Authors: Kristen James
Trent let out his breath. That didn’t reassure Molly as
much, and she asked, “Don’t we have to worry about him still?”
“Hi Molly,” Mark said. “No. He’s in jail and headed away for
a while, and he’s on medication for depression. It sounds like he’s been lonely
and isolated, maybe didn’t fit in with others, but he’s getting help.”
She felt bad for Justin but also glad he’d be out of her
life.
“So,” Trent asked. “What was the other good news?” He
grinned at her because they both knew the good news already.
“The DA isn’t worried about prosecuting anything in
connection to the Anderson disappearance.”
She pulled in a breath. That wasn’t what they were expecting
him to say but it was even better.
“The case is closed,” Mark added. Trent reached over and
engulfed her hand.
They pulled into the driveway just before two o’clock in the
afternoon. Trent turned the car off and they both stared at the house. Actually
she was looking at the red roses in bloom. Now she knew she planted them just
after he had bought the house for them. That broken rose lamp had matched them,
too. There were so many tiny little details that fit together, weaving their
life story.
“We’re home,” she said. Or, she tried to say. Her throat
closed up but he understood her. Suddenly he launched out of the car and ran
around to her side to open the door and pull her to her feet.
“Trent, wait,” she said, stopping him. “I’m sorry about what
I said before. I didn’t mean it.”
“What did you say?”
“That what we shared was about need.” She laid her head on
his shoulder as they stood cheek to cheek, arms around each other. “When we
made love. I was confused and scared about what you’d expect from me. And maybe
I was a little mad that you didn’t tell me we were married, even though I
understood why. What we shared wasn’t just about physical need. I just said
that…”
He ran his lips over her cheek. “I know. I knew you didn’t
mean it, either.” His chest moved in what felt like a chuckle. Of course he’d
known.
She tried to give him an exasperated sigh, but ended up
laughing. His lips made it down to her neck, making her laugh mor
e.
“I love you,” she whispered
happily.
“I know that, too.” He
swung her up into his arms and started for the front door.
She looked back at the car with the passenger door open.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t I get to carry you across the threshold? It’s an old
tradition.”
“Aren’t we a little late for that?” she asked as he paused
on the porch. The words slipped out, followed by the thought that their
timeline didn’t have to match with everyone else. “I mean, who cares?”
She felt an old fire ignite and grinned. She was still that
girl that ran to the edge of the hill and yelled to all of Ridge City when she
got engaged.
“Exactly. So what if we have our own timing?” He kissed her
mouth and carried her in, kicking the door shut behind them. He headed straight
for the bedroom.
She squealed in mixed glee and mock protest. “Trent!”
“I think this is part of the tradition.”
They slept in the next morning, snuggling in a
blissful dreamlike state. Even when she woke up,
Molly lay in bed daydreaming about sharing her life with Trent and maybe
starting a family in a few years. Or maybe sooner.
The red roses in bloom in front of the house kept popping up
in her visions. She was thinking about their life blooming now as they headed
toward summer. She’d been thinking about the money she’d get when the house in
California sold. Probably not a large sum, but enough to start her own
business. She’d surprise everyone by finally picking something – something
she’d loved all along: growing plants. She could see her nursery and smell the
plants growing and blooming.
Trent leaned up onto his elbow to see the clock. “We should
probably get up since everyone will be here in about an hour.”
She opened her mouth at him in disbelief. “You invited
everyone over for our first day back?”
He grinned. “Yup. Well, okay, it got planned and I didn’t
say no. You know how those guys are.”
And the funny and wonderful thing was, she did.
Soon they were up and ready and Trent was firing up the
grill. He came in when he heard a car outside. Even though she’d complained,
she was anxious and excited to see their friends. When David and Alicia came
inside, Molly met them with hugs and a question. “So, have you thought of any
names yet?”
Alicia’s hand went to her stomach without any thought. “No,
it’s harder than I thought.”
David smiled when his baby was mentioned and squeezed
Alicia’s shoulders. Alicia still reminded Molly of a flower, a small bloom but
a bold, bright flower blooming in a desert. David must see it, too. Both their
faces were shining with their renewed love and excitement about their coming
baby.
They would flip when she shared her news. That thought,
along with t
he smell of barbeque coming in the back
door, made her stomach clench up.
“Mol?” Trent took her arm. “What’s the face for?”
She mumbled, “morning sickness,” and rushed to the bathroom.
She was sitting on the rim of the bathtub as her stomach settled down again.
Trent knocked on the door, although it wasn’t completely
shut. “Mol?”
“I’m okay, I think.”
He pushed the door open and came in to ask, “Really?”
She hadn’t expected to see such hope in his eyes. It took
her breath away and filled her with new, strange emotions.
“I’m pregnant.” She tried for a smile, a laugh, but didn’t
feel too great. Looking up at him, though, she felt loved and excited all at
once. “We’re pregnant, Trent. Think we’re ready for this?”
She had just found him, and her gotten her memory back, so
this seemed like too much, as if she was tempting fate. He knelt down in front
of her, his eyes still shinny. “We wanted a baby, remember? We decided to wait
a few years back then. Well, it’s been a few years, and I don’t want to put
anything off ever again.”
With his reassurance, her fears dissolved like a bad memory.
They were in this together. Molly nodded and took a deep breath. Joy spread
through her.
He grabbed her, wanting to lift her off her feet, but was
overly gentle instead. Whirling, he yelled out to their friends, “We’re having
a baby too!”
Alicia and David met them in the hallway where Alicia
grabbed Molly in a hug. “Oh, I’m so happy we get to be pregnant together. I
used to dream about this and I secretly worried you’d never come back. But
now…”
“Now we moan and complain together through morning
sickness!” Molly said, and they both laughed. The front door shut and more
people called out a hello.
