Free Always the Best Man by Michelle Major

boundaries. Inserting yourself into my personal life isn’t part of the job description.”
    Those blue eyes that had been so warm and full of life iced over in a second. He expected her to argue but instead her lips pressed together and a moment later she whispered, “My bad. Won’t happen again.”
    â€œJase, what’s crawled up your butt?” his dad asked, his voice booming in the tense silence that had descended between him and Emily.
    She lifted one eyebrow. “I’m not going to stick around to find out.” Skirting around him, she gave Declan a quick hug. “Enjoy your spaghetti. I’m going to hold you to that cooking lesson. But grape juice, no wine.”
    â€œThank you, darlin’.” His dad’s voice softened. “You’re a good girl. I’m sorry about this.”
    â€œIt’s not on you,” she whispered.
    Jase didn’t turn around, his hands pressed hard to the scarred Formica. He heard the creak of the door as it opened and shut, not the angry bang he expected but a soft click that tore a hole in his gut. Still he didn’t move.
    The chair scraped as his father stood. He moved behind Jase to take the bowl out of the microwave. For several minutes the only sound was the spoon clinking and the rustle of a newspaper.
    â€œShe doesn’t belong here,” Jase said finally, rubbing his hand over his face as he turned. “Emily works for me now. That’s all, Dad. She isn’t part of this.”
    â€œThat girl has been a part of you for years,” Declan answered, setting down the spoon in the empty bowl.
    Jase felt his eyes widen before he could stop the reaction. He’d never talked to anyone, especially his father, about his feelings for Emily. He understood Noah knew but had never spoken it aloud.
    â€œI’m a bad drunk,” Declan said with a shrug. “But I was never blind, and you’re my son. I know you better than you think.”
    â€œEmily’s in a rough place now. I’m helping her get back on her feet. That’s all.”
    â€œYou’re embarrassed about me and how you grew up.”
    Another bit of unspoken knowledge better left in the shadows. “You’re in a better place, Dad. I’m proud of you for staying sober.”
    Declan choked out a laugh. “I’m the one who’s proud, Jase. But you take on too much that isn’t yours. My reputation and our family history. The way you were raised. You’ve overcome a lot, and you don’t need to be ashamed of it. You don’t have to make it all better.”
    Jase thought about his ancestor’s picture in the town jail and how he wanted his family legacy to be something more than it was. “If you won’t let me move you to a better house, I respect that decision. But I don’t want her here. You need to respect that.”
    â€œFrom what I can tell, Emily Crawford is plenty capable of making her own decisions.”
    But she was working for him now. It was what she’d wanted, and it changed things. Not his need or desire, but his inclination to act on it. “Her name is Emily Whitaker , Dad. She was married. She has a son. Neither one of us is who we were before.”
    His father smiled. “I think that’s the point.”

Chapter Six
    E mily looked up from the old rocker on her mother’s front porch at the sound of a car coming down the gravel driveway. It was almost nine at night, and Davey had been asleep close to an hour.
    She hadn’t expected her mother to return from her date with Max Moore so soon. But when Emily recognized Jase’s Jeep, her first inclination was to run to the house and shut the door.
    He’d hurt her today, and she hated that anyone—any man—had the power to do that. While she understood that Jase’s reaction had been about his own issues, a part of her still took the blame he’d placed on her. Her faults sometimes felt