Page 10 of Rekindled

“Hey, don’t slam yourself like that,” Spencer encouraged. “We’re spending time together now, and you told me yourself that you’re active at your church. Plus, don’t you do academic competitions or something?”

“I do, but I wouldn’t exactly say it’s something to keep my parents up at night. Mind you, that’s not what I want to do, I’m just saying they’re relieved to have me finish out their run of parenting. My brothers were a handful, so I make it easy on them.”

Spencer pulled up in front of large lake. The top of the water was shimmering underneath the moonlight as he parked the car.

“This place is beautiful,” Molly said in awe. “My family isn’t much into outdoor activities, so I’ve never been anywhere like this before.”

“Well, I’m glad I brought you here then.”

Spencer climbed out of the car. He came around and opened the door for Molly. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her from the car and onto her feet. As she emerged, she stumbled slightly and Spencer caught her, causing her body to press up against his. He looked down into her beautiful green eyes and couldn’t help but notice they looked like the forest in springtime.

Without thinking, his mouth slowly descended to hers. Their lips touched, hesitantly at first, until they both knew the other wanted it to happen. Molly leaned into Spencer as he pulled her closer. She fit perfectly in his arms, and her sweet, strawberry scent tickled his nose as he deepened the kiss.

After a few moments, Molly leaned back and quirked an eyebrow. “You’re really good at that. I’m guessing it’s from a lot of practice.”

Spencer let out a small, awkward laugh as he stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair. He shrugged, not liking the implications behind her statement. “Not as much as you’re probably thinking. I don’t go around just kissing anyone.”

“Still, you have way more experience than me.” She pressed her lips together as she looked down at the ground. “That’s only my second kiss ever.”

“What? Really? I would have never guessed that. You’re so pretty. Plus, you’re smart and nice. I’m honestly pretty surprised you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Molly shook her head. “My parents are way too protective. I can’t even date if they haven’t met the guy and approved.”

Spencer’s heart clenched. That didn’t bode well for him. “I’m guessing I don’t fit their boyfriend criteria.”

“Why, are you applying for the position?” Molly jested.

He reached out and pulled her towards him. “I’m seriously considering it.”

“My parents won’t be an easy sell,” Molly warned. “They didn’t even like Brad, and he was the pastor’s son.”

“Was Brad your first?”

Molly’s face scrunched up in confused mortification. “No, I’m still a virgin.”

Spencer suppressed the desire to laugh over her misunderstanding, knowing it would only hurt Molly’s feelings. Instead, he clarified, “That’s not what I meant. I was asking if Brad was your first kiss.”

Her cheeks tinged pink with further embarrassment as she slowly nodded. “Yes, he came over to the house a few times last year. Plus, we went on a couple of church trips together. They told me to end it though when they found us kissing on the sofa one night after youth group.”

“They seem rather difficult. Maybe we should keep this just between us for now,” Spencer suggested.

Molly tilted her head to the side as her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Then a look of suspicion crossed her face as she accused, “Don’t try to put this on my parents. You want to keep this a secret because of your friends—correction, because of Tiffany.”

Even as Spencer wanted to deny it, part of him knew it was true. He was afraid of how they would react if they found out how he felt about Molly.

“I just don’t want to subject you to that. Tiffany can be awful. If she’s threatened by someone, she’ll turn vicious. I don’t want that directed at you.”

“Are you sure it’s not because you want to date both of us?”

He shook his head. “I ended things with Tiffany once-and-for-all last week. After how she treated you and how demanding she always is, I just couldn’t take it anymore.” He reached out and placed his hand on the side of Molly’s face. “Besides, I’m interested in someone else now.”

“Are you?” Molly probed. “How much?”

“Enough to put myself out there and tell you how much I really like you, which is scary for me since I don’t know if you feel the same.”

She placed her hand on his chest as her eyes drifted up to meet his. “I thought the kiss made it pretty obvious; I really like you too.”

“Then I guess it’s okay if I do this again,” he said as his mouth came down and claimed hers for another kiss.

This time, there was no hesitancy. Spencer knew exactly what he wanted and let himself get lost in the kiss with the girl who had quickly stolen his heart.

Spencer’s cell phone rang, bringing his attention back to the present. He glanced down at the number. Jane was leaving him a voicemail. It probably had to do with Daryl Burke. Even though he had located Trixie, she had been reluctant to verify his client had been with her. He had told her he would look into helping her resolve a couple of outstanding fines if she was willing to go on the record for Mr. Burke.

As Spencer exited the library, his mind kept thinking about his upcoming double date with Molly. God must have brought her back into his life for a reason. He was going to do whatever it took to make her see how much he still cared.

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