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Stanley chuckled. “I can’t imagine that. To be honest, Liam, I never got the feeling you liked kids all that much, even though you run such a successful edtech firm.”
“To be honest,” Liam replied, “I didn’t. I believe in education and the importance of childhood, but I never got the draw of little ones until I had my own.”
“That’s how it is for a lot of guys like us,” Stanley agreed. He leaned back in his chair. “Money, business, power — it can all go to your head and make the little things seem less important. Family is what keeps us grounded in what matters.”
“I agree.” Liam smiled and cleared his throat. “My apologies for sidetracking the conversation. Now that I’ve given myself permission to talk about my family, it’s hard to talk about anything else. But you didn’t come here just to talk about kids.” It was time to move the conversation on to the important part — reviewing Stanley’s investment portfolio and renewing his commitment.
“Nonsense.” Stanley waved him off. “Of course I’ll continue to invest with you, but we can discuss the details a little later on. In fact, why don’t you come out to my ranch? It’s about half an hour outside the city, but the views are incredible. Bring your wife and daughter. We can have a family barbecue and get down to brass tacks in a more personal location.”
Liam concealed his surprise as best as he could. Although he frequently took his investors out to lunch or dinner, or even, on occasion, a trip out to wine country, Stanley had never been interested. And now he was inviting him to his own home?
Maybe having a child would actually be a benefit to Liam’s career.
“That would be wonderful.”
“This weekend we’re out of town — it’s Laurie’s and my anniversary, and we’re taking the kids camping. It keeps us all closer to our roots. But how about the weekend after?”
“I’ll check my agenda, but I don’t see why not.”
“Perfect.” Stanley sat back with a pleased smile. “I’m looking forward to it. Should I be aware of any dietary requirements?”
Liam remembered Amelia happily eating the chef’s special at the waterfront restaurant, so she would probably be all right with anything. Grace was another story.
“Grace is a little picky.”
“Aren’t they all at that age? Don’t worry. We’ll find something she wants to eat.”
“My wife is better at getting her to eat than I am. Thank goodness for Amelia, or Grace would probably live on ice cream.”
“We’ll make sure to have some ice cream on hand, just in case. When my Thomas was little, he went through a phase of eating only white foods. Can you believe that? White rice, white bread, vanilla ice cream, bananas… and for some reason, broccoli.”
“Kids.” Liam shook his head. “Who knows what they’re thinking?”
“Exactly. My Briana — she’s fourteen now — when she was younger, she was convinced that she needed a pet octopus…”
Stanley and Liam chatted for another half an hour or so. Luckily, Stanley did most of the talking. He shared stories about his kids growing up and about his love for his wife. Most of the stories were funny, but a few were poignant enough to make Liam’s heart ache.
“I’m sure you don’t need me telling you this,” Stanley said towards the end, “but it goes fast. One moment, your kids are small enough to ride on your shoulders — and the next, they’re going off to high school and starting to date. Work is important, but your family is much more valuable. Don’t miss this time with them.”
His words made Liam uncomfortable. He’d spent the last week actively avoiding his family whenever possible. But Stanley didn’t know the whole story. Even though Grace was really Liam’s daughter, Amelia wasn’t really his wife, and both of them were better off without him around. Weren’t they?
“Thank you.” Liam nodded. “It’s always good to get advice from others in the trenches.”
“It sure is. Well, I’ll let you get back to it. You can let your board know that I’ll be reinvesting, but we’ll hammer out a specific number later on.”
“Wonderful. That’s much appreciated.”
The two men shook hands, then Liam escorted Stanley out to the elevator. They said their goodbyes before Liam returned to his office. He was energized after such a positive meeting with an investor who didn’t always seem enthusiastic to be working with him. He sank into his chair and tilted his head back, allowing himself a moment of satisfaction.
It was short-lived, though. Liam had just signed Amelia up to pretend to be his wife in a much more public forum — and in front of one of his most important investors. Maintaining their ruse was more important now than ever. He was going to need to speak to her.
Liam sighed. So much for staying away.
CHAPTER 11
AMELIA
“Which did you like better — the park with the big red slide or the park with the swings?” Amelia asked. She and Grace were sitting at dinner after a long day of fun outside. Amelia wasn’t having dinner yet — it was only five and much too early for her — but she was sitting with Grace and eating a piece of toast to keep her company. Grace’s dinner was pasta with tomato sauce, which she was eating with a plastic toddler fork, as well as carrot sticks and half a banana.
