AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wow.” Liam looked down at Grace, then over to Amelia. There was a spark in his eyes, as though he couldn’t believe what was happening. They left the zoo and crossed to the parking lot, where Liam gently set Grace into her car seat.
“Can you buckle her in?” he asked. “I don’t want to pinch her legs with the clips.”
“You can do it,” Amelia encouraged. “Don’t worry; the clips are made to be safe for toddlers.”
Liam successfully buckled Grace in, and they got into the front seats of the car. Liam didn’t start the engine right away, though. Instead, he turned to Amelia.
“Thank you.” He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. A tingling sensation washed up Amelia’s arm at his touch. “This meant a lot to me.”
“I think it meant a lot to Grace, too.”
“Did you have a nice day?”
Amelia nodded, touched that he’d asked. “I did. It was a great day.”
“Good.” Liam brushed his thumb over the back of Amelia’s hand, creating another wave of sensation. His blue eyes were fixed on hers, but then they dropped slightly to rest on her lips. Amelia felt heat pool inside her. She might be completely misreading this situation, but it seemed that she and Liam were sharing a moment.
Amelia’s eyes drifted over Liam’s handsome features, from his chiseled jaw to his five-o’clock shadow to the blue of his eyes and the compelling swoop of his broad lips. How might it feel to have those lips on hers?
Just then, Grace stirred slightly in her sleep, and Amelia snapped back to the present. It was one thing to daydream about one’s attractive boss-slash fake husband. It was quite another thing to actually come this close to kissing him. After all, Liam was still her boss. Their relationship was strange enough as it was. And on top of that, just because he’d been a good father today didn’t make up for the years he hadn’t been involved in Grace’s life. One good day didn’t make him a good person.
“We should probably head home,” Amelia said. Her voice came out a little breathier than she’d intended. “Grace needs to have dinner before she can really sleep.”
“Of course.” Liam withdrew his hand and started the car. “Let’s head home.”
They drove back through the dusky streets of San Francisco in silence. Amelia was lost in her thoughts. Somehow, her initial attraction to Liam had passed through annoyance and back into attraction. That didn’t matter, though. What mattered was Grace and making sure she had a strong father figure to rely on.
Especially after Amelia was gone.
CHAPTER 14
LIAM
The week flew by.
On Sunday, Liam, Amelia, and Grace spent a quiet day at home. Amelia made them all breakfast, with “help” from Grace. Then they went to the park for a long, slow morning of play. Liam had expected to be bored, but he actually enjoyed the time spent playing with Grace or sitting on a bench watching her play while he and Amelia talked.
Monday, Liam returned to work, somewhat begrudgingly. Things had started to pile up over the weekend, but he still left the office at four to enjoy dinner with Amelia and Grace. A similar pattern followed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Slowly but surely, Liam was feeling more confident around Grace. He was realizing that she wasn’t scary at all — she was just a little human with the most charming thoughts and opinions on all manner of things. She frequently made both Liam and Amelia laugh with her antics. Occasionally, she grew upset. Sometimes, Grace seemed to miss her mother, and other times, she was just going through normal toddler problems like not wanting to leave the park or eat her dinner.
With Amelia’s help, Liam had come to understand that Grace’s struggles were normal and that they could get through them, together. All in all, he felt much more comfortable and competent around Grace than he’d ever felt around a child.
Amelia was a different story. As the week went on, Liam felt less and less competent and comfortable around Amelia. After the day at the zoo on Saturday, Liam had taken Amelia’s hand and thanked her for everything. The moment had deepened and, briefly, he had thought he might kiss her. And from the way Amelia’s lips had been parted and the look in those beautiful brown eyes, he’d thought she might want that.
But then Amelia had pulled away and recommended that they get home. It had been the push Liam needed to end the moment. Now, in retrospect, he wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking. Amelia had been clear that she didn’t want to kiss him, which he would obviously respect. But more than that, he had surprised himself. He couldn’t kiss Amelia. He couldn’t pursue anything real with her. This was all temporary, and each moment he forgot that was a dangerous moment.
Now, here he was, back at the office with a mounting pile of work looming over him, and he was still distracted by thoughts of Amelia. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized how much depth there was to this woman. She was not only a wonderful mother figure to Grace, patient and caring and loving, but also whip-smart, funny, and insightful. And sexy. Liam ached just thinking of how the sundress she’d worn to the zoo had accentuated her feminine curves.
As if Liam’s thoughts had summoned her, his phone buzzed with a message from Amelia.
Hey. Shall we take Grace to Skillet and Mug this evening?
Liam grinned as he remembered their conversation about the local diner. They’d talked about taking Grace there, and this was the perfect time. After all, the long-awaited barbecue was the next day. After that, Liam would have to dedicate himself to work again — his fewer hours this week were starting to have an effect.
I’d love to, he replied.
Four o’clock?
