asked me to keep a few men on the lookout for movement from Washington, and as of right now there is no news on that front.
I can’t end this message, either, without asking you if you will be in for Easter this week. Your mother may stab me if I don’t ask. She’s a scary woman when she’s mad.
I will inform you with any more advances in your problem, please let me know about Easter.
All the best,
Dad
I shook my head at his scattered email. My father. Never was able to keep personal life out of business life. I guess that was how he eventually ended up with my mom.
I sighed and rubbed my face. I wasn’t tired physically, but mentally I was exhausted. I couldn’t type him back right now. I needed to collect my thoughts and come down from my high I was currently riding. I was going to respect Molly’s wishes on not telling anyone, but it was going to mean that I had to really think before I opened my big mouth.
As far as the blanket went, I had my guesses as to who it could be but I wasn’t closing in on one person quite yet. There were a lot of people out there who would want to see me suffer. Eddie had e-mailed and told me he didn’t find anything unusual with the bank statements from Charlie’s mother before her death so it ruled her out of anything. I asked him to look into her family ties so see if anyone she was related to knew about me. It’s amazing how priority can change, though. I was sick earlier from the thought of having that blanket in the house, the memories, the hurt it resembled. Add to it that someone seemed to be playing yet another awful game of revenge and I was worried sick.
Now that I know about the baby that Molly is carrying, though, my thoughts have shifted and now all I can think about is her. She is giving me everything. The only thing I can give her is safety. It’s at this point in the morning that I decide, no matter how much she fights me on it, I’m not leaving her side for the wedding. The Delany’s can go fuck themselves. I never thought I’d be so protective over a woman, but Molly brings out parts of me I never knew existed. There is no way in hell I am letting her spend three full days out of town for this wedding without me. I have a terrible feeling that the events of the last few days are all connected. How, I’m not sure, but Eddie will find out. He’s good like that.
Molly starts to stir as her phone rings from the kitchen for the seventeenth time today. I should have silenced it but I couldn’t leave her. She’s absolutely stunning laying here next to me, skin glowing and breathing evenly. She rolls over and opens her eyes. They land first on my shirtless body and I swear the look she gave me could have melted ice. Damnit if with one look she could make me ready for her.
“Hey” she says sleepily “I really slept in. Holy crap what time is it?”
Sitting up, more alert than before, she quickly realizes how long I let her sleep.
“I should be upset, but I feel so wonderful right now I think I’ll forgive you.” She smiled at me as she stretched out, her body curving in all the right areas. I don’t know what some guys see in stick thin women. I love curves on the female body, they are so natural. Against my inner wishes, Molly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. I heard her brushing her teeth and gave her a minute to wake up before joining her for a shower.
16-
Molly
Last night was the first night in weeks I slept soundly. No nightmares, no tossing and turning, just a full night (well, morning too) of peaceful sleep. I can’t help but think some of it has to do with Tatum’s reaction to the baby news last night. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement. Now all I have to do is make sure my body keeps this baby nice and snug where it should be for the next 9 months. Okay, well first I need to make sure that there is really a baby cooking in there. I don’t even want to imagine the hurt on his face if it turns out I’m not pregnant.
After our shower and breakfast we head out together for the studio. I need to update some of my software today, gather and create some props for the wedding, as well as get Tatum started on building the photo booth backdrop we are going to be using. I guess having a man around can come in handy. We park the car behind the coffee shop to grab some iced coffees (decaf for me!) and walk across the street to the studio. I love this small town feel. Everyone knows everyone else, it’s not the hustle and bustle of the big city like Washington was. Yes, sometimes the people in this town really try and barge into other people’s business, but they are doing it with the best intentions. At least that’s what I tell myself when they meddle in my life.
Things haven’t been too bad since we have been back. Alex and Betty have stopped by the studio a few times just to see how things were going. I’m sure they also wanted to get a good look at the man candy working with me, but everyone here knows how off-limits Tatum is. This morning Betty is standing in front of the shop looking incredibly worried, which says something because her face normally looks surprised. She must be working overtime to make it look so glum.
“What’s going on Betty?” I ask while I’m unlocking the front door.
“Well, I just want to let you know there was someone her last night. I knew you had a meeting with that Delany man so I knew it couldn’t have been you, Molly. I wasn’t sure if Tatum was here, or if someone was snooping around where they didn’t belong. Either way, thought you should know.” She nodded at both of us and hurried back to the coffee shop. Strange. I felt Tatum stiffen a soon as she said it, and the look on his face went from relaxed to incredibly stern instantly. When Betty walked away he put his hand on my arm and tugged me back gently.
