Page 111 of Challenged by the Single Dad

“And,” Jagger said, his throat bobbing on a swallow, “you’re fired.” The glint in his eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses had just the smallest playful edge to it, but Jagger had always been a tougher one to read than the rest of the brothers.

Dom’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

Wyatt gaze rolled to the ceiling, then back to Dom. “He means you’re demoted. Obviously, you’re still part owner. We’re not voting you out as shareholder or anything. But as far as bar managergoes, you’re being demoted to bartender. So we’re firing you from the management position.”

Dom was back on his feet so fast the stool teetered then crashed to the ground obnoxiously loud behind him. “You can’t do that.”

“We can. We voted,” Clint said stoically. “It’s to save your ass, our asses, and Chloe’s ass. We’re making her bar manager—”

“She’s better at it than you are anyway,” Wyatt interjected.

Dom glared at Wyatt.

Bennett’s dark-blue eyes landed on Dom. “If we give Chloe some power, it won’t look as bad. To the other staff members, or the public. We also don’t want people—staff or otherwise—looking at her sideways thinking she’s getting preferential treatment because she’s sleeping with the boss. Besides, aren’t you happier now that you’ve got bartenders you can trust, and you’re able to spend more time with Silas?”

“You think Renée, Penny, or anybody else is going to be okay with being overlooked?” Dom’s argument was weak, but they’d blindsided him and fired him. Add in the bombshell Chloe dropped on him last night, and he was still picking shrapnel out of his hair. “That they’re not going to think sheslepther way to the top?”

“We already polled all the staff and they think Chloe would make a fantastic bar manager. Nobody else wants the job.” Bennett was Mr. Serious, but he also kept his tone even and empathetic with just the right amount of regret in his gaze. “Come on, Dom. Deep down, you know this makes sense.”

“Does it?” Dom’s eyes swiveled between all of his brother’s faces, searching for one of them to take his side. “So, what? I’m her boss, but she’s my boss? How the hell is that going to work?”

Jagger shrugged casually. “Yeah, basically. And we don’t know yet. Because this situation is new to all of us. But we just know that you sleeping with a subordinate, and getting her pregnant, does not look good for business. And you know how news travels on this island. At fucking lightning speed.”

“God, can you imagine if Jolene got wind of things?” Clint made a face of horror and shook his head. “I’m pretty sure she’s the reason the entire island knows about Joey Jefferies and what he did to Chloe at the hostel. Poor Abe is having a hard time with it. He’s hardly out in public anymore he’s so ashamed. It’s not making Hawke’s life any easier either.”

Bennett leveled his gaze at Dom. “This isn’t a punishment. It’s a solution to what could otherwise be a very messy problem.”

“Stop calling my child and the woman I love ‘messy,’” Dom growled and began to pace again, glaring at his brothers.

“You’re spiraling,” Jagger said gently. “Sit down and be the rational Dom we all know you are. You’re spiraling from the news of the baby, and now you feel like you’re being edged out of your own company.”

“Don’t tell me what to do or feel!” Dom snapped. “And I’ll sit when I fucking want to.”

His brothers all exchanged looks and a few eyerolls. Clint leaned over, picked up the stool and stood it upright again.

“You will still work in the pub as a bartender, but giving Chloe the management position negates a lot of the whole uneven power dynamic.” Bennett took a sip of his beer. “And, it will give you more time to spend with Silas before the new baby comes.” His gaze turned wary. “Does he know?”

Dom nodded. “Yeah … we told him this morning.” He ran his fingers through his hair and yanked out the elastic. “Not in the way we wanted to though.” Sighing, he took a seat back on the stool. “Came barreling up the stairs and found Chloe in my bed, and I was naked coming out of the shower.”

“Oh shit,” several of his brothers said at the same time.

Dom nodded. “But we sat him down and told him in the gentlest way possible.” A smile spread across his face at the memory of Silas’s reaction to the baby and how he wanted to help pick out the name, and then said he wouldn’t let Carnation hurt the baby the way she hurt him. He was going to be a fantastic older brother. Then he focused back on Bennett. “Aya’s apparently teaching him how to bite to defend himself and he plans to teach the baby and defend the baby, so …”

Bennett’s chin fell to his chest. “Yeah … I’ve got my hands full with that child.”

Clint and Wyatt’s body’s slightly jostled as they held in their chuckles.

Exhaling a long, slow breath, Dom’s shoulders rounded, and he took a sip of his beer. “I wish you guys would have included me in the discussion. It feels like I’m being ganged up on. I know this is a democracy, but …”

Clint’s head bobbed. “I get that. We’re sorry. But from a legal standpoint, we needed to have a game plan if you came to us and said that things between you and Chloe were getting serious.” He shrugged. “I mean, the whole restaurant knows. It’s never been a secret, as much as you both might think it is.”

Dom’s eyes went wide. This was new information.

Wyatt scoffed. “Everyoneheard you that day when you two banged it out—twice—in the cash room. And don’t forget, weall,” he pointed to Jagger, Clint, and Bennett, “have access to the video feed.”

Dread created an icy lather in Dom’s belly. “You guys didn’t—”

“No, of course not,” Jagger said, shaking his head. “Wedohave some class and decency. Give us a bit of credit. I’m honestly surprised it took you as long as it did to delete it from the cloud though.”

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