Jack's Surrender (Holiday Cove 5)

Aaron threw the ball at me and I caught it midair. “Ha-ha. Come on, what do you say?”

I shook my head and then tossed the ball back. “I have an early flight. I need to get a few things thrown together and turn in.”

Aaron nodded. “You going to Holly’s first?”

“Yeah. I’ll stop in and see how she is. Nick and Carly are probably already over there.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound too happy about that. They cock blocking ya?”

“Come on, man, you know it’s not like that with Holly. Not anymore. We’re friends. Soon to be parents.”

“Uh huh…” Aaron grinned. “Come on, Boomer. Get real. You don’t want to be Holly’s friend.”

I clenched my teeth. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s not about me, or her, for that matter. It’s about doing what’s best for the baby.”

“And don’t you think the best thing would be to be with her?” Aaron cocked his head. “Dude, I’m not judging. Single parents can do it, but wouldn’t it be better if you were together?”

“Hell yeah it’d be better if we were together. But what happens when the shit hits the fan and we start arguing again? Don’t you think it’s better we give the kid two happy parents, not parents who fight and break up and drag them on some kind of rollercoaster ride?”

Aaron frowned. “Whatever you think is best.”

Without responding, I slung into my jacket and then headed for the door. I stopped in the doorway and glanced back. “I’ll see you in a couple of days when I get back from New York.”

“All right, man. Safe travels. Say hey to Holly for me, will you?”

“Sure thing.”

To my surprise, Nick’s truck wasn’t parked out in front of Holly’s house. Neither was Carly’s car. Princess was beside me in the passenger seat and perked up when she realized where we were going. She let out a happy bark when I pulled into the driveway and killed the engine.

Hunter was just as happy when Princess charged up the stairs and into the house when Holly opened the front door. Holly grinned down at the dogs as they danced around each other and did that whole signature ass-sniffing thing dogs do. “Looks like they missed each other,” she said.

I nudged Princess to the side and they tore off into the living room. “How are you feeling?”

She looked great, wearing a pair of black yoga pants and a hot pink tank top. Her hair fell around her shoulders and she was even wearing a little eye makeup. The bruises and cuts on her face were fading and as she moved back to let me inside, I could tell her ribs weren’t causing her as much pain. The gingerliness from her steps seemed to be gone.

“Much better. The bruising and swelling has gone way down. This cast thing is still a bitch, but I’m getting better at doing everything one-handed. Although it would have been nice if it had been my left hand instead of my right.” She frowned down at the cast and I couldn’t help but smile at the look on her face. God, she was so damn beautiful. It didn’t matter what happened. I’d always think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. A fireball angel with a feisty streak to protect her heart of gold.

I closed the front door and followed her into the kitchen. The TV was on an interior design show, her favorite thing to watch, and it looked like Carly must have been by at some point judging by the blue boxes on the counter. Holly caught my eye as I glanced at the boxes and she shook her head. “Carly is apparently not going to be happy until I’m three-hundred pounds! She made cinnamon rolls and brought me a dozen!”

“I can help you get rid of a couple,” I teased.

She waved her hand at the boxes with a wide smile. “Help yourself. Please!”

I moved to get a plate and warmed up one of the rolls in the microwave. I reclined back against the counter and scarfed down half a roll without stopping for breath. Holly laughed. “Wow! A little hungry?”

“Yeah. Been working all afternoon on the business proposals for the meetings Aaron has set up in the next couple of weeks.”

“That’s exciting.”

I nodded. “He’s confident we’ll find someone interested in taking on the project. It’s going to be a lot of work.”

“It’ll be worth it.”

“I think so. It’s both exciting and exhausting at this point.”

“Been there.” Holly gave a knowing smile. “You know who might be interested? Noah. He does invest for more than just real estate. I could put in a good word for you guys.”

I laughed. “Aaron would shit a brick.”

Holly’s brows knitted together. “Why?”

“He’s still bent out of shape over the whole O’Keefe thing. He doesn’t trust any of these real estate mogul guys. He thinks they’re going to try and swoop in and steal his land or his business from under his feet.”