Right in Front of You: (A Friends to Lovers Contemporary Romance)

by Lacey Silks

  My blood boiled in an instant. I wanted to stand up and stop him halfway, or at least ask his intentions, but the stupid leg wouldn’t allow me to move fast enough. I wished I could tell someone the truth: that he was the one who’d set the fire. Then he’d go to jail and would leave Molly alone for few years. But that would mean exposing Molly, and myself, because we’d known about it and kept quiet. Mr. Fowler stumbled toward us and leaned down for a hug, while Molly remained sitting, pushing him off her shoulder with disgust.

  “There’s my little girl.”

  He stood back up, swaying on his legs. Seeing them like that rang new alarm bells in my mind. The level of Molly’s distress was growing with each second. She was pale and stiff, and her eyes darted from one spot to another, as if she were looking for an escape. The Molly I knew was bubbly and outgoing, full of positive energy. The poor woman I was looking at now was afraid for her life.

  Mr. Fowler stood beside Molly, looking down at her as if she were still his small child. Actually, the way he looked at her made me feel uncomfortable. It was as if he were looking at an unfamiliar beautiful woman, not his daughter.

  “Hello, sweetheart.” He grinned, poking his yellowed finger at her shoulder. His speech was slurred and the smell of booze oozed off his breath. When he tried to smile, all the while looking down at Molly, I glimpsed his stained yellow-brown teeth with white food clusters stuck between each, and I recoiled. He reached into his back jeans pocket and took a swig of whatever alcohol the flask carried.

  “Please leave. We’re trying to have a nice dinner,” Molly said, without looking up, but he of course ignored her.

  “It’s been too long, hasn’t it?” he asked. “How’s that slut of a mother of yours?”

  I saw Molly’s cheeks shade with embarrassment and my heart squeezed for her.

  “There’s no need for that here, Mr. Fowler.” I squared my shoulders. This man was testing every last ounce of my patience. I saw my own father straighten his back as well, and I knew that he was ready to stand up and walk Mr. Fowler out of the restaurant.

  “She’s well,” Molly replied quietly.

  “I’m only speaking the truth here. We all know that woman sleeps around with whomever she wants. Did you know that doctors are her favorite? Now Molly here, she’s a good girl. She won’t screw just anyone, will you?”

  I closed my hands into fists, ready to pounce. At the thought of throwing a good punch his way, I twisted in my seat, and felt a rip at the side. The uncomfortable pull underneath my ribs stopped me and I clenched my jaw.

  “Ron, that’s enough. Let’s go outside for a moment.” My father stood up and pushed his chair away from the table.

  I could feel the fear that cocooned Molly into a capsule. I’d already despised the man, and today only confirmed that my lack of sympathy or respect for him was founded. The conniving old man had had it in for Molly ever since we were kids, and the level of humiliation he was capable of creating was sickening. How was it ever okay to embarrass your own daughter?

  “Mr. Fowler…” I started, but the growl that came off his breath made me recoil. Still, I grabbed my crutches and slowly stood up, pushing in between Molly and him, blocking his access to her. All I wanted right now was for her to feel safe. My father joined me on Mr. Fowler’s other side, and I knew that if push came to shove, he’d have my back.

  “What are you trying to do here? She’s my daughter. Get out of the way. I want to talk to her.”

  “How about we go outside for a walk?” my father asked.

  “I don’t want to walk. I want to talk. I want to remind Miss Molly here where she belongs.”

  What the fuck?

  “She’s doing great now so it’d be best if you left. How about I buy you another drink?” my father asked. That seemed to get his attention. “Anything you want, Ron. It’s on me.”

  Mr. Fowler nodded before heading to the bar with my father. His louder voice earlier must have drawn some attention because the manager came over to our table.

  “Was he giving you trouble? It’s his day off today. I had some doubts about hiring him, and if he’s done anything to—”

  “No, there was no trouble. We were just catching up,” Molly spoke up.