“Oh, I hope it’s okay that Mark’s bringing Melinda.”
“Of course!” Trent called for Mark. He wanted to share the
news. “We need to celebrate everything.” His voice caught because he was
smiling so hard and had a shine in his eyes.
“Trent, everything’s perfect.” Molly embraced her husband,
the father of her baby. They gazed into each other’s eyes and she felt so
thankful for finding him again. He rested his forehead against hers, holding
her tightly, both of them caught up in their emotions. She had her memories
now, but more than that, she had her friends, her love, and her future back.
The End
Return to Table of Contents
,
or a different story:
Cora discovers her father is in trouble… and the only person
who can help her is the enemy’s son, Nick Holloway.
Her father couldn’t have stolen a million dollars, so how is he going to
replace it? In one week?
Nick is ordered to take Cora out into the wilderness to a remote cabin to keep
her father in line. He claims he wants to help Cora and says he’s deceiving the
Hollways to keep her safe…but what if he’s playing both sides? He could be
using her attraction to him against her. Cora can’t allow herself to trust
Nick, no matter how sexy he is.
Nick isn’t the only one offering to help. Alexander Pierce could scare the
devil but he can also track down anyone in a day. He warns Cora that if she
wants to find her father alive, he’s the way. Is it possible both Nick and
Alexander have secret feelings for her? With her dad's life on the line, she
might have to play her own little game.
Soon she’s running from her feelings for Nick, running from creepy Alexander
and the rest of the Holloways, and trying to find her father somewhere in the
city of Eugene. To make matters worse, everyone thinks she has access to the
missing money.
The clock is ticking…
Cora tapped her nails on the table and glanced at her watch.
While other people were laughing and talking over dinner all around, her
temperature rose. She hated waiting for anyone, and this instance was
especially irritating because she was worried about her father. He never ran
late. Never. She called his cell and office once more and left another message
when he didn’t answer.
Jerry was her only living family member and she knew she
worried too much about him. He did the same with her.
It’s me and you.
That’s what they always said.
Usually she found her Dad waiting at a table for her, with
dinner ordered and the most expensive bottle of wine available and ready to
serve. Because he had lived most of his life with limited resources, he enjoyed
splurging on her. Keith Holloway paid him way more than his accounting job
warranted, but that was something Cora had been grateful for when they
desperately needed the money back when she started college. Now she was a top
reporter in the area and making her own money.
I should go.
She grabbed her purse and threw a twenty
on the table, even though she hadn’t ordered anything.
Outside, warm June air washed over her as she walked past
the blooming rhododendrons lining the building. Summer had exploded into full
bloom, turning her home in central Oregon into a paradise. The sweet smell of
flowers and freshly cut grass filled the air. A soft breeze brought the relief
of escape, as silly as that was. Cora filled her lungs and exhaled, trying to
send the stress out with her breath. She’d go home and wait for her dad to
call. Of course he’d feel horrible for making her worry; that thought dissolved
any lingering anger.
“Cora Evans?” A voice from behind stopped her as she pushed
the unlock button for her red Miata. She turned and found a tall man watching
her with intense, rich light brown eyes that were set in a chiseled face. His
dark hair looked almost too long. Almost.
They stared at each other like teenagers going on their
first date, both trying not to smile. It was that perfect moment when you catch
a stranger’s eye and share a second of blatant appreciation for each other.
Except this wasn’t a passing look on the street. He wanted something.
A sportscaster? Then again, not everyone worked in her
industry. And what did it matter what he did, when he was focusing on her as if
he’d found the lost city of Atlantis?
She couldn’t look away either, even while she felt her body
temperature rising.
“Miss Evans?” He raised one eyebrow as he waited for her to
answer. She managed to pull her eyes away from his face, and focus on his
striking blue dress shirt, just long enough to collect herself.
“Yes?” Cora hesitated, looking up again and drowning in his
warm, appreciative gaze. His eyes had a glow to them. Almost by habit, she took
a mental picture of him. She kept a detached gaze while taking in his surprised
eyes, full lips, and bronze complexion.
Oh, he’s a model! He wanted some press.
Strangely enough, he acted as mesmerized as she felt.
“I didn’t expect. . .” He searched for the words to finish
his sentence, but by now the pause had grown too long to cover.
“You didn’t expect
me
?” she asked, amused. The
semi-sharp angles on his clean-shaven face gave him a determined, focused look.
His eyes were focused on her as if he’d never seen a woman before.
“You’re breathtaking.”
Now he could be the amused one because his words put a rose
blush on her cheeks. She had no idea of how to answer that, unless she wanted
to say “Are you busy tonight?”
Wow.
After an hour of staring at each other over dinner,
maybe she’d let him steal a kiss. They could take a walk to the park where he
could gaze into her eyes and tell her how beautiful she was. He would ever so
slowly lean in for a kiss. He’d pretend to be shy, of course, but knowing.
She could picture his bedroom eyes and the unspoken question…
Wait! She needed to figure out where on earth her father had
gone.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass or scare you just
then, but I needed to let you know your father can’t meet you tonight.”
Then why didn’t he call? And who are you?
Come to
think of it, that line sounded like he had practiced it.
“You know my father?” she asked. He didn’t answer her
question, and Cora wondered if he would prefer for her to stare at him and
forget she asked. His sure, sweet smile made her want to smile back at him, but
she dug down deep for some self control. Something was off here. “I don’t
believe I’ve met you before.”
He flashed a smile; a bright, friendly and
sexy-as-all-get-out smile.
“No, you haven’t. I’m Nick.” He extended his hand, and she
hesitated, but took it in hers. She let go quickly, feeling nervous about the
small amount of physical contact. “I just stopped by to let you know your
father’s tied up at work.”