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It was amazing how instantly you could love someone, I thought. She wasn’t any part of me physically. Wasn’t even my child. But her button nose, rosy face, tiny wisps of dark hair, and small, spiky eyelashes—every single bit of her—made me feel overwhelming, heart-churning love.
And, yeah, my ovaries were wailing a little, but they’d get over it. Eventually.
This certainly helped, because now I had someone to love and spoil.
My eyes burned, and I blinked back tears when I realized everyone was watching me. Amie sniffled in her bed.
“I’ve already cried so much,” she said. “Don’t make me start again.”
I exhaled a watery laugh. “I can’t help it. You have ababy.”
Chris grinned, nudging a stoic Liam with his shoulder. “Want to hold her next?”
“Absolutely not.”
My jaw dropped open, even though Amie laughed delightedly. “Oh, come on, Liam! You can do it.”
He tucked his hands inside his pockets and shook his head, eyes darting over to me and Mira. “She’s too little. I’ll break her or something.”
Chris laughed. “You’re not gonna break her. You can sit in the chair, and Zoe will hand her off.”
“I’d rethink this if I were you, Chris. His attitude might be contagious, and Mira’s first words will bebloody fucking hell,” I said, mimicking his British accent.
Amie laughed so hard that she clutched her stomach and groaned. “Oh, that hurts.”
Chris swiped a hand over his smiling mouth as Liam glared daggers in my direction.
I smiled sweetly. His eyes narrowed ominously.
“How’s life treating you, Valentine?” he asked, voice smooth and dangerous.
My smile fell.
“Liam,” Amie said in a warning tone.
He gave her an innocent look. “Just making polite conversation.”
Innocent, my ass.
“You look ... different.” His eyes—vivid, mossy green, and completely unreadable—passed quickly over my face and down my neck until they landed on my hands, where I held Mira against my heart. “Like you’re missing something.”
Asshole.
My chin notched up. “You cannot bait me, Davies. If you’ve got something to say, just say it. Politeness hasliterallynever stopped you before.”
His dark eyebrows arched slowly. “You’d be shocked at how many thoughts I keep bottled up in my head.”
“A truly terrifying prospect indeed.”
Chris and Amie traded a loaded look.
Liam’s gaze dropped momentarily to my favorite shirt—the one I usually wore just to piss him off. Today, of course, was just a happy coincidence.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” he asked quietly.
I smiled again, shifting the warm bundle that was Mira so he could see the red-and-black Wolves logo. I’d had the shirt since high school, and even though I’d lived in Denver since college, I took particular delight in wearing my home team gear whenever I was around Liam.
“Want me to get you one? I’m heading back to Seattle to visit my parents next week. I’m sure it comes in a size big enough for your ego.”
