Unexpected Gift(24)

“Are you okay?” I ask, blocking the dust from my eyes as another gust of wind blows by.

“Fine. It startled me is all.” She pops the trunk to her car and gets out the stroller. “Could you get Posie out for me?” It looks like it pains her to ask.

“Sure.” I pull on the handle of the back door, but nothing happened. I try the other side with no dice. I try the passenger side door, nothing. Driver’s side, nothing. “Shit.” I have one more option and I have a feeling it isn’t going to go my way.

“What’s wrong?” She unfolds the stroller.

I run my hand through my hair, then over my face. “The doors are locked.”

“What? That’s impossible. They can’t be locked.” She tries the doors again but finds that I’m right. “Oh my god… How? This can’t be possible. What are we going to do, Caden?”

I duck my head, so she has to look at me and then I grab her arms. “Listen to me; it’s going to be fine. Okay? We are going to figure this out. Okay?”

“She is locked in the car, Caden. How is that okay? Oh my god, how did this happen? I can’t breathe.” She gasps for air and tears roll down her cheeks. “He wants me to take care of her for the rest of her life? I haven’t had her an entire day.”

“Molly. We are taking care of her. Okay? You aren’t alone. Now, tell me. How did you get the stroller out?”

She runs her fingers through her blonde hair, the sun glistening off it, making the strands look like spun gold. “The trunk opens when I put my foot under the car. It just pops open from a sensor.”

“Okay, perfect. I’m going to fix this, okay? We are going to be fine. The car is on. She has the A/C keeping her cool. There is no need to panic, okay?”

“Okay. Yeah, okay. You can get her, right? Tell me you can get her, Caden.” She grips my forearms so hard, her nails dig into my skin, leaving indentations. And making me imagine her scratching my back when I thrust inside her.

Shaking my head from the inappropriate thoughts, I place my hands on her shoulders and stare into her eyes. I have to try to not get lost in them. The way the sun reflects off of the irises makes them look like pools of caramel. “I’m going to get our girl, okay? Don’t worry.” I’m not going to worry until I have to. Either way, Posie is going to get out of that car, even if it means me breaking the damn glass.

“Okay,” she whispers, wiping her face.

I have an urge to kiss her for reassurance, but I hold back. It is just the moment, not the person. Turning around, I run toward the back of the car, I kick my foot under the trunk and watch it pop open. Why does it open when the doors don’t? I have to get that checked out for her. If there is something wrong with the locking and unlocking mechanism of the car, it needs to get fixed asap.

Crawling into the humid trunk, I already start to sweat. I feel along the back of the seat, looking for some type of lever.

Bingo.

The backseat starts to fold, and I peak my head in as I’m greeted by a smiling, kicking Posie. “Hey there, pretty lady. What are you doing in the car all by yourself, huh? I have a feeling you locked the doors on your Aunt Molly. No more of that, okay? Hands and feet to yourself at all times, little one.” I am getting too old to climb into trunks and slither through the cab of a car.

Molly knocks on the window, gaining our attention. Posie coos and clenches her fists when she sees Molly. It is cute, something I never thought I’d say.

“Hey baby girl, did you lock me out?” The window mutes Molly’s voice a little, but she puts her face to the glass and starts to make faces at Posie.

It even gets me laughing, until I start to cramp from the awkward position I’m in. I press the unlock button, and in less than a second, Molly opens the door and unbuckles Posie. She has Posie snug and safe in her arms. “Thank you, Caden. I would have never thought of that.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m going to work my way up to the driver’s seat, turn everything off, and then we can all get our lunch. How does that sound?”

Molly buckles Posie into the stroller, making sure everything is secure. “Sounds amazing.”

Anything to get me out of this car. We need to get her something bigger and better. This car is too small, and it will get crushed if she ever gets into a car accident. And if Posie is in the car? Jesus, I’ll never fucking forgive myself. I can’t lose either of them. Even if Molly drives me nuts, I care about her. She is Brandon’s sister. And he is counting on me to keep her safe.

So, we will get her a Range Rover. I snort when I think about telling her we are getting her a different car. She will give me so much attitude. As much as her sass annoys me, it equally turns me on.

I stare at the space between the front seats. There is no way I can fit through there. Hell, half my body is still in the trunk. I reach for the door handle and push it open, wiggling my way out of the confined space. My back cracks, and I groan. Yep, we are getting her a new car. Hell no, will I be doing this again. “Hey, Molly?” I shout from the open door.

I hear the stroller roll across the dirt as she makes her way around the car. She sees me hanging out, head first, half of my body stuck in the trunk. I try to look at her, but I can’t crane my neck enough.

She giggles at my expense. “Caden? Do you need help or something?” she opens the front door, turns the car off, and grabs the keys.