Chapter Nineteen
LIAM
I f this doesn’t work, I don’t know what else to do. The flashing of the cameras in the audience nearly blinds me, but I look directly into the video camera that’s broadcasting the press conference, hoping to God that Brynn got Ella to turn on the TV in time.
“Ella, baby, if you’re watching, I love you. We’re going to fix this.”
With that, I ignore the clamoring of the reporters in the audience and walk off the stage.
Did I want to say “I love you” for the first time on TV and not to her face? Absolutely not. But I’m tired of her not knowing how I feel. Hell, I bought a ring yesterday. I’m going to marry Ella Parsons, if she’ll let me.
Hopefully, Mom will back off all this paternity test bullshit now that I’ve gone public with it. I’ve tried everything over the last three days to reason with her, but she won’t hear any of it. All she cares about is how this looks to “the people.” As if the people are more important than her own family.
Once off the stage, I’m escorted by the security I hired out the back of the hotel where I called the conference and straight to my car. Thank fuck, the Stokes name is good for something I actually care about, like having enough pull to arrange a damn press conference so I can confess my love for Ella Parsons to the world.
I tried and tried so many times to get the press to pull the coverage of this story. Even to spin the narrative so I look like the bad guy, just to get the heat off Ella. Nobody would work with me though, telling me that this story is too good to pass up.
The only reason I didn’t drive down to Boston, bang on Mom’s door and demand that she put a stop to this is my refusal to leave Ella and Macie. I’m never leaving again.
My phone starts ringing as I reach the vehicle and my heart leaps in my chest hoping Ella saw my speech and is calling me.
Nope.
Mom’s name flashes on the screen, but I promptly hit “ignore.” I’m not dealing with her right now.
As soon as I shut the driver’s side door and pull out of the parking lot, my phone rings again. Ella’s name flashes on my screen, making my heart pound a million miles a minute, and I answer, hoping she’s finally agreed to hear me out.
“Ella?” My voice sounds slightly panicked, even to me, but relief fills my chest at her words.
“Do you…” she trails off, her voice cracking slightly. “Do you have some time to talk?”
“Of course, I do. I have all the time in the world. I miss you, and I miss Macie?—”
“I… We can meet at my apartment in an hour.” My heart fills with hope. I need to see her face again. She may only give me this one chance, but it’s something. I’ll have just enough time to drive home before I see her. Burlington, being the closest big city, had been the perfect place to hold the press conference, as it also allowed me to draw the press away from Ridgewood Falls.
The drive home passes by in a blur, my mind blank as I try not to panic. By the time I get home, I have about ten minutes before we’re supposed to meet, so I take the opportunity to change out of the dress shirt and tie I put on for the conference. When I finally get to Ella’s apartment and go to knock on the door, my nerves are shot. What if she doesn’t forgive me? What if I don’t get to see her or Macie anymore? I miss my girls so fucking much. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait, and then the door opens. Ella stands in front of me, in leggings and a t-shirt, looking a little tired but just as beautiful as ever.
“Ella.” Her name is like a prayer on my lips as I stare at the woman who has my heart in her grasp. The last few days have been hell without her and Macie. I could hardly sleep, barely eat, and it was maddening having her so close but being unable to do anything about it.
I have to physically restrain myself from sweeping her into a hug, I’ve missed her so much. If she notices the way my hands twitch, she doesn’t say anything, and her expression softens when she looks at my face.
“Hey, Liam.” Her voice, soft as a whisper, is filled with so much pain, despite the fact she only said two words.
“Can I… can I come in?” She invited me over, but for all I know, she wants me to plead my case on her doorstep.
“Yeah, come on in.” She steps back and waves me in, and I take a step inside, looking around for my daughter. “Macie’s taking her nap,” Ella explains, giving me a small smile as she shuts the door behind me.
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” I internally cringe at how fucking awkward I’m being. This is Ella. The woman that I just put myself on live TV to get back, which, even if she doesn’t forgive me, it’ll have been worth it, because now there’s no doubt about how I feel. “I take it you… you saw my press conference?”
