AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Based on Liam’s reaction to Grace, Amelia was fairly certain he wouldn’t take it well.
She took another small bite of toast. Just as Katie had said when she was pregnant, the food seemed to calm Amelia’s roiling stomach. Good to know.
The nausea from morning sickness was quickly replaced by unease about what she would have to do. She just needed to find the right time — and place — to tell Liam about the baby.
Amelia managed to eat a little more toast, then took a quick shower and got dressed. She’d go with Grace and Liam to the park. Maybe a chance would present itself.
When she emerged from her bedroom, Liam greeted her with a smile. He really seemed to be trying to make things normal between them, which was sweet, but it made Amelia feel all the worse about the baby bombshell. Liam seemed to be doing his best to pretend that they’d never had a romantic entanglement, but the pregnancy would force him to confront the fact that they had.
“You do seem to be looking better,” Liam said.
“Thanks.” She smiled. “Maybe some fresh air will do me good.”
“Meel!” Grace waved happily from her booster chair. “Meel better?”
“Much better, thank you.” Amelia crossed the room and kissed Grace’s blond head.
“Oh, careful.” Liam looked at her with concern. “We don’t want Grace to get sick.”
“She can’t catch what I have.” Amelia smiled down at the child. “Don’t worry.”
“All right. Shall we get going, then?”
The trio walked to the park, Grace holding Amelia and Liam’s hands and swinging between them as she loved to do. Amelia breathed in the fresh air and did her best to enjoy the moment without worrying about the future.
When they arrived, Grace kept a firm hold of Amelia’s hand. She wanted Amelia to accompany her to the swings and catch her at the bottom of the slide and help her across the balance beam. It was clear that the child had missed her, which made Amelia’s heart ache. What if Liam wanted her to leave now that she was pregnant?
Maybe she wouldn’t have to. Maybe another baby on the way would only add to Liam’s picture of a happy family and he’d ask her to stay. The idea of continuing to live with the man who’d broken her heart hurt, but at least she’d be able to stay with Grace and let her get to know her little sister or brother.
When they returned to the penthouse, Amelia managed to join Grace and Liam for a lunch that the chef had prepared. She wasn’t able to eat a lot, but even the small amount of food helped her stomach settle.
“If you’re feeling so much better, I’ll go back to work tomorrow,” Liam said. “I have a lot to catch up on.”
Amelia’s heart begged her to ask him to stay, but she just nodded. “Of course.”
Luckily, at that moment, Grace began chatting excitedly about a friend she’d made at the park, and both Amelia and Liam turned their attention to her. It was for the best that they didn’t talk about Liam’s work anymore.
After lunch, Amelia felt well enough that she offered to play with Grace while Liam did some work from his home office. Liam accepted gratefully, and Amelia was glad to get some time with Grace — she’d missed the child the previous day when she’d felt sick.
As the day wore on, it became increasingly clear to Amelia that her only chance to speak to Liam about the pregnancy would be after bedtime. Sure enough, Grace kept them both busy all day, until Liam carried her off for her bedtime routine. Amelia sat on the couch in the living room. She didn’t trust herself to go into his office. While she waited for him to return, she repeated over and over what she wanted to say.
Finally, Liam emerged from Grace’s room. He was smiling. “She’s such a sweetheart.”
“She sure is.”
“What are you still doing up? Are you feeling well enough to try some dinner?”
“Maybe.” Amelia took a deep breath. “But I need to talk to you first.”
“I thought that wasn’t a good idea.”
“Things have changed.” Amelia gave Liam the same firm look she used on Grace when the little girl didn’t want to eat her peas. It seemed to work, because Liam sank onto a chair across from her.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Um. Okay.” Amelia was even more nervous than she’d expected. “First, please just let me finish what I need to say. Okay?”
“I will.” Liam tilted his head. “Is everything all right?”
