“But that was a different situation.” Plus, Reagan didn’t know what it was like to have people letting her down all the time.
“Not really. He’s stolen your heart, and once you decide to let someone hold your world in their hands, heartache always follows.”
Molly crossed her arms over her chest. “If this is your idea of a pep talk, you should stick with coffee.”
Chuckling, Reagan shook her head. “People are people. They will inevitably let you down because they’re human. No one is perfect. Are you saying you won’t ever hurt Josiah? Because by the looks of him, you already have. It’s part of trusting someone. If there is one thing this family has taught me, you never quit trying.”
“I’m not quitting. We want different things.” Molly dropped her arms to her sides. “I’ve made my mind up, and I’m not changing it. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’ve got Ellie, and she’s all I need.”
Reagan gathered Molly into a hug. “Okay.” After a hard squeeze, Reagan leaned back. “You have my number. If you ever need anything, you give me a call.”
Molly had everyone’s phone number, and they’d all said the same thing. She thought it was really kind of them. Not that she planned on taking them up on it, but the gesture was wonderful. “Thank you.”
“You’re family. You won’t ever not be family. Not to me, and definitely not to the Wests and Fredericks.”
Nodding, Molly smiled. “I know. They’re really great people.”
“Incredible is more like it. My parents already had plans this year, or they would have been here. So would my sister, Carlin. I think Carrie Anne is salivating to get her here just so she can fix her up with someone.”
They both laughed. “You think she’ll ever open up a matchmaking service?”
“Seriously? Yes. The girl is actually really good at it.” They both looked in Carrie Anne’s direction. “She’s going to be an amazing mom. I don’t think the girl has a mean bone in her body. Israel says she wasn’t always like this, but it’s hard to picture her any other way.”
Molly’s gaze drifted to the porch where she’d last seen Josiah. The chair was empty, and when she searched the crowd, he wasn’t with them either. Inwardly, she grumbled. Reagan was wrong on this one. Josiah and Molly weren’t meant to be, and despite the tiny voice she continued to tamp down, she wasn’t having a change of heart.
Ellie deserved a life free of the kind of pain Molly endured, and Molly’s renewed determination would see to it that Ellie’s life was as close to perfect as it could get.
Chapter 21
After returning to Dallas, Josiah had dropped Molly and Ellie off at their apartment. He’d offered to watch Ellie from time to time, but he’d gotten the distinct impression that he wouldn’t be seeing either of them for a while, if ever.
It had been a painfully long drive from the ranch, and he’d felt broken as he drove off from her apartment, leaving the two people he loved most in the world. In a bid to take his mind off of it, he’d invited Case over to talk about the apartment. If Josiah was moving, he wanted to get it done. The more distance between him and Dallas, the better.
The doorbell rang, and Josiah jogged to the door and pulled it open. “Hey, Case.”
“Hey,” his friend said and shook his hand, stepping inside. “There are times when I think you invite me here to rub it in that you won it.”
With a laugh, Josiah walked to the kitchen and pulled out a few bottles of Dr. Pepper, the state beverage of Texas. “Actually, that’s why you’re here.”
“So you admit it!” He laughed as he took the offered drink.
“No, I’m saying if you want it, it’s yours. I want to move back home.”
Case stared a Josiah a moment. “What?”
“I’m moving back home. Do you want the apartment or not?” Josiah asked and took a long drag of his drink.
“Yeah, I want it. Why are you moving, though?” Case followed Josiah to the couch and sat in the adjacent chair.
Josiah shrugged. “I miss my family. Plus, there’s a good opportunity there to sell real estate now that the town is coming back to life.”
His friend eyed him, and one lone eyebrow arched up. “And the girl has nothing to do with it?”
“She does, but I was going to move home either way.” Not totally true, but close enough.
“Did Diane help you guys?”
“Yeah, she was awesome. She suggested we talk to the birth mom, and we did. I can’t say much because it’s not my story to tell, but I think things are going to be okay.”
Sitting back, Case set his ankle over his knee. “Good to know. Diane is tough. She makes me glad I went into entertainment law.”
“That reminds me. I sent Malakai some properties, and he liked one of them, but I’m guessing you already know that since you’re his lawyer.”
“Yeah, he called. On New Year’s Day. Does the guy not understand holidays?”
“I don’t think so, but I think it’s because he’s never been told no. That’s what happens when you grow up as a Dallas socialite.” Josiah paused. “He’s a decent guy, though. He helped me get a great detective. That’s how we were able to find the birth mom so quickly.”
Case nodded. “He is a good guy when you get to know him. The first time I met him, I wanted to punch him.”
Laughing, Josiah added, “You too?”
“So, this moving thing. You’re really serious? Because if you are, I want the apartment.”
“Can you get out of your current lease?”
“Yeah, totally. It’ll cost me, but that’s okay. I’ve only got a few months left on the one I’m in currently.” He finished off his drink and set the bottle next to the chair. “I’ve got some free time. I drove by that old theater on the way here. They’re playing Goonies. You want to go see it?”
Josiah’s heart ached. Molly would want to see that. “Uh, how about that new movie with the zombies?”
