“You shouldn’t say bad words.” When he looked over, Molly was in the door of his room, the cat in her arms. Meg had taken Molly to her mom’s for dinner, and he didn’t realize they’d gotten home.
“I apologize. I didn’t know you were there.”
She dropped the cat and threw herself across his bed. It had been three weeks since the wedding, and he was still adjusting to living with two women, but it hadn’t been as hard as he’d thought it was going to be. He’d learned quickly that he always had to lock the bathroom door, and that he was likely to find stuffed animals or dolls tucked into his bed. But what surprised him most was how much he liked having them around. He liked having a family.
“Why does it matter if I’m here or not?” Molly asked.
“Well, I don’t want to set a bad example for you.”
“Oh. So if I do something bad, it’s okay as long as no one else knows about it?”
Jason turned and leaned back against his dresser. Molly was on her back, feet kicking and head hanging backward off the bed. Her long brown hair touched the floor. How did he answer this?
“Molly?” Meg stood at the door, her arms folded and looking like a really sexy girl next door. She was wearing jeans and a pink top, didn’t have on a stitch of makeup, and her hair was down, flowing and curling almost to her waist. When Molly spotted her, she flipped over.
“You shouldn’t be bothering your uncle. Let’s get you in the bath and ready for bed.”
“Am I bothering you?” Molly’s face dropped when she asked the question, and he wished Meg wouldn’t put it like that, but he knew she wasn’t all too pleased with him because he’d been out five of every seven nights the last couple of weeks. He was either at work or at some kind of social function, and their honeymoon was a distant memory.
Once they got back to the real world, he’d seen how easy it would be to fall into a routine with her, so he had pulled back and placed all his focus on his work. He could have brought her to any of the parties or dinners, but Harper’s warning stayed with him. A close relationship would make for a rough divorce. He had to keep things cool so when they separated she wouldn’t be hurt.
Jason thought about their last night on the yacht. They’d had two fun days in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and Meg was curled against him after they’d made love.
“I’m going to miss this,” she’d said.
“It’s been great, but the real world calls.”
“I wish we didn’t have to go back.”
That’s when Jason had realized that things had gotten messy. He didn’t know how a relationship was going to work with Meg when he was back to his normal grind. He didn’t know where she fit. But more than anything, he knew if he let this go on, when it was time to end it, she would be hurt. By keeping his distance now, he’d keep her from being hurt later.
Jason was hoping he could figure it out, but there were no easy answers. If he wanted her in his life, it was going to get complicated and emotional. So the distance proved safe.
His niece, however, was waiting for him to answer.
“Molly, you never bother me,” he finally said. “Now, back to my language . . .” He sat on the bed near her. “I shouldn’t have cursed. Words are powerful, so I’ll be more careful. And to answer your question, your behavior needs to be good even if no one is watching.”
“Okay.” She nodded and reached out to him. Jason wrapped her in his arms and looked at Meg, who was standing by the door, stone-faced. “Will you come to my soccer game on Sunday?”
“Sunday? I think I can be there.”
“Yay!” She bounced off the bed and ran around the room. “I’m going to be the goalie. It’s my turn!”
“Cool. I’ll be there. Now get ready for your bath.”
Molly took off out of the room, and when he looked toward Meg, she turned to go as well. The look on her face wasn’t warm or happy or friendly. She looked at him like he was a leper. “Meg, please don’t make her think she’s a bother to me. She’s not.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
He made another attempt with the tie, and she walked toward him and pushed