AllFreeNovel
Share Us
By the time I yanked open the door of the lobby, Liam was just easing into his dark SUV.
“Hey,” I yelled.
He froze.
“Don’t you dare get in that car,” I warned.
He tipped his head back and swiveled in my direction. Annoyance was stamped all over his face, and the hard line of his jaw was so tight that it seemed a miracle the bone hadn’t cracked.
Liam slammed his car door shut, settling his big hands on his hips while I crossed the parking lot.
Why did he have to be so big? My righteous anger ebbed a little when I had to tilt my chin up just to make proper eye contact and level a glare at him.
“You can’t just leave,” I said.
“Watch me.”
I blew out a hard breath. “I get it. It’s a shock, and you weren’t ready for it.”
His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he averted his eyes.
“I know it’s easier for me because I’ve had her since ...” I paused. “I’ve had her with me, and Amie told me about their trust. But you can’t just ignore what they’re asking of you.”
His eyes narrowed the slightest amount, and I thought maybe he’d listen. Consider doing the right thing.
“I told you I’d send you a check every month.” He spoke slowly, like I couldn’t understand him. “If I was ignoring it, I would’ve walked out, and you’d never see me again.”
It would have beensoeasy to knee him between the legs, given the height difference. I could have just snapped my knee up and caught himright there.
He whistled. “Someone is thinking violent thoughts.”
I smiled. “Just imagining the sound you’d make if I kneed you in the balls right now. I’d play it on a loop whenever I needed a pick-me-up.”
Liam leaned in, a decided gleam in his stupid dark-green eyes. “This the stuff you used to say when you worked at the hospital? I’m having a hard time believing they didn’t sack you, Goldilocks.”
“Don’t call me that, and don’t change the subject.”
He leaned back against his car and eyed my hair, which—on a good day—was unmanageable. Today had not been a good day, and standing outside while the breeze tossed it all around certainly wasn’t helping. I yanked a hair tie off my wrist and wrangled my mane into a low bun.
He smirked.
At the sight of that twist of his lips, I contemplated the possible ramifications of punching him while standing in a lawyer’s parking lot.
Instead, I pulled in a long, steadying breath. And I thought about Mira. Just like it always did, my chest went warm and tight and heavy. The pressure of raising someone else’s child was unmatched, especially when you hadn’t been expecting it to happen.
Maybe I’d been thrown into the crucible of this situation a couple of weeks before Liam, dealing alone with the little girl crying for her parents when they didn’t come back after a few days, but I could not ignore the fact that they’d wanted him in it with me.
If nothing else, there was someone else to bear the load of the pressure.
“They asked you for a reason,” I reminded him.
“Bet you’re racking your brain trying to figure out what that is, aren’t you?”
I held his gaze unflinchingly. “Yes.”
His head reared back at my honest answer, but it brought some of his hostility down ... just a touch.
I rubbed my forehead, where the beginnings of a headache had started to bloom. “I know we’ve never been friendly, Liam.”
