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Just then, Liam’s phone began to ring. Perfect timing.
“That’ll be our food.” He got to his feet. “I’ll get it.”
He answered the call on his way to the elevator, but had some time to kill once he was there. As he waited, his eyes swept the apartment. Slowly, subtly, Amelia had added her touches to his previously barren home. Just in the living room, which was visible through an open door, Liam could see floaty white curtains, pastel throw pillows, and a play mat patterned with roads. Liam imagined Grace there, playing with toy cars, while Amelia sat beside her.
It was a relief when the food came and interrupted Liam’s thoughts.
Back in the study, he unpacked the food.
“It smells delicious, again.” Amelia smiled.
“I hope it tastes just as good.” They took their containers and began to eat. Amelia gave an appreciative mmm that Liam felt somewhere deep inside.
“Shall we continue with our preparation?” Liam asked after a few minutes.
“Yes.” Amelia set her container down and sat up straighter, her hands folded. “But before we go back to the questions, there’s another… thing… that we should address.”
“What do you mean?” Liam took another bite of his butter chicken.
“Well, you and I can learn about each other, fabricate stories, and act while we’re in front of Stanley. But Grace can’t. And if I understand correctly, you aren’t just proving that you have a wife, but that you have a beloved daughter, too.”
Liam felt her words in his chest like an icy dagger. It was true that Grace couldn’t pretend. “You’re right. But what can we do?”
“Well… I think you’re going to have to spend a little time with Grace. She needs to know that you’re her father and she needs to know that you love and care for her. Otherwise it’ll be like the photography session — she’ll be shy and reserved, and it’ll be obvious that you two don’t know each other well.”
Liam’s first reaction was panic. There was a reason he kept his distance from Grace. He knew he wouldn’t be a good father to her, and it wasn’t fair to her for him to try. The little girl had just lost her mother. If he told her he was her father, but was never around or made a mistake, it would be a terrible blow to the child.
“I’m not good with children,” Liam said.
“I understand, but Grace isn’t just any child. She’s your daughter — which I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say.”
“What if I make a mistake?” Liam set his food down and leaned towards Amelia. He knew he was being too vulnerable, which was probably a mistake, too, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed her advice.
“You will!” Amelia laughed lightly. “Everyone does. What’s important is that you apologize and keep trying. You can’t expect yourself to be a perfect father from the start, but what you can do is try. Don’t you think Grace deserves that much, at least?” The passion in her tone was clear.
“Grace deserves the world,” Liam said. “She deserves a wonderful father, a good education, all the opportunities. She deserves to have her mother. None of this is about what Grace deserves.”
“See that?” Amelia’s brown eyes sparkled. “You care about her. It’s obvious. So, show her that!”
They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Amelia sighed and deflated a little.
“I’m sorry. I know you didn’t hire me to shout at you.”
“You didn’t shout.” Liam sighed, too. “And you’re right. I do need to try. But I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“That’s okay. Like I said, no one does. I’ll help you.”
“You will?”
She nodded. “Of course. I promise, Grace is a wonderful child. Your daughter is a wonderful child.”
“Yes.” Liam took a deep breath. “My daughter is.” The words felt strange in his mouth, but somehow right, too.
“Good start.”
Liam nodded. “Thank you.” He paused. “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. I’ll take a little time off work, just until the barbecue, so that I can really try to get to know… my daughter.”
“That’s wonderful.” Amelia looked positively lit from inside with excitement now. “I’m so glad you’re doing this.”
