Chapter Sixteen – Liam #2
“Yes, and I didn’t have any reason not to believe her.
We’d had sex the night before the split, so I believed her when she said the baby was mine.
I had already bought the space for The Muddled Moose and was going to push that onto the back burner when Hope insisted we move to Moose Village and raise our baby.
I was thrilled at the idea of moving back home and being closer to my family.
Hope’s only worry was my mother. I’m sure you noticed how she treated Hope.
She never did care for her, from the very beginning, and she never attempted to not let her know, no matter how many times I told her to stop treating my wife like utter shit.
Anyway, that’s a whole other story. After I found the paperwork, I confronted Hope, and she admitted to everything.
I then told her I wanted a divorce. I also told her I wasn’t in love with her anymore.
I did tell her that I wanted Winnie in my life and that, as far as I was concerned, I was her father.
She agreed, and that was that. She didn’t seem the least bit bothered by my confession of not loving her.
Or at least it appeared that way. But then you started showing up with Cadie more, and I felt this attraction toward you that I had never felt before.
Hope clearly saw it as well but never said anything. ”
“Then she got the news of her cancer,” she softly said.
“Yeah. I was filled with so much guilt, I obviously withdrew my petition for divorce. My mother was furious, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave Hope to fight that on her own.”
“And Winnie?”
“That was a no-brainer. She’s mine. And I told Hope that. I was there the day she was born. I held her and instantly fell in love with her, and I planned on raising her regardless of whether we shared the same DNA or not.”
Aurora sniffled. “Liam, I don’t know what to say. This is a lot of information to take in and process.”
I smiled and took her hand in mine. “There’s more. I need to get it all out.”
She nodded. “O…okay.”
Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled. “I started to develop strong feelings for you after the cancer diagnosis. I tried like hell to ignore it. I told myself a million different things to talk myself out of what I was feeling. Hope eventually confronted me, and I told her she was wrong, but she didn’t believe me.
That was when she started to push you away. ”
Her eyes went wide. “That’s why? I thought she was upset with me for spending time with Winnie.”
“She was upset about that as well. I mean, the cancer was really messing with her at that point, and she was angry all the time about everything. She tried to hide it around friends, but it’s why she pushed nearly everyone away.”
Aurora shook her head in confusion. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“Because if it hadn’t been for your friendship, Aurora, I’m not sure I would have made it.
Hope started to get mean and would accuse me of sleeping with you and other women constantly.
I couldn’t blame her; I had asked her for a divorce twice.
I told her she was wrong, but she wouldn’t believe me.
Things just got worse as we grew closer to the end. ”
Aurora blinked a few times. “Is that why you stopped going with me to take Winnie places?”
“Part of the reason, yes.”
“Part of the reason?”
“I was scared and filled with guilt about my growing feelings toward you. And when Hope died, I was overcome with grief because I was relieved. As terrible as that makes me sound, I was relieved. You kept coming around, and I wanted you desperately.”
“Which added to your guilt.”
I nodded. “I felt like I had betrayed her, cheated on her, and that’s why I pushed you away by accusing you of trying to take Hope’s place.
I didn’t know any other way of getting some distance between us.
I was deeply confused when Hope passed away.
She made me promise things and I kept those promises because I thought I owed it to her.
Now I see I was so wrong for doing that.
I’m so sorry that I caused you pain because I couldn’t be honest with myself or with you. ”
Aurora stood, took a few steps away, and slowly turned back to me.
“I’m as much to blame, Liam. I think I started to develop feelings for you as well but never wanted to admit it.
Then, when we started to become friends again, those feelings grew, and I denied them so much that I was shocked when Harper, Brystol, and Cadie confronted me about them.
Well, maybe I was more shocked I hadn’t hidden my feelings very well. ”
I smiled.
“I didn’t think you could love me, and I felt foolish for evening daring to dream you might.”
I quickly stood. “You’re not a fool, Aurora. I was scared and confused, and still feeling guilty about Hope. I felt like I needed to do what she asked because what kind of asshole falls for another woman while his wife is dying of cancer?”
Her mouth opened, then quickly shut.
“I know I’m dropping a lot on you, and I’m not asking you for anything. I just thought you deserved the truth.”
She turned away from me and wrapped her arms around her waist. When she didn’t say anything, I went to sit down, but she turned, and I quickly stood back up.
“What do we do from here?”
My heart started to pound in my chest. Was she going to give us a chance? Please, God, let her say she’s going to give us a chance. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep myself from touching her.
“My friendship with you means the world to me, Aurora, and I don’t want to lose it, even though I’ve screwed up a few times already. However, I don’t want to deny these feelings any longer. It’s not fair to you or to me.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to lose your friendship, but I also don’t want to ignore this thing we have between us any longer.”
“I want to give this a chance. This connection between us is not going away, Aurora. Not for me at least.”
She chewed on her lower lip before releasing it. “I think we should go slow.”
“We can go as slow as you want.”
“I do want that.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I mean, I want…I…want. It’s just…”
With her eyes still closed, I made my way to her, cupped her face in my hands and leaned down to kiss her once again.
Aurora wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned into me.
The feel of her body against mine felt like a high, and I wanted to lift her into my arms and take her up to my bed.
Instead, I deepened the kiss, which caused her to moan, the sound vibrated through my entire body and made my dick hard as rock.
