16. Liam
CHAPTER 16
LIAM
L iam had worried that it might be awkward, seeing Amelia in the light of day after his confessions the night before. What if she judged him or wanted to keep her distance? But the next morning, when he arrived in the kitchen after his run, he found a familiar, happy sight. As they did every morning, Amelia and Grace were preparing breakfast. Grace was mixing a big bowl of eggs, while Amelia chopped veggies and fried bacon.
Grace spotted Liam first and called out a cheery, “Good mowning!”
“Good morning.” Liam stepped into the kitchen. As he did, Amelia turned around, and her face broke into a beautiful smile. Her hair was up in a messy bun and there was a streak of egg on her apron, but she’d never looked more gorgeous.
“Good morning,” she said. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.” In truth, Liam hadn’t slept well. He’d lain awake long into the night, thinking about what Amelia had said. She’d been right. He needed to prioritize his daughter. And he needed to be open to the possibility of something more — a real family, the kind he’d never imagined having. “And you?”
“I slept great. I was just telling Grace what to expect from today’s barbecue.”
“Lotsa people,” Grace said excitedly. “Food. Kids.”
“Exactly.” Liam crossed the kitchen to his daughter, who was standing on a special booster stool for toddlers. Amelia’s words from last night echoed in his mind as he bent forward and kissed the top of Grace’s fair head. She smelled like baby shampoo. When he raised his head, he saw that Amelia was looking at him, a smile on her face. She gave him a little nod, then turned back to the stove to check on the bacon.
Liam’s heart warmed. He smiled at Grace, who beamed up at him with her toothy little grin, then joined in the breakfast-making.
They ate breakfast together at the dining room table. They had done the same the weekend before, and on a few weekday mornings before Liam left for work, and it was starting to feel like a ritual. Grace tried her best to use her plastic toddler cutlery, but ended up using her fingers to pick up a slice of bacon, chewing with glee.
Amelia and Liam exchanged an amused glance.
“Should we have gone over table manners before the barbecue?” Liam asked.
“Nah. This is normal behavior for toddlers, so if this Stanley is as much of a family guy as you say, he’ll be used to it. Plus, it’s a barbecue. Everyone eats with their hands.”
“Fair enough.” Liam took a bite of his eggs. “Are you nervous?”
“No. I was nervous about pretending to be a couple in front of a guy who might actually notice that we aren’t — but only when we first began planning. Now, I think we’re ready. We look like a real family.”
“We sure do.” Liam smiled at her, and she smiled back.
After breakfast, Liam helped Grace into a pair of pink shorts and a white T-shirt, at her request, before they met Amelia at the door.
“White?” Amelia asked as she helped Grace into her shoes. “That’s going to be just a tiny bit messy.”
“Oops.” Liam felt sheepish. “Should she change?”
“No!” Grace exclaimed. “No change.”
“No change,” Amelia repeated with a wink. “Let’s head out.”
Stanley’s ranch was about an hour’s drive away. Liam expected to make the drive in one stretch, but he quickly realized that any car journey with a toddler wouldn’t be that easy. They had to stop twice, once so that Grace could use the bathroom and once so that she could stretch her legs at a park she’d spotted. Luckily, they’d left with plenty of time to spare, so they arrived outside Stanley’s ranch right on time.
“Wow,” Amelia breathed from the passenger seat. Liam had to agree. The ranch was marked by a huge arching gate, across which the words Jefferson Family Ranch were carved in an ornate script. Beyond the gate, Liam and Amelia could see a one-lane access road curving through a line of cherry trees and up a small hill to what could only be described as an enormous mansion. It had a huge porch as well as several balconies, whitewashed walls, and red shutters. In front of the mansion, Liam spotted a large lap pool and a cluster of people on a patio.
“Just how rich is this guy?” Amelia asked as they pulled up to the intercom.
“Who knows,” Liam said, although he had a pretty good idea. This was the kind of place Liam could afford as well, though he’d never been interested in a sprawling ranch outside the city. It would be too far from the office and too big for just him.
If it wasn’t just him, though…
He lowered the window and pressed a button on the intercom. It crackled to life.
“Liam, is that you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Come right in. Just drive up the road — I think you can figure out where to go.”
