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“Yes, Liam. And no, we haven’t spent a lot of time together. He works a lot.” Amelia bit her lip. The truth was that she’d barely seen Liam since moving in. Liam had worked from early morning until late at night every single day. She’d seen him a few times when he was leaving for work or coming back, and he’d politely chatted with her for a few minutes each time, but they hadn’t had a proper conversation.
It was… odd. Amelia knew she’d agreed to a rather unusual situation, what with pretending to be married to Liam and all, but this wasn’t quite what she’d expected. It seemed that she had become a full-time nanny for a workaholic dad who wasn’t all that interested in his daughter — or in her.
No… that wasn’t true. Liam was interested in Grace. Amelia had seen the look in his eyes when he asked about his daughter and his hesitant expression when talking to her. Perhaps it wasn’t that he didn’t care about Grace, but just that he had no idea how to talk to her or take care of her.
Either way, working constantly wasn’t doing Liam any favors when it came to bonding with his daughter.
Despite the oddness of the situation, though, Amelia was enjoying herself. She absolutely loved Grace. Over the last few days, she’d come to know the child as a sweet but mischievous toddler who loved to make people laugh. Occasionally, she cried for her mother, which was very understandable, but most of the time she was a ray of sunshine.
Plus, Liam’s absence gave Amelia plenty of time to start changing his apartment. She’d started by livening up Grace’s room with a few photographs, some toys, a colorful bedspread, and a rug with images of forest creatures. She’d brought a few things from home to decorate her own bedroom, as well. Now, very slowly, she was adding bits and pieces of personality to the rest of the house.
Liam didn’t seem to have noticed.
“What does he do?” Katie asked.
“He’s the CEO of Lilypad Learning.”
“Wow,” Katie said again. “Really? So, he’s good-looking and rich?”
“Yes, and yes.” Amelia sighed. “But the truth is, I don’t love how distant he is from his daughter. His work and his reputation are his top priorities. And even if I did find him attractive, we would never date. We have a professional relationship — that’s it.”
“I know, I know, you’re very professional.” Katie leaned back and let Jade wiggle out of her arms and onto the ground. “I just want you to be happy. And I’m not sure that mothering a child who isn’t yours is going to make you happy.”
Katie had a point. Even after less than a week of knowing Grace, Amelia loved the little girl deeply. She’d spent hours rocking Grace back to sleep after bad dreams, had laughed with her as they danced to a silly children’s song in Grace’s airy bedroom, and had played with the washcloth toy and the polar bear with her for hours. Amelia’s heart ached to think that she would eventually have to say goodbye. On top of that, she wondered what would happen to Grace after the fake marriage dissolved. Would she be put in the care of a stream of nannies for the rest of her childhood? What kind of childhood was that?
“It’s all right. But speaking of Grace, it’s getting close to her naptime. We’d better get going.”
“Okay. It was nice to see you! We should arrange a playdate soon.”
“Absolutely.” Amelia said her goodbyes to her sister and the kids, then took Grace’s hand. Grace looked on the verge of bursting into tears at the prospect of leaving her new friends, but Amelia was able to distract her by singing “The Wheels on the Bus,” complete with hand motions. About halfway home, Grace grew tired, and Amelia swung the child into her arms. Grace nestled into Amelia’s chest, rested her head on her shoulder, and promptly grew warm and heavy with sleep.
When they arrived at home, Amelia carefully tucked Grace into her bed, arranged the sheets and pillows, and set up the baby monitor. Then she sneaked out into the living room, where she picked up a book she’d been in the middle of reading. Since Liam also employed a maid and a chef, there was little for Amelia to do during Grace’s naps apart from basic tidying and a little meal prep, which she’d already done earlier in the day.
Amelia couldn’t quite get into her book, though. She was distracted by the conversation she’d had with her sister. Despite all the facts, Katie had seemed convinced that there was a chance for romance between Liam and Amelia. Amelia snorted. Liam didn’t even have time to bond with his daughter. There was no chance he’d have time for romance.
Just then, her phone buzzed. She flipped it over to see a text from Liam, which made her heart skip a beat. Even though she lived in his house, they were rarely in contact. He had texted a few times to answer Amelia’s questions (yes, she could buy anything she wanted for Grace using the credit card; no, he wouldn’t be home for dinner; yes, the maid would be coming in the next day), but he’d never initiated a conversation.
Amelia. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be home around three. I’ve arranged a photoshoot for the three of us. Please be ready. Liam
Amelia blinked at the text for several moments. At first, she wondered why Liam had arranged a photoshoot — but then she realized the obvious answer: that he needed some family pictures to uphold his reputation. That was fine. This was part of their deal, and Grace would be up from her nap by three.
Okay. See you then.
Despite herself, Amelia was a little nervous about seeing Liam. She took a few deeps breaths to steady herself, then turned back to her book.
Just before three, Amelia and Grace were ready and waiting in the living room. Amelia had picked out a simple blue sundress for herself and a newly purchased flowery dress for Grace. It was perhaps a little too fancy, but it was Grace’s favorite, and the little girl had danced with joy when Amelia got it out.
The elevator doors dinged open, and Liam stepped through. He was wearing his usual outfit of a suit and tie. He smiled at Amelia and Grace.
“Hello, ladies.”
Grace snuggled closer to Amelia on the couch, and Amelia put an arm around her. Even though Liam was her father, Grace had barely spent any time with him, so she still felt very shy in his presence. If this bothered Liam, he didn’t show it.
“Thanks for being ready. The photographer is going to meet us downstairs, and we’ll take the pictures in the park across the street. Shall we head down?”
“Sounds good.” Amelia got to her feet.
“Up!” Grace lifted her arms to Amelia, who scooped her up. Together, the three of them returned to the elevator.
