Page 39 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

MOLLIE

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Grace Day

Okay, Mollie and Cain are kind of cute.

Comments:

Kerry Winsor : Oh, a post from the resident lurker!

Grace Day : Hey, Jade lurks too.

Kerry Winsor : She comments more than you.

Grace Day : ANYWAY, I ran into Cain and Mollie at the store. She’s really brought out a different side of him.

Kerry Winsor : Seriously. She whipped him into shape. He needed it!

Nicole Rudder : She could probably do better, though. But the options are pretty slim, I guess.

Mom called two days later. My heart sank as I tried to decide whether to pick it up or not. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and did .

“Mollie! Thank God. I wasn’t sure if you would answer.”

Neither was I. “Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “How are you?”

“How am I? Not great, honestly. Your father told me he gave you an ultimatum at my party.”

“Yeah, he did.”

She scoffed. “I told him it wasn’t the time. I had a whole plan ready to make you feel comfortable at home, and both he and Trevor got impatient!”

I winced at the mention of Trevor. “Listen, it’s fine. I don’t think it would have changed my decision.”

“Come on, Mollie. Something has to.”

“I like it here, Mom. It’s charming and nice?—”

“It’s a hellhole.”

“What? No, it’s not. Are you okay? You don’t sound like yourself.”

“I’m worried about my daughter! You know how much I hate where I came from. You know how hard I worked to get out of there, and you go willingly ?”

“And I’m happy that you’re happy where you are. I need you to understand that I’m happy where I am.”

“There is no understanding it because it makes no sense!” she snapped.

“Mom—”

“Listen, if you come back now, I bet your dad will go back on everything he said.”

I’m sure he would. One puppy-dog-eyed look from me and everything would be back to normal.

But that wasn’t what I wanted.

“I’ll be fine here. The farm earns money?—”

“Not enough!”

“There’s enough to live off of. Prices aren’t that high thanks to some small-town grant, and I already have ideas to make the farm bigger and better.”

“And is that boy gonna go along with it?”

“Cain? Why wouldn’t he?”

“I know a thing or two about him. He has a record.”

“Papa Bennie—wait, how do you know that?”

“Trevor did some digging on this Cain Smith.”

I closed my eyes, holding back a groan. If Trevor had found this out about Cain, then he would have twisted the truth and made it sound far worse than it really was.

“Papa Bennie trusted him,” I repeated.

“My father had a habit of trusting anyone with a sob story.”

“Mom, I trust him. A lot, actually. We can make it work.”

“You’re not at all concerned that you’re sharing a house with a man who was in jail for battery?”

“I know about that, and honestly, while I don’t agree with the methods, it was justified.”

She scoffed. “Are you that blinded by that town?”

“Mom, I’m safe.”

“God, I can’t do this!” she wailed, and my eyes widened at her tone. She sounded like I had when I’d left after the party, like she was losing everything. “I can’t watch you waltz into a place that will eat you alive.”

“But—”

“Mollie, no. You don’t know that town like I do. And you don’t know what you’re in for. Just come home!”

I was silent for a long time. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted, but I knew exactly where I wanted to be.

“No,” I said. “I won’t be doing that.”

“Then I can’t talk to you,” she said with a sob. “I’m putting my foot down.”

“So, you’re just never talking to me again?” I replied. Now my voice was high .

“I’ll always be here for you. Call me if you need anything, but I can’t continue to reach for you when you’re so stubborn about this choice. I hope you see sense before it’s too late, Mollie. For your sake.”

And then she hung up.

I had to sit in silence to process. Had she just ... cut me off? Just like Trevor had said he would make sure of?

Fuck. He’d won. He’d taken my parents and gotten them on his side.

And I’d let him. Like a fucking idiot.

The fields were still barren when I went outside, and there was nothing to do. Cain probably had a handle on the animals, but I didn’t want to take him away from his work while I was dealing with the consequences of my own actions.

I meandered to the cow fields where they grazed for food. Most of them paid me no mind as I leaned on the fence.

With my new jacket, I could stay in the cold for a while. Maybe I needed to, considering the wind wouldn’t judge me for crying about what Mom had said.

Behind me, I heard a huff, and I turned to see Moosley had found me.

“Hi,” I sniffed. “Having a good day?”

She looked at the field and then back at me.

“I’m not,” I said, wiping at my eyes. “I think my ex has ruined my relationship with my parents. And I let him when I came here, like an idiot.”

She looked back out at the field.

“At least you won’t judge me.”

