15. Amelia
CHAPTER 15
AMELIA
A melia sat back on the couch and tucked her legs beneath her. It felt strange to talk to Liam here, in the living room instead of his study, and despite his assuredness a few moments ago, he didn’t exactly seem ready to dive into conversation. They sat in silence for a few long moments. Amelia didn’t want to push Liam to talk, even though she was burning with curiosity.
Finally, Liam sighed. “All right. I know I don’t look great in this story, but it’s important that you know.”
There was another pause, and Amelia decided that he might be waiting for her to say something.
“I agree. It’s important for me to know because it’ll be important for Grace to know, someday, the story of where she came from. And it’s important for her now to be able to talk about her mother, which is hard for me to do, since there’s a lot I don’t know.”
“I agree. And that’s on me.” Liam sighed once again. “Okay. Grace’s mother is — was — a woman by the name of Cora Matthews. Cora and I weren’t in a relationship, by any means, and that wasn’t something that either of us wanted. We were both clear about that. We had… fun together, and that was all.” Liam winced slightly at the word “fun” and glanced at Amelia, as if to gauge her reaction. Amelia kept her face neutral. There was nothing wrong with Liam having enjoyed casual relationships, especially since it sounded like it had been mutually casual.
It wasn’t even a problem if Liam was having casual relationships now. It wasn’t like Amelia had any claim on his heart. The thought was painful, but Amelia knew it was for the best to face facts. If Liam’s style was casual flings, they would be an even worse match than she’d thought. Amelia hadn’t dated much, but she knew that when she did, she’d want something real and long-term.
“Anyway. Cora and I saw each other off and on for a month or so. I’m ashamed to admit that neither of us knew many personal details about the other. Then, the relationship ended — not in any major way; we just drifted apart. I never heard from her again.”
“Wait.” Amelia had to clarify this. “Never? Not even when she found out she was pregnant?”
“No.” Liam shook his head. “Cora never told me that she was expecting. I had no idea that Grace existed.”
The whole world shifted on its axis. If Liam hadn’t known about Grace, he wasn’t an absentee father anymore. How could he have been present in Grace’s life if he hadn’t known she existed? Sympathy flooded Amelia, replacing the disregard she’d felt before. It wasn’t Liam’s fault that he didn’t know how to raise a two-year-old — he hadn’t been given the chance to find out. Amelia tried to imagine how difficult it must have been for him to learn that he had a daughter and take full custody of her, all as a complete surprise.
“Are you… I mean, I don’t wish to speak ill of the dead, but are you mad at Cora? For not telling you, I mean?”
“Not at all. I can’t blame her for not telling me. I was clear that I wasn’t looking for anything serious and that I wasn’t interested in marriage or kids at all. I imagine she felt that if she told me, I wouldn’t have reacted well — and she was probably right. On top of that, I would have been an absolutely clueless father. You’ve seen how much I struggle to take care of Grace. That would have been even worse a few years ago.”
Amelia shook her head. “Liam, don’t say that. You aren’t clueless. Yes, you still have a lot to learn, but I’ve seen how you care for Grace. And I’ve seen how she looks at you. You might not have been ready to be a father, two months ago or a few weeks ago, but you’re doing a wonderful job now.”
“Thanks to you.”
The words warmed Amelia’s heart, but she shook her head again. “No, thanks to you . You decided to be a father to Grace, and I can see it working.”
Liam inclined his head. “I am trying.”
There was a pause.
“If you don’t mind me asking, though… why did you tell Cora you didn’t want kids or marriage?”
“Because it’s true. Or… it was true. I don’t know.” Liam ran a hand through his hair. “Now that Grace is in my life, I love her, and I can’t imagine being without her. But I always knew I was better off not having a family.”
The affection and sympathy Amelia had been feeling soured slightly. “Because your job is more important?”
“Partially. But also because family is, well, a fickle thing.”
“What do you mean?” Liam had always avoided talking about his family, but this time, he didn’t change the subject. At least, not right away.
“I’ve told you that I was an only child, right?”
“Yes.”
“My parents had me too young. There’s nothing wrong with young parents, but mine were young enough that their parents disowned them when they had me. They moved into a trailer park, because that was all they could afford. My father worked long hours at a steel mill in town, and my mother had several jobs as a maid and a waitress, all cobbled together. They were trying to keep the family afloat, but it was hard. As soon as I was old enough, I got a job, too.”
“How old were you?” Amelia’s voice was hushed.
“When I got my first paper route, seven. I built from there. There aren’t many places that’ll hire a kid, even if they pay under the table, but I found every opportunity I could. Whatever I earned went to my parents, and they spent it — on food and clothes, but also on alcohol and lottery tickets. My parents loved me, but they also resented me, I think. It was because of me that they had to live the life they did.”
“No.” Amelia shook her head firmly. “It wasn’t your fault for being born.” As if of its own accord, her hand reached across the sofa and rested on Liam’s. His hand shifted beneath hers and, for a moment, she thought he was pulling away. But then he rested his warm, large palm against hers and threaded his fingers between hers.
“I know that,” he said. “And I think my parents do, too. But it was a difficult childhood. That’s when I realized that love isn’t enough. Financial security means a good job, a warm house, enough food, and new clothes when they’re needed. I knew I needed to prioritize financial security over family, because I couldn’t put another child through life in a home where they felt guilty just for being alive.”
