Almost a Family Read Online Free PDF Page B

had died—surely he had a family who now missed him terribly. It easily could have been Kim. With that quick realization came the knowledge that she had done her sister a terrible disservice by distancing herself.
    “Thank you for telling me,” she murmured. “I didn’t know how to ask Kim…didn’t want to upset her. Does she know about the other driver?”
    The pain she saw in his dark eyes answered her question, even as he nodded. “She knows. The look on her face when she found out is one I’ll never forget.”
    Molly stared up at him. It was becoming increasingly clear Jason had deep, genuine feelings for her sister. Molly had no right to be jealous of the intimate nature of their relationship, but she felt it all the same. It made no sense for her to resent their closeness. She’d left Jason years ago, and he was free to be close to whomever he chose. But she did resent it. Maybe if she’d been a better sister, Kim would have needed him less.
    When they returned to Kim’s room, Kim was snuggled up with her daughter, who was on the verge of drifting off to sleep.
    Molly put the sack of cookies on the table and smiled gently, more conscious than ever of how precarious life could be. Sara needed her mother. If Kim had been the one killed… Molly’s smile wobbled. She would have lost a sister. Sara would have lost a mother, and then who would she have had?
    “She misses you.”
    Kim smiled back, a perfect beam of maternal love. “I miss her. I’m going crazy in here.”
    Jason put down his cardboard tray of cups. “Any news on when we can spring you?” he inquired softly.
    She shook her head. “It’s still too soon. My ribs need more time, and I’ve had major abdominal surgery. There’s no way I could look after Sara myself.”
    Her eyes moistened and her bottom lip quivered. “Thank you, both of you. I know it’s such an imposition…”
    “Don’t be silly. Where else would I be?” Molly chided softly.
    “In Calgary, doing your job.” Kim sniffed away her tears. “I know how important it is to you.”
    Molly shrugged, wishing her sister hadn’t felt it necessary to point out the importance of her career in front of Jason. “ You’re important to me.”
    Sara’s eyes opened fully and she sat up. Jason grinned and gave her a cookie from the sack and a sip of the cooling hot chocolate. “We’d better get going,” he suggested. “You’ve got some contraband here and then you need some sleep. We’ll come back soon.”
    Molly chuckled. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to keep Sara away now.”
    She rose while Jason shoved Sara’s arms into her jacket. “Say bye to Mom,” he told her, and she did, giving Kim a huge kiss, and then snuggled into Jason’s shoulder. Molly winked at Kim as they left.
    It wasn’t until they were crossing the parking lot that Molly felt Jason’s hand at the small of her back, the gentle pressure making the skin beneath her coat tingle. She looked up at Sara; she was sleeping already, her face nestled against Jason’s neck, lips dropped open in fatigue.
    He’d be a wonderful father, she thought as she stared up at him. He’d always wanted to be one, and she wondered why he wasn’t by now. He had so much going for him—he was breathtakingly handsome, had a successful business, wanted a family. What woman wouldn’t want him?
    Except her, obviously. She hadn’t been ready for a family and hadn’t been willing to give up her dreams for his. Now she had everything she wanted in her life in Calgary. Right.
    They reached the car and she waited while he gently tucked a sleeping Sara into her seat. He came to open her door and reached around her body to put the key in the lock, his bulk pressing against her back. For a moment, just a moment, she let herself lean back against his weight, the frosty clouds of their breath mingling together in the air. She heard him swallow close to her ear, was dimly aware of the lock springing open in her door, then