When we broke apart, I leaned my forehead to hers. Suddenly, everything in my life seemed on even ground once again. The guilt wasn’t there. It had been replaced by bone-aching desire. It almost hurt not to touch her more.
“Did I say we should go slow?” Aurora whispered.
Laughing, I drew back and met her gaze. Her eyes looked hooded and dark, and it was all I could do not to take her right on my living room sofa.
“Yes, you did.”
She exhaled. “What is your definition of slow? And can we grandfather in all the months that have passed?”
I took her hand in mine and led her back to the sofa. “Well, we could keep kissing. That’s slow.”
“Yes, that was nice. Very nice.”
I grinned. “A little bit of foreplay, I think, is okay since it’s been months.”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
My dick was getting harder just thinking about touching Aurora.
She laughed. “I can totally tell where your mind is going right now, Liam.”
“Can you?”
“You’re probably thinking the same thing that I am.”
“And that is?”
She crawled on top of my lap and pressed down, causing us both to moan. “Forget going slow and just take me to your bedroom.”
I grabbed her hips and lifted up, pressing my cock into her. The friction caused by our clothes made her drop her head back and let out a moan that nearly had me coming in my pants like a fourteen-year-old.
“Liam,” she gasped, her hands digging into my shoulders.
“Fuck, Aurora, I have been dreaming of this for months.”
I pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Her body was beautiful, and my mouth watered at the thought of taking her nipples into my mouth.
Reaching up, she pulled her bra down, exposing the rose-colored hard nipples. I leaned forward and took one in my mouth as she rocked faster against me.
“Liam. Don’t stop.”
I sucked and licked one nipple while pinching the other with my finger.
Her breathing increased, and the little moans she let out were nearly my undoing.
“Yes. Oh God. I need more.”
Flipping her over onto the sofa, I quickly pulled her shorts off and slid my hand into her panties. When I slipped a finger between her lips, I closed my eyes and moaned her name.
“Aurora, you’re soaking wet.”
She bucked her hips. “Too slow, Liam. This is too slow.”
Smiling, I leaned down and took her nipple into my mouth as I inserted my fingers inside her and worked her clit with my thumb.
“Yes,” she whispered, digging her nails into my back. “Oh God. Liam, I’m going to come.”
When I felt her insides pulse around my fingers, I nearly stopped to take off my pants and push inside her, but tonight was for Aurora.
She cried out my name, and I captured those cries with my mouth as she rode against my hand.
When she finally stopped moving, both of us were breathing like we had just ran a race.
Aurora opened her eyes and we stared at each other for a few moments.
“I want you, Liam.” She shook her head. “No, I need to feel you inside me.”
I swallowed hard. Why was I suddenly so nervous?
“Are you on the pill?”
She blinked a few times. “Um, no. I don’t suppose you would have any reason to have any condoms?”
I laughed. “No. I can pull out, if you’re okay with that.”
She nodded vigorously. “I’m totally okay with that.”
I sat up, bringing her with me.
“You’re sure about this?”
When she bit down on her lip and nodded, I jumped up.
Tossing her over my shoulder, I was about to spring to my bedroom when I heard Winnie call out in a near scream.
Aurora froze, then hit me to let her down. “Winnie needs you.”
“Rora!” Winnie’s voice cried through the monitor.
With wide eyes, she asked, “How does she know I’m still here?”
I shrugged as I said, “I’m not sure. I didn’t think we were that loud.”
Aurora quickly adjusted her bra and slipped her shirt over her head.
I took her hand in mine and we headed up to Winnie’s bedroom. When I opened the door all the way, Winnie was sitting up.
“What’s wrong, angel?” I asked, making my way to her.
“Pewey.”
Perry had somehow gotten lost.
“Here he is,” Aurora said, tucking the stuffed moose in next to Winnie.
I was about to get up when Winnie said, “Don’t go, Daddy.”
Glancing up at Aurora, she smiled and was about to leave when Winnie said her name. “Rora, sleep.”
There was conflict in Aurora’s eyes, or at least I thought there was.
“Are you sure?”
“Just until she drifts off,” I said.
With a nod, she slid in next to Winnie, who settled in between the two of us. Aurora kissed her forehead and adjusted Perry.
Winnie reached for a piece of Aurora’s hair and started to slide it through her fingers.
She let out a contented sigh and closed her eyes.
When Aurora’s eyes met mine over my daughter’s head, we both smiled.
Somehow, this felt so damn right. Hope had been a good mother and had tried her best to give Winnie everything, but she also kept her at a strange distance.
She wouldn’t have ever snuggled up in bed with her; it was always me who did it.
I never understood why Hope was that way.
Maybe in some strange way, Hope knew she wouldn’t be here long enough for Winnie.
I pushed those thoughts from my head and watched as Winnie drifted off to sleep. The kitten soon made an appearance and lay on Aurora’s hip, quickly dozing off.
Even though I would have given anything to spend the evening with Aurora naked in my arms, the three of us lying under the stars on Winnie’s ceiling seemed to be even better.
“You know we’re going to fall asleep here, don’t you?” I whispered.
Giggling, Aurora whispered back, “If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you up.”
I winked as I laced my hand with hers over Winnie’s head. Before I knew it, both of my girls were sleeping peacefully.
My girls.
Forever and always.