Taking the Fall (32 page)

“She’s happy. God, how I’ve missed seeing that particular expression on her face.”

Hunter reached for the back of Molly’s neck, offering comfort before Molly issued a reminder, “Okay, Jess, let’s get going before we are never invited back.”

Just about everyone named Dennison reminded all the Jenson girls that they were welcome back at any time. In fact, Molly found great happiness in witnessing Bree make plans with Jess for a dance rematch.

With several rounds of goodbyes, hugs and invitations to come back anytime, Hunter quietly promised that he and Leah would come to their place later to have the sit down with the girls. Molly and her daughters headed to her car with everyone, speaking of the great time they had.

By the time they reached home, Molly and the girls were in quite the good mood as Molly straightened the house for their impending guests. Each of the girls entertained themselves in the living room as Molly floated around the house.

When she crossed the hutch, she looked into the mirrored back and examined her reflection. So much had occurred in such a short time, yet all of it was evident on her face. She looked happy and thriving, and Molly realized just how in despair she had truly been before the center of her life became so entwined with Hunter Dennison.

Here’s to looking forward to Hunter being by your side, Molly. It is about damn time you got your happily ever after.

It was just shy of 8PM when there was a knock on Molly’s door.

“Who’s that?” Sammy asked from the couch where she laid in her Tinkerbell pajamas with a Twizzlers hanging out of her mouth.

Molly got up and answered the door; the smile that greeted her had her blood stream warming.

“Hi!” they said simultaneously as Leah welcomed herself right into Molly’s home. Leah found Sammy easily enough, and the squeals of delight had both Molly and Hunter smiling.

They both entered Molly’s living room, taking a seat on the couch opposite the loveseat where the girls sat together.

“Hey Jess, can you come out here,” Molly yelled.

Jess appeared a moment or two later with a sudden look of confusion on her face. She came in and took a seat on the arm of the loveseat where Sammy and Leah were currently hugging each other.

“What’s up?”

Molly had looked at Hunter eagerly before he took the lead. “Girls, we have something we’d like to tell you . . .”

“We are having a sleepover?” Sammy interrupted, eliciting screams of elation from the two youngest girls.

Molly laughed, suddenly thinking that a sleepover sounded like a great idea.

With his arms wrapped around Molly’s waist, he looked at her and said, “Do you want to tell them or should I?”

“Are you just going to tell us how you are now boyfriend and girlfriend, like kissing each other all the time?” Sammy asked in the most honest of ways.

Molly couldn’t help the blush that crossed her face. She looked at Hunter and he too had more color in his cheeks than just moments ago.

“What we are trying to tell you is that you girls are all very important to us. We want to make sure you are all right with us being together as a couple,” Molly said trying to stress the importance of her words.

Hunter gave her a squeeze before adding, “It means we all will be doing more things together, spending more time together, and we want to make sure you are all right with that.”

“Like a family?” Sammy asked inquisitively.

“Yea! Lucky-freakin’-dah, you guys are a couple, we are all now one big happy family. Can I go now?” The sarcasm and dryness in Jess’ voice had tears welling up in Molly’s eyes.

They both watched as Jess stormed out of the room and as both Sammy and Leah celebrated and made themselves comfortable sharing the open bag of Twizzlers that sat on the sofa cushion.

Molly leaned back taking great comfort in Hunter’s willing embrace. He turned his head so he spoke quietly against her ear, “Do you want me to go talk to her? See if I can smooth it over?”

Molly thought his offer was sweet, but she also knew he probably didn’t come armed for a round with Jess. Instead, Molly found herself just tapping his knee with her hand and saying, “It’s okay, let her go have some space. She didn’t scream like a banshee or cry like a waterfall so I’ll take it as accepting.”

They shared some privacy in the kitchen, each with their own hot beverage basking in the knowledge that they didn’t need to hide anything anymore.

“See! Told you it wouldn’t be painful,” Hunter said, reaching across the table and taking hold of her hand.

They kept the conversation light as well as the degree of touching. From the other room, Leah and Sammy kept asking about that sleepover and Hunter and Molly couldn’t help but laugh. The two girls were relentless in their demand.

“Well, then, can we at least go to the festival together?” Sammy asked feigning desperation.

“I think that is a fantastic idea!” Hunter said, bumping the table with his fist before looking at a smiling Molly. “What do you think, beautiful?”

So much was falling into place in such a short time, but nothing felt more right.

“I think it is a must.”

Before too long, Hunter was telling Leah that it was time to head home. Much to the dismay of his daughter and to himself, he had to bid Molly and the girls goodnight.

“See you tomorrow?” he whispered as he happily placed his arms around her waist and kissed her in front of the audience of tiny estrogen.

She too wrapped her arms around him enjoying the kiss they shared unabashedly.

“Definitely,” she answered against his lips even through the kissing sounds the peanut gallery was making from the loveseat.

After several attempts, they made it out the door with more promises of seeing and speaking with each other the next day.

Molly closed the door and standing in front of her with a look that matched her own, Sammy said, “I’m happy, Mommy. I really want you to be happy, too.”

