I downed my first glass of water, and then filled the cup to take with me to the bedroom. With it in hand, I headed in the direction of the hallway. Just as I passed by the couch, Noah’s voice stopped me.
“Have a good night,” he said.
I turned to locate him. It was dark and, at first, I could only see the outline of his body on the couch. He was laying on his back with his arm propped up behind his head. I studied him, his features barely visible in the dim moonlight coming in through the window. His eyes were hidden in the shadows, but I could feel his stare.
“You too,” I whispered, my body warming once more. There was something about his presence. Something about the way he looked at me. It both confused and exhilarated me.
I inwardly shook my head. This was Noah we were talking about. I was just upset and out of sorts, that was why I was having these kinds of reactions to him. We weren’t destined to be together. We weren’t destined to be anything.
He was in my life because he had to be. Not because he wanted to be.
I was a poor, confused widow who couldn’t seem to get that through her head.
I didn’t wait for him to say anything more. I just nodded and then continued through the living room to the hall. Once I was safe behind the bedroom door, I let out my breath.
I was so excited to go to bed. I needed sleep.
When I woke up tomorrow, I was going to feel like a new woman. All of these confusing feelings about Noah and William and dating would be gone. I would be back to being the normal, level-headed Emery.
I missed her, and I was ready for her to return.
23
SABRINA
I shifted against the mattress the next morning, my eyes slowly fluttering open. I stared up at the ceiling and took in a few deep breaths. Thankfully, my sharp headache from last night had dissipated into a dull ache. My body no longer felt like I was stuck in quicksand. It just felt heavy. My immune system seemed to have conquered whatever bug had invaded last night.
I tipped my head to the right to find that side of the bed was empty. I frowned. I could have sworn Liam had lain with me last night…or maybe that had been a dream.
I blinked and turned my head to the left. Samuel was still passed out in his bassinet, which I was grateful for. I needed a few extra minutes to fully wake up.
I relaxed my head back into the pillow as I focused on the ceiling once more. Last night’s events rolled through my mind. The gala. Samuel’s poop-splosion, Liam coming into the bathroom with me, and then seeing him with Katie.
My stomach sank at that memory. It wasn’t the fact that he was close to Katie—she was his daughter’s mother. Of course they had a history. What affected me the most was seeing him wrap his arms around her. The look of pure love and contentment that passed over her face as she held onto him like she was never going to let him go.
It broke my heart in more ways than one.
I originally had every intention of sticking the gala out. I was determined to be the dedicated assistant that I’d promised Liam I would be. But after the hug, nausea hit me out of nowhere, and I allowed myself to go back to the hotel.
He had Katie. She would take care of him. I needed to get home and get to bed.
I’d never expected to wake up to a live performance of one of Drifter’s songs, and I would have never guessed in a million years that Liam was Drifter.
Looking back with 20/20 vision, I should have picked up on that. The inflections in his voice were now so obvious. The way his tone changed based on his mood. I was never going to be able to un-hear Liam’s voice when I listened to Drifter’s songs, and I wasn’t quite sure whether that was a good thing or not.
I reached out with my right hand and felt around the bed. I knew he wasn’t there, but I was desperate to confirm that last night had been real. Did he sleep next to me? Or was I so delusional that I’d hallucinated him pulling me close.
I pulled my hand back and pinched the bridge of my nose. No matter what happened last night, reality this morning was as stark as the noonday sun. Liam may have lay with me last night, but he wasn’t here now. And that meant something—even if I didn’t want it to mean what I feared it did.
I slowly blew out my breath and pulled my blankets back. If I was going to get ready without interruptions, I needed to get moving. It was only a matter of time before Samuel woke up.
I was showered and dressed in twenty minutes flat. Samuel was still passed out when I ran a brush through my damp hair and flipped off the bathroom light. Grateful for more time to myself, I headed out into the living room, half expecting to see Liam sleeping on the couch.
But he wasn’t there.
I frowned as I scanned the suite. Where was he?
I walked over to the window and peered down at the street below. Did he go to get breakfast? Was there a rehearsal I didn’t know about?
