“So I have to wait until next Monday? I don’t think so, Chef Sinclair.”
She studied him in the soft amber streetlight filtering into her bedroom—that lazy gaze and even lazier smile. He threw back his head and sucked in a ragged breath, and as Molly gripped him tighter and caressed her lips along his neck and jaw, she knew by the rhythm of his breathing that he was close.
Afterward, they lay in each other’s arms, talking in whispers and making up for the time they’d spent apart. Molly snuggled into his chest, his skin warm and comforting. “May I ask you something?”
“Sure?”
“Why do you have hair ties in your bathroom?”
“Seriously, that’s your question?” He chuckled. “Because my hair used to be long like Jesse’s, but I shaved it off when he was going through chemo last year.” Jake picked up his phone and opened the Photos app. “Here. That’s me on the right.”
Molly let out a soft “wow” as she studied the picture of the twins. With Jake’s hair longer, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. “It’s super long.”
“I’ve decided not to grow it again. It would freak Mum out.”
She handed the phone back to him. “I like it shorter. It suits your image.”
“Yeah?” Jake ran his fingers through her hair. “I like yours a bit shorter too,mon ange.”
“What do they mean… those French words you call me?”
“Mon ange?My angel. I thought it was fitting somehow, but now that we’ll be living together, I could call you honey or baby or the missus.”
“Don’t even think about it, stud.”
“Stud? I quite like the sound of that, actually. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight… and, Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“You still have my pink jacket.”
“I know.” He caressed the back of her neck. “I thought I’d keep it until you move in.”
Molly looked up at him. “Move in? When’s this happening?”
“Whenever you want, but this coming weekend works for me.”
“What? That’s only a few days away.”
“Yeah. Can you wait that long?”
“I’ll think about it.” She smiled and pecked him on the lips. “I really do love you. So much.”
“I’m extremely happy to hear that. Goodnight.”
As Molly drifted into slumber, the safety of his embrace soothed her into the deepest sleep she’d had in weeks.
And when she awoke to the late August sunrise hours later, Jake was still sleeping beside her.
EPILOGUE
Molly stood at the window of Luka and CeCe’s guest suite and gazed out over the garden to the tennis court beyond. Outside, a soft breeze rustled through the trees surrounding the property, and puffs of white cloud added atmosphere to an otherwise blue sky. She’d stayed with them for only a week, but so much had happened in that short time that she’d scarcely had a second to think about the path she’d chosen to step onto.
The day before, around dusk, Molly had driven out to the cemetery alone, not only to find some solitude but also to say goodbye. And as she sat cross-legged on the grass at the foot of Jesse’s grave, a sense of peacefulness surfaced. She’d made the right decision; of that, she had no doubt.
She checked her makeup in the mirror while Mitch and Tayla’s little girl, Storm, played with LEGO at her feet, chatting away to herself as she built her own make-believe world. It made Molly reflect on how fortunate she was to be able to build a world for herself. Many women never had that chance.
