“Okay, sorry about that. I’ll knock and wait next time. Um, I just came to see when we’re leaving because Sandy wants Elodie and me to come over this afternoon.” I smile because if I’m honest with myself, I want to leave as soon as possible. I can’t wait to be close to the lake again, and to go see Sandy every morning at The Grounds. And I want to smell the pine trees and sit on the deck with a book. I look to Liam for his thoughts on timing, though. He double checks his watch before answering.
“There’s a cleaning crew there right now, so I think let’s plan to leave in a couple hours, give them time to do their thing?” I nod in agreement.
“Does that work?” I ask Caroline.
“Totally. I’ll go tell Elodie to start packing, and then you’re cool if we go to Sandy’s?”
“Absolutely,” I tell her.
She turns around to leave, but shouts over her shoulder, “You guys could also lock your door, too!” My cheeks turn bright pink now because there’s a part of me thatdoeswant to lock the doorright now. I look over at Liam, and he’s wearing a shit-eating grin.
“I swear, it feels like you plan this. I was just about to tell you I don’t want my family to know aboutthis,” I motion between the two of us, “but that’s out the window now.” He reaches out to pull me back into his embrace.
“Baby, we’re adults. Sleeping in the same room. With one bed. They would’ve figured it out.”
“I know. But can we not do obsessive PDA in front of them? The girls have only ever seen me romantically with their dad, and now we’re all just moving into your house, and I feel like I’m really fucking up their lives.” He brushes my hair out of my face with both hands.
“You’re not fucking them up, okay? I talked with the girls about how much I love and care about you, and how I just want to take care of all of you, including them and the baby. I also told them I wouldn’t rush anything, but that I needed you guys close so I can do that.” He gives a small laugh, “They’re so fucking smart, just like you. They understand.”
“When did you talk to them?”
“In the hospital, while I was getting coffee.”
“So before the doctor even recommended having someone with me during the day?”
“Yes.” He’s shameless, but I laugh. “Also, you should be proud, they drove a hard bargain.”
“Oh, that’s all Damian’s doing. Not mine.”
“Speaking of, he’s the only one I haven’t talked to.”
“Yeah, he texted me he couldn’t make it back until Wednesday at the earliest, so I’m not really worried about his situation.” Liam breaks out into a big smile. “What?”
“So you’re telling me you had an extra bed last night, and you didn’t tell me? Were you hoping to seduce me, Britain?” His tone is teasing, but I blanch.Fuck. Why didn’t I think of thatlast night? My subconscious knows why, though. It’s because I wanted him in my bed. Plain and simple.
Jess and all the girls are in my SUV, driving behind Liam and me up to his house. It’s the strangest thing to be able to fall right back into this level of ease and comfort in his presence, but somehow, I do. He has that effect on me. He absolutely makes my blood boil with lust, but when it’s just the two of us, I feel at peace and relaxed. I look down at where his hand hasn’t left my leg the entire drive, making me smile.
“Why do you have stitches?” He doesn’t move his hand away, just answers me.
“About that…your mirror, at the house…I ordered you a new one, but until it gets here, you can use my sink, okay?”
“You punched a mirror?!” What the hell?
“I’d just found out that you were pregnant, and that I’d missed everything that happened at Colton’s, and I was furious with myself over leaving. I’m sorry.” I nod.
“Um, so how did you find out that I was pregnant? You just decided to check your messages or something?” He squeezes my leg.
“You aren’t going to believe this, but it was actually Tori.” A cold shiver snakes up my spine at the mention of her name, but I don’t say anything, waiting for him to explain. “She came to tell me that you and Matt were together, to rub it in my face. And also,” he takes a deep breath, “she’s the reason why you’re pregnant.”THE FUCK?
“EXCUSE ME?”
“When she broke into the apartment, she went through and poked holes in all our condoms.”
“Uh,thatis the mostinsaneshit I have ever heard. That’s not real, right? Like she just made that up to screw with you?”
“No, I checked the ones we still had, and they all had holes in them.” I feel sick to my stomach.
“I got pregnant because a psychopath wanted revenge for losing her job?”
