Chapter 4 - Molly

While I waited for Ty to finish showering at the stadium, I watched the news to see what I could find out about the tornado. I couldn’t believe our town had been hit, and we had no clue. I was so thankful that we were okay.

“The violent and deadly twister that leveled Trinity Falls, Ohio, this afternoon clocked in as a rare EF4 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale. At least 22 people were killed from today”s devastating tornadoes across the Midwest, including eight people from Trinity Falls,” the news anchor said from the newsroom.

The camera then panned out to a reporter at the damage site. She stood in front of what I realized was Main Street, and all I could see were half buildings and a lot of debris. My heart sank as I tried to locate where Cupcake Curveball should be, as well as the other buildings I had been a frequent customer of. I couldn’t make out anything familiar, and I just watched the reporter in shock.

“This is Danielle Johnson with TFTV Channel Five reporting from Trinity Falls, Ohio. Here, we can see a man clearing the remains of a damaged house in Trinity Falls after an E4 tornado touched down in the area at 5:23 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.” The video footage showed a man I had seen in my bakery a few times. I felt bad because I didn’t know his name, but I was pretty sure he usually ordered a chocolate chip muffin and a hazelnut iced coffee. He was standing on the inside of his building, but there was a giant hole in the brick exterior, giving exposed brick a whole new meaning. All around the building, you could see piles of wood, limbs, a mattress, and even a tire. In his hands, he held what looked like an important picture frame, clutched to his chest.

The video panned to a group of people sitting in camping chairs next to a car with a large crack in the windshield. On their left was a huge tree that had been uprooted. The roots lay around the group of people along with lots of debris. Danielle’s face came back on the screen, and she said, “Stephanie Navarre sits with family members outside her destroyed house in the aftermath of the tornado in Trinity Falls. They told me how thankful they are to all be alive. They can rebuild their house and business. Eight other families in Trinity Falls weren’t so lucky.” I felt tears fall down my face when I saw Stephanie on the screen. She owned The Bookshelf, the used bookstore in town. I had been there more times than I cared to admit, and Steph came into the bakery often for a coffee. I was so glad she was okay, but I wondered how many of the eight who weren’t so fortunate were customers I knew and had befriended.

The hotel room door opened, and my handsome husband rushed in. The door closed behind him with a bang. He was wearing a tight, white shirt that stretched across his muscular chest and a pair of jeans. He took one look at me and noticed the death count on the TV screen behind me..

“I really am so sorry we scared you,” I apologized again, but my words were soon cut off by his lips descending on mine in a very hard, yet passionate kiss. This kiss was filled with emotion as his lips sealed against mine, and his tongue entered my mouth to dual with my tongue. The kiss went on until I couldn’t breathe and had to pull away. Tyler placed his forehead against mine as we both caught our breath.

“I’m so glad you”re alive.”

“I was just thinking. We don’t have a home right now.” I felt one single tear fall out of my eye and slide down my cheek.

Tyler caught my tear with his thumb and took my hand and led me to the bed. He pulled me close and held me tightly. I had missed snuggling with him. “We can rebuild the bakery and our home. We can make it even better. We can talk to the insurance and a contractor and see what our options are soon. You know what, baby, now, we can make a second bedroom for our babies up there. If it costs extra, we can figure it all out.”

“I love that idea!” I said as I snuggled into his chest. “I was also thinking of making a corner of the bakery an area for babies or kids. Pen and I actually talked about it when we were driving over here. We could have a coloring table for her kids and a play pen for the babies so they could be near us while we work.”

“That’s brilliant,” Tyler said and kissed the top of my head. “I love that you found someone to work with who you not only like and is a hard worker but will be there to help with our babies when I can’t.”

“I am so thankful for Pen. I hope you”re not upset with her for making us turn off our phones, but she didn’t mean any harm.”

“I’m not upset at that. I get it. I’m just so relieved you four are okay.” Then, he added with a chuckle, “I guess I should say the six of you.”

I laughed with him. “Twins! I still can’t believe it! I can’t wait to call your mom and talk to her. If anyone will have awesome advice for me, it will be a woman who raised triplets.”

“We’ll call her first thing in the morning before I have to go to practice. How long are you staying here?”

I shrugged and said, “I haven’t really thought about a plan yet. I’ll talk to Pen, but I think we’ll stay for your day game tomorrow. No need to rush back now. Then, I’ll probably go back with Pen, see the damage for myself, and, like you said, talk to the insurance company. I’ll find out what the next steps are, such as finding a contractor and everything. Then, I’ll meet up with you somehow wherever you are. I love the idea of spending time with you while they rebuild. It’s a rare opportunity that I’m sure many couples in the minor leagues don’t get.”

“I love you so much. That all sounds good. I really wish I could come back with you. I want to be there for you, and I want to see my guys.”

“I wish you could, too. I’m sure they would love to see you,” I said as I let out a large yawn.

Ty chuckled and squeezed me in his warm embrace. “Go to sleep, baby. I’ll wake you up before I leave in the morning. I love you.”

“I love you more.”