Mistakes
Chapter 16
"Mom, am I making a mistake by moving us in with Mike?" Maddie asked as she and Teresa were packing boxes to take to Mike's house or storage.
"No, I think the mistake would have been not moving in when he offered." Teresa said.
"I made it crystal clear to Mike that we were going to be strictly platonic. I don't want to chance him throwing us out." Maddie told her.
"Just don't close yourself off to a relationship with him. I realize he hurt you but he has been through a lot. He's retired too, so he isn't going to care as much about appearances. Not that that should have mattered to begin with." Teresa remarked.
"But it did. It had to. Mike couldn't have been dating a subordinate, even after I left the Navy. I had to become his dirty little secret and in turn, so did Molly." Maddie said.
"Well, maybe for awhile that was how it was, but he acknowledges Molly now. And you want her to have a relationship with him. Maybe there being a distance isn't a good idea. If he is around her every day, there will come a point that he won't want her living elsewhere." Teresa said.
"I just am afraid I am tempting fate by doing this, but I do feel sorry for Hannah. I want Molly to have a good relationship with her father and older sister too." Maddie admitted.
"And you still also care about him. Don't forget that too." Teresa said with a smile.
"You sure you're okay with moving with us?" Maddie asked.
"Of course. His house is a lot larger than this apartment. He showed me the room I would be in. He's repainting it and everything. I'll have my own bathroom and closet. Little sunporch to do my painting. It downstairs too, so I have my own area away from you all and don't have to bother with those stairs." Teresa said.
"It is a nice house." Maddie remarked. Mike had also painted the rooms that Hannah and Molly would be in, as well as her own and he had bought a lot of new furniture because her furniture was not in the best shape.
"Honey, this could be a good situation for all of us. Don't be all doom and gloom. Mike is a good man, who has been through a lot. It could be a fresh start for the both of you. Just enjoy the space. Hannah is a nice girl. Mike needs help with her and that is something both you and I can provide. He is not going to sabotage that." Teresa reminded her.
"I suppose." Maddie said.
"And stop borrowing trouble." Teresa said, just as Molly woke up from her nap. Maddie picked her up out of the crib and smiled as Molly cuddled close.
"I think she'll like being with her daddy all the time. She really has Mike all figured out." Maddie remarked.
"She has us all figured out. Hannah only smiles for her." Teresa said with a smile. Maddie nodded because Molly and Hannah had forged a very sweet bond already. Maddie changed her diaper and gave her the little giraffe while she fixed a bottle.
"I think it'll be good for both of them to be close. Maybe for all of us too." Maddie admitted. She wasn't sure what would happen once she and Mike moved in together, but she had a feeling he wasn't completely closed off to a relationship. And she wasn't completely sure that she was closed off to it either, despite telling Mike it had to be strictly platonic.
