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The dog looked at me as if he didn’t want to go, but turned and followed Liam out of the room.
Once the door closed, I stood there, staring at it. I was in Liam’s house. We’d had incredible sex. He hadn’t left me hours away from him. These were all good signs. Maybe he’d gotten jealous of Country. That was a positive. If he felt jealousy, then he could feel more. This was my chance to win him over. But that would mean opening myself up to future pain. What if I let this thing I felt for him grow and he never felt anything?
Placing a hand on my stomach, I knew this was a chance I owed our baby. It wasn’t just about me. Not everyone fell in love easy. If I had allowed myself to admit how I felt about him, how he made me feel, then I knew it would become more. Because the guy in the bar that night, the one who had taken me back to my motel room, and the man who had held my hand at the ultrasound—that man made me feel deeper than anyone ever had.
Ozzy greeted me the moment I hit the bottom step on the staircase.
Grinning, I gave his head a pat. “I don’t know my way around. Want to lead me to Liam?”
I wasn’t really surprised when he turned and started walking, then glanced back at me to make sure I was following. Of course Liam would have a smart dog. Ozzy led me across the foyer and then turned right down a short hallway before turning through an arched doorway. The large room held a massive fireplace at its center, a brown leather sectional, rustic-style coffee table and end tables, and a pool table. The flat screen TV hung on the far-right wall.
Liam was sitting on the sofa, and two boxes of pizza were on the large, sturdy wooden table in front of him. There was a bottle of water and a glass of what looked like whiskey on coasters on either side of the boxes.
The television was a sports channel, but they were talking about horse racing. I found that odd—at least for Liam. He didn’t strike me as a gambling kinda man or one who was interested in horses. When his gaze swung over to meet mine, it drifted down my body. The pink polka-dot boxer shorts and tank top were my usual loungewear. He paused a moment at my feet, then motioned with his hand for me to come to the sofa.
“Come eat,” he said simply.
Ozzy padded beside me, and when I sat down across from the pizzas, he made himself comfortable at my feet.
“Didn’t know what you’d want to drink. I grabbed you a water because I honestly don’t have much else but beer or whiskey. There was some orange juice, but the expiration date is questionable.”
Smiling, I reached for the bottle of water. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
He opened the boxes. The sight of the cheese pizza made my mouth water. Liam leaned forward and took a piece, then placed it on a paper plate and handed it to me before getting a slice from what looked like a meat lovers pizza.
Shifting my attention back to the television, I took a bite of the greasy cheesy goodness and sighed with pleasure. This was perfect.
“Best pizza in town,” he said beside me.
I finished chewing, then glanced at him. “It’s so good.”
He smirked, then took a bite of his while watching the large screen.
We ate in silence for a few minutes. This was nice. It had been a while since I’d had a meal without a lot of people talking and almost-naked females walking around. I did miss my new friends, but being here with Liam was much better.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a horse-racing guy,” I said after I finished my slice.
“I’m not. I don’t gamble, and I’ve never much cared about horses. But my daughter married into that world. I like to see how their horses are doing,” he said.
I had lived here most of my life and I’d heard about Hughes Farm being the biggest racehorse stables in the southeast. Men had talked about betting on one of their horses at Abernathy’s many times. The connection just hadn’t clicked.
“They have horses in this one?”
“This is a recap. Races that were held today. They aren’t major ones, but my grandson has his first horse in one of them. He came in second, and I was hoping they’d show him.”
His grandson had a racehorse! I watched the screen as the announcers continued to talk and show clips from different races, finding myself fully invested.
“How old is your grandson?” I asked.
“Cree is five. Eli is ten months,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. “There, that one.” There was a trace of pride in his voice. “Demigod.”
The announcers began talking about Demigod and his owner being Garrett Hughes’s grandson and Blaise Hughes’s oldest son. They chuckled about having yet another Hughes take over the racing world and watching the first of many Cree Hughes’s horses on the track.
I glanced over at Liam, who was smiling as he listened.
“Did he name the horse?” I asked.
Liam nodded. “Yeah. His mom has been reading him some kids book series about Greek gods and their kids or something like that. I don’t know exactly. But he’s very into it.”
