A Day in the Life of...

Second Chances-Trevor Bayne

"Tell me again how you know Trevor Bayne?" Hazel looked over at her producer as they sat in Whiskey River for a few drinks. Hazel was finally able to start drinking after the birth of Maia, so she invited her producer out because Molly was none too happy to hear that Trevor was the next guest on the show. Hazel wanted answers, naturally.
"What do you mean?" Molly asked, swirling the crimson liquid around in her glass with the straw.
"There is absolutely no way you don't know Trevor Bayne. The way your face changed when I told you I booked him on the show..."
"I knew him. A long time ago. Way before he won the 500."
"How though?" Did Molly want to tell her? "Before or after his wife?"
"His soon-to-be ex-wife?" Trevor was getting a divorce. Of course, it gutted him. What Christian wouldn't be? Especially when he finds his wife on Christian Mingle.
"After her. But when she left for her mission trip. It was a fling. Nothing more." But it has been more. To Molly. She lost her virginity to him. And he her. Molly was devastated when he broke things off with her to go back to her. Molly buried herself into her work after that. Graduating college and applying to every single producing job she could find.
"You're lying."
"Why do you say that?"
"You fell for him, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Jameson."
"What would you do if I told you he just walked in the door with Stenhouse and Ryan Reed?" Molly turned to look at the entrance, seeing all three former RFR drivers walk in. Molly's breath caught in her lungs as she spotted the part-time JGR driver. He looked good, all things considering. "Someone who just had a fling with a man 12 years ago and has zero feelings for him doesn't act like that when he walked into the room."
"Hazel..."
"You don't need to tell me. Can you get us refills? I'm going to call Jason and see how it's going with the kids." Hazel got up and headed towards a quieter place. Molly sighed before heading towards the crowded bar. Once she got closer, Molly realized the only empty space at the bar was by the men.
"Shit." Molly muttered before heading over there.
"What can I get you?" The bartender asked.
"One vodka cran and one Tequila Sunrise."
"Still drinking those, I see." Molly turned, finally realizing she was standing next to him.
"Thank God for fake IDs back in the day."
"How have you been, Osborne?"
"Not currently going through a divorce, Bayne."
"Got me there." The bartender came back with her drinks as Hazel came up to her at the bar.
"Hey, Trevor! Ricky, Ryan.  What bring y'all here?"
"A mini bachelor party for Reed here."
"I heard you proposed to Lynsday! Congratulations! So you decided a little RFR reunion?"
"Yeah, Truex was going to come, but Olivia, Hunter, and Kala are all sick. He didn't want to leave Becks."
"Such a good dad."
How's baby Maia?" Molly almost didn't notice Trevor moving slightly closer to her. She wanted to move, but she craved having him close again. She slightly moved closer to him, wondering what he would do. Trevor rested his hand on the small of her back.
"Come sit with us! If our table hasn't been stolen." Ricky and Ryan followed Hazel to the table, Molly and Trevor lagging behind slightly.
"What's your hand doing, Bayne?"
"Not sure. What do you want me to do?"
"12 years." She said, pulling away.
"What?"
"12 years, that's how long it's been. 12 years since you walked away."
"I told you..."
"I know what you told me, Bayne. Doesn't change the fact that I..." Molly looked away. Trevor put his thumb under her chin, turning her back to face her. "You left me for her. You married her. You built an entire life. With her."
"Molly..." Molly pulled away. "Please don't."
"Please don't what? Do what you did? Leave? Too late. You did it first." Molly turned and headed towards the exit. She had a 50/50 chance he would follow. When she got outside, Molly leaned up against the cool bricks of the building. Her phone vibrated from a text from Hazel. Molly told her she was fine and have a good time with the boys.
"What do you want me to tell you, Mol? That I messed up? That I should have told her I found someone new and that I fell for her?" Molly heard Trevor's voice outside. "I never told her about you. I never told her about the time we spend together while she was gone. I never told her that I lost my virginity to you and not her. She was the person my parents and the church wanted me to be with. I couldn't go against them."
"So breaking my heart was the easiest choice to make?" Molly asked. "You left me without looking back."
"I know."
"I was broken. For a long time. Honestly, I don't think I ever fully recovered. You're a man of God, but you sure know how to fuck a woman up."
