Molly's Man (Haven, Texas 4)

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I can’t force him to do something he doesn’t want to. People come to me for therapy for all different reasons but at the end of the day, they have to want to change. To move forward. Jake doesn’t. He’s not ready.”

“Bullshit. He’s ready. He’s just hiding behind Rebecca’s memory because he’s scared. Because he doesn’t want to be hurt again.”

“And I don’t want to be the one to hurt him.”

“So don’t.” There was a hard look in Saxon’s eyes. A promise that if she harmed Jake, she would pay.

She gave him a small smile. “You’ve cleared a lot of things up for me. Thank you. I now know what I have to do.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like what that is?”

“Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always the one that makes us feel the best.”

She stood, her heart heavy but knowing this was what had to happen—she had to go.

He was a fucking idiot.

Jake stood outside Laken’s shop and looked up at Molly’s window. The sun was starting to set, and the shop was closed. He held a bunch of lilies in one hand. Her favorite. In the other hand was his play bag. Maybe he was being a bit hopeful. She had every right to tell him to get lost after the way he’d treated her. He should have called her.

Three days had passed since he’d walked in to find her going through that box in his closet. The one that held all the photos he’d saved of Rebecca. He’d closed her out. He’d been a cruel asshole but he hadn’t known how to process his feelings. Feelings for her.

He’d felt guilty. Guilty that he cared about Molly so much. That he hadn’t told her about Rebecca. And he felt guilty that he’d closed Rebecca away for the past two years. She deserved better than that. She deserved to be talked about, for her life to be celebrated.

It had taken him days to work through all his feelings. In the end, he’d real

ized Rebecca wouldn’t want him to live this way. That she wouldn’t want him to mourn her forever. Or to blame himself for her death. He still had regrets, probably always would. But he wouldn’t make the same mistakes with Molly he’d made with Rebecca.

Saxon had been right. Not that Jake intended to ever tell him that. He already had a big enough ego.

When he’d worked that out, he’d taken out those photos of Rebecca, gone through his memories of the sweet, gentle girl he’d married. And she had been a girl. Five years younger than him.

He’d made a mistake in pushing Molly away. He could only hope that huge heart of hers would allow her to forgive him. He walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

“Molly?” he called out.

Damn it. He hadn’t planned on her not being here. He grabbed his phone, calling her. It went to voicemail.

Shit.

He turned and walked down the stairs.

“Jake?”

He turned, seeing Laken walk out of the back room of the shop. “What are you doing here?” She glanced at the flowers with a slight frown.

“I came to see Molly.” He gave her a wry grin. “To beg for forgiveness, actually. Do you know where she is?”

Her face grew stricken. “Oh, Jake. You’re too late. She’s gone.”

It was like a sucker punch to the gut, and it took a moment for him to recover enough to speak.

“Gone? Gone where?”

“Um, well, I’m not exactly sure where she decided on. She said she’d email and let us know when she settled somewhere but that she might do some traveling first. Oh, Jake. I thought you knew. I’m so sorry.”

“When did she go?”