  “All right then. If you need anything, please let me know.” He bowed softly, threw a dirty look Mr. Fowler’s way, and stepped back behind the cash register as my father paid for the drink he purchased.

  “Why would you say that? He should be fired.” I braced my arm on the back of Molly’s chair.

  “If he gets fired, he’ll go back to Hope Bay and harass Mom. It’s better if he stays away. She’s been doing so well without him. He hasn’t had a job in four years, and now that he does, maybe it will keep him occupied and out of our lives. I know it may not seem like it, but this is better for him, Mom, and me as well.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Maybe a year ago, stumbling along a sidewalk by the hospital.”

  “Does he even realize what a great woman you’ve become?”

  She shook her head, “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it matters, Molly. Look at everything you accomplished.”

  “Can we just drop it, please?” She raised her voice. Molly never raised her voice. She was the calmest of the calm. “I wanted this to be a nice evening with your parents and now he’s ruined it all.”

  “We had a wonderful time, sweetheart.” My mother leaned in. “Children don’t choose their parents. Whatever your father is going through, it’s not your fault.”

  It didn’t seem that Molly believed my mother, but she sighed, saying, “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “My leg is getting stiff. I think we should head back home,” I lied. Truthfully, I wanted to get Molly out of the restaurant as fast as I could.

  “Only if you promise to visit home more often. How long will you be staying in town?” my mother asked.

  “I’m not sure yet. I guess once I’m healed I could go back. I mean, hopefully they’ll still hire this burnt-up guy at the fire department.”

  “Of course they will. The guys have all been asking about you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Clark. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome Molly.”

  When we walked out of the restaurant that evening, Molly’s father threw me a weird look, like he had the upper hand in a war I didn’t know we were fighting. I had no doubt, however, that I’d soon be sucked into his battle.

  MOLLY

  “I’m sorry about your father.” Partially supporting himself on his crutches, Carter held the front door open.

  I walked through, keeping my gaze on the floor. I didn’t want him to see my eyes. I didn’t need him to read more into my soul than I was ready to share.

  “He’s barely my father. I haven’t talked to him in years.”

  “Not even since the fire?” he asked.

  “No,” I said quietly, hoping he wouldn’t ask what I knew he desperately wanted to know: why I’d taken the blame.

  “My mother threw Father out of the house nine years ago.” Please drop this, I pleaded inside.

  “Do you think she cheated on him the way he accused?”

  “I honestly don’t know, Carter. I think I’ll just head to bed. I’m tired. Goodnight.” I waved at him and retreated to my room. I didn’t mean to be rude, but the evening had drained me, and I had an early shift in the morning. To be honest, I needed to retreat to my room because I was afraid that Carter would dig deeper. If he did, if he ever found out the truth about the kind of family I came from, he’d run as far away from me as he could.

  I braced myself over the bathroom sink and slowly looked up in the mirror. My eyes were shadowed with fear. My mental exhaustion overpowered my body, slowing my movements and shutting me down. If I made it to bed it one piece, I’d call it a successful night.

  I quickly brushed my teeth, put on my pajamas, and lay down on top
of the covers. Tired, I took a deep breath, pushing the day away to the back of my mind. I wished for a simpler life, and I was desperately trying to create one by having a stable career, moving away from home, and staying clear of him, but here we were. One hundred miles away from Hope Bay, and I happened to pick the restaurant Father apparently worked at.

  I’m never going back there again.

  My eyelids felt heavy and my body completely spent. Ready to be sent off to dreamland, I had just closed my eyes when the sound of loud clatter echoed from the living room, followed by a few course words. Fearing the worst, I shot off the bed and, half-asleep, dashed through my door and into the hallway.

  “What happened?” I might have only run a few feet, but it felt like I’d just completed a marathon.

  “Nothing. I just knocked the remote off the table.”

