Molly finally couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Her words turned into a soft hum, and soon she was asleep. She vaguely remembered Chad talking to her some more, but the details were fuzzy. What she did recall was the warmth of his kiss.
By morning, when the sun was up, Coleen was trying to get Molly to the office, but Chad intervened, “Let her rest. She was up late last night.”
“She’s been up all night on her phone again, hasn’t she?” Coleen sighed, exasperated. “Chad, you really need to step in.”
Chad, unfazed, finished his breakfast, went upstairs to change, and smiled at the thought of a funny post he saw last night: “Who’d have thought I’d end up like my brother-in-law?”
Molly didn’t stir until the afternoon. Grandma Aubree looked at her with a mix of amazement and concern. “This girl could sleep through anything!”
Molly shuffled to the couch like a zombie, yawning and ready to drift off again. Grandma Aubree, worried about her granddaughter's constant tiredness since her pregnancy, called Chad. “Maybe you should take her to see a doctor. She’s been sleeping so much; it’s not like her.”
Chad chuckled, “She’s just being lazy. Let her catch up on her rest.”
Grandma Aubree draped a blanket over Molly, both she and Grandpa watching over her with worried hearts. Every so often, they’d try to gently wake her.
At four-thirty, a call from Mia finally roused Molly. “Perfect timing, I was just about to call you,” she said.
“Are you free tonight? Let’s catch up at home,” Mia suggested.
As evening rolled in, while everyone else was deciding where to eat, Mia dozed off right after class, skipping dinner altogether.
Meanwhile, little Henry at the Cedillo house was making a mess of his scrambled eggs, his clothes a testament to his enthusiastic eating style. Each meal meant a wardrobe change.
Trying to put a bib on him was a battle, his cries echoing throughout the house. Molly came in, yawning, “Hey Dad, Grandpa, where’s the ‘old monk’?”
Hearing his aunt, Henry paused mid-bite, his little legs kicking with excitement, letting out a happy squeal to remind her he was there.
Molly found Naomi feeding Henry in the dining room. “Oh, the 'little monk' is having dinner?”
With both grandpa and grandson sporting bald heads, the Cedillo family had affectionately dubbed them the “old monk” and the “little monk.”
Henry eagerly offered Molly a handful of slippery scrambled eggs, wanting to share.
Molly, sitting beside him, ruffled his bald head, “Tonight, I’m facing off with your mom. Whose side are you on?”
Henry banged the table in excitement, as if trying to voice his support.
Molly, fluent in “baby talk,” laughed, “Oh, you’re just here for the fun, huh?”
Naomi wiped Henry’s cheek with a smile, “Our Henry’s the best cheerleader.”
Henry’s little feet kicked in delight.
“Naomi, where’s Grandpa?”
“He’s off with Harry at some seminar. It’s just a bunch of old folks having fun. Better than being bored at home, so we let him go,” Naomi explained.
Molly chuckled enviously, “I wish I could live like Dad—no worries, plenty of cash, and all the time in the world. No need to hustle, just enjoying life until retirement!”
Naomi teased, “He didn’t fall into that lifestyle because of you guys.”
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