Straight Up Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor 2)

She winces. “Not my proudest moment, Ava. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I was considering . . .” She shakes her head, as if she won’t even allow herself to speak of what she was considering when she first found out about the pregnancy. “The drinks I had that night were the only ones I had the entire nine months.”

“You knew you were pregnant, and you hooked up with Jake? That’s ballsy.”

“Somewhere in my panic, I thought it might work out great. I knew what he’d do if he found out I was pregnant. If I could just pretend I was having Jake Jackson’s baby, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“Molly, you can’t lie about something like that!” The idea alone makes my stomach clench in panic. If Molly had done that, Jake and I would never have gotten together.

“And I didn’t.” She shakes her head. “I was panicked, but I knew I couldn’t do it. He loved you so much. If I’d let him believe the child was his, he might’ve stepped up and been with me, but he never would have gotten over you. He was such a sad sap about your engagement.”

“He was?”

She laughs. “Oh my God, lady. That’s the whole reason he was getting shitfaced in the first place. He was broken about you. I totally took advantage of him.”

“He was an adult who made his own decisions.”

Her eyes crinkle in the corners as she studies me. “Sure, but he’d just taken a giant leap of faith and fallen on his face. I think if there’s ever a time a guy can get a pass for making some bad decisions, it’s then.”

My phone buzzes in my purse, and I grab it just to make sure it’s not Ellie having some problem alone in the big city. When I see Jake’s name on the display, my heart skips a beat.

Jake: I hope you’re having a great time and that the musical was incredible. I just wanted to let you know we got two pieces of good news today. Veronica had her baby—a little boy she named Jackson—seven pounds, and cute as a button. And Mom’s cancer is in remission. The Jacksons have a lot to celebrate tonight. Thought you’d want to know about both.

I reread the text several times and take in big gulps of air in relief.

“What is it?” Molly asks.

“Mrs. Jackson is in remission.”

She throws her hand over her mouth. “That’s wonderful. When Brayden was here, he told me how hopeful they were.”

I nod, my elation at the good news tempered by this off feeling. I should be there celebrating with him. With the whole family.

“So, you and Brayden . . .?”

Molly rolls her eyes. “My superpower is getting drunk and believing I’m good enough to land a Jackson brother.” She shakes her head. “Brayden’s my boss. That’s it.”

“But you two shared something when he was in town?”

She smirks. “I’m easy, remember? It’s not a big deal to me.”

“I don’t believe either of those things,” I say softly, but I’m not going to push her about Brayden. Not today, at least. I return my phone to my purse and trace the flower on the tablecloth with my fingertip. “I miss Jake.”

“You belong with him,” she says, and when I meet her eyes, she adds, “I mean it. I’m not denying that I would’ve liked to have Jake for myself, but the fact of the matter is he’s mad about you. Always has been.”

“It’s just that I . . .” I trace the flower again. “Jake has been there for me longer than anyone. Every time I needed someone, he was there—when Dad left, when my first boyfriend dumped me, when Harrison left.”

She laughs. “God, Ava. For a girl as smart as you are, I’m impressed you’re stubborn enough not to see the pattern.”

I meet her dancing blue eyes, and I can’t help it. I laugh too. “Sometimes it seems like my relationship with Jake is so one-sided. He gives and gives, and I don’t have any idea how to balance the scales.”

“I suppose now’s not the time to suggest sexual favors.”

I laugh and roll my eyes. “That’s not the kind of balance I was thinking.”

“I bet you can figure something out.” She tilts her head to the side, studying me. “Do you know what he said to me that night? After he took me up to his apartment?”

My stomach turns. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

“It’s true we messed around, but we never had sex. I wanted to, but he pushed me away. When I reminded him you were marrying Harrison, he looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’d wait forever for Ava.’ I knew he meant it.” She shrugs. “I know you’re supposed to be the older and wiser one here, but I have to tell you I think you’re an absolute fool if you’re going to walk away from that kind of love.”