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“I can see that.” His tone holds deep derision.
“You had a lot going on,” I say, my voice turning firm. “After killing your fiancee from the dangerous crime family and getting arrested… I didn’t want to add stress to the situation. I also didn’t feel safe. If her family blamed me and tried to do something, I could’ve lost him. I couldn’t risk it. I had to protect him.”
His eyes are as cool as ice as he stares at me. “You had a stalker, Olivia. One who might still be chasing you. That could’ve gotten you and my son killed, too. If you’d let me know you were pregnant, I could’ve arranged for you to have him in secret with armed protection. I wouldn’t have let anyone hurt either of you.”
“I didn’t trust that I could count on you for anything. You lied to me and made me the other woman. Even after I told you how I feel about infidelity.”
“I wasn’t engaged. I broke that off long before you and me.”
“The news said—”
“The news knows fuck all about my personal life.”
Brady’s face scrunches, and his eyes tear up at Liam’s gruff tone.
“Let’s not fight in front of him, okay? He’s not used to this. We’ve been living a really quiet life here. I was careful never to tell anyone where I live.”
“Not careful enough if someone came to town looking for you.”
I shrug. “That just happened. When I didn’t hear from you, I talked with the sheriff. He’s patrolling and running license plates.”
“Good for him.” Liam’s gaze moves to Aiden, and he addresses his brother. “Do me a favor, A. Go to the local businesses and pay to take their empty boxes off their hands.”
“Sure,” Aiden says before he turns and walks away.
I stiffen. “Liam, I know you’re angry, but you have to understand—”
“What I understand is you stole a year and a half of my son’s life from me. He never heard my voice when he was growing inside you, and he doesn’t know me now.”
My brows rise. Keeping my voice low, I say, “You were in police custody. There was an investigation, an angry Mafia family, and scores of tabloid reporters. You really think—”
“I was in police custody for about forty hours, and then I was released without being charged. You didn’t need to stay in Boston, but you should’ve told me you were pregnant with my baby. Then I could’ve found a way to see youand himin secret.”
“I was too scared. I still am.”
“If you want to stay here for a little longer, fine. Come to Boston to visit him whenever you want.”
“Visit?” The word escapes as a gasp. He can’t be serious.
“He’s half mine, and you’ve had sole custody for ten months. It’s time for me to take him home.”
My chair scrapes the floor as I push back from the table. “You’re out of your mind. I’m not giving him to you. It would traumatize him.” My voice is full of outrage.
“Then I guess you’re coming to live with me, too.” His tone is cool and firm, and I know instantly that this is what he intended all along.
“You can’t force us to come with you.”
“Yes, I can.” He moves closer so he’s towering over me. “If you’re smart, you won’t test me, Olivia. I’m not in the mood to be disobeyed.”
My heartbeat echoes in my ears in a thundering rhythm. One thing I remember very clearly is how strong Liam is and the kind of punishment he dishes out. My body both loves and hates that about him.
I blink and stare at him. His expression is streetwise and hard. This is a side of him he never showed me during the days we spent together. It’s the side of him that went to prison for killing someone. The side of him that still has ties to underworld killers.
“I don’t want to live with you,” I say softly. “But I understand that you want to see Brady, and you have a right to. I was already planning to call you in a month or two to tell you about him, to see if you wanted to come to Maine to meet him. I’m all he needs right now, but as he gets bigger, I think it’ll be important for him to have a father figure.”
“I’m not a fatherfigure, Olivia. I’m his father. And I’m the one who’s going to raise him, with or without you. Not the other way around.”
I force myself not to wince, at least outwardly. Liam’s anger and hostility are hard to take, but all my past decisions were for the right reasons. It’s his own fault he lost us.