“I did.” There’s that small smile again, and my anxiety eases somewhat. She wouldn’t be talking to me if she was just writing me off. “Do you want to sit down?”
We sit down on opposite ends of the couch, both a little stiff, and I let out a sigh, ready to get everything out in the open. “Where should I start?”
“Let’s start with why you didn’t give me your real name when we first met.” Her tone is a little harsher than it was a second ago, and I can’t even blame her. She has every right to be upset with me.
“Okay.” I swallow, looking at her apprehensive face. “It’s important to me that you know… I didn’t give you a fake name or anything. My mom and all my close friends call me Liam. The night we met… you didn’t recognize me, which was a relief enough in itself. Mom was trying to get elected for her first term, she basically used me as a prop to get points for her ‘dutiful, loyal son.’” Rolling my eyes, I shift so I’m facing her more. “Nobody… they never wanted me for, well… me. Just my money, or well, my family’s money.”
A shocked look crosses her face. “You think I would come after your money?”
“No, no, of course not, Ella.” I quickly grab her hands, and she doesn’t pull away. “But you didn’t see me differently. With you, I was just… Liam. Not ‘William Stokes, Billionaire Heir to the Stokes Fortune. My name comes with expectations and assumptions. Can you honestly tell me you don’t see me just a little bit differently now that you know?”
She sighs, her hands relaxing in mine even as she looks away. “I guess you’re right. Part of my issue was wondering if I would… fit into your world. The glitz and glam of the Stokes name isn’t exactly associated with vet techs who are single moms…”
“Ella, no,” I say adamantly, and she hesitantly meets my eyes. “If someone’s not good enough here, it’s me. You are perfect. In every fucking way. And you’re not a single mom anymore. Even if you don’t forgive me, I will still be here to help you take care of Macie.”
Her face flushes, and she bites her lip before shaking her head. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
“I was actually planning on telling you the day after I asked to move in,” I admit. “But Ella, I am so, so sorry that you had to find out this way. I should have told you as soon as I came to town, but I was so happy in our little bubble, I couldn’t stand the thought of it popping and things not being the same anymore. I had become so used to being just Liam. I loved that I could just be myself without any expectation.”
Ella sighs. “But?—”
“Please. Let me get this out.” She chews her bottom lip but nods, and I continue, taking a deep breath. “I hate that I hurt you and put you in the line of fire, and I’ll never forgive myself. My mom… she’s changed over the last couple of years. Before Dad died, she was focused on image, sure. But it’s worse than ever now that she’s up for re-election. She’s always pushing me—that’s where the whole misunderstanding with the fiancée came from. She kept pushing me to get married and solidify my image as a ‘family man.’” Sighing, I rub the back of her hand with my thumb as she looks at me with a furrowed brow. “I’ve tried to support her and her ambitions since Dad died, but this is it. This is where I draw the line. Trying to keep me from you and Macie is absolutely unacceptable, and I’m done. No one is more important to me than the two of you.” Tears well in her eyes as I speak, but she doesn’t look… upset. Moreso overwhelmed. “You… ever since I first met you, I could see that you were different. You saw me . Not William Stokes. So even if you don’t forgive me, and you don’t want to be with me now… that’s the greatest gift you could have ever given me. The knowledge of what it feels like to be loved with no strings attached.”
“Oh, Liam.” Her voice breaks. “Finding out how I did, I won’t lie… it was one of the worst moments of my life. The only thing worse was the thought of losing you a second time.”
I can’t hold myself back anymore. Cupping her face with my hands, I lean forward… and a little voice speaks up from next to the couch. “Mommy?”
Ella and I look over to see Macie, who had somehow made it out of her room and into the living room undetected. She’s dragging a blanket behind her and rubbing her eyes, her dark brown curls are sleep mussed, and my heart melts at the sight of her.
“Hey, sweetie. Look who’s here.” Her dazed expression moves from Ella to me, and her face lights up before she comes over and crawls right into my lap.
“Hi, Daddy,” she mumbles, burying her face in my chest.
Fuck. I will not cry.
My arms wrap around her, and this inexplicable feeling of rightness settles in my chest. If I hadn’t already known that I would do absolutely anything for this little girl in my arms, I sure as hell do now.
