Page 35 of The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss
Still, it was marriage and adoption, and it was a lot to consider. Would the marriage end one day? When? How did that get decided?
“Wh-wh-what are y-y-you doing?” asked Bandit.
Molly startled and blew out a big breath as she leaned her stomach against the counter. “You scared the daylights out of me!”
Bandit’s cheeks turned pink, and he lowered his gaze. “I’m s-s-sorry.”
Talk about a sweet, cute guy. It had been a shock to find out he wasn’t a member of the West family. He looked so much like them—tall, dark hair, strong jawline. He fit perfectly.
“It’s okay. I thought I’d clean the house to get it ready for Christmas,” she replied.
He lifted his gaze and looked around. “Looks gr-gr-great.”
She shrugged. “Thanks. I was just rinsing out this rag, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
He shook his head. “N-n-nah, you’re fine.”
Just as he finished the statement, a yawning Reagan entered the kitchen. “I’m sorry. I’ll get the coffee going.”
“Now, that is worth getting up early for,” Molly said as she wrung out the rag she’d been using. “Where should I put this?”
“L-l-lay it on th-th-the sink. I’m sure I’ll need it later,” Bandit replied. “I’m going to ch-ch-check the firewood and m-m-make sure there’s enough for the d-d-day.”
As he left the kitchen, Molly parked herself on a stool at the island. “You make the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.”
Reagan laughed. “Thanks. I’ve always just thought of it as coffee. It wasn’t until I got here that I was told it was great.”
“Well, it is. Like, secret-ingredient, crave-for-it-nightly great,” Molly said with the best Scottish accent she could muster.
“That’s funny. Sounds similar to something Josiah once said.” Reagan finished getting the coffee ready to brew and leaned her hip against the counter. “You two make a good couple.”
Molly’s eyes widened. “We’re not…” They weren’t a couple. They took care of Ellie together and kissed…a lot. But that didn’t mean they were a couple. Just friends with lucrative kissing benefits.
Reagan held her hand up. “You’re talking to the woman who pretended to be a man’s fiancée. Of all the people in this house, I am uniquely qualified to call your bluff on that.”
“He’s just helping me with Ellie. He’s the baby whisperer.”
“You look at Josiah the same way I looked at Hunter.” She smiled. “You may not want to admit it, but you know I’m right.”
Molly hung her head. “I can’t date, Reagan. After all I went through as a kid, the way my mom dated. I don’t want that for Ellie.”
“That’s a fair point, but do you really think Josiah is the kind of man to walk out? Is it really Ellie you’re worried about, or is it yourself?”
Molly lifted her head and began to protest. “I’m—”
“I’m not judging, because I’ve been there. Admitting that I loved Hunter meant that getting hurt was a real possibility. No one in their right mind wants to be hurt, and I’m imagining that’s especially true when you have a baby to consider.”
What could Molly say? The truth was, shewasafraid of being hurt. She was afraid of leaning on someone, allowing Ellie to lean on someone, and risking their hearts. What if Josiah decided in five or six years that he’d had all the fathering he could handle? What then? Even adopting her, he could wash his hands of her. Just like Molly’s biological father. He’d found a new wife and then a new life with three kids.
Reagan covered Molly’s hand with hers. “Listen, it’s scary trusting people. It’s even scarier trusting yourself. I know from experience.”
“Yeah?” Molly’s stomach was twisted in knots.
The last thing she wanted was to hurt Josiah. He’d been more than wonderful to her, but what if it wasn’t Ellie he quit? What if it was Molly? Could she withstand being abandoned again?
“No one can make these choices for you. No one can change you either. It was a hard lesson I had to learn. I needed to change because I didn’t want to live in the past. Yes, there’s a chance Hunter could hurt me in the future, but there’s also a chance he won’t. I had to decide that I wanted Hunter more than I wanted safety.”
“Do you still feel like that?”