Case sat forward. “Oh, man, she got you good if you’re turning down a classic.”
“It’s okay. I just need a little time.”
Grabbing the bottle, Case stood. “Okay. Let’s go watch zombies eat brains.”
“Thanks,” Josiah said and pushed off the couch. “And thanks for coming over.”
“No problem, man. Heartbreak is a bear.”
Sugar-free gummy bears. And now he had no one willing to fight them off. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take long to get over Molly or everything he loved reminding him of her. The dull ache in his chest grew a little bigger, and he had a feeling it would be a while. His problem was that he didn’t really want to get over her. How could you force yourself to stop loving someone? He wasn’t sure anyone would have the answer to that.
Chapter 22
It had been a month since Josiah dropped Molly off at her apartment. The second his taillights disappeared around the corner, she’d dissolved into a mess of tears. She’d made a decision, and her heart wasn’t on board at all. Still, even with all the waterworks, she’d convinced herself that she was just being emotional and needed to stick to her rule.
With each day that passed, she doubted herself more and more. Josiah was a good man with a beautiful heart. He’d given her a job when he didn’t have to. He’d invited her home. He’d changed a diaper that most men would have run from. Reagan’s words continued to ring in her ears. Love was a risk. The real question Molly had to ask herself was, was it a risk she was willing to take? What if she got hurt again?
The question was always answered with another question. What if she didn’t? Her heart and her head were giving her whiplash. She’d walked past the old theater and saw that Goonies was playing. Then “Tainted Love” came on the intercom while she was applying for a job. She’d started bawling and left because she couldn’t see through the tears to fill it out.
“Molly.” The sound of Ms. Salinas’s voice cut through her thoughts as Molly sat in the lobby of her office.
She swallowed down the tears currently th
reatening to spill and lifted her head. “Hi.”
Ms. Salinas was smiling at her. “Come on in.”
Two days ago, she’d taken Ellie for the paternity test, and the results were back. As much as she wanted to believe Brenda, part of her couldn’t stop worrying until that test backed up her claim. What if Brenda didn’t really know if Ellie was Derek’s or not? Derek stayed with her, so he must have thought there was a chance the baby was his, right?
“Thanks, Ms. Salinas.” Molly stood. Normally she would have brought Ellie with her, but it had been pouring for a week. Instead, Molly had left her with the babysitter.
The lawyer looked from Molly to another woman sitting in the lobby. A woman Molly hadn’t noticed before. “Emilia Sanger?”
“That’s me,” the woman said and stood.
Who was she, and why was Molly’s attorney asking her into the office at the same time as Molly? She obviously wasn’t hiding her confusion as she followed Emilia into Ms. Salinas’s office.
The woman turned as the door shut and stuck her hand out. “I’m the private detective Josiah West hired to find Brenda. My friend Malakai Raven recommended me.”
“The lead singer of Crush?”
Talk about a piece of work. The guy was known for throwing tantrums when he didn’t get his way. It wasn’t even a week ago that a news story popped up on Molly’s Twitter feed that he’d ticked off the entire population of France.
“That’s the one. The guy is a pest sometimes, but he’s got a good heart.” Emilia took a seat in one of the chairs opposite the attorney. “It’s getting past that throat-punchable exterior that’s a real beast.” She laughed.
“So, Josiah hired you…”
“Shortly after Christmas,” Emilia answered.
Shortly after…Christmas. The call she thought was business. Josiah was hiring a private detective? Oh, no. He’d been doing something for her, and she’d thrown it back in his face because she was…a coward.
Ms. Salina nodded. “Yeah, Josiah left me a message when he hired her. It was a good thing he did, too. Finding out your brother wasn’t the biological father pretty much closed the case. Which brings me to why we’re here.”
Right. Why Molly was there. Either the battle was over or it was just beginning. “Right.”
“Derek is not Ellie’s father. Brenda was telling the truth. The man who fathered her passed from a drug overdose.” Ms. Salinas nodded to Emilia. “Thanks to Emilia’s quick work, we have that verified as well.”
Molly let out the breath she’d been holding and wilted. No more fighting. And as great as the news was, Josiah should have been there to hear it. If it weren’t for Molly, he would have been there.
She’d been stupid. Reagan was right. She’d been terrified of being hurt, and she’d used anything she could hold on to, to justify running away.
After this meeting, she’d find him. Hopefully, he’d let her apologize and smother him in kisses after she begged him to forgive her.
Ms. Salinas continued. “After presenting the information to your mother’s attorney, they have decided to drop the custody challenge.”
“Thank you so much,” Molly said and stood. “I probably should go find Josiah and tell him the good news.”
Ms. Salinas’s eyebrows furrowed. “Uh, he moved. I thought you’d know that.”
“Moved?”
She nodded. “Back to his hometown. I think maybe a week ago. He’d intended to be here today, but he left a message overnight that he wouldn’t be able to make it. He has a cold and didn’t want to pass it along to the baby.”
“Okay. Uh, thank you for letting me know.”
“Is everything okay?” Emilia asked.
Molly smiled. “Everything’s fine.” Well, it wasn’t, but she was sending a thousand prayers up that everything would be fine. She wasn’t sure how she was going to fix things, but she was desperate for Josiah.
