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“You don’t say,” he drawled.
It wasn’t even hard to contain the eye roll because now this was about something so much bigger than how he’d gotten under my skin over the years.
“But we don’t need to be friends right now.” I folded my arms around my waist and looked into the distance for a momentary reprieve from those eyes of his. Even the far-off mountains didn’t offer as much comfort as they normally did. I met his gaze again. “This is about Mira.”
Everything about Liam was hard. The way he held his tall, muscular frame, the set of his jaw, the look in his eyes.
“You might take issue with what I’m saying, Zoe,” he said. “But that won’t change it. Stop and think that maybe Mira’s the reason I’m keeping my distance. I won’t be any help to her, trust me.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he pivoted, yanking open his car door and sliding in before I could say another word.
My stunned silence continued as I walked numbly back into the office. Byron was on his laptop, and he closed the screen as I took my seat.
“Will Mr. Davies be joining us again?” he asked quietly.
I shook my head, fighting an ache as it crawled up my throat and threatened to come out in the form of an exhausted sob.
Byron pushed a box of Kleenex in my direction, and I gave him a tiny smile.
“Ready to continue, or would you like to reschedule?”
I blew out a slow breath. “Do we have to do anything legally if he’s not involved?”
“Not unless you want to. We can take steps to petition the court to remove Liam as a guardian, and if he agrees to take part in thatprocess, it would be fairly painless. Just some time and paperwork.” He shrugged. “Or we can leave it as is and see if he has a change of heart.”
I laughed under my breath. “I don’t see that happening.”
He tilted his head. “You’re sure?”
I thought of what I had come to know about Liam over the years.
Stubborn. Willful. Argumentative.
But in moments where he hadn’t known I was watching, moments with Chris and Amie and Mira, I’d gotten glimpses of someone else entirely.
“No,” I admitted. “I’m not sure. Of anything.”
He studied my face. “Let’s just keep the rest of the appointment simple, okay? Sign a few papers while you’re here. We can get you on the trust account they set up for Mira’s care. We’ll revisit some of the less pressing matters another time.”
Byron slid the folder back in my direction.
With my heart hammering in my chest, I picked up the heavy pen and started signing papers.
Taking a deep breath as Byron swapped out one finished page for the next, I thought back to something he’d said earlier.
“The house in Michigan,” I said. “You mentioned a friend they’d left it to.”
Byron nodded. “He played at U of M with Chris. If it helps, he was just as shocked as the two of you.”
What I knew of the house was little. It had belonged to Chris’s grandparents when he was young, then fallen into massive disrepair. Chris and Amie had intended it to be someplace special for their family as they raised Mira, and for whoever else came along after her.
“So that’s not something I have to worry about?” I asked.
He shook his head, a slight smile hovering over his lips. “No. Just Mira.”
Just Mira,I thought.Just raise their child. By myself, apparently.
By the time I drove home, my whole body ached from the twists and turns of the day’s emotional roller coaster. I needed a bath, somewine, a gallon of ice cream, and a good, solid cry in the closet, where no one could hear me.