Then she turned, giving me a side-eye that looked very judgmental .

“Or you will,” I said with a laugh. “That’s fine.”

I figured she would wander off in search of more food, but her large head leaned against my arm.

The tears came harder, and I let them fall. I didn’t regret my decision to come here. Even now, when I was crying in a field, I still felt something. Back in the city, I hadn’t.

But I wished I’d done it differently. I wished that I’d never dated Trevor in the first fucking place.

Moosley was patient and leaned on me while I cried, even though I caught her side-eyeing me a few more times. I was calming down, but was still wiping my eyes when I heard footsteps.

“What are you doing crying on a cow, princess?” Cain’s deep voice washed over me. Normally, I would hate that anyone had caught me, but he always had a way of finding me when I needed him.

“My mom called. She cut me off. She doesn’t wanna talk to me anymore.”

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “I was hoping she was smarter than that.”

“She’s obviously not,” I replied.

His footsteps got closer. Moosley huffed protectively. “I’m gonna make her feel better,” he said to the glaring cow.

“It’s okay,” I told her. “He will.”

If I thought I was getting side-eye, it was nothing compared to the one Cain got. Thankfully, she walked off, but still watched us warily.

“She’s protective of you.”

“You have Hennifer. I have Moosley.” I tried to smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

Cain was now in front of me and I leaned into him, hoping he could work his magic on me and make me feel better.

“I still feel so dumb. ”

“People fall for manipulation sometimes, princess. It’s way too easy to do.”

“But I didn’t want to lose them.”

“He’ll show his true colors eventually.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Remember what I said when I came to Nashville?”

“I have you,” I repeated.

“And Jackie. And Eric.”

“And Moosley.”

“For some reason, yes. You also have a cow.”

She must have heard her name, as she was making a return. She slowly trotted over, and I thought she was coming to check on me.

Then she got to the fence and turned around.

Both of us jumped away, but the spray was powerful.

“Moosley!” Cain yelled. “Dammit, cow!”

I felt shock for all of one second before I burst into laughter. I didn’t know who it had been aimed at since it had gotten us both, but Moosley glared at Cain before she walked away.

“Yeah, yeah,” Cain said. “Laugh it up. Now I need a damn shower.”

“Hey, I need one too,” I replied. “At least the farmhouse has two bathrooms.”

“It’s an old house, princess. We can’t run two at the same time.”

“We could share,” I offered.

He turned to me, eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“What better way to save water?”

We could have gotten out of the shower once the grime was washed off of us, but the second I saw his naked body under the spray of water, I had other plans.

The bathroom was a humid mix of both of our body washes, and I’d been watching him clean up like it was my favorite TV show.

“Do you need a picture?” he asked as he rinsed the conditioner out of his hair.

“I wouldn’t say no,” I replied. “But there’s something else I could use instead.”

“Get over here.”

Cain tugged me into the spray, pressing his lips to mine. He tried to take it slow, to drag out our first kiss like he always did, but I’d spent the last fifteen minutes watching his broad shoulders and his rippling muscles. I was more than ready.

I nipped at his tongue, earning a groan from him as I deepened the kiss. His fingers dug into my ass as he brought me closer.

I wasn’t sure if I should rush this or take my time, but my body told me I needed a release as soon as possible. Some nights when we fell into bed, we were too exhausted to do anything but wrap each other in our arms.

The memory of what he could do to me always simmered under the surface, begging to be brought to life.

I bit his bottom lip. His erection was pressed to my stomach, nothing in between us.

After what had happened with Trevor, I didn’t think anything could feel like this. I wasn’t used to heat under my skin, or even being wanted in the same way I wanted someone else. This was a puzzle piece clicking together easily after being forced to try and fit somewhere that it didn’t belong.

Nothing in the past mattered anymore. It was all compounded until it was flat and empty. In this moment, he was perfect, and that was all that mattered .

My nipples were hard, begging to be kissed. My clit was on fire as it asked for attention too. I wanted him everywhere. No, I needed him.

But Cain’s attention was on my mouth. His hands sliding on my wet body weren’t enough, yet I lingered on every movement.

“Goddammit, if you don’t touch me right now ...” I trailed off as his hands brushed over my ass.

“You’ll what? Keep making those noises?” Now his hand moved to my breast. “I like torturing you.”

“You asshole.”

He huffed out a laugh and then pushed me against the tile wall. I didn’t feel the cold on my back, only the feeling of my heart jumping into my throat.

God, I loved being manhandled.

“What do you need?” His voice was low.