don’t think I’m stupid for running away and crying for no reason?” she wanted to know.
Andrew didn’t seem to mind her need for reassurance. “No, I don’t think you’re stupid.” He glanced at his watch. “I do think that lunch is almost over, though,” he said. “Do you think you can get yourself cleaned up and go back to work?”
Molly nodded. Her tears had already started to dry.
“That’s my good girl,” Andrew said with a smile as he gave her another hug.
Molly took a moment to pull herself together. She was hanging on the word ‘my’ in the last sentence that Dr. Harrington had said to her. Was she his girl? The thought seemed dreamy. She wanted nothing more than to belong to him, whatever, exactly, that meant.
She got up and rinsed her face off in the exam room’s sink before heading out to tidy up in a bathroom with a mirror. Everything felt lighter, like she had just set down a heavy backpack she’d been lugging around for a long time. His, she thought to herself again with a smile. What a wonderful thought.
Chapter Four
The night after Molly’s outburst at work, Andrew felt a little unsure about what to do next. Really, he had always had a special place in his heart for Molly. It was obvious. He wouldn’t have given her his card at the airport in the first place if there wasn’t something about the girl that tugged at his heartstrings. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to take care of her. Now that he knew what a wounded little girl she was on the inside, all that he wanted was to nurture her, to make her feel loved and comforted and to give her the security she had never had. But in addition to needing comfort and affection, Molly obviously needed and craved stern discipline. Those boundaries and rules gave her the structure that she so required.
The only thing that Andrew wanted to do tonight was to wrap Molly up in his arms and cuddle her, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she needed both his tenderness and his firmness in her vulnerable state. When nine o’clock came, he walked into the living room to find Molly curled up on the sofa watching TV. She was playing with the tassels on a blanket idly.
“Molly,” Andrew said, sounding unbending but not chastising, “I’ve decided that you need to have an early bedtime tonight. Come upstairs with me, please.”
Molly looked up at his hesitantly. “Am I in trouble?” she asked nervously.
Andrew shook his head. “No. You aren’t in trouble. I’m just going to give you something that you need. Now come on,” he told her, beckoning her forward with his hand.
She followed him up the stairs to her bedroom.
“Show me where you keep your pajamas,” he instructed.
Molly silently pointed to one of the drawers in the bureau near the window. Andrew got up and opened the drawer. Things were stuffed into it instead of being folded, but Andrew knew that now was not the right time to call her out on that. Instead he sifted through the drawer until he found a pair of cute, girlish pajamas: pink polka-dotted shorts with lace trim and a white tank top. He set them on the bed and gestured for Molly to stand up. She did what he wanted her to, and Andrew stood her in front of him, taking a moment to look at her. He looked at her big eyes and her delicate, innocent features, then let his gaze move down to her body. She was absolutely adorable. There was just no denying this. Slowly and calmly, he began to unbutton the buttons on her blouse.
“What are you doing?” she asked. She didn’t sound worried, but simply curious, maybe intrigued by the proceedings.
“I’m getting my little girl ready for bed,” he told her. He finished undoing her buttons and then pulled her blouse off her shoulders, sliding it off her arms and then setting it aside. It revealed an off-white bra. It was simple and unpadded, more for modesty than anything else. Her perky breasts held themselves up, capturing