Page 28 of Not Dating Material

“What do you mean?”

“Well, everyone has an ugly side. No one is that great all the time. Xander and I are as close as two people can be, but we still fight. I think your partner has to see the gum under your shoe of your personality, otherwise, how do they love you? This guy … he knew his gum was nasty. He did everything he could to hide it from you. You didn’t love him. You loved the guy he pretended to be.”

“Hmm … maybe.”

“Hey.” I tug him around to face me and stop walking. “I’m serious. There was nothing you did wrong.”

He tilts his head, expression softening. “You really are loyal.”

“And truthful.”

“Okay, okay.” Molly pulls me back along the path. “Either way, it tore me up. I wanted a mature guy, and my best friend is attracted to older men, so we bonded over going out and hooking up with proper grown guys.”

“And how’d that go for you?”

“Obviously, not well.”

“Just because you’ve been unlucky with guys doesn’t mean you’re repellent.”

“It’s not only them. I was close with Dad and my best friend, but whenever it’s the three of us together, I might as well not be around.”

What now?

“He’d rather Will was his son. And this guy back home who I was getting flirty with suddenly up and got himself a boyfriend. My friends from high school barely ever reached out to catch up—”

“What about Madden?”

“What about—”

“You’ve known him since college and haven’t scared him off. Plus, you live with us now, and we stick together.”

“For how long?”

“Forever. I’m serious. You’re ours now, Tiny.”

“How claimy of you.” He hugs my arm tighter.

It sucks, though, that he feels the way he does. Maybe he’s projecting and making more out of it than is there, but I learned a long time ago that feelings are valid. On a deep, intuitive level, we pick up on things, and even if we’re misplaced with our assumptions, they’re usually rooted in something.

Molly feels left out.

He feels like the outsider who no one wants.

I can tell him as much as I like that he’s welcome with us and that we’ll look after him, but words mean nothing. So we’ll show him. Xander’s great at that. Madden’s already his friend. I’ll need to have a chat with Rush since his scatteredness can make him come across as aloof, but it’s down to me and him to up our game and make sure Molly fits.

The rest of us are bonded through our sinkhole of an upbringing, but apparently, Molly isn’t completely unaffected.

The sunshine boy has scars. They might not be as deep as mine and Xander’s, but they’re still scars.

We finish our lap of the block and pull up back out the front of Bertha. “Here we are.”

Molly shoots me a confused look but doesn’t question me. Just lets me lead him around the house to the back, where Madden and I nailed this date setup.

Chapter 8

MOLLY

“Umm, hello, gorgeous.” My jaw drops, and I turn back to look at Seven with wide eyes.

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