Page 48 of Restless Ink
Not because he was afraid she’d run, not really. But things had moved really fast for them once they realized who they could be to one another. They had a complicated past that came with more than one kind of baggage. And that meant they had to worry about more than their feelings for each other.
They were standing atop a house of cards where one wrong move could topple it all.
That’s why Dimitri was doing his best to make sure they were building a foundation and going slow, even though they were in a precarious position. If they tried hard enough, if they understood who they were and how they could be with one another, they could build their own house made out of something far stronger than cards.
Dimitri frowned, blinking down at his desk. Apparently, he’d been spending too much time with his sister if he was spouting random nonsense about cards and houses and building. Amelia was pretty amazing and way better at emotions than he was—at least he thought so.
“Time to get ready.”
He didn’t know why he was talking to himself, but he needed to shower and put on some of his best clothes to go out to dinner with the woman he loved. The woman he’d tell that to one day soon. She needed more time, and frankly, so did he.
When she could look at him, be with him, without worrying about hurting his ex, then they’d both be ready for the next step. As it was, he still had a strange feeling when it came to Molly. On the surface, she seemed happy for them, almost pushing them together. Beneath it all, though, he worried that he was missing something. Maybe she was trying too hard, or perhaps he wanted to see something wrong. But he hadn’t forgotten the shellfish episode and found he was paying far more attention than he used to when it came to how Molly spoke to Thea. Sometimes, he swore she almost put Thea down as she spoke, but he couldn’t be sure.
Molly had always been good at subtle insults and passive-aggressiveness—one reason they were no longer married—but he hadn’t noticed her doing it to Thea before now. Maybe she always had, and he just hadn’t noticed, or perhaps he was simply too aware now that he was so protective of Thea.
He wasn’t sure, but something was off, and he didn’t know what he could or would do about it. He’d do everything he could to keep Thea safe, of course, but he also didn’t want to take away her ability to protect herself or ruin a friendship because he was seeing things that weren’t there.
That meant he had to actually talk to her about it.
That wouldn’t be awkward at all.
Dimitri snorted, then went to take a quick shower and get ready for his date. He planned to meet Thea at her place since she had to get ready at her sister’s house after a family meeting, and then he was going to spend the night at her house, so he had to pack a bag. He’d already left a toothbrush at her place, but he didn’t know if she was ready for him to leave more. One small step at a time, he figured. She didn’t spend much time at his place since it was too small for them to have their own space and not be on top of each other—at least when that wasn’t the plan. It worked for a single man, not so much for a couple.
That would change, though, he figured. Just how, he didn’t quite know yet.
He was just finishing with his tie, his packed bag next to him on the bed when his phone buzzed.
The screen readMolly,and he almost didn’t answer it, but Captain didn’t deserve that.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.
“I was just seeing if you were going to stop by tonight to see Captain.”
He frowned since he’d already told her his plans for the weekend and she’d explained hers, but he repeated it anyway.
“No, I’ll be there tomorrow to take him for the weekend. I know you have your event, that way, you don’t have to worry about him at your house when you’re not home.”
“My house. It’s so weird to think of it that way.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Molly.”
“Sorry. Weird day. Anyway, see you tomorrow. Any plans tonight?”
“Just the normal ones,” he said, not wanting to get into it. There was something off, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. Maybe he was reaching, but knew he needed to get Captain out of that house soon so he could finish cutting communication with his ex.
What that meant for Thea and Molly’s friendship, he didn’t know. But not all boyfriends had to be friends with every person in their girlfriend’s life.
“Well, have fun. See you soon, Dimitri.”
She hung up before he said anything, and he shook his head, sliding his phone into his pocket. He had no idea what he was going to do when it came to Molly, but he knew it was past time he didsomething. He didn’t like the feeling he had these days when he thought of her, and that made him a little sick. It hadn’t always been that way, and the fact that he’d chosen her, had thought he loved her, spoke volumes about him rather than who she was now in his opinion.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind, however, and slid on his suit jacket as he gathered the rest of his things.
Tonight, was about him and Thea.
Tomorrow, he’d think about what he had to do.
No matter the cost.