AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be fine,” she said, trying to sound confident. She opened the door to the coffee shop. “Love you tons.”
seven
There are three essential ingredients in any relationship: Honesty. Authenticity. Vulnerability. Without those, it’s like—why even bother?
@InvincibleMollySullivan
Morning sun filtered into the kitchen where Molly and Scott sat, finishing breakfast. The girls were still asleep. She relished these moments together, before Scott would leave for three long days and two lonely nights.
“What are your plans today?” he asked, perky as usual in the morning. He’d already dressed in his swim shorts and Chacos, a faded blue visor on his head. His river-rat uniform.
“Mostly getting ready for the party tomorrow. Finish unpacking, pick up the cupcakes, then maybe take the girls and the dogs on a hike after I finish some work stuff.”
She had a check-in call with her assistant back in Denver, a video to edit for TikTok, and some pictures of the house to post on Instagram.
“You should do the Purgatory Creek Trail up near the ski resort,” Scott said. “It drops into a valley with a little stream—great for the dogs. Ella loves it.”
“Then I’ll do it! Anything to make that girl like me.”
“I love that you’re trying so hard with her,” Scott said. He reached for her hand, tugging her out of her chair and so close she was forced to sit on his lap, straddling him. Not that she minded. “You’re going to be good for Ella.” He kissed her. “We’re lucky to have you. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
His hands traveled up her bare legs, under the bottom edge of her T-shirt—his T-shirt. “How will I survive sleeping alone for the next two nights?” he whispered.
“I’m sure you can find another hot single mom to hook up with,” she said, giving him a teasing smile. Now that she knew her quiet, introverted husband, the thought of him hooking up with different women on his overnight trips was laughable.
“You’re the only hot single mom I want.” His fingers drifted under the elastic of her panties.
“I’m not single anymore,” she said in his ear.
“Thank god.”
She ran her hands up his ribs as he kissed her so thoroughly she almost begged him to stay home for twenty more minutes—even ten more minutes. All she really needed was a good ten minutes.
“Daddy?”
Molly leaped off Scott’s lap, bumping the table and tipping her mug over, spilling coffee across the surface. Ella stood in the doorway of the kitchen in her hedgehog pajamas, pushing her tangled dark hair out of her face.
“Good morning, Ella!” Molly yanked down her T-shirt to cover her thighs. “We thought you were still asleep.”
“Clearly,” Ella said, sounding way too much like a weary teenager.
Behind Molly, Scott grabbed a dish towel to sop up the spill. “What’s up, bug?” he said, sounding unconcerned. Which was all well and good for Scott. In Ella’s eyes, he could do no wrong. Molly didn’t have that luxury. She had to be on her toes if she was going to win Ella over. Ella had been wary of Molly ever since Scott first introduced them, but it seemed to have gotten worse since the wedding and the move to the new house.
“How did you sleep?” Molly asked her. “Would you like a pancake? Or scrambled eggs? French toast?”
“No, thank you,” Ella said. “I can get my own cereal.”
“Give me a hug first,” Scott said. “I’m leaving soon.”
Ella did, and Molly moved over to the sink so she wouldn’t get in the way of their father-daughter moment. But she wasn’t far enough to avoid hearing what Ella murmured in his ear.
“Why can’t I stay with Sarah like I used to?”
Sarah, one of the other owners of the river rafting business, had always watched Ella during Scott’s trips. Molly kept her focus on the dishes and didn’t hear Scott’s response. But she did catch Ella’s sigh as the nine-year-old huffed her way to the pantry, poured herself a bowl of cereal, and headed into the living room to turn on the TV.
Ella was just a little girl, Molly reminded herself as she rinsed the sink. A girl who had never shared her father before. Blending a family requires time and effort, she’d written on an Instagram post just the other day. But it’s worth it.
