AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Brady’s fist closes around my hair and pulls. I kiss the top of his head. “No one is taking him away from me, Liam. Not even you.”
“Then it’s settled. You’re coming back to Boston.”
* * *
OLIVIA
The fabricof Aiden's white shirt strains at his shoulders as he sets a stack of boxes down in the living room. The wind mussed his hair and reddened his cheeks.
Brady giggles in the playpen as I set my bubble-wrapped antique lamp in a box. Brady's little feet dance back and forth, his stuffed bunny clutched in his chubby fist.
“I can't leave immediately,” I say. “I should turn in my notice at work and—”
“We leave in the morning." Liam says, reaching into the playpen to hand Brady a red peg that was hidden in the corner.
Brady chews on the end of the peg and then drops it into a hole in his wooden sorting toy.
“Good job, Bray,” I say. "You're so smart.”
Brady looks over at me with a smile.
Liam continues to squat near the playpen, resting his forearms on his legs as he watches the baby play. He’s practically at eye level with Brady as he studies him through the bars.
“You can pick him up again if you want,” I say. “I think he’ll be comfortable now.”
“Let him play. We need to eat.”
“The sweet-and-sour meatballs are done. You can have some.”
“It's not enough food for all of us,” Liam says, standing. “It's not even enough for Aiden alone.”
Aiden rolls his eyes but smirks. He hasn’t said much, but he hasn’t glared at me or seemed hostile. The neutrality helps. Having them in the house is intimidating enough.
Liam walks to the coffee table and picks up my keys. “Lock the door behind us, Liv. We won't be gone long.”
“You’re taking my keys? I was going to put some things in the trunk of my car.”
“We'll load the boxes when we get back. All you need to do is pack.” Liam glances into our bedroom. “That’s all you guys have? That little crib and tiny toy box?”
“No,” I say quickly, feeling defensive. “He's got the activity center in the kitchen and the collapsible playpen he's sitting in. Plus a stroller in the closet. A car seat in my car... There isn't a lot of room, so I don't over-buy.”
Liam reaches past me to push the closet open. He glances at my clothes and three pairs of shoes.
“I had more, but I donated some things to make more room,” I say.
“How much of your college money have you spent?”
Heat rises in my cheeks. I can’t believe he remembers that I’d been planning to use all the insurance money on college to fulfill a promise to my mom.
“Some,” I say reluctantly. “Mostly to pay the hospital. Having a baby isreallyexpensive. Otherwise, we’re doing pretty well.”
“Pretty well? You live in a room the size of a walk-in closet.”
“We do not. I know you have a different standard, but this is fine for us. It’s cozy.”
His eyes glance at the double bed, which dominates the room even though it’s pushed all the way into a corner.
“Do you need me to get anything for him while we're out?” Liam asks.
