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“Goodnight.”
Lilly rolled away from him and he went back to staring at the wall.
ChapterSix
“Ican’t believe how young you were when you became a father,” Lilly said as she and Liam strolled through Gold Medal Park with coffees in their hands.
Liam wasn’t a morning person. She had been showered and ready and had gone down to the lobby to eat the continental breakfast available there before Liam had managed to drag himself out of bed. Even then, he’d looked sleepy and grumpy and really damn sexy. He had moved around the room slowly, in just his shorts, completely lacking in self-consciousness, unlike her. She had been grateful she’d been able to sneak into the shower and get dressed before he was even conscious.
He still didn’t seem to be entirely awake. For a second, he just stared at his paper cup as if it would guide him through the day or the question or both.
But then he said, “I didn’t think so at the time. Now it does, in fact, seem insane.” He looked up at her and shrugged. “I wouldn’t change anything though. And Sloane turned out all right. I’m on the fence about Sullivan.”
That made her laugh. “Don’t be so hard on him. He’s grieving.”
“Don’t be so easy on him.” Liam took a sip of his coffee. “Do you want kids?” he asked.
The question caught her off guard, though she wasn’t sure why. It was a logical question to ask if he was thinking about the possibility of her and Sullivan together.
Why did the idea of having a baby with Sullivan seem completely ludicrous to her? They certainly spent a lot of time together taking care of Finn. Though truthfully, she tended to babysit Finn. The three of them didn’t really spend a lot of time all together.
But now, discussing any of it with Liam, Sullivan’s father, made her feel awkward. She was sorry she had raised the subject of parenthood.
“Yes, I want kids. Though I’m starting to feel the tick of my biological clock.”
“You still have time,” he said. “Don’t rush into anything.”
The park was lively on a warm summer day and there were families all around them, as well as single people running, biking, walking. There was a group of friends probably in their early twenties throwing a Frisbee around with a dog. They were sitting on a bench because Liam looked like he needed a minute. Or twelve.
“I love summer. Thank you for suggesting this. The park is perfect.” She was wearing a sundress and the warm air felt fantastic on her skin. Minnesota had a short summer and she was glad she was out enjoying it instead of cleaning her apartment or doing her laundry.
“It’s a little early for me, but I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
“It’s eleven,” she pointed out. “Not exactly the crack of dawn.”
“Says the woman who goes to bed at nine-thirty every night. I haven’t gone to bed before midnight in probably thirty years.”
Why did it suddenly feel like a downer that she and Liam didn’t seem to have much in common? Their schedules were different, their lifestyles were different. Presumably he was done having kids. Not that she knew that for certain, but it was probably likely.
Though why that mattered to her she had no idea.
“I’m kind of secretly an old lady,” she said. “Or maybe not so secretly. I would love to just wear a muumuu and a floppy hat with giant sunglasses on a beach in Florida.”
Liam laughed. “You would rock the shit out of a muumuu. I do love the beach. I don’t blame you for fantasizing about that.”
“Have you ever thought about being a snow bird?”
“It’s crossed my mind.”
“But?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It sounds a little lonely. I have family and friends here. I’d love to do a motorcycle ride from here to Florida but it would be more fun if a woman had her legs wrapped around mine for the trip.”
Lilly gave a nervous laugh. “I guess so.” Something about that comment made her feel like she needed to cross her legs, but she resisted the urge.
Liam glanced over at her. “Have you ever been on a motorcycle?”
He wasn’t wearing shorts like the majority of people in the park. He was wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt that outlined his muscular arms and chest. He was rubbing his beard and looking sexier then Sullivan’s father had a right to be.