  Sitting on the sofa, Carter was fumbling with his pants, having a hard time removing the jeans. With his limited mobility, I wondered how he’d gotten the tight pants on in the first place.

  Tired, I pointed to his jeans. “Need some help with that? Why didn’t you wear your sweats tonight? They’re easier to manage.”

  “I was tired of sweats, and… I wanted to look nice for a change… for you.”

  Did he just blush?

  “If I can’t get these off, I’m going to cut them off. Do you know where the scissors are?”

  The jeans definitely fit him well, but Carter had refused my help each time I offered in the past. The superhero wanted to do everything on his own, like a stubborn child. And I let him. It was a good thing that I wasn’t planning on having any children in the future; otherwise, I would have failed as a mother. Watching him fumble with the pants now, I never realized the extent of trouble he was having with the clothing — extremely tight clothing, to be exact. During the day, when dressed, he hid his immobility well, just like he’d hidden his sorrows in the past. While I admired his will and determination, his stubbornness it seemed had no limits.

  “All right, cut them off, then.” I perched on the edge of the dining table and crossed my arms, waiting.

  “You’re going to stand there and watch, aren’t you?”

  If he refused to learn how to ask for help when he needed it, I’d have to teach him to ask.

  “Of course,” I shrugged. Had I actually been tired earlier? Because now, as I waited to see what he’d do, it felt as if I had gallons of adrenaline pumping through my veins.

  “Just don’t laugh, okay?”

  “I wouldn’t dare.”

  Anticipating his curse words – when Carter swore, it sounded very sexy – I held back my chuckle. I didn’t normally like men who swore, but hearing such language from Carter’s mouth set my body on fire.

  Weird.

  When he cursed, it wasn’t directed at me or at anyone else — it was his own frustration flying out of his mouth. To be truthful, I was more anxious to see him remove his jeans and sit on the couch in his boxer-briefs so that I could admire his physique. As a firefighter, Carter had the body of a model, though his was even more perfect. His muscles were natural and not fed by protein shakes but meat – solid meat that transformed his body into massive muscular chunks that flexed with each twist and move.

  I fanned myself lightly as he concentrated on his legs once again. The right one was easy; he could bend that one without any problems. It was the left one that always gave him trouble, and there were no scissors in sight.

  As he bent forward, his torso stretched beyond its limits and he winced in pain. A sudden urge to help him pushed me slightly forward, but I stopped. We’d already been there before. He’d refuse my assistance. I watched him twist and turn, my smile slowly creeping at the corners of my mouth, patiently waiting for another curse word to come flying.

  “I’m a fucking joke!” he screamed, wiping off my amusement.

  “Carter, let me help you, please.” I warily stepped closer.

  “Do I look like I need help?”

  “Yes, you do,” I laughed.

  “Fuck! How long is this going to last? I don’t want to be a fucking cripple all my life.”

  “Healing takes time. You’ve been doing great, but you need to let me do something for you for a change. You need to learn to accept help to progress.”

  “I can do things on my own.”

  Which was true, for the most part: he helped with the groceries, cooking, and cleaning, as much as his body let him. In fact, I thought he pushed himself too far. It took him longer when rolling around in the wheelchair, but Carter was determined, and I knew that he wouldn’t give up. But enough was enough.

  “Carter Jacob Clark, I’ve had it with you. You will shut up and let me take these fucking pants off you, or help me God once I’m legally a doctor, I will sedate you and dress you in a pink tutu.”

  He froze, blinking with his perfectly framed light brown eyes as if he’d just seen me for the first time in his life, then slowly let go of the fabric. Half of it swooshed to the floor. We kept our gazes connected as I stepped closer. I knelt on the carpet in front of him and took a hold of his bare calf, extending it forward to straighten his leg, trying not to think how much I enjoyed the touch of his warm skin. The feel of the hairs on his leg under my fingers with the flex of his muscle, were new to me and exhilarating.

