Wrapped in Love (Boys of Jackson Harbor 4)

The truth is that the idea of sleeping under the same roof as my boss and seeing him when I wake up every morning . . . I don’t want to put on my mom hat and go retrieve my son. I want to put on my sexiest underwear and start drinking.

No matter how tempted I am to sleep with Brayden, I shouldn’t, and I especially shouldn’t plop myself right in front of that temptation at the loneliest time of the year.

Brayden

The door has barely closed behind Molly, and I’m still thinking about the way her hips sway in that fitted black skirt, when my sister-in-law smacks me on the shoulder. “You jackass!”

I gape at Ava’s uncharacteristic outburst and look to Jake for some backup, but my brother just glares at me. “What the hell did I do?”

Jake’s brows shoot up into his hairline, and Ava mimes pulling out her hair.

Teagan hops off her barstool and shakes her head. “I’m staying out of this.” She swings her purse over her shoulder. “Have a good night.”

“Staying out of what?” I ask.

But she just whispers, “Good luck,” and heads out the door.

“Ugh.” Ava scowls at me, turns on her heel, and stomps back into the kitchen, growling, “I’m too hormonal for this crap!” as the swinging door swishes in her wake.

Jake cuts his eyes in the direction of his wife’s retreat before his sympathetic gaze turns to me. “I didn’t mean to corner you like that. I just assumed you’d agree.”

“Corner me?” I must be slow as shit today, because I finally realize why Ava’s mad at me. I drag a hand through my hair. “I don’t care if Molly and Noah stay with me.” It’s a moot point, isn’t it? The look on Molly’s face at the suggestion screamed that she’d rather eat glass. And hell, she’s made it clear where we stand. Our night together was a mistake. I’m her boss and nothing more. She wants to forget we ever crossed those lines. I’ve been working damn hard to check all those boxes for her.

“If you don’t care, then why didn’t you say something?” Jake asks.

I scowl at my brother. “Did it ever occur to you that you were putting her in an uncomfortable position? That maybe she doesn’t want to stay with me?”

Ava’s shout from the kitchen is loud enough to be heard through the whole bar. “You still could have said something.”

Jake bites back a smile at his wife’s outburst.

I roll my shoulders. Ava’s as sweet as they come, and I don’t like her ire directed at me. “I didn’t realize my silence was a problem when I knew she’d likely prefer a different solution.” I lower my voice so Ava can’t hear me in the back. “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t see this as Ava’s blatant attempt to play matchmaker.” Never mind the ideas such an arrangement would put in Mom’s head. Jesus—Molly and Noah living with me. Mom would love that.

Ava returns from the kitchen with a plate of fries, but her pout tells me I’m not forgiven.

Jake shrugs. “Maybe, but I’m not sure there’s a better solution. She and Noah would have to camp in the nursery if they moved in with Ava and me. She could stay with Levi, I guess.”

Ava smacks her husband on the arm. “Seriously? Ellie and Molly are only recently on friendly terms after the whole ordeal with Colton. There’s no way Molly would move in with Levi when it would raise brows, and people would gossip about Molly and Levi being together.”

Jake frowns. “Everyone knows Levi’s in love with Ellie.”

Ava shrugs. “People can be assholes who are much more interested in a juicy story than they are in the truth. Molly knows that better than anyone. And anyway, let’s not put any obstacles between Ellie and Levi reuniting.”

“Agreed,” I mutter. Ellie and Levi are taking some time apart after a messy ordeal that involved Ellie losing her memory and Levi falling hard for his best friend’s girl. We all know it’s only a matter of time before she lets herself be with him, but he’s giving her the space she asked for. Inserting Molly into that is a terrible idea.

“Shay would happily take her, but the three of them in that little apartment?” Jake shakes his head. “I guess Nic and Ethan could move Mom to the guest room upstairs and let Molly and Noah have her apartment behind Ethan’s garage.”

Ava squeaks in protest, and I glare at Jake. “Mom isn’t moving anywhere. That’s unnecessary.” I don’t have to say the rest out loud—that I don’t like the idea of her climbing the steps at Ethan’s all the time, that even though she’s recovered from chemo and is officially in remission, she’s still weaker than she was before and wears out easily. She broke her ankle in a fall last summer and gave us all a scare. No way I’d risk adding a broken hip to our worries.