Craving Molly (The Aces' Sons 2)

I rubbed my palms together swiftly then started slathering the cream all over Rebel’s torso, grabbing some more cream when I was done and smoothing it down her arms and legs, too. She didn’t have eczema on her arms at the moment, but that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t show up at some point if I didn’t keep her lubed up.

“Okay, let Auntie Mel get you dressed and we’ll go,” I ordered, setting Reb on her feet. “I need to take out these contacts before they’re permanently glued to my eyes.”

“You slept with them in?” Mel asked in surprise as she quickly pulled a t-shirt with snaps at the crotch over Reb’s head. She was probably getting a little old for those types of shirts, but they still fit her and the snaps kept the shirt down so Rebel couldn’t scratch the eczema on her stomach when I wasn’t looking.

“I fell asleep pretty quick last night,” I mumbled, making Mel laugh. “Give me five minutes.”

When we got to the mall, Mel immediately pulled us into a store and started browsing through the racks as Rebel leaned over the side of her stroller, reaching for a display of necklaces that were the perfect height for little fingers.

I didn’t know why the hell they put the sparkly shit down so low.

“I thought we were Christmas shopping,” I complained as I tried to steer Rebel away from anything that would catch her attention.

“We are—for me. I deserve Christmas presents, too,” Mel said seriously, holding up a shirt for my approval.

“That’s ugly as shit,” I said flatly, making her put it back.

“You’re bitchy when you don’t get laid,” she replied.

“So I’ve pretty much been a bitch for the past two years?”

“Yes.”

I laughed. “You’re an asshole.”

“Yes, but I’m your asshole, darling,” Mel sang, pulling a dress from the wall and dancing with it from side to side.

“Molly?” a woman’s voice called somewhere behind me.

“Oh, hey. Trix, right?” Mel asked as my eyes widened.

“Yeah—we met at the bar last night.”

“I remember,” Mel snorted.

“Oh, hey,” I greeted, turning around to see Trix, an older woman and two younger girls.

“Farrah, this is Molly and Melanie. They went to school with Will, and we saw them at the bar last night.”

“What’s up, girls?” Farrah said with a smirk, making me like her instantly. She was wearing a baggy pair of jeans and a flowing top, her hair in loose braids down her chest. She should have looked ridiculous, but for some reason, it seemed to fit her. “This is my daughter Lily and my niece Rose.”

“I’m Will’s little sister,” Rose piped up. The two little girls looked a lot alike, but Lily’s head was tilted down, like she was shy or something.

“I remember when your mom was pregnant with you,” I said, smiling. Rose looked so much like Mrs. Hawthorne, it was uncanny.

“Really?”

“Yep. She was huge.”

Rose and Lily laughed, and that’s when Lily’s head popped up.

She was blind. Her eyes were beautiful, dark brown with sooty lashes and I couldn’t find anything wrong with them, but they were vacant.

I glanced at Farrah and Trix to see them watching me intently.

“You must look like your dad, Lily,” I told her with a smile. “You don’t look anything like your mom.”

“I know!” she laughed, her voice like a little fairy’s. “Mom says I got my dad’s pretty skin before he started covering it with tattoos. He’s Mexican.”

“Your skin’s pretty glorious,” Mel piped in. “Yours, too, Rose. Me and Mel can’t keep a tan.”

“It’s all in the moisturizing,” Farrah informed us, wrapping her arms around the little girls’ shoulders. “Remember that, ladies. Drink water and moisturize.”

“She always does this,” Lily told me conspiratorially. “She used to be a beautician, so she thinks she knows all the secrets.”

“Once a beautician, always a beautician,” Farrah said loftily. “We’re like the Marines.”

“Jesus,” Trix mumbled, laughing under her breath.

Rebel chose that moment to start flailing her arms and legs. Her stroller was pointed toward Mel, so she’d pretty much been hidden and wasn’t happy that we were ignoring her.

“Oh, no,” Mel crooned as she leaned down. “You weren’t the center of attention for five minutes, whatever shall you do?”

“I like that one,” Farrah said quietly to Trix.

“She went home with Rock last night.”

“Good, maybe she’ll be the one to pull his head out of his ass.”

I tried to pretend like I didn’t hear them, but they weren’t exactly trying to mask their conversation.

“Come here, baby,” I said as Mel lifted Reb out of her seat. As soon as she was in my arms, I turned back toward the group.

“This is my daughter, Rebel,” I announced, fixing Reb’s glasses so they weren’t crooked on her face. “Can you say hi, Reb?”

Reb signed hello, and looked at the group with a huge smile.

“She doesn’t talk yet,” I said, glancing at Lily, “So she’s waving.”