Let It Be (Butler, Vermont #6) - Marie Force Page 0,18
starting to seriously question my choices where you’re concerned.”
“You’re not really, are you?”
“No, but I’m not having five children.”
“Four, then.”
“Three.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky with twins.”
“I’ll kill you if that happens.”
“No, you won’t. You love me too much to kill me.”
“If you knock me up with twins, I will kill you. Stand warned.”
“Good to know. I’ll tell my boys to focus on one egg at a time.”
“You do that.”
“How soon can we do that? All this talk about eggs is making me hot.”
Molly giggled when he kissed her neck and made her shiver. “Soon. I promise.”
With almost no privacy in the camp, they’d had to put their ardor on ice until they could be alone somewhere. And there was something she still needed to share with him that she hadn’t yet. Not because she didn’t think he’d understand, but because it was still too painful to talk about, even with him.
“So my dad will probably meet us at the bus station, and he’s kind of weird about me and my sister, Hannah, when it comes to boys and dating and stuff.”
“Weird how?”
“Weird in that he’d rather we didn’t date or speak to boys at all if possible.”
“He knows that’s ridiculous, right?”
“Of course he does, but you have to kind of ease him into the whole ‘Molly has a boyfriend’ thing. Let him get to know you a little before you let on that we’re, you know…”
“Dying to have sex?”
“Lincoln! Stop.”
He absolutely loved the way her entire complexion lit up when she was embarrassed. That made embarrassing her some of the best fun he’d ever had. “Are we or are we not dying to have sex?”
“If you say that again, you’ll never have it with me.”
“Have what? Say it.”
“I won’t say it, and neither will you if you know what’s good for you.”
“I know what’s good for me,” he said, nuzzling her neck again, “and her name is Molly. Sweet, sweet Molly. I can’t wait until we can sleep naked together every night.”
“Stop.”
“I’ll never stop wanting that. When we’re old and gray, I’ll still want to sleep naked with you.”
“My advice would be not to mention anything about that when you’re within five hundred miles of my father, or it may never happen.”
“Good to know.”
“He’s a really, really good guy, and you’ll love him once we get past the initial awkwardness of him realizing I met a guy who wants to marry me and have babies with me. Maybe don’t mention babies until we’re safely married.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
“Keep your hands to yourself when he’s around, or you might lose one of them.”
“Also good to know. Please tell me your mother is normal.”
“She’s the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, and he is, too. After you get to know him.”
“I’ll take your word on that.”
“You’ll see. He’ll come around. It just might take him a minute or two to decide he can trust you.”
They sat with their heads together, hands clasped, and dozed during the final stretch of the seemingly endless trip. By the time they pulled into the station in Rutland, Linc was more than ready to get off that bus and check out his new home state of Vermont. As he made his plans with Molly, he still had things to contend with at home in Philadelphia. But he would deal with that after he put the pieces together in Vermont.
Step one was meeting Molly’s parents and convincing them he would love and care for their daughter for the rest of his life. Step two was finding a job, and step three would be proposing to her and setting a wedding date. After all that was done, he’d take his new fiancée home to Philadelphia to meet his family and share their plans.
Elmer Stillman was waiting for them at the bus station.
Molly let out a happy cry and leaped into her father’s outstretched arms.
“You can’t ever leave me for that long again,” Elmer said as he hugged her.
“Don’t be dramatic, Daddy.”
“I’m not being dramatic. Longest summer of my life, hands down. Counting the days until my little girl came home.”
“I’m going to be twenty-three soon. When will you stop referring to me as your little girl?”
“When I’m dead and buried?” He took one of her bags, grabbed her hand and headed for the parking lot.
“Wait, Dad. I brought home a friend who I want you to meet and be nice to.”
Elmer stopped, dropped her hand and turned, noticing Linc for the first time and eyeing him suspiciously.
“Hello, sir, I’m Lincoln Abbott,