Boss Daddy: A Secret Baby Romance by Black, L. (good books for high schoolers .TXT) 📕

got forgetful as we walked out. We had just finished eating, and Hannah had returned to the mural while I picked up and tossed our trash when Becca showed up.

“Hey!” she said as she approached Hannah. There was a weird dance where Becca made to do the friend hug and then thought better of it.

“Hey, sorry,” she said, indicating her shirt. “I’d hug you, but I don’t think you want this paint all over you.”

“You would be correct,” Becca said jokingly. “This is looking great, though. You are amazing.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said.

“Hey, Jordan,” Becca said, turning to me and dropping her voice in a weirdly conspiratorial way.

“Hi,” I said awkwardly. “Dropping off some books?”

“Oh,” Becca said, looking down as if just noticing she was carrying a stack of four or five books in her arms. “Yes, actually. I had some ideas, and I wanted to do some research for the bar expansion.”

I grimaced. “Cool,” I stuttered out.

“So I heard what happened the other day with your ex,” Becca said. “How horrible of him to just drop in where you work.”

“It wasn’t fun,” Hannah admitted. “He’s like that, though. Rude, demanding, and no sense of propriety at all.”

“Sounds like he was a blast to date,” Becca said sarcastically. “Seriously, though, I am glad you got out of that relationship. Guys like that aren’t worth your time.”

“Thank you,” Hannah said, a streak of red crossing her cheeks. It was adorable when someone complimented her for any reason and that blush would fill her face.

“It’s a good thing you had Jordan there with you,” Becca said, turning a glance at me. “I heard you were rather insistent on him leaving, weren’t you?” she asked me.

A pained smile came across my face, matched by a sunny “what, me?” smile on Becca’s. She was going to try talking me up, I could feel it. I didn’t need a matchmaker when we were already sleeping together—not that she knew that. Yet, I thought.

“He’s been very helpful,” Hannah said, and I turned to her. She was smiling at me in a somewhat devious way, and this time it was my turn to feel a rush of color cross my cheeks.

“I’m just glad you have someone watching over you. But anyway, I have to get going. Jordan, would you do me a favor and carry these books in for me? I hurt my wrist yesterday, and these things are heavy,” Becca said.

“Sure,” I said, taking them. They were light, even for Becca. “I’ll be right back, Hannah.”

As soon as we were out of earshot, Becca held out her hand, and I gave her back the books.

“Well, that healed quickly,” I said.

“Should I tell Mom?” Becca giggle-whispered.

“Tell her what?”

“About you and Hannah,” she said, and never more so in that moment did I feel the kinship of an annoying little sister with Becca.

“Stop,” I said. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’re just enjoying the moment for right now. No labels. It’s hard enough navigating the whole dating while working together thing.” One of Becca’s eyebrows curled up, and I immediately jumped back in. “If you would consider this dating.” I sighed. “No labels,” I said defeatedly.

Becca put one hand on my shoulder and stuck out her bottom lip. “Poor boy. You have it bad, don’t you? Well, regardless, I am happy for you. For whatever that is. No labels.”

Laughing, she walked away to the front desk, and I turned to go back to where Hannah was standing near the top of the ladder, looking for all the world like she was one wobble away from destroying every adorable bone in her body.

20 Hannah

It was one of those rare quiet days at the bar when it seemed like maybe we would all get a chance to breathe a little bit during our shifts. Those days were getting fewer and further between. Even since the time I had been working at The Hollow, I’d noticed it getting busier and more popular.

While it had never been a place I would consider slow, there were plenty of days that were less overwhelming than others. Particularly during longer stretches between the theme nights, the crowds thinned out a little bit and we might be able to get a breather. That wasn’t so much the case recently.

Even on days when it had been a few weeks since a special themed night, the customers packed in and kept us going basically nonstop from the time the doors opened until we had to lock them behind the last customers. I definitely preferred it that way. As much as my feet hurt and I was exhausted sometimes, I would much rather it be busy and have way more than enough to do than to get bored or have to worry about the bar not doing enough business.

The doors were already open, and a few customers had trickled in for dinner, but things were still quiet. With Tom back in San Francisco, all the other brothers were in the bar. They were taking advantage of the quieter night and using it as an opportunity to have a meeting. I had just brought one of Tyler’s famous burgers to a table when Jordan came out of the office.

He did not look happy. The other men trailing behind him didn’t look particularly thrilled about whatever was going on, either. Not acknowledging them or saying anything else to them, Jordan walked away from his brothers and came over to me.

“Do you have a second?” he asked.

I nodded. “I’ve taken care of my customers. I can probably snag a second for you.”

I offered him a playful smile, but the upset expression on his face didn’t lessen any. We walked to the back of the bar and the small area with a view table we usually reserved for our own use.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

Jordan paced back and forth for a couple of intense seconds, then looked into my eyes.

“We just got off a call with Tom,” he said. “He