Chapter 4
The next month was a busy month for Rachel as she was contracted to do some home repairs for the neighbors while Sun, Moon, and Eclipse watched over Molly. Rachel was also looking at schools in the area to send her daughter to once the little one was old enough. Plus she was keeping an eye out to see if her ex-husband and his family would stay away for good.
She hadn't told the boys about her ex and his family, but decided that if they asked, she'd tell them what happened. She now focused on fixing the sink for an elderly lady, making sure everything was fitted on right and tight so there would be no leaks in the future. "Alright, let's see how it looks," she said to the woman, standing up and turning on the faucet.
The sink worked perfectly, much to the lady's happiness. She insisted Rachel take a peach pie home with her and some candy for Molly. Thanking the kind woman, Rachel went home with the treats and her employer sent a message that her payment was deposited into her account.
Her boss was a good man who not only made sure Rachel got contracts along with his other employees, but also paid them well, giving bonuses when customers called and sang praises about the work. Rachel appreciated the extra money as it would help out now that the family had grown from just her and her daughter to now her, Molly, and three animatronics.
As she arrived home, she walked into the house and set the treats in the kitchen before going to find her family. She found all four of them in the play room playing a mix-and-match memory game and she noticed Molly seemed to be winning, as her stack of game tiles was bigger than the animatronics' stacks. "Are you boys letting her win?" She asked with a smile.
"No, she's just that good," Sun playfully groused, but he was smiling, which clued Rachel that he wasn't being entirely truthful.
"Oh, no. Wrong match again," Eclipse said, having to turn two tiles back face down as they didn't match. Moon tried to match and didn't get it correct either, but when Molly pounced on two tiles, they matched.
"Good job, Starlight," Moon said, smiling.
Sun made another match and Eclipse made the final match before they all looked at how many game tiles they all had. "Molly wins," Eclipse said, smiling as the child cheered.
"Told you she was good at it," Sun said.
"Alright, since Molly won, she gets to watch a movie," Moon said.
"Why don't you go set her up with that movie, Moon, and Sun and I will pick up the game?" Eclipse said.
Molly went up to him. "I can help," she said.
The four-armed animatronic smiled. "That's okay, sweetie. Sun and I got it covered," he said. "You go enjoy your movie."
"He's right, Sunshine," Sun said, gently ruffling the child's hair.
Moon picked up the child. "Now, what movie do you want to watch?" He said as he carried her out of the room and to living room.
Rachel turned to the other two animatronics. "Alright, what's going on?" She said, getting a feeling something had happened while she was at work.
At her serious tone, Sun winced and Eclipse looked uncomfortable before the four-armed animatronic took a deep breath. "Rachel...is Molly's father around?" He asked.
The woman started to feel afraid now. "No, he's not," she said. "Why do you ask?"
Sun pulled something from his pocket and gave it to her. "Your realtor friend stopped by earlier, saying this was delivered to his office. It was under his name, but...the contents were actually for you," he said.
Rachel accepted the envelope, which she could see was indeed addressed to James, but when she opened the letter to start reading, she saw it was indeed addressed to her and as she continued reading it, she bit her lip, her face becoming a bit pale. After she finished reading the letter, she looked at them. "Did you both read this when James brought it over?" She asked.
"No," Eclipse said, shaking his head. "He handed it to us and told us to make sure you got it as soon as you got home from work and that it was from your ex-husband, Molly's father. He even begged us not to tell Molly that her father had sent a letter."
The young woman sat down next to them and sighed. "You guys didn't tell her, did you?" She asked.
Both shook their heads 'no' and she nodded, grateful they hadn't done so. "My ex-husband is not a nice person. His family doesn't like me either and...they don't like Molly either. He especially didn't like that he had a daughter and he refused to buy her toys or let her keep any toys. If my side of the family sent Molly any toys, my ex would take them away and either throw them out or sell them."
Sun gasped in shock and Eclipse looked ready to punch the wall. Rachel nodded sadly. "The catalyst that led to me leaving him and taking Molly with me was that his family made him divorce me and disown Molly. I left him and came far out here to make sure he'd never follow us, but he must suspect that I did so and is looking for me."
"We won't let him get you or Molly," Eclipse promised.
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you," she said. "I doubt he'll come out here himself, but it's possible that he will do so or try to get to Molly."
"Is she aware of his actions?" Sun asked, making sure to choose his words carefully.
Rachel appreciated that he asked the question delicately. "Unfortunately, yes," she said sadly. "He looked right at her and told her he didn't love her and never wanted a daughter. He made her cry."
Eclipse now looked furious. "Despicable," he said.
"Is that why...Molly grew attached to us right away?" Sun asked.
"Kind of," Rachel said. "She grew attached to you guys and accepted you as family because you three have been kind to her and have never mistreated her. Moon even let her keep the plushie she had found of him in the ball pit. And you three spend time with her, which means the world to her."
She felt two arms wrap around her and turned to see it was Moon and he hugged her. "None of us will ever mistreat you or your daughter," he promised. "And if your ex does try anything, we'll kick him to the curb."
She hugged him back. "Thank you," she said gratefully.
Molly came upstairs. "Mommy?" She asked, making the group turn to her. "Something bad happened, didn't it?"
Rachel had to smile. "You're too attentive sometimes, sweetie," she said gently before her smile faded. "But yes. Something bad did happen."
The child went up to her mother. "Is it about...him?" She asked.
Her mother nodded. "He sent your uncle James a letter that said he was looking for us," she said. "But he doesn't know where we are and I hope he never finds out."
She looked at her daughter. "All the same, until I know for sure he'll never come near us again, I want you to stick by me, Sun, Moon, or Eclipse at all times, sweetie. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, Mommy," the child said, hugging her mother. "Can we go all watch a movie?"
Sun smiled. "That sounds like a good idea," he said, grabbing snacks for the movie.
Eclipse hugged both Rachel and Molly. "You two will always be safe with us," he promised. "That man will never hurt you again."
"I'll make sure the security cameras are all working right," Moon promised.
Rachel smiled. "I'm so glad that you three are part of our family," she said. "I can't imagine what Molly and I would do if you guys weren't here."
"The same goes for us," Sun said.
Molly smiled, hugging her mother, feeling safe and feeling things would be alright with the three animatronics she saw as uncles keeping her and her mother safe and sound from the bad man she never wanted to think about again.
Had to do a protective family moment. :)
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GoldGuardian2418
