Chapter 61: Hammered Cont 2

Vaughn

“I wash and brush every one of them every day,” she said, kissing the sheep’s nose. “Besides, I think it makes them happy.”

I kept running my fingers through the wool.

Perfect.

How the hell does she do it?

She cleaned the field. She cleaned the barn mess. Every animal she owns trusts her. And she takes four hours a day to brush wool.

Julia takes an hour to shower, another hour to do makeup and pick an outfit.

Mollie doesn’t.

She doesn’t even stop to put on shoes.

I smiled. She is different. Nothing like anybody I ever met.

Seeing her happy makes me feel… toasty inside. I don’t know how to explain it.

“You leave in a couple hours, huh?” she said, then smirked. “Let’s make you a birthday cake.”

She grabbed my hand and dragged me across the field.

I chuckled. Mollie is definitely something else.

Everything she does is firsts for me. The first girl I fell asleep with and woke up next to without having sex with. The first person I spent New Year’s with. The first person to give me cookies. The first person to stand up to my attitude.

The first girl I ever fell in love with.

I groaned.

Love? What the fuck is happening to me?

I don’t want to love her. I’m not capable. Mollie deserves the best.

But I can’t help it.

I’m sure of a lot of things. I don’t want marriage. I don’t want kids. I don’t want diapers and spit up and screaming.

I don’t want to be some idiot standing at an altar. I don’t want the whole show. I don’t want people congratulating me like I’m doing something brave.

Marriage turns my stomach.

I want my space. I want to eat when I want. I want to be left alone.

But I’m sure of something else too.

I’m in love with Mollie.

I’m not lying to myself anymore. It’s the truth. Gray and Claire were right. Julia and Mirabelle were right.

And there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop it.

And even if there was, I don’t know if I would.

“What?” she asked, catching me staring at her.

“Don’t worry about it,” I answered.

Damn right she shouldn’t worry about it. This is my business.

All she has to do is keep doing what she’s doing.

And all she has to do is be here on Mondays and Tuesdays.