“I think I can,” Liam replied with a chuckle. The gates buzzed, then slowly swung open. Liam closed the window and navigated the car up the one-lane road. The trees above them were decked out with ruby-red cherries that made Liam’s mouth water. Perhaps there would be a chance for a cherry-picking expedition later.
The thought was so foreign that Liam almost couldn’t recognize it. He’d never wanted to go fruit-picking before — it had always sounded like a waste of time. But now, a few hours in an orchard with Amelia and Grace was appealing. Very appealing. Liam gave himself an internal shake. Had his priorities really shifted so much that he’d rather pick berries with Amelia and Grace than go into the office and get things done? That was a problem. A big problem.
Now wasn’t the time to resolve it, though, because they were pulling into the parking area. Stanley strode across the lawn to meet them, wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and looking for all the world like a regular guy.
“I’ve never seen him out of a suit before,” Liam told Amelia in a soft voice. “This is very strange.”
“It’s probably the first time he’s seen you out of a suit, too,” Amelia pointed out. “Plus, you’re one of those rare guys who actually looks better out of a suit.”
Liam glanced down at his shorts and button-down and wasn’t sure if he agreed, but it was kind of Amelia to say.
“Right. Well, let’s do this.”
They piled out of the car. Liam went to Stanley and shook his hand while Amelia circled the car to Grace’s seat and helped the little girl out of the buckles.
“It’s good to see you, Liam,” Stanley said. His handshake was as firm and businesslike as always, but his eyes were warm. “Thanks for making the time to come out to my humble abode.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Liam said smoothly. “Stanley Jefferson, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Amelia… Bradshaw and our daughter, Grace.”
It felt strange to introduce Amelia with his last name. That was something they should have talked about, but despite all their late-night talks and time spent together, it somehow hadn’t come up.
“Nice to meet you both.” Stanley held out a hand to Amelia, who shifted Grace to her other hip so that she could take it. Amelia was smiling her usual beautiful smile, and if she looked a little flustered, Liam was almost certain he was the only one who could tell. As if he’d done it a thousand times, he stepped closer to her and rested a hand against her lower back in comfort.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Amelia said. “And can I say, what a lovely family you have.”
Liam looked past Stanley to the small herd of children who were splashing around in the pool, and the pretty woman — Stanley’s wife, Laurie — manning the barbecue. Liam cast his memory back to the kids’ names — Thomas, Briana, Summer, and Patrick. He wasn’t sure which kid was which, though.
“Thank you.” Stanley smiled. “And you must be Grace. Hi, there.”
Grace buried her face in Amelia’s shoulder in a fit of nerves, and the adults chuckled.
“She’s shy, but she’ll warm up,” Amelia said, rubbing Grace’s back.
“I hope we’ll be able to make her feel welcome. Please, follow me.”
Stanley led the way across the lawn towards the patio. Liam fell back to walk beside Amelia.
“All good?” he asked quietly.
“So far,” Amelia said. She flashed Liam a grin. “Stanley seems really nice.”
“He is — now that he knows about you. When he thought I was just a money-obsessed bachelor, he was much more distant.”
“I can’t blame him,” Amelia muttered. Liam let out a chuckle, hardly able to believe his ears.
“Hey. I wasn’t that bad.”
“Sure…” Amelia made a joking face, and Liam chuckled.
“Liam, Amelia, Grace, let me introduce you to my wife, Laurie, and our kids, Summer, Briana, Patrick, and Thomas.”
The kids popped out of the pool to wave and call their hellos. Liam and Amelia waved back. Liam estimated that the kids ranged in age from eight or nine to around fifteen.
“It’s lovely to meet you.” Laurie put down the barbecue tongs she’d been holding and came to shake Liam’s hand and give Amelia a quick hug. “Please, have a seat. Food will be on shortly.”
“It smells delicious,” Liam said appreciatively. He found a spot at a nearby picnic table and gestured for Amelia to sit. She did, Grace still wrapped protectively in her arms, and Liam sat beside her.
“Thank you. It’s an old family recipe — meat and heat,” Stanley joked. “We always grill up some vegetables, too, which the kids love. Right, kids?”
There were various shouts of distaste from the pool.
“Speaking of which, you guys should all get dried off for lunch,” Laurie called. There were some grumbles, but as one, the pack of kids scampered off towards the house. “Sorry about them. I told them to be presentable when you arrived, but it’s such a nice day that they couldn’t resist staying in the pool until the last minute.”
