Unexpected Gift(23)
“Molly.”
Caden’s deep voice makes me turn my head to him. He holds the pen in his hand, tapping it against his palm. “I just want you to know that I’ll do anything for that little girl, too. We can make this work.” He points the pen back and forth between us. I know that he doesn’t mean he and I can work. He means the situation as a whole, but it doesn’t stop the other part of me that yearns for something more with him. A part of myself that I always ignore, because on a fundamental level, we don’t match.
Hopes and dreams are fantasies, just like Caden Jackson. He looks too good to be true on the outside, but the inside, he’ll never be happy settling down with one woman. Before all this, before burying Brandon and Amelia, I had no clue another side of Caden existed. I thought he was an always-partying playboy who didn’t have a care in the world. I thought he was selfish, but this week he has shown how selfless he is.
And it makes me dislike him a little less, but then sometimes, he’ll open his mouth, and all I want to do is tape it shut and walk away.
Now isn’t one of those times, though. Right now, his words make my heart melt. Again, selfless. He’ll move, give up his job, and move in with me and Posie, not just because he wants to, but because it is what his friend wanted. And he wants to make his friend proud.
The scratch of the pen against the paper causes the hairs on my arms to stand up. Who would have thought that within two weeks, my life would change like this? I went from having a brother, to burying him, and then moving in with his best friend.
“I know you’d do anything for her, but Caden, remember, my salary isn’t as good as yours. I want to help in every way I can. I want to pull my own weight.”
“We will figure it out. I want her to have the best home this world can offer after she lost the best parents. Let me do that, please.” He places the pen in the middle of the paper, laying it down gently on the table.
Like I wished he’d do to me.
Oh, I have no idea where that thought came from. Remember, Molly, you and this man clash heads more than you laugh. Right.
“Okay, maybe we can look together?”
“Yeah, it will be your home, too. You should have a say.”
Mr. Newton clears his throat and stands, clasping the middle button of his blazer together. “I believe that is all. I’ll call you about the money transfer, Ms. Lowell. I’ll need to file this first with the court, and then you’ll hear from me.” He holds out his hand to Caden, since he is the closest. “Call me for any questions. I’m sorry for your loss. Brandon was a good man, and his wife was the sweetest thing since my Mary made her homemade cherry pie.”
“Thanks for dealing with us. And they were good people.” Caden doesn’t say much else as he shakes the guy’s hand.
He plucks Posie out of my hold when he notices I’m next to him. I shift the diaper bag on my shoulder and give Mr. Newton a hug. “I can’t imagine dealing with all this sadness. I couldn’t do your work. Thank you for all your help.”
“Oh,” he says with surprise, not expecting the hug. His apprehensive hand pats my back. “It’s not a problem. Just doing my job.”
“Your job sucks sometimes,” I say jokingly, but there is a sliver of truth. I didn’t expect to walk out of here having to live with the enemy.
And the enemy is disguised as a fallen angel, something that looks so beautiful and ethereal. I know if I get entangled in him, I’ll never be able to let go, and then I’ll see his true colors—and I have a feeling they won’t be as dark as I think they are.
Chapter Eleven
Caden
Well, I feel locked down, even though I’m really not. Molly and I sealed the deal. We signed the agreement, and now we are in for a lifetime together, caring for Posie. The reality hasn’t hit me yet, and I’m surprisingly calm for a guy who basically just committed himself to an already-made family. But this is as close to Brandon as I will ever get, his sister and his daughter are all I have left of him. And the thought of disappointing him doesn’t sit right with me.
I check my rearview mirror to make sure Molly is still following behind me. I lean my arm against the middle console and wonder how the hell I got here. I’m in some small town, where everyone knows everyone, about to talk houses with my best friend’s sister, changing jobs, and don’t get me started on the images that keep flashing through my mind of her in a robe—just a robe. It’s parted down the middle, just enough to show a tease of her tits.
She might be completely unbearable, but she is beautiful, and any man would agree with me. “Oh, this is not a good idea.” I scratch the bottom of my chin and pull into a local restaurant. It is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. Even though it is pushing two in the afternoon, the heat feels good. The temperature is just right.
Hot day. Sweat. Molly in a bikini.
“No. Remember how much we don’t get along.” Why don’t we get along again? We have been at each other’s throats for so long that I can’t even remember why we don’t like each other. It’s like we don’t know another way to act around one another.
I park, sending dust swirling in the air since the parking lot is dirt. When I step out of the SUV, Molly steps out of hers at the same time, and a big gust of wind slams her door shut causing her to jump and hold her hand to her chest.