“Hi, baby girl,” I whisper before pressing a kiss to her hair. “Daddy missed you so much. I’m sorry I was gone for so many days.”
Apparently, Ella did not get the “no crying” memo, because when I look over at her, she’s staring at us with tears in her eyes.
Macie snuggles further into me, her little hand fisting my shirt, still half asleep, but slowly waking up. And I’ll be her pillow for as long as she needs me.
“No more secrets,” I say quietly. “I’m going to make things right. I promise. Also, I hope you know there’s no way in hell you’re taking that paternity test.”
Pressing another kiss to Macie’s hair, I’m surprised to feel a hand on my arm. Looking back up at Ella, she nods at me. “No more secrets. That includes me. As Brynn oh-so-helpfully pointed out to me earlier, I never actually told you about Macie. You guessed. And you handled my secret a he—” Her eyes dart to Macie. “Heck of a lot better than I handled yours.”
I suppress a grin. “So, you don’t have any more secret babies lying around?”
She snorts a laugh, the earlier emotion replaced by levity. “Not that I know of. Now…did you already eat lunch?”
* * *
“Mommy, Daddy, will you tell me a story?” Macie asks me with wide eyes as Ella and I tuck her into bed. After we ordered pizza for lunch, I popped back into my apartment to grab an overnight bag and shove the engagement ring I bought into the side pocket. Then we spent the next few hours playing games and reading with Macie before having a small dinner. Even when Ella shared the news that Mom already had the lawyer contact her and the fact that Harvey’s the one who leaked the photos, it didn’t bring me down. If my life could look like this every day… fuck, I think I’d be the happiest man alive.
“Of course, baby girl. Let me think…” Ella settles on the floor next to her bed, tapping her chin like she’s thinking really hard. “Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince in disguise, and he fell in love with a woman.”
Macie’s eyes widen. “What did she look like?”
Jumping into the story, I answer Macie’s question as I kneel down next to Ella. “She was beautiful. Long, shiny hair, the same color as the best chocolate. Bright, warm brown eyes.”
“Just like Mommy!” she gasps, and Ella lets out a little laugh.
“Huh, what do you know? It is just like Mommy.” I grin at Ella, who rolls her eyes, and I continue. “So you see, Macie, this prince in disguise… he fell in love with her for so many reasons, but the biggest of them all was her kind heart.” I smile when I feel Ella’s hand grab mine. “Everything was going great, but he knew he had to tell her he was really a prince. When she found out, she was afraid that she couldn’t be with the prince, because she wasn’t a princess.”
Macie sits forward in her bed, hanging on to my every word. “Then what happened?”
“Well, it turns out, the beautiful woman was actually an angel. She had no idea, but everyone else did, especially the prince. So really, compared to her, the prince was just a man. But she didn’t care that the prince wasn’t an angel, and she decided to be with him anyway. Then, they lived happily ever after with their little baby girl.”
“Wow.” Macie flops back in bed. “That was da best story ever.”
“I agree.” Looking over at Ella, I don’t try to hide my smile. “At least, the ending is.”
We finish saying goodnight, quietly shut the door behind us, and walk back to the front room, the domesticity of the last few hours hitting me like a punch in the gut in the best possible way.
“So, a charming prince, huh?” I grin as I pull her close to the middle of the living room.
She huffs a laugh as she stumbles into my arms. “I never said ‘charming.’”
“Of course not. Just handsome,” I tease, chancing a quick kiss to her lips.
“So,” she swallows, looking up at me. “You love me, huh?”
“Ella, I’m pretty sure I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on you. I just wish I didn’t wait until I was in the middle of a press conference to say it.” I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life than I am of Ella.
“I… I love you too, Liam,” she whispers, and then her mouth is on mine. A sweet, sensual kiss full of pent-up need and emotion that makes my heart boil over. Our lips move together, conveying all the longing and pure want from the last few days.
When she breaks away, her eyes never leave mine as she asks, “Do you want to come to bed?”
“I’m not sure that I’ve ever wanted anything more.” The damn circus tent in my basketball shorts can attest to that.
