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“Big slide,” Grace replied. She proceeded to tell a story that was half babble, half real words. Amelia understood most of what she was talking about — Grace loved that slide and had made a new friend — but she nodded along as though everything made total sense. Talking to Grace over dinner was a highlight of her day. The child was growing more and more verbal by the day, which was a pleasure to watch. Amelia’s heart went out to Grace’s mother, who wasn’t around to see this.
“And how about—” Amelia was cut off by the sound of the elevator doors opening. She glanced at her watch, but it was just after five. What was Liam doing home?
“Who der?” Grace asked.
“I think it’s your daddy.” Sure enough, Liam appeared in the kitchen doorway a moment later, still dressed for the office. “You’re home early.”
“I needed to talk to you.”
“Oh.” Amelia’s blood ran cold. This sounded serious. Her mind ran through scenarios, including Liam saying that he had no need for a fake wife anymore. It would be heartbreaking to leave little Grace when they were just getting to know each other. “Okay. Would you like to join us for dinner?”
Liam looked from the plate of red pasta to Grace’s sauce-smeared face, then shook his head.
“No, thank you. Once Grace is sleeping, we’ll talk. I’ll be in my study.”
With that, he disappeared. Amelia did her best to control her nerves. Maybe whatever he wanted to talk to her about was nothing special — but the fact he’d come home during daylight hours seemed to indicate something serious.
“Bear book?” Grace asked. She seemed oblivious to anything strange with Liam, which was good.
“Of course. We’ll read the bear book after your bath.”
Grace kicked her legs against her high chair in delight. Her smile was red with sauce.
“You really need that bath, huh?”
“Yeah.” Grace grinned again, and Amelia’s heart melted. No matter what Liam wanted to speak to her about, she was going to enjoy the rest of her evening with Grace before the little girl went to sleep.
Grace finished her dinner, then Amelia got her into the bath. She let her stay in the warm, bubble-bath-topped water longer than usual as they sang together and played with the flotilla of rubber duckies Amelia had purchased. Then Amelia washed Grace’s fine, downy hair and rinsed her clean. She wrapped the sweet-smelling child in a towel and carried her to bed, where they got her changed into her “jammies” and tucked into bed. Amelia read the bear book and three others, doing all the voices she could think of, until Grace’s eyes grew heavy. Then she stroked the child’s back until she fell asleep.
The whole time, Amelia tried to soak it all in. If this was her last evening with Grace, if Liam was finished with their deal, she wanted good memories to look back on. As Grace dozed, though, Amelia realized that good memories weren’t enough. She was going to fight for Grace if she had to — the child had a right to a stable caregiver who cared about her and was always there. Liam should understand that.
Once Grace was sleeping, she crept out of the room and walked down the hall to Liam’s office. Although she and Grace spent time all around the house, Amelia had never been in the study, not since the quick tour at the beginning of her stay. She knocked hesitantly.
“Come in,” Liam called.
Feeling a little like a child called into the principal’s office, Amelia opened the door and stepped inside. Liam was seated at his desk. His computer was open and he’d clearly been working. A cooling cup of tea beside his keyboard showed that he’d been focused.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the couch that sat along one wall. As Amelia made her way over, Liam got up from his chair and came to sit across from her in a large armchair. Amelia took the opportunity to sweep her eyes across him. He’d taken off his suit jacket and opened some of the buttons at the top of his shirt. His tie was hung over the back of his desk chair, and his hair was a little mussed. It gave him a look different from his usual put-together self. He seemed almost… vulnerable?
“What did you want to talk to me about?” Amelia asked.
“About our arrangement.” Liam leaned forward and knitted his hands together. “You see…”
But Amelia did see. This was exactly what she’d worried about. “Liam, before you say anything — I know our arrangement is a bit strange, but I truly care about Grace. And she has bonded with me as well. It would be detrimental to her if I were to leave.”
Liam raised one eyebrow. “Leave? Who said anything about leaving?”
“Oh.” A blush spread across Amelia’s cheeks. “Sorry. When you came home early and said you needed to talk, I guess I assumed.”
“Amelia, I know you and Grace have a special bond, and I wouldn’t ask you to leave unless that was something we both wanted. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Sorry,” Amelia said again. “What did you want to discuss?”
“It’s actually the opposite of what you think. I had a meeting with one of my key investors today, and he was enthusiastic about meeting my family. It looks like I’ll need to ask you to play the role of my wife in a slightly more public setting.”
Amelia felt an immediate rush of nerves, but this was still better news than being asked to leave.
“All right. What’s that going to look like?”