Amelia squeezed Liam’s hand. Her heart went out to the little boy he’d been, sitting in a trailer somewhere feeling responsible for his family’s struggles.
“What happened next?” she asked softly. “I mean, how did you go from being a little boy in a struggling family to” — she made a sweeping gesture meant to encompass the penthouse and Liam himself — “this?”
“I think I told you already about how I went to college based on scholarships,” Liam began. “I studied hard and saved as much as I could. I finished college in three years with a degree in business and went straight to work. While I had my first office job, I got my MBA online at the same time. There were many years of long nights and hard work, scrimping and saving every penny I could. And then, suddenly, I didn’t have to anymore.”
“After all that work, you’re more than financially secure now,” Amelia pointed out. “Haven’t your feelings on family changed?”
There was a long pause. Amelia’s heart began to beat faster. This felt like a very important moment. She wanted to believe that she was tense on Grace’s behalf, but there was a selfish component, too. If Liam felt ready for a family, maybe she would have a part in it.
“Maybe. It’s hard, though. I saw how financial struggles and the stress of parenthood pitted my parents against each other. And I know how hard I have to work to maintain the empire I’ve built. I don’t think it would be fair to a wife or children. Grace is here now, and I love her, and I’m going to do right by her, but more family than that… it’s hard to say.”
Amelia felt a flood of disappointment, but she cut it off quickly. Liam wasn’t saying he wouldn’t ever be ready for a family of his own, just that he wasn’t sure. It was a huge change from the man she’d met a few weeks ago who’d only wanted a fake wife. Maybe things were moving in the right direction.
“What about your parents?” Amelia asked. “What are they doing now?” She knew she was asking a lot of questions, probably too many, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to finally get some answers. Liam was opening up for the first time since she’d met him. This might never happen again.
“After I started to have some money, I bought them a house,” Liam admitted. “And I gave them some money, enough that they don’t have to work anymore. But we aren’t in touch. My parents are enjoying finally having some time to themselves, and I’m not really a part of that.”
His tone was casual, but Amelia could hear a world of feeling behind his words. It must be terrible to feel so abandoned by one’s own parents. Amelia’s parents would stand by her no matter what; she knew it. She still saw her father almost every week, though less now that she was “married” to Liam and caring for Grace. Even if they went years without seeing each other, though, Amelia knew he would always welcome her back with open arms — just like how Amelia still loved her mother deeply, even though she’d been gone for almost a decade.
“I am so sorry.” Amelia squeezed Liam’s hand again. “I can’t even imagine.”
“It’s all right.”
“No, it isn’t. Children should always feel loved and should never feel like a burden. I know your parents must have had a hard life, trying to make ends meet, but they should have made time for you, too.”
“I don’t think it was that easy. But I appreciate you saying so.” Liam ran his thumb over the back of Amelia’s hand, the way he had in the car at the zoo. Amelia felt a shiver run up her arm.
“Still. I hope you know now that you didn’t do anything wrong as a child.”
“I know.”
Amelia was pushing her luck, but she had to say this while she had a chance. “And neither did Grace.”
Liam’s thumb stilled and he lifted his gaze from their hands to her eyes. “I know that.”
“So, don’t be like your parents. Keep doing what you’re doing now — not just for the barbecue, but forever. Show Grace how much she matters.”
Amelia thought Liam might be upset, but he just nodded slowly. His lips parted.
“Will you help me?”
“Of course.” Amelia said the words with so much feeling that she surprised even herself.
“I know we’ve planned to keep our arrangement short, but if Grace needs you, if I need you, will you stay?”
Amelia didn’t hesitate. “I will. I’ll stay as long as you both need me.” Because I might just need you, too.
Liam gave Amelia’s hand one last squeeze, then let it go. “It’s getting late. We should both get some sleep before tomorrow.”
“We should.” Amelia got to her feet as Liam released her hand. “Good night, Liam.”
“Good night, Amelia.”
She walked to the door but hesitated in the doorframe, torn. Then she turned back. “Liam?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you. For telling me all that.”
“It was nice… to tell someone. Thank you for listening.”
With that, Amelia left.
In her bed that night, tucked into her blankets and with the moonlight painting a broad path across the dark ceiling, Amelia struggled to sleep. She kept thinking of what Liam had told her.
She’d been wrong about him. He wasn’t some selfish billionaire who cared only about his wallet and his reputation. There was a lot more to him, more than Amelia had seen before.
And with that realization came another. Amelia had managed to keep her feelings for Liam walled off, mostly by reminding herself that this arrangement was temporary and that he wasn’t a very good father. But now that he’d asked her to stay, now that he’d opened up about his past — those walls were starting to crumble.
When she’d taken this job, Amelia had told herself that she needed to be careful. She’d wanted to focus on the child in her care, not on the mysterious man who’d hired her. It was too late now, though. Her crush had officially expanded into something else, something deeper. Something more permanent.
Amelia was scared. Liam had told her himself that he hadn’t wanted a family and that he had preferred casual relationships. Yet she was hopeful, too. Maybe, with time, he would see that some things, some people, were more important than the wounds of his past.