Page 52 of Tied to You

She laughs, her head lifting so my arm can tuck underneath her. She’s still in my shirt, her bare legs bending as her body melts into mine. “You’re warm.” She nestles herself, her head ducking to my arm.

It’s like nothing I’ve felt before. I close my eyes, pulling her closer to me. I take a breath as she relaxes, her breathing turning heavier as she begins to drift off. With a small breath, Mollie asks me a question I never thought I’d hear. “Can we go on a date?” Her voice is hushed, serene and sleepy.

With another tug of her body, I land a kiss on the back of her head. “A date?” I question, my mind wondering.

She yawns. “A date.”

A date? Never had one. Never wanted one. Never would have considered one until now. The idea of taking her. Spoiling her. I teased her for it when we first met, but I know deep down she won’t care for the finer things. She’ll want one thing. Me. And that thought alone is enough to set my heart beating uncontrollably once again. “Whatever you want, baby.”

I feel the small twitches of her body as she finds sleep.

Everything I want to do comes into focus. What I want now seems so clear. I just need to figure out what the fuck I do with that realisation, because I have never felt like this before, and I’d be lying if I said I knew what the fuck I am going to do next.

Chapter Twelve

MOLLIE

Iwake with a start when the first signs of light creep in through my window. The birds singing their morning songs sound so loudly in my ringing ears. I try to block them out, my eyes searching the room for Travis.

He’s not here.

Looking at my phone, it’s coming up to four in the morning. I have ten minutes until my alarm goes off. Slumping back down to my pillow, I let out a sigh, staring at the ceiling.

Mick and Janette came back not long after Travis first left. I could hear Janette crying from my room. The shattered sound was awful. I peeked my head out to see her, but I really didn’t know what to say. WhatcouldI say?

Blackjack dying was my fault. I mean, I’m not an idiot, I know it wasn’tmyfault the foal got stuck during delivery, but it was my fault that I didn’t help or listen to Mick’s instructions quick enough. They told me I did all that I could, but I know that had I not frozen and felt every ounce of pain Blackjack was in, I would have listened better, and Mick wouldn’t have needed to calm me down from my frantic state.

I wasted his time when he should have been focusing on her. It was a shock to my system, I know that. I’ve simply never reacted like that before when under stress. I’ve never allowed myself to be so overcome in a situation that I simply can’t hear when people are talking to me. It scared me. For the first time in my life I felt scared. Weak.

The only silver lining is the foal made it. He stood over his mother’s body, and the sight near on killed me. Blackjack was Mick’s pride and joy. And now she’s gone. How I’ll look him in the eye at breakfast I don’t know. He won’tblame me, and somehow that makes it so much worse.

My phone buzzes on the bedside table, snapping me from my state. I grab it, switch off the alarm and stare at the screen. There’s another message from my dad. Tapping it to my lip, I choose to ignore it, no longer bothered by what he has left to say. He made it perfectly clear he thinks I’ll follow him home like his good little girl come Saturday. But I won’t. Last night only served to solidify my desire to stay. I had no intention of finding the chaos Travis and I share. But it’s mine, and it felt fucking good to feel needed the same way that I needed him.

Getting out of bed, I dress and head down to breakfast, a slight limp in my step. My brain feels fried after getting my period this morning. Like a tonne of bricks just hit me, I can’t even find the energy to change my clothes from yesterday. It’s disgusting, but I can’t see the point in washing them. Not today. Today, I plan on spending my time with the foal and making sure I do double the work. I want to make it up to Mick and Janette. It’s the only way I know how.

Pulling the hair tie off my wrist, I scrape my hair into a high ponytail as I walk into the kitchen. And freeze. My hands pausing in my hair, my feet stuck in the proverbial mud.Shit.

“Morning.”

Janette spins around from the stove, seeing me motionless. There’s bacon under the grill, eggs frying in the pan. Beans. Toast. The full works. “Good morning, honey,” she coos, and I feel my eyes widen further. What the fuck is going on here?

“Uh, morning,” I stammer, quickly dropping my hands, my teeth sinking into my lip. I stare at Travis, but immediately look away when I feel Janette looking suspiciously between us.

She grabs a tea towel, slowly wiping her hands. “Something wrong?” she asks softly.

I look at Travis again, and he scowls at me, throwing me off balance. I thought we were good. And I thought he’d left?

Oh shit. Does Janette know he slept in my room? Can she tell we slept together? Fucking hell. My heart is beating wildly, by my brain racing ten to the dozen.

“No.” I shake my head, pulling myself together. “Are you okay?” I fire at her to deflect her away from me, quickly realising I do actually care how sheis. I take a step closer to her, giving her my full attention.

“Me? I’m fine,” she says, opening her arms to me.

I walk into her hold, embracing her, feeling Travis’ eyes on us. “Are you sure?”

She pulls back, looking at me. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“But last night—”