Unexpected Gift(21)
She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs, seeming a bit deflated and exhausted. “Just work with me then, Caden.”
“You aren’t giving me a chance to!” I slam the empty bottle down on the table and hold Posie on my shoulder to pat her back.
“You’re the one that said we weren’t going to speak until necessary. You were the one cutting me out of the picture.”
I roll my eyes, groaning with how dramatic she is being. “I assumed that was the case because we hardly speak, Molly. I didn’t actually think you’d want to talk to me more than necessary.”
“I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your conquests.” She whips her head to the lawyer. “Would it even be safe for Posie to stay with him when he has a revolving door of women coming in and out of his house?”
“Oh, that’s real rich coming from you, Molly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she gasps, appalled that I would say something like that.
I shrug the shoulder Posie was about to burp all over. “You act like you’re better than everyone else with your nose in the air. And don’t act like you don’t have men coming in and out of your door. If you know what I mean.”
Her mouth drops to the floor, and her knuckles turn white with how hard she grips the table. “Excuse me? You think you know anything about me? Think what you want, but even if I did, I don’t let everyone know, and I don’t brag about it.”
“—I don’t brag about it.”
“—Please.”
Mr. Newton stands and claps his hands, silencing our argument. “This is getting us nowhere. I can see where Mr. Lowell would think I’d have fun with the two of you. You really don’t get along. I don’t see what he saw in this situation. I’m wondering if this is going to be good for the little one.”
Both of us open our mouths to say something, but he holds up his hand, silencing us. “No, not another word from the two of you unless you can say something nice about each other.”
Oh, there is plenty I can say, but I’m too stubborn to be the first one to say it. Both of us remain silent as he glares at us. The only sound that can be heard is the thud of my hand against Posie’s back.
“Right, that’s what I thought.” He takes his seat and fingers through a few pieces of paper again and sighs when he finds the one, he wants. He moves his eyes from her to me and back to her before he starts reading. “The only way Mr. Lowell will allow both of you to be the godparents of his daughter is if you live here in Glendive. Together.”
“We can live in the same town. That isn’t an issue,” Molly says.
Mr. Newton sets the paper down and looks her in the eyes with his old ones. “I think you misunderstand what Brandon is wanting, Ms. Lowell. He wants you here, together, in the same house.” He leans back in his chair, lacing his hands behind his head, watching and waiting for any type of reaction.
We sit there, stunned to silence. Even when Posie spits up, it doesn’t distract me from the bomb the lawyer just dropped.
I chuckle until I outright laugh. Molly looks at me like I’m crazy, but I have to laugh to keep from crying.
This is typical Brandon, stirring the pot like he always loved to do. The damn bastard.
Chapter Ten
Molly
“You’re serious?” I brace myself on the table, wondering how, even beyond the grave, Brandon can slap me in the face. Caden laughs so hard, he has tears rolling down his face. It gains the attention of Posie, and she starts to laugh, giggling and throwing her fist in the air.
Caden stares at Posie and starts to bounce her. “Daddy was silly, huh? He was so silly.”
Her high-pitched giggles make me smile, but that doesn’t mean I’m not pissed at Brandon. Caden smiles wide at Posie, grabbing her fist as she laughs. It feels good to see her happy. I haven’t seen her smile in a week.
It’s hard to be mad when her happiness fills the room. “Please, tell me you mean for us to be next door neighbors?” My palms sweat from the idea of sharing the same space as Caden. I might be stubborn, but I’m not blind. No woman could ignore how devastatingly handsome he is. My thoughts go to running into him after he’s showered with the towel wrapped around his waist. I bet he has a great body. Wide, sculpted chest, abs, carved-out hips that give him the perfect ‘v’ that leads to his cock. I’d look down to see the outline of his manhood pressing against the towel. I’ll be stunned by how big he is, hanging there against his thigh. He’ll catch me gawking for too long and smirk, feeling smug because he knows how beautiful he is. He’ll walk away, and right as he grabs the handle of his bedroom door, he’ll shuck his towel off. Enough to give me a quick, teasing glance, but not long enough for me to get a good look.
No. This cannot happen.
“It states here that you must live together. They were pretty insistent on it. They want you here, in Glendive. He said jobs wouldn’t be an issue for you both since you work from home and Mr. Jackson is a doctor,” Mr. Newton explains, reading from the paper Brandon created.
Caden switches Posie in his arms again and takes a sip of his tea that he hasn’t touched since we sat down. “This has to be some type of mistake. Brandon knew that Molly and I don’t exactly get along.”