As soon as we’re behind her bedroom door, we lock it, and then we’re back where we were, but this time my hand grasps the back of her neck, my thumb brushing just under her jaw as I steal her breath.
“Liam…” she murmurs against my lips. “I need you.”
“Fuck, Ell,” I gasp, trailing my fingers down until they find the hem of her shirt. Lifting it, I break away from her for only a moment while I pull it over her head, then thumb the waist of her leggings, before pulling them down. She steps out obediently, and I press one last desperate kiss to her lips before growling, “Get on the bed, Ella.”
She visibly shivers but scrambles onto the bed as I pull off my shirt and basketball shorts.
“How do you want me?” she asks, and her words make my already throbbing cock pulse with need.
“On my face. I have so much I need to atone for, and I think sitting on my face like it’s your damn throne is a good place to start.”
Finally naked, I crawl onto her bed and lay face up.
She straddles my body so her legs are on either side of my waist, but then looks down at me, frowning. “Liam, you’ll suffocate?—”
“You asked how I want you, and this is how I want you, Ella. Sit. On. My. Face.” Admittedly feeling a little impatient, I grab her by her waist and yank her up so she hovers right over my mouth. Then, yanking her down, I bury my face in her sweet pussy, relishing in the sounds of her muffled cries as I devour her.
“Ah! Fuck! Liam!” she gasps, leaning forward slightly as her hands grasp the headboard.
“Ride me, Ell,” I murmur into her soaking wet folds. “I belong to you.”
She finally submits to the pleasure I’m offering, her head falling back as her hips undulate over my face.
“Oh, Liam,” she moans, her pace picking up as she gets closer to release. “Just like that.”
Her breathing becomes heavier, and then she’s clapping her hand over her mouth, stifling her cries so we aren’t heard outside the room. When her movements become more ragged, more urgent, I can tell she’s close, and suck her clit into my mouth.
She falls apart so beautifully, and rides out the rest of her orgasm in slow movements, until she backs up, moving her knees on either side of my waist, and shimmies down further, until we’re chest to chest, both breathing hard.
Her kiss is filthy and unrestrained, a perfect match for the things I want to do to her. Without warning, I flip us over so she’s on her back, and hike one of her legs over my arm.
“Are you ready for me?” I ask, my voice gruff.
She nods wordlessly, then grabs at my arms. “Please, Liam.”
The first thrust sinks me all the way in her tight, wet, heavenly heat. I swallow her moan with my mouth, pulling out and burying myself once again in a slow, measured thrust.
“I belong to you, Ella,” I tell her again when I bottom out. “Who do you belong to?”
“You,” she gasps, her fingernails digging into my back and burning in the best fucking way. “I belong to you.”
My speed picks up, and I hike her leg higher, hitting deeper than before.
“You are mine, and I am yours. I fucking love you, Ella Parsons,” I grit out, never breaking eye contact.
Her cries make it impossible for her to answer me, but she clenches around my cock and I know she feels the same way.
Standing on my knees, I pull her closer to me and push a pillow under her ass, then rest her leg on my shoulder. My thumb circles her clit in time with my thrusts, and an instant later, she’s coming apart around me, chanting my name, her pussy pulsating and clenching so hard it sends me over the edge too.
“Ella, Ella, Ella,” I groan, emptying myself inside of her.
“Holy shit,” she gasps as I move her leg from my shoulder and nearly collapse on top of her.
“I missed you,” I murmur into her neck, pressing a kiss there.
“I missed you too,” she sighs, her arms tightening around me. We lay like that for a minute, me on top of her, holding myself up on my elbows so I don’t crush her, before I finally have to pull out.
“Shower with me?” I ask as I roll off her and onto my back.
“Of course,” she giggles as I get off the bed and hold my hand out to her. “My prince should be clean.”
Laughing, I scoop her up and carry her to the bathroom, where we wash each other under the hot spray of water before I slide back into her with her back against the shower wall, making slow sweet love as we kiss each other senseless. By the time we’re dried off and back in bed, we fall asleep easily, wrapped in each other’s arms.