Page 58 of Island Protector

“You will.” Nina gave her a gentle shake. “Though I doubt it will get messy in a bad way.”

Where was Hailey when she needed the distraction?

“I hope you’re right.” She couldn’t bear to think about how she’d manage if things went wrong and Miles broke her heart. She needed to avoid that at all costs. For Bryce, but also for herself. “Am I supposed to be so nervous? I really thought when I started dating, I’d be cool about it. Something about Sharon’s amazing, independent chill should’ve rubbed off on me.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“She gets back Sunday.” Molly shook the tension from her hands and Nina eased back to her workstation. “Thanks for hearing me out. And for letting me come in. I needed to focus on something other than new romance and inappropriate custody nonsense. At least Mr. Devaney has that under control.”

“Good. I’d like to hear more about that.”

Molly shrugged. “Later? I’d rather think about fun things. Like new design skills.”

“That’s fair.” Nina lifted her bottle of water in salute. “But first, kudos to you for getting on that boat. I know that’s not your thing.”

“Thanks. Bryce was so excited.” She shook her head. “I would’ve walked barefoot over broken glass to not disappoint him.”

“I get it. Addison’s still tiny and oblivious to all of my issues, but I’m completely devoted to her happiness.”

Molly felt another pang of wistfulness for the relative simplicity of mothering an infant. “She’s precious,” Molly mused.

“You want another one,” Nina accused.

“No,” Molly denied firmly. “This is not the time for that kind of surprise.”

“But there will be, right? You’re so young. I bet Bryce would love having a little sister or brother. I’ve watched him hold Addison.”

“Bryce is a people person. Young or old, he’s all in,” she said. “That’s not the same as having a sibling around all the time.”

Nina’s gaze narrowed. “You don’t believe you’ll just be Bryce’s mom forever?”

“It would be enough for me.” She meant it. “I was too young and someday I’ll have to explain my choices, my mistakes. Even now he asks about his dad occasionally. That’s only going to get more frequent as he gets older.”

“Hey, you’ve built a good life here. Romance and love can be part of that life.”

“I know you’re right.”

“But?”

“I’ve been wondering what it looks like for me.” Molly wasn’t sure why she was hesitating. Nina was her friend as well as her boss. “For me, romance and love has to include Bryce. Even before this custody mess, I didn’t want to datecasually. Whoever comes into my life comes into his life too.”

“I get that.”

Molly tucked her hair behind her ears. “Until last night, I would’ve told you that finding someone like that around here was impossible. But Miles went above and beyond to make it a great evening for both of us. That’s not making an assumption he’s in love with me. It’s just?—”

“Love,” Nina interjected.

“Thoughtful,” Molly corrected. Everything in her life already felt too rushed. She’d known Miles for some time and been conversing with him regularly for the better part of the year. Still, labeling the feelings zooming around inside her as love seemed like a recipe for disaster.

“Maybe for you, that’s where love starts, with someone being thoughtful and taking the time to care.”

She hadn’t looked at it that way. “You may be right,” she said, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. “Thanks for being such a great friend.”

“Don’t forget, the most amazing boss.”

“Never.” She smiled. “When is Hailey supposed to be back?”

“It’s Hailey. She has her own time zone,” Nina laughed. “Seriously Molly, if you need something more from your career, we should talk about it.”

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