“Don’t go inside, Molly. Wait here for me.” Tatum told me. He wanted to check things out first, before I went in and potentially put myself at risk. I’m sure it was nothing, but I’m glad he’s here with me. That makes me stop and really think about this wedding coming up. I should not have to deal with someone who doesn’t know how I work just because of an insecure bride. I think I’ll be having a chat with Mr. Delany today.
Once I got the all clear from Tatum my first thought was to check if everything was still where it should be. I have dealt with break-ins before, and I know what to look for. My cameras are all still lined up on the shelf like they should be, computer is still in the same place I left it. Everything seems to be where it was left last night. I did notice the flowers on the desk were moved, but I could have absent mindedly moved them on my way out. Either way, the smell from them hits me and I run back to the bathroom, just making it to the toilet before I spill my breakfast and most of my iced coffee. Crap.
I hear Tatum behind me as I am cleaning up. He watches me, then it’s like something clicks.
“Morning sickness. Shit I should have known. I’m so sorry baby.”
“It’s okay. You know now. And now I can tell you, that as beautiful as those flowers are, every time I smell them they make me have the urge to vomit.”
He moved faster than I’ve ever seen him move to take the flowers outside to the small table in front of the studio. That man. I smile and shake my head because he’s mine and there’s nothing getting in our way.
***
It’s a little after five when I hear the door bells signal that someone just walked in. We have been working frantically all day to make the props and get the setup for the photo backdrop planned before the newborn shoot we have to do tonight. I didn’t even try to get out of this one. I can’t stand pushing off those photos and Tatum agreed. Tatum is in the parking lot in the back starting to rough out the design and I came inside not too long ago to grab a drink and check e-mails. I walk into the front room to see Rob standing there like he owns the place. My God this man was beautiful. I really needed to stop these thoughts from forming in my head. But come on. Over six feet, tattoo’s running up the majority of his left arm, lean but built, and those eyes. They draw you in and make you not want to look away.
“Hello Mr. Delany, how may I help you today?” I’m suddenly angry at everything that has taken place since he came to town. Had he not been here, I wouldn’t have had to get Tatum’s hopes up about a baby, I wouldn’t have had to reschedule shoots, and I wouldn’t have had to work so frantically to get things ready for a wedding that was happening 9 months earlier than planned.
“Molly. I hope you will continue to call me Rob. Have you thought about last night?”
“I have. I will be bringing Tatum with me, as he is my assistant and knows exactly how I shoot. A photographer is nothing without their assistant.”
“I thought I told you that wasn’t going to happen?” he ground out.
“You requested it, but after speaking with him last night when I got home…..about everything…he is one hundred percent on board. We both promise to be incredibly professional and respectful for the bride’s big day.”
I heard Tatum walk in while I was talking. He came to the counter to grab his water and stopped to watch. I appreciated that he was letting me fight this battle on my own, but there was a part of me that was secretly jumping up and down that he was there to help if things went badly. Not that I thought that Rob would hurt me, but I wouldn’t put it past him to make an even stronger threat. He did threaten my safety last night.
“Oh, so he knows about the baby?! Congratulations you are going to be a daddy again.” he practically yelled and glanced towards Tatum, who stood straighter now that he was being addressed. He looked stricken.
“You need to leave, Mr. Delany. If I have any further questions about the wedding I will e-mail.” I tried to diffuse the situation all the while trying to figure out how Rob knew about Tatum’s child. The Savages weren’t reclusive by any means, but Texas is a far way away from Illinois.
Rob walked out, letting the door slam behind him. I chanced a look over at Tatum who was still standing there, water in hand, glaring at the door. Afraid he was going to explode I tried to lighten the situation.
“Asshole. What is it with rich men thinking they own everyone? Psh.” I said, and started back to my office to get back to returning e-mails.
Tatum walked in and stopped in the doorway.
“I thought you said no one knew.” Shit, he’s right. I did.
I sighed. This was going to be an ugly conversation.
“He guessed. Last night when we met to discuss his recent demands. I couldn’t last an hour without throwing up. It’s worse at night, I’ve now realized.”
Tatum didn’t say anything, so I continued blabbing.
“He guessed, I couldn’t lie, then he told me I had to kick you out of the shoot or else people would know about the baby and...” That one word. And. I don’t know why it came out, but now that it did I wasn’t going to get around telling him the entire truth about the threat last night.
“And what Molly?” The glare he was sending me sent shivers down my spine.
“And that I’d be putting the safety of our baby on the line.” I added quietly. “He probably didn’t mean anything about it, it just shook me.”
“He threatened our child and you thought it would be fine if you didn’t tell me!? Fuck Molly!!”
Tatum stormed out and down the street. From the looks of it he was headed towards the motel. Shit. Why can’t we have one peaceful week around here!?