“I can’t blame them,” Liam said, chuckling.
“Neither can I,” Amelia said. “The pool does look lovely.”
“I should have told you to bring your suits,” Stanley said. “You’ll have to come back another time and take a dip.”
“I’m sure we can arrange some time for that,” Liam replied. He and Amelia exchanged a glance. This was going better than he’d dared to imagine.
“Poow?” Grace said. Her small head lifted from Amelia’s shoulder and she gave Liam a pleading look. “Poow?”
Liam felt a sting of panic. He wasn’t sure what his daughter was saying, which wouldn’t exactly look good. Luckily, Amelia was on top of it.
“Honey, we can’t go in the pool now,” she said gently. “We don’t have our suits with us.”
“Poow,” Grace repeated. Her small face hardened, and Liam felt the winds change. They were about thirty seconds away from a full-blown, screaming tantrum. Liam knew that tantrums were normal. He knew that Stanley and Laurie probably wouldn’t have any problem with Grace being a little fussy. But he still didn’t want his daughter to cry, especially not now.
“How about we dip your feet in?” Amelia suggested. “We can sit on the edge and your feet can go swimming.”
Grace seemed to consider, then nodded. “Poow.”
“Okay. We’ll be right back.” Amelia sent Liam and their hosts an apologetic glance, then got to her feet and carried Grace to the pool.
“We’re sorry about that,” Laurie said. “We shouldn’t have let the kids swim when Grace couldn’t.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Liam glanced over to where Amelia was taking off Grace’s shoes, then getting her settled on the side of the pool. Grace’s face had smoothed into an expression of wide-eyed excitement. “She looks like a happy camper now.”
“She’s really a sweetheart,” Laurie said. She pressed a hand to her chest. “It makes me nostalgic for the days when they’re so little. Our youngest is nine now, which is a great age, but not exactly a cuddly one. I hope you’re soaking up every minute with your little one.”
“I am,” Liam said. This time, it was true. He’d spent the last week enjoying every second with Grace — and with Amelia.
“Are you thinking of having more kids?” Stanley asked. “It’s nice to have them close in age, so they become playmates when they’re older.” As if on cue, the Jefferson children came running out of the house and tossed themselves onto the picnic tables. They were all red-faced from running and were grinning huge grins.
“Stanley,” Laurie chastised. “You can’t ask that.”
Liam chuckled. “Honestly, I thought I’d have my hands more than full with just one child, and I do, but I’ve started to wonder if more kids wouldn’t be so bad.”
In fact, the thought of a child who was half him and half Amelia wasn’t half bad. Liam gave himself another mental shake. This was the second time today his thoughts had drifted too far from his usual priorities.
“Can I play with your baby?” one of the Jefferson kids, an older girl Liam assumed was Briana, asked.
“You can go introduce yourself,” Liam said. “But Grace is a little shy.”
The girl nodded. “Okay. I’m good with kids.” She bounced to her feet and went to the pool, where she sat on Grace’s other side. As expected, Grace buried her head in Amelia’s side, but after a few moments she seemed to warm up to the older girl. A few minutes later, Grace was riding piggyback on Briana’s back as the two of them pranced around the yard. Amelia got up and returned to Liam with a shrug.
“It looks like Grace made a friend,” Liam said.
“She definitely did.” Amelia turned to Stanley. “Your daughter is really something special. Grace doesn’t always take kindly to strangers.”
“If you ever need a babysitter, Briana’s been asking,” Laurie said. “She watched a TV show about teenage babysitters, and she thinks it’s just about the coolest thing ever.”
“Well, she’s definitely a natural.” The adults all smiled at each other.
“It looks like we’re ready to eat,” Stanley said. “Who wants a burger and who wants a hot dog?”
The kids piped up with requests. Soon, they were all eating — and Liam had to admit that the food was delicious. He even found himself asking for a second burger.
After lunch, Stanley suggested a walk around the property. It was a beautiful sunny day, and everyone agreed that a stroll would be nice. The kids ran ahead, laughing and playing tag, while Grace toddled after them, giggling, excited to be part of the fun. The adults hung back, chatting about this and that, until Laurie threaded her arm through Amelia’s and pulled her off to look at her vegetable garden. Amelia shrugged at Liam, checked on Grace, then let herself be pulled away.
