“I wish to God I was.”

“I’ve been around a shit ton of women, lived with a few throughout my life, and there’s one thing I’ve learned. You love pictures. You aren’t gonna have this many on your wall without having some of yourself in them.”

“I’m in them.”

“Where?” he challenged.

I rounded the bed, walking straight to the photos. “Right there.” I pointed to an obese teen with dark hair and a gap-toothed smile.

He leaned in closer. “That’s not you.”

“It is. And so is that.” I moved my finger a few photos up, tapping on one of me riding Strawberry out in the field. “Look close.”

He narrowed his eyes, leaning even closer toward the frames. “Holy shit. You were so…”

“Fat,” I finished for him. “I know.”

“Young,” he snapped, glaring at me. “I was going to say young.”

“Sure you were. ‘Cause that’s the first thought that comes to mind when you see those pictures.”

He lifted his right eyebrow, crossed his arms, and stared down at me. “Actually, smart ass, the first thing I noticed was how different you looked without body art, holes in your face, and purple hair. Which, you did. It’s weird to see. You’re a fucking child in those pictures and it makes me feel old.”

I broke eye contact, looking back at the girl I used to be. He was right. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

“I’m not going to tell you that I don’t think you were fat, ‘cause you’ll just think I’m being nice or argue with me, and I’m too fucking exhausted to fight with you right now. But we’ll talk about this later, brat.” His voice was low, threatening almost. He stepped closer, not touching me, but close enough so I could feel his body heat. “What happened to Georgeanne Davis, Mols? Where did she go?”

My breath caught. No one had ever asked me that before. Even the people who knew the girl I used to be. “I know it must seem weird for someone to change their name, but—”

It was his turn to cut me off. “It actually doesn’t. People do it all the time. Makes sense to me, especially if you want your private life to stay private. Hell, if it helps me keep you safe, I’m all for it.” He tugged at a piece of my hair. “That doesn’t tell me why Georgeanne ran away.”

I turned, facing him. For a minute we just started at each other, and I was so close to telling him. His eyes darted down to my lips, and for a fleeting moment, I thought he might kiss me. The fact that I wanted him to surprised the hell out of me.

The sound of a car coming up the road, gravel crunching under its tires, broke the spell. I swallowed as I backed away. “My mom must be home.” I hurried out the door before he could stop me.

I was almost down the stairs when I heard the familiar voice call out a confused greeting. I pushed open the screen door and hurried onto the porch. “Hi, Momma.”

“Sunshine?” My mom stopped and stared as if she couldn’t believe it was really me. Recovering from her shock, she rushed up the steps and pulled me into her arms. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I’d have stayed home and waited for you.”

I wrapped my arms around the thinning woman. It had been a long time since I’d been held by her, and to be honest, there was a time when I wasn’t sure if I ever would again. Having her this close made tears burn my eyes.

“I didn’t want to bother you. We’re only here for a little while, but we’ve been driving all night, so—”

“We?” she asked, glancing behind me.

“My security guy and me.”

As if on cue, Mike pushed open the screened door. “Mrs. Davis.” He offered her a hand, which she snatched and shook vehemently, eyeing him. “I’m Mike.”

“You have anything to do with my daughter’s face looking like that?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t get in front of her in time.”

Mom scowled at him for a second and then nodded. “Where you two coming from?”

“Ohio. Drove straight through after Molly’s show last night,” Mike answered before I could.

“You must be exhausted. Why don’t you two go get some rest and we’ll catch up over dinner?” She smiled at me, reaching out and touching my cheek. “It’s great to have you home Sunny.”

Mike waited until we were upstairs before he asked, “Sunny?”

“My dad used to call me his little ray of sunshine, or Ray for short. Mom’s called me Sunny for years.”

He watched me closely. “You are quite the mystery, Miss Molly.”

I grinned. “Simple is boring.”

He glanced around the hall. “Where am I sleeping?”

I yanked open the door to the third floor, “My sisters’ room.” I took the small stairs two at a time. Mine hadn’t been touched in the time I’d been gone, but the room at the top of the stairs had been completely remodeled. I pointed to the beds. “Pick one.”

Mike collapsed on the one closest to him, kicking off his shoes. I headed to the other full-sized bed, dropping on it without removing my flip-flops. We’d both been awake for over twenty-four hours and the trip was finally catching up with me. I was asleep before I could cover up.

Chapter Ten

~ Mike ~

It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. Something woke me, but not in a startling way, and I blinked up at the ceiling a few times before it all sunk in. I was in New York with Mols. At the house she grew up in.

I pushed myself up, glancing at the bed across the room. She was still here, wheezing lightly every time she breathed. I patted my pockets, searching for my cell, but it wasn’t there. I must have left it in the car, along with everything else.

I wasn’t sure what time it was, but I needed to call Jake. And if that stench that kept drifting toward my nostrils was me, I needed to take a shower desperately. Easing myself off the bed, I glanced at the sleeping beauty, grabbing a blanket off a chair to cover her.

Fuck me, she was beautiful.

I’d never really had a specific type of woman I was attracted to. Not like my friends did. Noah liked dark-haired curvy girls, while Reb went for the tall, bottle blondes, and Nate had gone for anyone who wouldn’t remind him of Lee. Me? I didn’t discriminate. I liked them all.

There was a children’s book I read to Jake when he was little that had a line that was something like, “small ones, tall ones, round ones, thin ones.” I don’t remember much about the story, other than that, but I do recall laughing because it could have been written about me. I loved all women equally. Lee had made fun of me for years because of my manwhore status.

But the woman sleeping in front of me right now? I’d always thought she was pretty, with her large doe eyes, petite nose, and kissable lips. I’d just never realized how absolutely fucking perfect she was. How in the hell had I missed it?

Not wanting her to wake up and catch me staring at her, I quietly crept down the stairs, following my nose toward the delicious smells wafting out of the kitchen.

Finding Mrs. Davis standing at the stove, I smiled. “Something smells good.”

She glanced up, offering me a polite nod. “Meatloaf and red skinned mashed potatoes was always her favorite. I’m sure she’s used to eating much fancier meals nowadays, but she looks like she needs a simple home-cooked meal.”

“She’s pretty simple,” I offered, feeling like a moron as soon as the words were out of my mouth. It was not meant as an insult and I hoped that the older woman wouldn’t take it that way. “I mean, she’s pretty down to earth.”

Mrs. Davis turned back to the counter. I watched her profile, surprised by how much she looked like Molly. Or how much Molly looked like her. They were the same height with a similar build, but it was the eyes that gave it away. Molly had her mom’s eyes. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she asked, “Did you have a nice nap, Mike?”

I nodded. “I hate sleeping during the day, it throws me off.”