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"What are you thinking about?" she asked, her head resting on my chest, fingers drumming softly.
"You."
She smiled. "Oh yeah? What about me?"
"How you make me laugh and feel like even in chaos that, things aren’t so bad. You're the best part of my day. Even when it's been rough, you bring out the best in me."
Her eyes twinkled and she gave me a gentle kiss. "Ditto. So, are you ready for Operation Baby Room?"
I chuckled. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's just hope they've improved crib assembly instructions in the past decade."
"Don't jinx it. But I'm sure we'll be fine. If all else fails, there's YouTube."
We got up and made a pot of coffee, while Molly insisted on making us breakfast. She moved around my space with ease, cracking eggs and whisking them with a splash of milk. Molly was never afraid to take up space. I had never seen someone so comfortable in any room they occupied.
She tilted the pan, letting the eggs coat the surface evenly before adding a sprinkle of diced peppers, onion, ham and cheese. The omelet sizzled, and the aroma made my stomach rumble.
With a quick flip, she folded the omelet into a perfect half-moon, then slid it onto a plate beside toast and handed it to me with her best waitress smile.
“Here ya go. Is there anything else I can get cha?”
I shook my head in a half laugh.
“No thanks Marge, I’m good.”
She winked and turned back to the stove.
The idea of going back to my old life, one without Molly's laughter and her gentle teasing, felt empty. She had become such an important part of my world, and imagining a future without her was becoming increasingly difficult.
What did I want to do about this feeling? I had no idea.
Since Molly cooked, I washed the dishes while she took a shower. I thought about sneaking up and joining her, but shower sex was more fun in theory and not so much in practice.
Besides, the idea of Hailey getting back early and hearing us, burst my sexy bubble.
The front door burst open about an hour later, and Hailey bounded inside, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. Her face was alight with excitement as she kicked off her shoes haphazardly, leaving them scattered in the entryway.
"Dad, I'm home!" she called out even though I was standing right there. Her voice echoed through the house. She looked up and saw me, a blush creeping on her cheek. “Sorry, I thought you might be upstairs.”
I just blinked, not wanting to read into her implied meaning. “Did you have a good time?”
I wrapped my arms around her, and she gave me a quick squeeze before wiggling out and walking toward the kitchen. “Yeah, we had a lot of fun. I made them watch some of the old movies Molly told me about and most of the girls there loved them. Although Hedi complained about it the whole time.”
I shrugged. “You can’t be everybody’s cup of tea.”
Hailey smiled. “Yeah, that’s what Molly told me.”
“Well, it’s good advice,” I said, unable to keep my smile at bay. I was proud of Hailey for coming into her own a little bit more and glad that Molly had helped her. My heart was so full.
Hailey crinkled her brow. “Dad, are you okay? You’re staring at me in a weird way. Are you having a stroke?”
So much for having a sweet moment. I huffed out an exaggerated sigh. “No, Hailey.”
She shrugged her shoulders, like that had been a perfectly reasonable question and moved on. "Are we still going to set up the baby's room?"
"Of course. Molly isn’t one to be easily swayed once she’s made up her mind."
Molly stepped into the room and folded her arms across her chest, skewering me with a stare below her knitted brows. “Be glad for that, otherwise I might change my mind about you.” She stuck her tongue out at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