“I wanted a moment to talk to you. I hope that’s okay,” Stanley said. Liam’s heart began to beat faster. Stanley was either going to talk to him about his investment or call him out on his fake wife. The former was much more likely, but Liam couldn’t help feeling a hint of worry.
“Of course.”
“I just wanted to say, Liam, that you’ve surprised me. If I’m being honest, I was thinking about moving my investment to another company. The rumors about you, coupled with the fact that you seemed to have your eye only on the bottom line — it was worrying. But seeing you with your family changes all that. I hope that we can be not only business partners going forward, but also friends.”
“I’d love that,” Liam said. He could hardly believe this was happening. The afternoon was going even better than he’d expected. “I have to insist that we have you over for dinner next time.”
Stanley chuckled. “Be careful what you ask for. You’ve seen my kids.”
“I have. And they’re wonderful.” Liam hesitated. “I have to ask. You’re so successful, but it’s also clear how much you care about your family. How do you make time for both?”
“That’s a good question, and one I struggled with when I was your age. Like I told you, I used to spend much more time at the office than I do now. I didn’t see my wife or my kids as much as I wanted to. But Laurie sat me down, and she asked me what I could delegate. I could delegate so much of my work to competent people who would do a wonderful job, but I couldn’t delegate love or parenthood. That advice hit me hard and made me into the man I am today. I hope you can find that balance, too.”
Delegation. Could it really be so simple? Maybe so. Over the last week, Liam had given several important tasks to people at his company, to free up his time to get to know Grace. Despite Ryan’s annoyance, the company hadn’t burned to the ground. Perhaps Liam just needed to trust others to support him in business, so that he could spend more time with his daughter — and with Amelia.
Liam’s gaze drifted to Grace, who was giggling harder than ever as the older boy pretended to chase her in slow motion. His heart warmed at the sight of his daughter enjoying herself. Then his gaze drifted to Amelia, who was kneeling in the dirt beside Laurie, her hands full of tiny strawberries and her hair framing her face. Liam’s heart stirred at the sight of her. If he were brave enough, he could have a real future with Amelia — maybe. He’d seen the look in her eyes. He knew she might return his feelings.
“Thank you, Stanley. That’s very helpful.”
“Anytime.” Stanley clapped Liam on the shoulder. “I must say, you seem to be doing a good job. Your wife and daughter clearly love you.”
Liam couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but he nodded.
“I love them .”
And it was true. Liam loved his daughter more than he’d thought was possible. And he cared about Amelia, too, as strange and terrifying as that was.
The rest of the day flew by. Eventually, Grace began to get fussy with tiredness, and Amelia suggested that it might be time to head home. Liam and Amelia said their goodbyes and piled into the car, where Grace remained fussy in the backseat, and Amelia spent most of the drive twisted backwards in her seat, offering the child toys and snacks.
When they arrived home, Liam rested a hand on Amelia’s shoulder.
“I’ve got bedtime today.”
“You do?”
Liam nodded. “I do. How about you decide what we should have for second dinner while I get the little princess into bed?”
Grace was full, having eaten a second hot dog for dinner just before they left, but Liam was hungry and knew Amelia probably was, too.
“Okay. Good night, sweetheart.” Amelia leaned forward to kiss Grace’s cheek, then straightened up with a smile. “See you in a bit.”
Liam went through Grace’s bedtime, alone for the second time, with much more ease than the first time. Soon, Grace was clean and tucked into bed, her eyes growing heavy as Liam read her a story. Soon after that, he returned to the living room, where Amelia was sitting on the couch, flipping through something on her phone.
“Liam.” Her voice was warm. As he entered the room, she got to her feet and crossed to him. For a split second, Liam thought she was coming to kiss him, but then she lifted her hand for a high-five. Liam slapped his palm against hers with a smile. “We did it!”
“We did. You were amazing, Amelia. Even I almost thought you were really my wife.”
“I almost thought so too!” Amelia chuckled. “And Stanley seemed to buy it. I saw him pull you aside for a man-to-man chat.”
“Yeah. He told me he wanted a stronger relationship and gave me some marriage advice.” Liam raised his eyebrows. “He’s always been so formal and distant until now.”
