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Hailey nodded eagerly; her eyes gleaming with excitement.
I sighed, resigned to the fact that Natasha was here and there was nothing I could do about it. Molly slipped her hand around my arm, her smile sympathetic. "It's alright, Jake. At least we can all spend some time together."
I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, the feel of her soft skin against my lips a small comfort in this unexpected turn of events.
"Come on, you guys!" Hailey called from the trail. "If you don't hurry, I'm going to pick our campsite and you won't have any say."
Molly grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, no, we can't have that!" She turned to me, a playful expression on her face. "Better hurry up, Mr. Kingsbury, or else we'll lose control of this situation."
I rolled my eyes, trying to hide my own amusement. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." After a few quick strides, I caught up to Molly, who grabbed my hand and started singing " Kum Ba Yah " in the rendition of a dying cat while Hailey fawned over Natasha’s designer hiking outfit. I think Molly was trying to distract me while drowning out their conversation, but it didn't work. It would have been cute, if I wasn’t so annoyed with Nat.
"I'm so glad you came. You're going to love it," Hailey gushed.
Natasha smiled, a touch of uncertainty in her eyes. "Me too. I haven't been camping since..."
"Since I was a baby," Hailey said, finishing her sentence.
"Yes," Natasha said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I've missed a lot."
There was an awkward silence, or at least it felt that way to me. Finally, Hailey spoke, breaking the tension. "We have lots of time to make up for."
When we arrived at the campsite, Hailey, Molly, and me quickly set to work setting up the tents, while Natasha raided our food cache.
"What can I do to help?" she asked, peering into one of the coolers.
"Nothing," I grunted, my focus on the tent poles.
"Jake, really. Let me help."
I sighed, frustrated. "There's not much left to do. Go for a hike or something."
Natasha pouted, but finally relented, and disappeared into the trees, Hailey bounding after her.
Molly and I hung back, letting the two of them have their moment. "What do you think she's doing here?" Molly asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"God only knows," I replied, still baffled by her presence.
Molly squeezed my hand. "Whatever her reasons, I'm glad Hailey has the opportunity to spend some time with her. Maybe it'll help with your concerns about the wedding." She shrugged.
"Maybe," I said, but I doubted it. Natasha always had an ulterior motive, and I didn't trust her one bit.
"Everyone can surprise you," Molly said with so much certainty that I wanted to believe her. "I realize it's hard, but you have to let them be. It's good for Hailey," Molly said, her voice low and surprisingly gentle as she stepped up beside me.
"Natasha isn't exactly what I'd call 'good,'" I grumbled, avoiding her gaze. The truth was, I didn't want to admit that seeing Hailey happy—even if it was because of Natasha—was worth swallowing my pride.
Molly shot me a “don't be a brat” look and I rolled my eyes. If it had been anyone else but Molly, I probably would have been pissed off but instead I conceded. "Let's see what this weekend brings."
Then Molly fell into a fit of laughter. "What's so funny?" I asked, a grin tugging at my lips.
"You're so mad."
"I'm not mad," I insisted, even as the scowl remained on my face.
"Uh huh," Molly smirked.
I shook my head and began sorting through the contents of my pack. "I just don't get why she has to come along. It's our first trip with you. A family thing. She hated doing things like this when we were married and suddenly she wants to go camping and make everything a big event?"
"I'm sorry. She does seem pretty self-absorbed. Although it was nice to hear you include me as part of your family. " Molly paused for a moment, her expression serious. "But Jake, this is good for Hailey, right? Having her mom in her life."
