Page 39 of The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss
“No problem. Work is life, right?”
“Pretty much.” He chuckled.
Only, Molly didn’t think it was funny. Work is life? Where did that put Ellie on his list? Second? Third? Tenth? How could Molly trust him to be there for Ellie when his job came first?
“Uh, we were wondering if it would help our chances with Ellie to…maybe…get married.” As he said it, the volume of his voice lowered.
Molly studied him, wondering if he’d decided that getting married wasn’t something he really wanted to do. Not that she thought it would be a real marriage, but a tiny part of her had wondered if it could be…one day.
The attorney took a deep breath. “I don’t think so. I mean, if you want to get married, go ahead, but I’m not sure a judge would consider that. More than anything, talking to Brenda and Derek would be the best course of action.”
The fact that he looked almost relieved hurt Molly in ways she didn’t think possible. But this was what happened when you trusted people. They let you down. It didn’t matter how true their intention might have been, because that didn’t change the results.
Molly turned away from him and blinked back the stupid tears that threatened. Why did she have to be so sappy and weak? It wasn’t like she didn’t know this would happen.
“I’ve spoken to your mother’s attorney, and I’ve filed an extension with the court to postpone the current court date so we have time to prepare. The judge is going to consider what’s in the best interest of the child. He’s going to listen to everyone involved, ask a lot of questions, and then make his decision.” She paused. “The fact that Ellie has been living with you this long will help. Plus, having me in your corner. If Brenda didn’t want her and she specifically asked you to take her, the question on everyone’s mind will be: why did she change her mind?”
Molly took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to be falling apart over a relationship that didn’t even exist. Ellie needed her to hold it together. She turned and faced Josiah. “Be straight with me. Do you really think I have a chance at keeping Ellie? Selfishly, I want to fight for her, but I don’t want to do that if there’s no chance.”
The attorney waited a few breaths before replying, “I think you have a good chance. If I were you, I’d be hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I’d also be trying to talk to Ellie’s biological mother and find out what happened.”
“Okay,” Josiah said. “We’ll see what we can do to find her and Derek.”
“Sounds good. I’ll contact you when I know the response to the extension.”
They concluded the call, and Josiah closed the distance between himself and Molly. “She’s lived with you this long. I’m not sure how it would be in her best interest to take her from the only mom she knows.”
“I hope so.”
“We could still get married. It can’t hurt our chances.”
No, but it could break her heart. “Ms. Salinas said that wouldn’t make a difference. Plus, you said yourself that you work a lot. ‘Work is life,’ right? I mean, I’m already taking you away from client calls.”
For heartbeat after heartbeat, Josiah held her gaze. It seemed he was warring with himself. “Yeah, now that you mention it, I probably need to call them back.” He hugged her to him. “I’ll try to make it quick.”
“No rush. I think I’ll take Ellie for a walk.”
“Okay,” he said and smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Molly watched as he left the study and then sank into a nearby chair. How many times had she watched men walk out of her life? When she was a kid, she had no choice. As an adult, even when she’d had a choice, it had been the wrong one. At least, so far it had.
This time was different. She was done being the sad sap who watched people walk out of her life. This time, she was going to be the one doing the walking. It wasn’t a decision she’d make lightly, though. She’d take Ellie on a walk, let her emotions settle, and then she’d slowly pull away from Josiah. Unlike the people in her life, she wouldn’t blindside him. By the time they got back to Dallas, it would be as if the trip never happened. He could go his way, and she could go hers. It was best for everyone.
Chapter 18
Josiah hated ditching Molly when he did, but he couldn’t ignore Malakai’s call. During their last conversation, it came out that the singer knew a private detective in Dallas. He was supposed to be calling Josiah back with details about whether the woman was taking new clients.
He pulled on his coat, stepped out into the cold, and hit the call button on his phone as he reached his pickup and slid inside.
“Hey, Josiah.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. We were talking to the lawyer.” He paused as he got in the truck. “She thinks we need to talk to Derek and Brenda too.”
Apparently, the phone was on speaker, because the next voice belonged to a woman. “Josiah West, this is Emilia Sanger. Malakai gave me a few details, and I’d like to help.”
“Hi, Ms. Sanger—”
“Emilia, please.” She chuckled.