“Well, you won him over. Great job!”
“It was definitely you who won him over. And Grace.”
“Grace did so well!” Amelia beamed. “I was so proud of her. She isn’t used to being around that many screaming kids, I think, but she seemed to take to the other kids easily.”
“I was proud of her, too. And I was proud of you. It couldn’t have been easy to pretend to be married to me all day.”
“Well…” Amelia blushed and looked down. “It wasn’t that hard. Like I said, it almost felt real, for a moment there…”
“It almost felt real for me, too.” The atmosphere in the room changed in a split second, like a thunderstorm coming on. The air between them was suddenly charged, and Liam was very aware that Amelia was only a few steps away. She’d changed from her dress into a pair of pajama pants with black polka dots on them and an overlarge black T-shirt. It was the most relaxed he’d ever seen her. Seeing Amelia like this, in the way she must sleep, felt far more intimate than any of their other interactions.
“Would it be so bad?” Amelia asked softly. “Being in a real family?” Her gaze was still directed down at her socks.
“Maybe not.” Liam’s voice was deeper and more gravelly than usual. “Today felt… nice.”
“Yeah?” At this, Amelia lifted her eyes to meet Liam’s gaze. Once again, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change. Liam felt a spark between them, so strong that he wouldn’t be surprised if a shock were to pass between them if they touched. Amelia’s eyes were such a beautiful brown. Her lips were so full and pink. Now, so close to her, Liam spotted a smattering of freckles across her soft cheeks.
“Yeah.” Liam stepped closer, just a fraction of an inch. They’d been this close before, but one of them had always pulled away. This time, neither of them moved. Slowly, he lifted one hand and ran his thumb along the curve of Amelia’s cheek. “You’re beautiful.”
She blushed, but didn’t look away.
A wild mix of emotions rushed through Liam. He was no stranger to kissing beautiful women, but kissing Amelia would be different. Very different. It could endanger their whole relationship and the bond she had with Grace. Or it could mean everything.
“Amelia,” Liam breathed.
“Liam.” Her voice was higher than usual and slightly breathless. Those pink lips were ever so slightly parted.
Slowly, giving Amelia plenty of time to pull away, Liam bent his head to hers. Instead of pulling away, though, Amelia tilted her head back and rose onto her toes, bringing her lips to meet Liam’s. The electricity between them crackled again as their lips brushed, sending an unprecedented wave of sensation rushing through Liam’s body. In that moment, he knew a kiss wasn’t going to be enough. Not nearly.
Yet, using all the self-control he could muster, he brushed his lips against Amelia’s once more, then pulled back. Her cheeks were more flushed than ever and her brown eyes were wide.
“If you don’t want this—” Liam began. He didn’t get a chance to finish, though, because Amelia wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer. Liam responded instinctively by putting his arms around her. Amelia’s curves were so soft against his chest, and her parted lips invited him in again.
Liam captured her mouth in another kiss. This time, he poured all he couldn’t say into the kiss — the feelings he couldn’t find the words to express, the fears that he was losing his focus, the intense pull he felt towards her. She responded by parting her lips to deepen the kiss.
Suddenly, Liam’s hands were under Amelia’s shirt, skimming across the smooth expanse of her back. Her skin was so soft, and touching her like this, kissing her until she moaned, had Liam wishing that this moment would never end.
Then Amelia’s hands were at the hem of his shirt, tugging, until Liam lifted his arms and the shirt came off. Emboldened, he slipped his hands under the hem of her pajama shirt, and she willingly let it slide off.
She was wearing nothing beneath.
Some part of Liam’s mind that wasn’t overcome with attraction to the beautiful, half-naked woman in front of him remembered that they were in a house with a child. He grabbed Amelia around the waist and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling them closer, and Liam carried her down the hall to his bedroom.
“This is the one room I haven’t made my mark on,” Amelia said breathlessly as Liam carried her in and set her on the bed. “It’s just like when I arrived — all gray walls and no personality.”
“I get the feeling you’ll leave your mark here yet,” Liam said. He kissed her again, and they fell back onto the bed. Liam paused, balanced above her, and took a mental picture of her in his bed, her beautiful blond hair splayed around her, her brown eyes wide, her lips inviting.
Then, for a long time, they were both far from rational thought.