Chapter Seven
You’ve been very quiet today,” Holly commented as she watched Molson slump on her couch. He’d come in about a half an hour ago, telling her he didn’t want to interrupt her work then laid on her couch. For a while, she had thought that he was taking a cat nap. Maybe he had. Now he was staring at her ceiling.
“I just want to be near you,” Molson said softly.
Concerned, Holly took off her reading glasses, rising from the desk. She squeezed herself to sit beside Molson on the couch and took his hand. “What’s going on?”
He shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. Gazing up at her, he played with her hand, gently massaging it. “I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in this world.”
“Beauty fades,” she gently told him.
“Not for you,” Molson insisted. “You’ll be beautiful when you’re old, grey and have one of those ugly tight perms.”
Holly laughed. “Tight perms?”
“Yeah, it seems to be a requirement,” Molson had a part smile. “Though why you would cut off your hair, I don’t know. It’s beautiful like you.”
“Thank you,” Holly was pleased with the compliment.
“Do you ever think of getting old?” he suddenly asked. “Wonder who you’re gonna be with? If you’ll have kids? Who will die first?”
“The die first bit seems a little morbid,” Holly pointed out.
“If we grow old together, I want to die first,” Molson decided. “I don’t want to live those many years with you then suddenly have to do without. I’d just be more in love with you each year until if you went first, life would be miserable.”
“Wow,” Holly’s breath hitched. What an oddly romantic thing to say.
“Do you think it’s strange to think that people could fall in love so soon?” he studied her.
“Maybe. I don’t know,” Holly wasn’t certain what he was driving at. Was he saying that he loved her? It would be very quick. If any of her clients came to her saying they were in love this fast, she’d counsel them to be cautious. Now she was on tenterhooks, hoping that he did love her.
“Do you want kids?” Molson questioned.
“Someday,” Holly wasn’t too worried yet. She figured she had time since she was barely past her mid-twenties. “Two or three. I didn’t like being an only child. I think where possible, it’s good to have siblings.”
“Sometimes it is,” Molson frowned. “Maybe if they’re closer in age. Jana and Drew seem to get on better than I do with them.”
“Tell me about your brother and sister?” Holly had a notion this might be where Molson’s somber mood was coming from.
“Jana has three kids. She’s married to Miguel. They’re both cops,” Molson recited easily. “She’s the oldest and mostly took care of Drew and me.”
“She took care of you? Where were your parents?” Holly questioned slowly.
“Ma’s not the greatest. She’s got a host of mental health issues,” Molson heaved a sigh. “Pop left before I was born, as I mentioned before. So Jana did the best she could. It’s made her bossy.”
Holly reached out to smooth the hair over his brow. “She probably feels like you’re one of her kids and that gives her the right to tell you what to do. She loves you.”
“She has a funny way of showing it,” Molson muttered. “You’ve met Drew. He’s okay in his own way.”
“Something happened between you and Jana recently,” Holly guessed.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Molson repeated. He took her hand, kissing her palm.
“When you do want to talk, will you talk to me?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Molson agreed to her request.
“How many children do you want?” she returned the question to him.
