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Liam wasn’t so sure, but he nodded again. “It’s the right move.”
“Yes.” Amelia gave him a thumbs-up. “It’s the right move.” Although she was echoing his words, Liam had the distinct impression that she was thinking something else.
“I’ll need to go into the office tomorrow, to tie a few things up, but the day after that is Saturday and I’ll be home. Let’s try to arrange something nice to do with Grace.”
“I’ll figure something out.” Amelia grinned. Then she reached across the distance between them and rested her hand on Liam’s, very lightly. “You’re doing the right thing. I’m so glad.” As quickly as she’d reached for his hand, she pulled away and got to her feet. “I’ll go to bed, then. It’s getting late, and we’ll have more time on Saturday.”
“Sleep well.”
“You too.”
But Liam didn’t sleep well. He lay awake long into the night, thinking of how he was going to be a good father to his daughter. And thinking of Amelia. The way her fingertips had brushed the back of his hand had sent shivers up his arm. And his feelings for her weren’t only physical. Somehow, Amelia had gotten him to shift his priorities, at least for the moment, when he’d vowed to keep his eye on work.
There was something special about this woman. He needed to be careful.
CHAPTER 13
AMELIA
“Zoo?” Grace asked, bouncing up and down on the bed. The little girl had woken up only a few minutes before and was still dressed in her pink pajamas, her hair messy.
“Yes!” Amelia nodded enthusiastically. “And even better, your daddy is going to take you!”
“Daddy?” Grace looked perplexed.
“Yes, your daddy. He’s so excited to spend the day with you.”
“Meel too?” Grace asked, her blue eyes big.
“Yes, honey, I’ll come too. We’ll all be together.” Like a normal, happy family. Amelia hid her concerns behind a bright smile. “So, get up and let’s get you dressed.”
Grace held up her arms to be picked up, and Amelia obliged. They walked together to the bathroom to wash up, then back to Grace’s bedroom to pick out an outfit for the day. Excited to see the animals, Grace insisted on a pair of zebra-striped tights and a T-shirt with an elephant on it.
As they got ready, Amelia was acutely aware that Liam was in the house, too. She heard him moving around the kitchen at one point and saw him walk down the hall at another. He didn’t join Amelia in getting Grace ready, but she didn’t dwell on that. He’d agreed to get to know his daughter, and he would need baby steps to do it.
Amelia was truly thrilled that Liam was making an effort. Even if the only reason he was doing so was to keep doing business with a prime investor. No matter the reasoning, Liam would surely fall in love with Grace as soon as he spent a little time with her.
At nine o’clock, Liam met Grace and Amelia by the door. He’d clearly tried with his clothing as well — he was dressed in a pair of jeans that Amelia had never seen before and a plain black T-shirt. Somehow, he looked just as sexy in this casual outfit as he did in his suits — maybe even more so. The T-shirt hugged the outline of prominent muscles in his chest and arms, and those jeans were very flattering.
Amelia snapped her eyes away from Liam’s body. She had one job today, which was to try and build a father–daughter relationship between Liam and Grace. Nowhere in that job description was ogling her boss.
They stepped into the elevator and whooshed down towards the parking garage.
“How did you sleep?” Liam asked Amelia.
“Well. And you?”
“Not bad.”
It seemed that the relative ease of their nighttime conversations didn’t translate into elevator chit-chat.
“Maybe you want to ask Grace something,” Amelia suggested. Liam’s eyes went slightly wide.
“Like what?”
“You can ask if she’s excited for the zoo.”
“Grace, are you excited for the zoo?” Liam asked. Half-hidden behind Amelia’s legs, Grace nodded. There was a long pause.
