By the time I park behind Jackson Brews and make my way inside, the other girls have been there for over an hour. I could’ve made it earlier, but I wanted more time with Jackson, so while the girls ate their greasy bar food, I treated my son to dinner at McDonald’s and let him burn off his excess energy in their play area.
When I walk into the bar, I spot Star in a booth at the back. She’s impossible to miss with her big, curly red hair.
I didn’t have anyone when I came to Jackson Harbor. I was running. Running from my baby’s father, Marcus, and his demands, his rules that made his house feel more and more like a cage. The only people I knew here were my sister, Nic, my college friend, Teagan, and Kathleen Jackson, who once interviewed me for the job as Lilly’s nanny.
That was more than three and a half years ago, when all I cared about was finding somewhere safe and getting my sister back, but life in Jackson Harbor became lonely pretty quickly. I didn’t want to insert myself into Nic’s new life, so I tried to stay on the periphery of her friend group, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever find friends to call my own. Luckily, Star adopted me.
She spots me and jumps up to greet me with a hug.
“Happy birthday,” I croon, squeezing her tight.
“Thank you. I’m so glad you made it!”
“I promised I would.” I glance toward the empty booth, then the table and the miscellany of empty glasses and appetizer plates. “Where is everyone else?”
“Amelia and Juliette ran over to Howell’s for a minute.”
I pull a face. Howell’s is the other major brewery in town, and most of the Jacksons consider it a personal offense when their friends patronize the place. “Why Howell’s?”
“A guy Amelia is talking to is hanging there tonight.” She waves it away, clearly uninterested in the intricacies of Amelia’s dating life. “How’d drop-off go?”
“Too easy,” I say. “He doesn’t need Mama anymore. I’m afraid I’ll blink and he’ll be moving out on his own and go weeks without calling.”
Star throws her head back and laughs, taking her seat again. “Don’t worry. God gives us teen years to make that transition easier to swallow—take it from someone who’s living it.”
I slide into the booth across from her. “I’m such a cliché, but I don’t even care. I want time to slow down for a minute. My baby is growing up so fast.”
“It’s not all bad—them growing up. Just imagine, soon enough, he’ll be able to wipe his own butt and dress himself for school.”
“Oh, he already wants to dress himself,” I say. “On Tuesday, I was making breakfast, and he came into the kitchen with his Spider-Man shirt on one arm and his Captain America undies over his pajama shorts.”
Star presses her palm to her chest. “Gah! Never mind. Don’t let him grow up. Find the science to stop time, and do it fast.”
“I know. Like, right now he gives slobbery cheek kisses and thinks I’m the prettiest girl in the world, but in twenty years? He could be . . .” I scan the room and immediately spot the guys from work. I yank my gaze away before it can linger too long on Colton but vaguely gesture in their direction. “He could be one of those bro dudes, plotting the fastest way into a woman’s panties.”
Star snorts. “Okay, first of all? Your sweet Jackson will never be a sleazy dude bro. We’re raising that boy to bring down the patriarchy. Second? The Heartbreakers don’t need to plot their way into panties when women are so busy throwing them at their feet.”
I snort-laugh, letting my gaze return to the guys for a moment. “Please don’t ever let them find out you call them that. They’ll be insufferable.”
She gapes at me. “They’re already insufferable. You think they don’t know? They’re fine as hell and charming as fuck. I’m not saying anything groundbreaking over here.”
I take a minute to survey the group. They’re built and tan from working in the sun all day, and she’s right. They are nice to look at. My gaze snags on Colton. Especially him. His back’s to me now, so I take my time admiring his ass as he bends over the pool table to line up a shot. The man’s delicious. Tall, tatted, and powerfully built, he’s a walking advertisement for testosterone.
Unfortunately for me and my libido, I know exactly how good those muscles feel pressed against my body and how skillfully he can use his hands and mouth when he puts his mind to it. The trouble is, while I may have found the brooding, growly asshole shtick hot as hell the night I indulged in the fantasy and let him between my legs, it’s not nearly as charming in real life.
Tonight, he’s wearing a pair of faded jeans and a white T-shirt. His beard and dark hair are neatly trimmed, and as he stands again, my mouth goes dry at the memory of that night at the Jacksons’ cabin—of that hard body under my palms, his fingers brushing where I ached for him.
I’d cut my tongue out before I admitted it, but I wanted Colton from the first time I saw him. I like to blame the contact high from all that testosterone oozing off him. Colton is hot. The kind of hot that turns smart girls dumb. Like, abs-for-miles, smoldering-eyes, exploding-ovaries, don’t-bother-with-the-panties hawt. And anytime he turned that too-rare smile on me, I was no better than the next girl. I’d giggle. Probably batted my fucking lashes, too. I cringe to imagine it.
The thing about Colton is that he isn’t just some dude bro. Until I started working with him, I actually liked him.
A few years ago, Colton’s life hit rock bottom and he went into rehab, cleaned up, and came back home to start a new business and a new life. He isn’t just another hot guy with a charming smile—he’s this amazing human who’s given himself a second chance. Something I’ve secretly always wanted for myself. He’s proven himself even after those closest to him believed the worst.
Across the table from Colton, Crosley catches me staring and points in my direction as he says something to his buddies. Embarrassment warms my cheeks. Busted.
When Colton turns, I don’t try to hide that I was looking. I hold his gaze and arch a brow.
“What is going on between you two?” Star asks.
I grunt and shift my attention back to my friend, where it belongs. I pretend I can’t still feel Colton’s eyes on me and shrug. “Not a thing.”
“You’re telling me you’re not hot for boss?”
So hot. “He pretty much hates my guts. And I’m not a fan of his, either.” Except when he’s touching me.
“Mm-hmm,” she says. “Tell me another one.”
“What? I’m serious.”
“Well, if not McKinley, then how about the other guys? I’ve caught Wes checking you out more than once.”
“Wes is just a friend. And, frankly, I’m not looking to date any of the guys at work.”
Star grunts. “Fair. But maybe it’s time to date someone?”
“What is with you and Amelia both coming at me with this today?”
She cocks her head to the side. “What’s with your two best friends noticing you’re lonely and wanting better for you?”
She’s not wrong, but I thought I hid it better than that. I blow out a long breath. “You know what’s frustrating about dating as a single mom? There’s this assumption that I’m looking for a daddy for Jackson.”