Page 16 of Fierce-Baker

“We all gave up the fight. Jolene is relentless.”

“I’ll take a hard pass on being set up.”

“Match-made,” Ben said. “Not set up. She’s insulted if you say that.”

“All the more reason to.”

Ben slapped him on the back. “She’ll only dig her feet in harder.”

He blew a breath out, his lips flapping. “What has she said to you that you’re seeking me out?”

“Oh, she leaves me alone now. Well, not completely. She’s always asking when I’m going to have a kid, but she’s not too annoying about it.”

“It’s not your job to have a kid.” He looked Ben over. The guy was huge. A few inches taller than his six foot and probably fifty pounds more of muscle. “Unless science has changed that I’m not aware of.”

“Nope. And Eve will have a baby when she tells me she’s ready. Her choice, as she does all the hard work, not me.”

Baker had always been a chatty guy. Friendly even too.

Guess that was something he had in common with Tasha.

But it made him wonder if Tasha knew she was on Jolene’s radar. Or on it for him. He’d finally figured it out, though it wouldn’t hurt to get confirmation.

“Who does Jolene have in mind for me? Just say it?”

Ben laughed. “I haven’t heard it from her lips, but based on who you were just talking to and Jolene’s knowledge of that situation, I’d say you’re walking right into it.”

He held back a snarl. “What’s Tasha’s situation?”

“Curious because you’re interested, or curious because you want the knowledge to battle back Hurricane Jolene?”

“Maybe a little bit of both.” He pointed his finger at Ben. “And if you repeat that to anyone, I’ll call you a liar over the loudspeaker.”

“No one would believe you.” Ben turned and followed in line while Baker moved down the hall to the distillery. Guess he was going to get grilled. “Do you want some advice?”

“Sure.” Even if he didn’t. It never hurt to get other people’s take on things.

“Humor Jolene. Mind you, she’ll see right through it, but at least she won’t ride your ass too much. She’s having fun, but she knows not to overstep.”

“She means well, I’ve been told enough.”

“She does. She’s a good egg who just thinks everyone should find what she has in her life.”

Nothing he’d ever seen in a set of parents.

Hell, there were times he thought Jolene and Gavin were putting on a show for everyone, but found out how wrong he was.

How wrong he was about many people’s relationships here.

And there were plenty that Jolene and Gavin had touched.

No one’s was perfect. There were plenty of flaws.

Plenty of disagreements and personality clashes, but under it all, there seemed to be plenty of humor.

And underneath all of that?

There was love. Real, stubborn, imperfect love. The kind people stayed and fought for.