Page 19 of The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss
Nodding, she said, “Yeah, but I do feel guilty.”
“Don’t.” He lowered his gaze. “I like making you smile. You work hard and take care of a baby. Having a treat every now and again is okay.”
She walked to him and hugged him with one arm as she tickled Ellie’s neck. “Thank you. I’ve said it, but it really doesn’t adequately express my gratitude.”
Josiah pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You have. Trust me.”
She lifted a little on her toes and kissed his cheek. “I had so much fun today. You’ve watched her all day. I think it’s my turn.”
“Why don’t you go take a bath? I’ll feed and change her and then bring her to you when you’re done. You can’t convince me you don’t need to wash off all that shopping.”
As much as she wanted to argue with him, she couldn’t. “Okay.”
“I promise I’ll bring her to you. She needs her momma as much as you need her.” He smiled.
They locked eyes, and Molly combed her fingers through his hair. Heartbeat after heartbeat, they just stood there.
She was falling for him. It wasn’t even a question anymore. She was falling for the “weird,” sensitive, sweet, funny guy who cared about people and treated her like no one ever had.
Just as she went to kiss him, his phone rang, and he fished it out of his pocket. “Oh man,” he said and looked at her. “I have to take this. It’s for work.”
“This late? On the Friday after Thanksgiving?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry.” He handed Ellie to Molly. “I’ll make it up to you later. I promise.” He put the phone to his ear, walked around her, and rushed out of the living room and down the hall.
For a second, she was upset that he’d rushed off, but he’d taken care of Ellie all day. Just because she couldn’t take a bath right that second didn’t mean he’d always put work first.
Plus, it wasn’t like she could command all his time. Sure, they’d grown closer, but he’d seemed to respect her decisions. Not once had he pushed her to change her mind. Although, with the way her thoughts were going, he didn’t need to push. They were shifting on their own.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was too much, too soon to even be thinking about any of this stuff. Ellie was more than enough for Molly. Besides, she didn’t need a guy to ride in like Prince Charming and save the day. She could fight her battles on her own.
Chapter 9
The sun had just hit the horizon on its way into the sky as Josiah shuffled into the kitchen. He grabbed a cup and poured himself some coffee before taking a seat at the bar. Yawning, he rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up. It had been a week since Thanksgiving, and he and Molly were taking turns getting up with Ellie during the night. They’d played rock, paper, scissors, lizards, Spock to see if they’d share the responsibility, and he’d won.
It had been Molly’s turn that night, but that hadn’t kept him from hearing Ellie’s cries. He wasn’t upset about it, more amused than anything. In no time at all, he’d gone from being able to sleep through an earthquake to hearing the tiny cries of a baby who…he almost thoughtdidn’t belong to him, but she did.
Maybe not in the legal sense, but there was an Ellie-shaped spot in his heart. He loved her. Innocent, sweet, and able to wrap grown men around her finger with a single smile. She was Super Ellie, and he absolutely, whole-heartedly loved that little girl. In the last week, he’d found himself reevaluating his goals. Realtor of the Year was important, but Ellie…Dad of the Year had moved up several spots on his list since meeting her.
As he took a sip of his coffee, his sister walked into the kitchen. “Rough night?”
“No, it was Molly’s turn last night, but it’s hard to turn off hearing Ellie.” He raked his hand through his hair, trying to push a few of the strands from his face. Add to that staying up late to get the tree up and decorated, and it had made for a long, long night.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on the stool next to Josiah’s. Together they took a sip and sighed. “This has to be the best coffee ever brewed,” she said.
He nodded. “I crave it nightly.”
“What?” She looked at him funny.
“So I Married An Axe Murderer. Mike Meyers?”
She shook her head. “No clue.”
Shrugging, he said, “It was suggested after I watched this other movie. It was awesome.”
“If you say so.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “Molly speaks your language too. She said something about burgers and fertility.”
Burgers and fertility? What kind of discussion were they having? Then it hit him. “The Borg? Resistance is futile?”