She walked the few steps and picked up her daughter like the times she did when she was small. Molly carried her back to the couch and sat down cuddling with Sammy. She kissed her daughter’s forehead and said, “I am happy, sweetie. Between you and Jess and now Hunter and Leah, I am very happy.”

“Then be prepared to be happy all the time, because Leah and I will be spending a lot of time together,” Sammy said with such expression, not realizing the power her words carried to her mom. Sammy reached over, grabbing the last of the Twizzlers. She ripped off one and gave it to Molly before she said, “And don’t think we forgot about having a sleepover, either.”

With a smile that could not be reproduced, Molly acted like she was heeding her daughter’s words and answered seriously, “I know better than to expect any such thing from you, my dear Samantha.”

With a mouth full of licorice, Sammy leaned back and said maturely, “As long as we are all on the same page then.”

The last week had gone by in a blur. Molly rearranged her schedule as much as she could to spend as much time with Hunter and Leah as she could. But when they couldn’t be together, the dad and daughter duo came to
Molly’s
for mealtimes.

Finally, the day of the festival had arrived and Molly was standing in the kitchen of the restaurant feeling completely horrible about what Greg was suggesting.

“You are not using your head, girl. Everyone is going to be enjoying the festivities outside. Do yourself a favor and just turn the closed sign around and lock the door. No need to miss out on the festivities outdoors because you are in an empty restaurant waiting for someone to come walking in the door.”

But she had never closed the restaurant before just on a whim.

“Besides, isn’t there a certain man and a pair of young girls who will be expected your full and undivided attention?”

Unable to control the blush that formed on her cheeks, she smiled at the mention of such a delightful picture.

“You know I wouldn’t tell you to close down if I didn’t think it would be in your best interest. Go out and enjoy the day and the festival. The restaurant will be here tomorrow.” He walked over to her, giving her a fatherly hug before placing a kiss on her forehead. “If it will put your mind at ease, I will stick around in case someone knocks on the door and insists on one of my burgers.”

She smiled broader at that remark before gently slapping his shoulder. “No, I couldn’t ask you to do such a thing.”

“But if it will make you feel better, I will.” He flicked her nose with his finger. “Besides, there is plenty for me to do here, including cleaning that fryer that I’ve been putting off.”

Molly knew that arguing with him would be a moot point, but it didn’t mean her guilt would lessen.

“If you are so eager for me to listen to your advice, how come you aren’t?”

“Because, I know my girl is going to worry and if having me here is going to give her peace of mind, then that is what I’ll do.”

Even when he is prickly, he is wonderful.

Molly knew how lucky she was to have such an amazing man in her life, but at moments like this, she wished she could really tell him just how much his old worn face meant to her. But she knew he would rather dice his finger off than get all sappy with her.

“You are just too good to me.”

“It is one of the many privileges of my life.” Greg kissed her forehead once more.

And as if right on cue, Hunter, Leah, and Sammy came strolling through the kitchen door.

“Quiet day around here,” Hunter said walking to Molly’s side before kissing her lips enthusiastically.

Molly pulled away from Hunter and looked at Greg once more before saying, “Well, I decided,” Greg winked at her, “that the restaurant is going to close all day so we can enjoy everything the festival has to offer.”

The girls squealed with excitement, but Hunter grabbed her hands and asked concerned, “Are you sure? Don’t do it just for us. I told you that we will come back and meet you whenever you get a break.”

“Jeez doc, you get points for compassion but take a miracle when you can get it,” Greg said exasperatedly.

“So Mom, if you don’t have to work tonight, can Leah and I have that sleepover?”

The eagerness of both girls’ faces as they looked at her pleading-like swept away any desire Molly had to say no.

“I think that is a wonderful idea.”

Molly looked at Hunter, and he too agreed. As they stared at one another, she thought the idea of them too getting a sleepover seemed very appealing.

Finally, with a wave goodbye, Molly, Hunter, and the girls walked out the front door and took in all that the Clearwater Falls Memorial Day Festival had to offer.

The day was picture perfect. Bright blue skies and not a cloud in its vastness. Families young and old flooded the closed streets of the town. The great bandstand was draped in red, white, and blue bunting and the lively veteran’s band played toe-tapping music in boisterous fare. Booths were set up all along Main Street. Some shops were open and others had closed for those workers to enjoy the festivities. Clowns and balloons, as well as jugglers and a magician performed while face painting and bake sale tables littered the sidewalks. Smells and aromas of heavenly delight and couples dancing just for the sake of dancing scattered in every direction you looked.

A corner of library parking lot was reserved for large inflatable bouncing houses as well as a large inflatable slide. Over on the other side were different emergency vehicles that kids were encouraged to come see and sit inside all the while meeting and speaking with emergency personnel. Toward the end was the large ladder truck of the Clearwater Falls Fire Department and there seemed to be a large crowd forming on the other side of the truck that they couldn’t see.

They walked through it all, stopping here and there to enjoy what they passed, and by the time they reached the fire truck and rounded the corner, Molly laughed aloud and Hunter just shook his head at the setup of the fire department at this year’s festival.

Moving their way through the crowd until they reached the front, off to the side, Hunter said unsurprised, “A kissing booth? Seriously, you three clowns?”