posted on September 21, 2021 by Christina Hovland

Christina, How Could You?

How could I what?

OH! How could I complicate an already complicated love situation further in my Mommy Wars series by pairing Molly and Gavin together?

The answer: How could I not?

 I realize that there are some complicated relationship dynamics in this series. But, here’s the thing: that’s what makes it so fun.

To catch you up. Here’s where we’re at:

In book one, Rachel is a single mom who falls in love with her ex-husband’s brother, Travis. That’s complicated. But it works and everyone figures out how to be happy.

This left some pretty loose strings though… I had to figure out what to do with Rachel’s best friend, Molly, and Rachel’s ex-husband, Gavin. (Also, he’s her new husband’s brother. Still with me?)

Molly ha-a-a-ated Gavin. (Rightly so, he was a bit dense. But he started working on that, and is really trying at the end of Rachel’s book.)

So I got to thinking, wouldn’t it be funny if they ended up together but hated how it all comes together? Uh huh. That could be very funny.

I figured there is a thin line between love and hate and maybe, just maybe, these two could make it work. It took some pre-planning for me to figure out exactly how they might come together, but as the pieces fell together it became so obvious that they were MFEO. (Made for each other.)

Honestly, I haven’t had that much fun writing two characters in… well… ever. These two were oil and water but when you shook them all up and got their feelings involved, things actually worked really well! They became an emulsion of awesomeness. As a chocolatier (my other job) sometimes ganache doesn’t work quite right the first time. (Ganache is that super yummy, super silky, truffle filling.)

If it doesn’t set right, ganache can separate or it can get these really icky lumps. The cure? Melt it back down and do it again. There’s no need to throw it out, you just show it what it could be. Pure deliciousness.
That’s what I did with Gavin and Molly.

Molly’s been a mom for eight years. Gavin’s been a dad for eight years. He hasn’t always been around though, and he can appreciate Molly’s ability to know what to do in all things kids. And Molly? Well, she appreciates a guy willing to try. Her experience with guys willing to try is extremely limited.

My favorite thing about Molly is she gives great dating advice. Unfortunately, sometimes giving advice is easier than following the advice. (Molly has discovered this as have I in my life.)

To get a feel for the kind of advice Molly would give, I listened to several dating podcasts. What a hoot to learn all the ins and outs of the current dating world. I’ve been married to my sweetheart for nearly twenty years, so it’s been a while since I took a swim in the dating pool. Back then we had MySpace, Polarioids, Netflix came by mail, and online dating was only starting to become a “thing.”

Don’t get me wrong, I know all about how to raise kids, diagnose a skin infection, sneak in moments of couple connection while Barney plays in the other room… but when it came to understanding the logistics dating couples of today face? I had a lot to learn.

Luckily, Molly was right there to teach me.

I hope you love this story as much as I loved writing it because there is definitely something about Molly!

* * *

I’d love to give away a print copy of There’s Something About Molly. (Contest open internationally.)

To enter, answer this question:

If you could give advice about children — as a parent, aunt, uncle, innocent grocery store bystander — what would it be?

I’ll pop back by and check out the comments on October 1, 2021. I will use a random number generator to pick one winner from those who comment.

 

 

 

 

Christina Hovland

Christina Hovland

Christina Hovland lives her own version of a fairy tale—an artisan chocolatier by day and romance writer by night. Born in Colorado, Christina received a degree in journalism from Colorado State University. Before opening her chocolate company, Christina’s career spanned from the television newsroom to managing an award-winning public relations firm. She’s a recovering overachiever and perfectionist with a love of cupcakes and dinner she doesn’t have to cook herself. A 2017 Golden Heart® finalist, she lives in Colorado with her first-boyfriend-turned-husband, four children, and the sweetest dog around.

6 thoughts on “Christina, How Could You?”

  1. bn100 says:

    be respectful

  2. Colleen C. says:

    positive reinforcement

  3. Pat Lieberman says:

    Spend as much time with them as you can, be loving and keep lines of communication open when they get older.

    1. Hi Pat! The random number generator picked you to win the print copy of There’s Something About Molly! E-mail me at [email protected] and I’ll get you your book!

  4. Crystal says:

    As an Aunt & innocent grocery store bystander always be kind to everyone & smile no matter what the situation is because you never know what kindness and a smile can do for someone until you try. This also shows how wise, knowledgeable, kind you are and always remember children are a reflection of their parents or so I’ve been taught
    Would love to read & review the book in print format
    Please enter me
    Hope I Win

  5. GB says:

    Read to them and with them.

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