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His faded jeans—which I knew cost over three hundred dollars and were the only brand he would wear—long-sleeved white oxford, and leather loafers brought back memories I preferred to forget.
His gaze swung to mine again, and the glint of victory in his eyes was the same as when he’d won a football game when we were in high school. I wasn’t a game, but right now, I couldn’t be sure if he had won this or not.
He had set me up so completely and allowed me to enjoy it before taking the curtain down to see the truth behind it all.
“As most of you know, I’ve been to all the Gabler Groceries that are having the garden center added on to them. We have seven finished in Florida, two ready in Georgia, three in Alabama, and two in South Carolina. Those are all located in the largest areas with the highest income,” he began, then walked over to pick up a remote, and the screen behind him slowly rolled down.
“We are ready to begin stocking the store in Orlando and Miami. Their additions are move-in prepped. This next week, each of your jobs will come in to full play. I need everyone here focused on our upcoming grand openings at these two stores. I know Hillary has the marketing plan already in effect, and she is going to share what she wants to accomplish this month.” He paused, then turned to me. “And most importantly, Liberty Dillard, who has been working with all the vendors we are using, will be the one to choose the inventory. I have complete faith in her and look forward to seeing what she’s chosen for those two stores.” He flashed his grin that he’d been using to charm people since we had been in high school. “I’ve known Liberty for a very long time. We’ve had a personal relationship that has evolved over time. So, if you see me working closely with her, understand that I’m not playing favorites.”
I dropped my eyes to my lap as my face heated. Great. Now, he had everyone looking at me and assuming he and I were sleeping together. Would they also think that the baby was his? I felt sick. How could I stay here? How had I not figured out in the week I had been here that GG stood for Gabler Garden, like it was so proudly displayed on the screen behind him.
The apartment, the office, the salary—all things that no one would give to a woman with no college degree or credentials. I could fix them all cocktails with my eyes closed, but that wasn’t the job I’d been hired for.
I’d known this was too good to be true, and like Mama D had always told me, “If it looks like an easy pie, then it ain’t gonna be worth eatin’.”
Well, Mama D, I ate the damn pie.
44
Liberty
Standing outside my apartment door, I stared at it. I couldn’t do this. I needed it, but I couldn’t do it. As much as having a job like this along with a place to live had changed my life, it also meant I would have to allow Wallace back into my world.
I touched my stomach. I’d wanted a good job and a safe place to live before he was born, but not at this cost. Wallace was my past. He didn’t get to control my life. If I stayed here, I might as well hand over my independence. This was just another man taking care of me.
Why Wallace was so determined to get me back I didn’t understand. One would think being pregnant with another man’s baby would be enough to send him away for good.
The only thing I could figure was that he thought of me leaving him as losing, and Wallace never liked to lose. He thought he’d won this time too. It had been all over his face today. When he stopped by my office on his way out, he told me to let him know at any time if I changed my mind about dinner. He had stood there for a moment, grinning as if he thought I was going to go with him because he’d given me all that I had wanted.
He had no idea what I wanted, and he couldn’t give it to me.
Tomorrow, I’d begin looking for somewhere else to live and another job. Pressing the code outside my door, I waited for the green light and then opened the door and walked inside. Defeat weighed down my shoulders as I dropped my purse on the table by the door, then started to walk into the living area.
My heart slammed against my chest as I opened my mouth to scream when I realized who was standing in my apartment.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, placing my hand over my stomach. “You.” I shook my head. “How are you in my apartment?”
The shock had rattled me, but the toxic mix of anger and hurt stirred together as I straightened my shoulders and looked into Liam’s eyes.
“You know what?” I said, “I don’t want to know. Just leave. Today has been a bad one, and then you show up like this. I can’t. I just can’t.”
Would it ever not hurt to look at him? Would my heart not feel as if it were breaking all over again?
“If I’d stayed outside, you’d have never let me in.” His voice was hoarse, as if he were sick.
I studied him, starting to worry about his health. No. I had to stop that. He wasn’t mine to be concerned about. Even if he had dark circles under bloodshot eyes. What if he was sick? He’d come to tell me. Panic caused my heart to escalate more than it already was from his appearance.
“Are you okay?” I blurted.
He shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’ve not been okay since I walked into our house and you were gone. I’ve not been okay since I picked up that photo of our son and realized I’d drunk so goddamn much, trying to numb the pain in my chest over how I’d treated you, that I slept through the ultrasound appointment. I’ve not been okay since I read that note and my dark, fucked-up soul was shredded.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, needing some form of protection from this. His words couldn’t be trusted. I had done that over and over again, only to be led to different levels of pain. Levels I hadn’t known about until him.
“Don’t, Liam. I can’t do this. Not anymore. I’m providing for myself. Proving to you that I’m not some charity case. Earning the respect that I want from you and our child. Today hasn’t been good for me. And you coming in here, saying these things, only rips off the Band-Aid I managed to put in place. So, please, leave.”
I stepped back so he had a straight shot to the door. I would fall apart once he was gone. But not yet. I had to get him out of here first.
He took a step, and then the agony began again. I wanted to close my eyes so I couldn’t see him go; maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much.