"Damn it, Molly."
"The man of God knows how to swear."
"It's been 12 years, Molly. How are you..." Trevor didn't get the chance to finish. Molly pushed off the wall and pressed her lips to his. She still tasted the same. Like honey and raspberries. Trevor's hands went to her hips anchoring himself to her. He pushed her back, pressing her against the wall. Molly snaked her left arm around his neck as her right hand buried itself into his hair.
"You don't get to tell me how to feel after 12 years." She said against his lips.
***
She wouldn't even look at him. Trevor didn't blame her. He left before she even woke up. He didn't plan on leaving, but he saw the photos around her living room. Molly and some man. Looking happy. He didn't want to mess that up. Trevor was honestly upset with her for sleeping with him when she clearly was with someone else. Trevor did, however, need to talk to her. He owed her that much. Trevor walked up to her  watching as she didn't even acknowledge him.
"Molly."
"Greay show today, Trevor. Thanks for coming."
"Molly, please."
"What do you want?"
"To talk."
"I don't think we need to talk. You left me. Twice. You don't deserve it."
"Who was the guy in the photo in your house? Your husband?" Molly finally looked up at him. "I was going to stay and then I saw the photos. So, who's the bad guy now?"
"Trevor..."
"Obviously we need to talk. When are you done here?"
"In an hour. You can meet me at my house." Molly said before walking away from him. Good. They definitely needed to talk. Trevor wasted an hour, thinking about what he was going to say to her. What did he want to say? What did he want to know? 80 minutes later, Trevor pulled up in front of Molly's house. She was already there. He walked up to the front door before knocking.
"Come in!" He heard Molly call from the other side of the door. Trevor found Molly sitting on her living room couch, her coffee table littered with things. "Sit." Trevor sat down next to her.
"Who is the guy?" Trevor cut straight to the chase. He didn't want her to drag anything out.
"That would be Lincoln. My husband."
"Great. That's just perfect." Trevor got up off the couch. "Seriously, Molly?"
"Can you let me finish?" Trevor nodded before sitting back down. "I met Link about a year after you left me. I was broken and he helped put me back together. We got married in 2014. He knew about you, knew that I could never love him like I loved you."
"Molly..."
"I thought Link wasn't going to be okay with it, but he was. Mostly because he knew what him and I had wasn't going to last."
"There's no way he thought that, Mol."
"The thing is, Link had cancer. It was in remission when we met, but when we got married, it came back. More aggressive than it was before. The doctors couldn't do anything to help him. Link died in 2017. This is all that I have left of him." Molly pointed to the things sitting on her coffee table. Trevor looked at the photos of the couple. "This is him." Molly rested her hand on the box on the table.
           Lincoln Alan Graves
October 23rd, 1986- June 26th 2017
"I'm sorry, Mol."
"Don't be. I enjoyed my time with Link. I knew I didn't have much time with him. I took a leave of absence eight months before he passed away and we traveled. As much as we could, all things considering." Molly slid the photo album to Trevor. Trevor flipped through it, seeing Link and Molly everywhere around the world. "He tried to leave me his entire company when he died, but I couldn't do it. So, I sold his shares to his partner and used some of that money to take him anywhere he wanted to go."
"I can't imagine..."
"He wanted me to live my life, Trevor. That's what I'm doing. Sleeping with you again didn't cheat on him or anything. Having his face around my house doesn't make me feel like I can't move on."
"Molly..."
"I still love you. I've always loved you. Loving you got me through my marriage with Link, his illness, and his death. Link told me to live my life after him."
"I've always loved you, Molly. Always have, always will. I knew I made a mistake choosing her over you because I knew I could never love her like I loved you."
"I was pregnant when you left me." Molly choked out. Trevor didn't know how to react. "And I made the difficult decision to end the pregnancy. I couldn't handle being pregnant with our child knowing you weren't with us. I cried for days afterwards."
"Molly..."
"Don't hate me."
"I could never." Trevor took her hand in his. "I love you, Molly Osborne. I loved you at 20 and I love you at 32. And if you let me, I'll love you at 91."
"Trevor..."
"Can we start over? I can't bare to lose you all over again." Molly finally looked at Trevor, her blue eyes meeting his Hazel ones.
"Yes. Absolutely."