  I dragged the remainder of his pants down his leg, following the exposed thigh, knee, and shin, somewhat avoiding the touch of his skin on my fingers, yet at the same time aching to keep the contact longer. I was afraid to look up into his eyes to see whether he could feel the connection I thought was there, if he could sense the turmoil inside of me and feel the need that was growing each time I came close to this man.

  “Can you stand up?” I whispered.

  He took hold of the side of the couch, braced himself, and lifted his body to a full standing position. Having seen him mostly in the wheelchair for the past two weeks, I’d forgotten how tall he was. The crutches didn’t do him justice when he hunched over, either.

  I pulled the left pant leg slowly down his thighs, getting a good view of his boxer-briefs and everything they held, finding that my concentration was waning and my breasts were swelling. As I reached the bottom, I wished I were actually dressing him. That way I could feel my fingers trace along his skin around the line of his pants, just beyond his navel where that subtle sprinkle of hair decorated him. I’d grasp the zipper, and in one swift swipe, I’d fasten the swelled tightness in its place. Then he’d ask me to remove the pants. A yearning was brewing deep inside me, one I had never felt before. And it scared me. Actually, it petrified me. I never thought that I’d want a man as much as I wanted Carter — ever.

  I stood up too fast, and lightheaded, lost my balance and braced myself against him.

  “Oh, my…”

  We fell onto the couch. Actually, Carter fell on top of the couch and pulled me right along with him, wincing in pain.

  “I’m so sorry!” I struggled to get up, but he was holding me so tight, I could barely move. First my fingers dug into his stomach as I tried to push myself off him, then my elbow jutted underneath his right rib. He squirmed, shifting with discomfort.

  “Don’t move,” he whispered. “Please for the love of my healing body, just. Don’t. Move.”

  I froze. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, I’m good. Just stay here with me.” His voice was soothing. Its warmth spread through me like the perfect summer’s wind. I gently slid onto his right side, placing my head and my hand over his chest, listening to the beating of his heart, secretly wondering what this meant.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” I said, after he let out a long breath. Those words meant so much more than he could have imagined. I wished I could turn back the clock and not go with Father into that forest. I wished I could have been strong enough to stand up for myself. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m tired and I lost my balance.”

  “No worries, Molly. You didn’t do anything wrong. And if we’re being
honest, I didn’t want to let you go.”

  Oh!

  “I’m sorry about the fall,” I said.

  “Stop apologizing. I’m not sorry at all, but I would have been if you hadn’t landed in my arms.”

  Swoon.

  “Molly, if I don’t get another chance to say it, I want you to know that I had a nice evening tonight, despite the interruption. It was a wonderful surprise. Thank you.”

  “I had a nice evening as well.”

  I felt his fingers smooth over my shoulder. His right arm was underneath me, securing my body close to his.

  “Can I ask you what’s going on with your father? You don’t have to tell me everything but I want you to know that you can.”

  Could I? Carter didn’t know what he was asking for.

  “I’d rather not talk about him. This moment – you and me, right now – just feels so perfect.”

  He let go of a breath and closed his eyes. “You’re right. It is perfect.” He squeezed his fingers around my arm, securing me in his grip, taking a deep inhale at the same time as if he didn’t want this moment to pass. “But I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I mean that.”

  If I couldn’t take a step forward in life with a best friend like Carter, then I was afraid my past would always define me. I didn’t want it to define me. I wanted it to be the past.

  “All right? Then tell me what’s going on between us. Tell me that what I’m feeling is not one-sided, because I don’t think I could stand it.”

  I looked up just to see his eyes grow wide.

  “You don’t know how I feel?” he asked.

  “How would I?”

  “But I’ve told you so many times. I’ve asked you out for so many years and you always declined.”

  “You were in love with Daisy. And then she died and Nick died. There were so many emotions, how could I have not declined? It was a confusing time for everyone. Besides, you weren’t really using your words the right way.”