(Better Than) Unicorns

You will fall in love someday, and when that happens, it is going to better than anything you ever imagined. Even unicorns.

Molly Lansing-Davis held onto her sister's words. In her twenty-six years, she'd been in love with three guys. T.J., her first love. She had an undeniable connection to the mysterious Rafe. And Jeremy could shatter or complete her world with a wink. She and T.J. were innocent. She shared so many of her firsts with him. They loved each other. Everything was new and giggles and secret kisses. Not everyone, namely her mother, supported them at first, but soon enough T.J. found himself part of the family.

But then she met Rafe. She fought hard against it, but neither she, Rafe, nor even T.J. could stop fate. And she and Rafe were...epic. But she knew enough about that kind of love to not be surprised by the many obstacles they faced along the way. Everyone was convinced that he was part of her rebellious phase. Eventually, the adventures died down, and so did their passion for one another. Their relationship left her confused. She was sure that she loved him, positive that at one point they'd been in love, to the point where they would shut out the entire world and know nothing but each other. How could love like that end with, "Maybe it's just not meant to be"?

At Alexis and Shawn's wedding, Molly and T.J.—being almost allowed to legally—consumed a reckless amount of alcohol and "reconnected" between drunken fits of laughter. They attempted to find what they once had when they were kids, but couldn't. But it was for the best; they did discover a slightly more mature version of the friendship that initially sparked between them, and were able to get over the mistakes of the past.

Sam told her once, "The biggest mistake people make is searching when they should jest let love happen, and it will." The third time Molly fell in love was completely unexpected. T.J. was her first love; Rafe was her epic love; Jeremy was her bad boy. With Jeremy, the line between love and hate was very thin.

T.J. was still the gentlest lover she ever had, hesitant at first but always loving. She and Rafe ran on adrenaline and hormones for months; they were always physically connected when they were in the same room. Her experience with Jeremy was on a completely different level. There was an indescribable intensity between them that scared her and thrilled her all at once; often she found herself on the verge of tears as all the emotions she ever had in her entire life could be felt in those moments. He had access to every piece of information about her, and he could easily break her with it.

Jeremy brought out the best and worst in Molly. He worshiped her in breath, and brought out all her insecurities in the next. He encouraged her to get out of her own head and enjoy the world around her. He was spontaneous, but seemed more impulsive and destructive in the end. When they met, she appreciated his love for everyone and everything. Before they were over, his affection for others made her doubt herself, made her jealous and resentful. But he was fun and exciting. And, God help her, she loved him despite it all.

She always remembered Jeremy with a heavy sigh. He was the one who somehow convinced the goal- and family-oriented woman to pack up the bare minimum and moved temporarily to Texas because the struggling musician knew "a guy who's got an 'in' at a record label." He was the one who left her in Florida because he couldn't handle responsibility. Which she already knew.

Molly Davis-Lansing had been in love all three times, and sometimes she thought she could glimpse a unicorn. Now, she thought about her sister's words as she gently touched the few soft hairs on her son's head. Her little boy was paying no attention to her as he drifted off to sleep. With him, it was the most...most she ever felt. There was no doubt about it. She whispered to him, "Even better than unicorns."

A/N: random Molly one-shot because I found a piece of paper on which I transcribed their conversation about love and unicorns (I don't know why I did that, but there ya go). And to anyone who is following any of my other stories, ESPECIALLY It's A Family Thing, your annoyance with me is completely understandable; I wasn't supposed to write anything else until I finished that. But you know how it is when a story just flows out of nowhere. But this semester has been really tiring, so I haven't had the time I needed to make the epilogue good enough for you. But fear not! I have spring break after this week, and I will try my absolute best to work out all the kinks and have the story complete by then so we can all move on. Whew. Okay, explanations, excuses, and begging for your forgiveness officially over. I hope you enjoyed this one-shot. Don't be afraid to leave a review, or not, it's not required and I appreciate your time anyway...but let's be honest, I'm a writer and I thrive on your feedback. I'm going to stop now before the author's note is longer than the actual story.

~Ashley