Risks sometimes hurt, and she was willing to have her heart shattered into a million little pieces if there was even a tiny sliver of hope that he’d give her a second chance.
She’d hold his precious heart with the softest hands and guard it as fiercely as she knew how. It was time to call in that offer Reagan made.
Chapter 23
After a long day of emptying a moving truck filled with furniture, the last thing Josiah wanted to do was drive to the ranch. He’d tried hard to get out of it, but his dad had insisted he needed the kind of help only Josiah could give. Finally, he’d relented and promised he’d be there as quickly as he could.
Parking his pickup in front of the house, he cut the engine and stepped outside. He took the steps at a jog and froze as the door opened.
“Molly?”
“It’s freezing. Where is your coat?” she asked.
“I was hot.” He blinked a few times. “What are you doing here?”
She took him by the hand and pulled him into the house. “I need to talk to you.”
He softly shut the door and stayed by it. “Talk to me about what? And where is all my family? Where is Ellie?”
“Ellie’s with your mom. She’s not Derek’s, by the way.”
“Brenda said she wasn’t.”
“I have trust issues.” She paused. “Your family went to the orchard so I could talk to you alone.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “Okay.”
Molly held his gaze a moment longer and then began pacing. “I royally messed up, Josiah. So many times, people walked out on me, and I didn’t want it happening again. I wanted to be the one to walk out on someone before they hurt me, so I did. And you know what?” She stopped pacing and faced him. “It hurt worse.”
“What?”
Groaning, she palmed her forehead. “I thought that call after Christmas was you choosing work over me and Ellie. I was a jerk because I took one little thing and used it against you. Even if it was work, when you did give me and Ellie your attention, we had all of it. Nothing and no one is perfect, but that’s the standard I was using.”
He didn’t know how to process what he was hearing. “But your rule.”
“The stupidest rule ever made. This whole last month, I’ve been a complete mess. I can’t watch Goonies. No one ever calls me. Not one single person, but then Ms. Salinas calls, and my phone starts ringing. I lost it. It’s the Sharknado theme song, and I’m in the middle of the grocery store, crying like I’d lost my best friend…” She took a few steps toward him. “Because I had.”
“You cried over Sharknado?” he asked, closing a little of the gap between them.
Closing the remaining distance, she nodded. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I will never be able to say it enough. Do you think you can ever forgive me? I’d rather be Sam to your Danny Phantom than anyone else on earth. I don’t want to sing “Tainted Love” ever again without your cat-dying notes destroying the chorus.”
“Cat-dying notes?”
She shrugged. “I kinda overheard you singing to Ellie, so it’s just a guess. I love you, Josiah. I was so worried about getting hurt that I didn’t realize it would hurt worse to not love you.”
Chuckling, he smiled. “I love you too. I don’t want anything but you and Ellie. Loving you, loving Ellie, that’s all the success I need. Without the two of you, success means nothing to me.”
“Does that mean you forgive me for being a complete and total jerk?”
“I think that’s pretty much the definition of a relationship: messing up and apologizing over and over until we grow old and gray.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “I’d like that very much.”
She lifted on her toes as she circled her arms around his neck. “Me too.”
The last word was barely out of her mouth before she kissed him. It was like the last puzzle piece snapping into place, making the picture whole. Molly, Ellie, and him. They were three pieces who fit together perfectly. They were worth so much more than an award.
His arms tightened around her as he deepened the k
iss, and it felt like he’d been brought back to life. The past month, he’d ached in ways he’d never thought possible, and now, he was holding the one dream he wanted most in the world. A home with the two people he loved most.
Slowly, the kiss came to an end, and he leaned back. “So, about that marriage—”
“Yes.”
“Usually, the girl lets the guy finish.” He grinned.
“Yeah, but I think we’ve established I’m not like other girls.” She laughed.
He kissed her nose. “I love it. I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Let’s go get Ellie. I’ve missed her.” He stepped back and took Molly’s hand. Walking through life with her would be fun.
Epilogue
Three months later…
Molly smiled as she held Josiah’s gaze.
“I, Josiah, take you, Molly, to be my partner in life. I’d sing, but I think we’ve learned that’s not something I should do outside of the shower.”
Their friends and family laughed along with Molly and Josiah. It had been three long months for her, waiting to pledge her heart to him. They’d decided to marry once Ellie’s adoption was finalized. Josiah had already started the process to add West to her last name.
Josiah continued. “I choose you. I love that you read comics, that we can have conversations with music lyrics, and I love how you love our little girl. I’d say you’re the best mom ever, but I don’t want to get into a fight. I bruise easily.”
Again, everyone laughed. He always had a knack for making her laugh. One of the things she loved most of all about him.
His laughter died, and their eyes locked. “I choose you, and because I choose you, this I promise: I will always hold your heart with care. I will always walk toward you, not away. I will always be present for you and Ellie. I will share my Milk Duds and not steal your Nerds. Most of all, I promise to love you with my whole heart for as long as I have breath.”
She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. The small group laughed again.
The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss (Caprock Canyon Romance Book 3) Page 13