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Liam smiled and gave a soft laugh.
“Guess we’re going then.”
The rest of the meal was full of little jokes and laughter. I found myself relaxing into the seat, my face hurting from smiling so much and my stomach aching from laughing. Mila kept counting to one hundred over and over, and Maddy tried to block her out by explaining some playground drama that had taken place a few days ago. Seraph had a black pen in her palm, and while she ate, she doodled on her napkin.
Once the kids were done eating, they all worked together to take plates to the sink, and Maddy found containers for the leftovers.
I stood side by side with her as she packed away the food and I rinsed the dishes. “You’re pretty good at keeping all this together, huh?” Liam was at the dishwasher loading them while Seraphina wiped down the table and Mila helped her dad.
“Yeah, we sort of got used to just doing a little extra if we can.” Maddy blushed, snapping the lid shut.
“Thank you for dinner, Haley,” Seraphina sweetly said, shaking the rag out in the sink.
My heart grew. There was no other explanation for why it felt like someone had pried my chest open and tugged the organ out and squeezed.
“Of course.”
Mila walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Will you be here every night to eat with us?”
“Mila,” Liam warned her, but I waved him off.
Returning her hug, I softly replied. “For as many nights as I can. I might miss a few, which is okay. I don’t live here. I’m just hanging out and spending time with you guys.”
Maddy gave me a little glare, but it went away just as quickly as it brushed across her soft features.
The girls filed out, heading upstairs to play with their toys, and I realized this was when I needed to leave.
Liam chose the moment to tug my hand until I followed him into the small office below the stairs. It was all wide windows, facing the backyard. A nice oak desk sat in the middle of the room, but all along his walls were pictures of him boxing, a large belt with a gold plate in the center was encased in glass, and on the bookshelf were dozens more trophies, pictures of the ref holding his hand up in victory, a large crowd in the arena, surrounding the ring he boxed in. Seeing it made my stomach swoop and my heart swell with pride.
“Wow, this is—”
Liam perched on the edge of the desk, watching me. “My past.”
I held my elbows and moved down the wall.
“Would you ever go back?”
Liam’s jaw flexed as he looked down. “It would depend on what’s going on in my life. Right now, with the girls, that sort of life would be impossible.”
“Was it hard on you?”
He seemed to consider the question, tilting his head to the side. He had on a pair of gray sweats, white socks on his feet and a thin, black T-shirt. I loved how comfortable he seemed, and I also hated it because all I wanted to do was pull his hand and have him cuddle me on the little couch tucked against the far wall.
“You get used to the bruising. It’s shitty, the feeling after. It takes a few days to get better, and it’s dangerous. Getting hit like that is risky. But I was good at it. After I became a dad it wasn’t as enjoyable as it used to be.”
For some reason my chest heated at hearing him say that. Mostly because the idea of him single made my stomach hurt. I knew he dated, and it was only a matter of time before he found a new woman to settle down with. A mother for the girls. Someone to hold at night while they all slept in this house together. Someone else would cook them dinner and then clean it all up together like a family.
“So, we gonna talk?” Liam must have taken my somber attitude for a desire to change the subject.
“I don’t know that we need to,” I murmured quietly, my stomach twisted in knots.
He moved, pulled my hand until I was in front of him, standing in between his legs.
“The girls,” I softly warned, but he made some sound of frustration.
“Would it be that horrible for them to see?”
My eyes snapped up to his.
