Never in my wildest dreams did I think Molly and I would grow up and have a baby together. After high school, life took us in opposite directions. I’d shipped off to the military, while Molly stayed here—the only town she’d ever known. Then fate brought me back to Silver Creek, a decision I’d never regret after everything that had happened over the last few months.
The house I grew up in may have been in Great Falls, but Silver Creek was my home, through and through.
“What’s on the to-do list today?” I asked, as we each sat atop our horses, making our way out of the stables.
“We need to ride out to the ridge behind Jace’s cabin and check on the cattle. I’ve got a lot of heifers out there that are due any day, and I need to make surenone of them are having a hard time giving birth. Then we’ll ride back along the fence line and make sure it still looks good so none of the cattle can break out,” Charlie explained.
It sounded like an easy day, but I was smart enough not to count my chickens before they hatched. The second someone said a plan was easy, it usually all went to shit real quick.
Jace, Charlie, and I rode side by side through the fields, making our way up the ridge toward the head of cattle.
“How old were you when you took over the farm from Papa?” Jace asked after a few minutes of riding in silence.
Charlie looked up, doing some quick math in his head. “I think I was about Colt’s age—maybe a little older. Your mom was pregnant with Molly. I do remember that. Why you askin’?” he said, glancing over at Jace.
“Just wondering is all.”
“Your mom and me were married by then.”
Based on Charlie’s comments, he and Alice hadn’t been married when they’d had their first kid. Hell, maybe not even their second, for all I knew.
Jace looked over at me on his other side. “Colt was a surprise. Just like what happened with you and Molly,” he explained.
“He sure was,” Charlie said. “Your mom was beautiful—the prettiest damn thing I’d ever laid eyes on in this town. She moved here with her family when she was little, but our paths never crossed until high school. I first noticed her at the drive-in one night, sipping on a chocolate milkshake and gossiping with her girlfriends. I remember it like it was yesterday.
“Being the hotshot I thought I was at the time, I walked up to her, laying on the McKinley charm. I don’t even remember what I said, but I do remember her turning me down—hard. I chased her for over a year before she finally agreed to go on a date with me. On our third date, things got a little wild, and Colt was conceived.
“Alice was so terrified that she didn’t tell me she was pregnant. She hid it from everyone for months. One day, I saw her in town and asked why she’d been ignoring me. She just started crying hysterically. After a bit, she finally told me she was pregnant. Said she knew I didn’t want anything to do with a baby—we were still seniors in high school—and that she wasn’t expecting me to be part of the baby’s life.”
Charlie paused before continuing. “She tried to walk away. I grabbed her arm, made her stop and look at me, and then told her that any child of mine would never grow up without a father. I could tell she was shocked—genuinely shocked. The rest is history. As soon as her parents found out, they kicked her out, justlike we expected. So she moved out here to the ranch with me and your grandparents. We raised you and Colt in the guesthouse until space got too tight, then we moved into the main house.”
It made a lot of sense now why Molly’s parents didn’t judge her for having a baby before getting married. They’d both been in her place before. They knew exactly how she was feeling and how worried she’d been about being judged.
“Now don’t get me wrong,” Charlie continued. “Was I scared shitless to be a dad? Of course. But Alice needed me as much as I needed her. We had to lean on each other for a long time. That’s my best advice for you boys. Don’t let the world pull you apart from the girl you love. When the world puts pressure on you, let it bring you closer together. Ride out the storm side by side, and come out stronger on the other end. Because after it’s all said and done, when the day is over, you only have each other.”
I hated the way Charlie’s words settled in my chest. It was clear that Jace’s person was Cassie. But when it came to me, nobody really knew who my person was—though I wanted it to be Molly. I wanted forever with that girl, but forever wasn’t guaranteed. I knew that better than anyone.
As the day went on and we worked our way through Charlie’s to-do list, it gave me more time tothink about Molly and what forever with her might look like. The more I imagined it, the more I craved it.
By the end of the day, as we rode back toward the stables with the sun setting in the west, my mind was made up.
Tonight, I was going to ask Molly to spend forever with me.
Molly
After a long day of cooking and doing chores with Cassie, Ellie, and my mom, this bubble bath was exactly what I needed. The warm water and Epsom salts were doing amazing things for my sore muscles.
I was so thankful Liam had picked out a low-profile tub. It made getting out of it while extremely pregnant so much easier.
As I wrapped a plush towel around my body, I heard music start playing from the kitchen. Whenever Liam cooked, he liked to listen to music on the speaker in there—just like I did while I baked. I rubbed lotion on my legs and over my belly before slipping into my pajamas.
“What in the world are you cooking this late at night?” I asked as I made my way into the kitchen. But the moment I stepped into the doorway, I stopped in my tracks.
Instead of Liam cooking, he was standing in the middle of the kitchen with the lights turned down low and candles lit all around him. The same Keith Whitley song we’d danced to at the Twisted Spur played softly in the background.
“Liam… what is all this?”
He extended a hand. “Dance with me, Molly?”
