Brayden, Melissa - How Sweet It Is

“Amalia just called. She’s on her way to our house. She should be there any minute.”

“In Applewood ?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. How far away are you?”

“Far. It will take me a couple of hours. Are you sure she’s there?”

“Dead sure. You better turn around. We can stall her.”

She understood the implications of what he was saying to her, and her heart warmed. He was helping.

“Thank you, Joseph,” she said. “For everything.”

“You can thank me later. Just drive safe.”

“I will.”

With a flick of her wrist, she cranked the volume on the stereo even louder and turned that damn car around.

*

“I’m stuffed.” Mikey took in his plate, and in a nice touch, took Jordan’s for her as well.

She grinned up at him as he passed. “Very chivalrous of you, Mikey. I’m impressed.”

“Don’t get used to it,” he shot back. “I just happen to be in a good mood.” He softened a little. “You see, I haven’t seen my little sister in a few weeks. And here she is.”

“Aww, I missed you too, Michael.” She caught him on the return and pulled him into a hug he begrudged at first. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her snugly and placed a kiss on the side of her head.

“So there.”

She grinned up at him and then turned to her parents. “Thank you for having me tonight and for dinner.”

“Let’s do this more often,” Amalia said, cradling her chin in her hand. “It was fun to hear all you’ve been up to. I mean that.”

“Thanks. Maybe we can. In fact, let’s try. But for now, I better head over to Little Bobby’s. I’m exhausted, and I hear he has the guest room all made up for me. I wouldn’t want to stand the guy up.”

“Why don’t you stay here? With us?”

“It’s just easier. There’s a lot of work to be done over there. Plus, he kind of insisted.”

“You can’t leave yet,” Joseph practically shouted.

“Oh. Okay. Is there something you—?”

“Pie! We haven’t had pie. And we should.” Joseph pointed at her.

“If it’s okay, I think I’ll pass. I’m just really full. The pizza was plenty.”

Her father looked around furtively in a move that had her questioning his sanity. “You’ll make your mother cry if you don’t stay for one piece.”

“I will,” Amalia added. “I’ll just cry. Tears. Is that what you want. Your own mother?”

She shot Mikey a questioning look, but he just shrugged, clearly as mystified as she was.

“Okay. No crying. Just a small piece though, and then I have to jet.”

“Coming right up!” Joseph shouted. He was full of extra energy tonight. Geez.

Two bites into her coconut cream sliver, the kitchen door opened.

“Hey, Mol,” Mikey said from the kitchen. “What’s up?”

“Kind of a crazy, busy day, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“You have no idea.”

And then there she was. Molly. Standing in the entryway of her parents’ living room. Her hair was a little windblown, which made it completely perfect. In fact, just the sight of her made everything else in the room pale.

*

“Hey.” Molly knew it wasn’t the best opening line, but it’s what came out of her mouth. Jordan looked completely surprised to see her there. That much she could tell.

“Hey.” Jordan seemed to be clocking the exits, which wasn’t a great sign. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.”

“I’d like to stay and catch up, but I’m supposed to meet Bobby and I’m already late.” She picked up the bag next to her chair and slipped it over her shoulder, as Molly stood there paralyzed. Even though she’d had all these great things worked out to say, the minute she found herself face-to-face with Jordan, they were gone from her mind.

And this was too important for that.

“Don’t go.” That was step one. Stop her from leaving. Jordan turned to her in question. “I should have said all of this before, but I wasn’t ready. I get that now. But just because I wasn’t ready doesn’t make what’s happening in my heart any less true. God, I’m not making sense. How could you have possibly followed that?” She placed a hand on her forehead and commanded her mind to slow down.

“What’s going on, Molly?” Jordan’s eyes locked with hers, and the compassion there was unmistakable. That’s when the world seemed to right itself, because just that look from Jordan was enough to set her back on track. Their connection was still very much intact.

“Do you want us to give you a minute?” Mikey asked.

“Shhh,” Amalia said to him. “I’m trying to listen. I’m the mother.”

Molly took a deep breath. “I know why you walked away.”

The three other Tuscanas looked from Molly to Jordan and back again as if captivated by an unpredictable tennis match. But she didn’t let it distract her. If anything, they should hear all of this.

She pressed on. “I was struggling and you saw that. You saw the doubt, the trepidation. And maybe you thought it was best for both of us if you gave me an easy way out.”

Jordan listened, her expression guarded. God, what was she thinking?

“But it wasn’t the easy way, because each day without you has been insufferable. The doubt, the trepidation was never about you. You’ve been the one true thing in my life through all of this, and my feelings never wavered.”

Jordan’s lips parted in surprise.

“I love you, Jordan. I’m in love with you. I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. It took me some time to admit it to myself. But I’m sure now. You once talked about the grand gesture. And if I had a radio, I’d be holding it over my head right now. But, here I am in front of your whole family, putting it all out there. I wasn’t ready before, and you were right to give me space. I’m ready now. No, excited is a better word. I’m excited for whatever life has in store for us. That is, if you are.”

“Are you?” Joseph asked.

Mikey shot him a warning look. “Dad.”

He covered his mouth. “Sorry.”

All eyes were on Jordan, who wasn’t saying a whole lot. The silence hung in the air between them.

“Am I too late?” Molly asked.

Finally, Jordan shook her head. “No. You could never be too late. I just—I want you to be happy, and I don’t want to be the person who gets in the way of that. Because those are the kinds of things you think about when you love someone. And I do love you.”

Molly moved to her then because those words were too powerful to keep her away any longer. She cradled Jordan’s face in her hands delicately. “The thing is, I think you’re kind of the key to my happiness.”

Jordan seemed to take that in. “I am?”

“You are. Wait a sec. Did you hear all that?”

“What?”

“We’re in love,” she whispered.

A slow smile took shape on Jordan’s face. “Best sentence ever.” And she kissed Molly. Right there in the living room in front of everyone. Molly sank into the amazingness of that kiss. She marveled at how it felt so wonderfully perfect as Amalia sniffled into Mikey’s sleeve.

“What?” she said when they all turned to her. “Am I not allowed to get emotional?”

Mikey eyed them, clearly in shock at this new development. Luckily, there was also a smile on his face. “You two have some big time explaining to do. And sometime soon. Way to keep a guy in the dark.”

Molly slid her arms around Jordan’s waist. “Sorry, Mikey. We kind of left you out of all this, didn’t we?”

He held his thumb and index finger very close together and then turned his attention to Jordan. “Lucky for you, little sister, I’m a roll with the punches kind of guy.”