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Liam levered up on his elbow, brushing a stray lock of hair out of my face. “Not sure. And I get that money won’t solve all the problems in this particular situation, but I do think it could help.” He paused, gauging my reaction. When I didn’t flip out, he continued.
“I was thinking about sending a gift—anonymously, of course—to help her out with the baby. I found her registry; I figured I’d buy the major necessities for the baby. Crib, stroller, car seat. That sort of thing.”
A slow smile spread across my face. Liamwasthe guy I believed him to be all along. Sweet, thoughtful, caring.
In short, nothing like my own father.
“I love you,” I said, leaning forward and kissing him softly on the lips. “That’s a beautiful idea.”
Liam blew out a breath, his face relaxing into a smile. “I love you, too. And I’m glad you think so. Hopefully it will help, at least a little.”
“I’m sure it will,” I said, remembering all the times I barely had enough money to buy necessities. “Now I have to get up and go to work. Sadly.”
“Don’t be sad,” he said, kissing my forehead. “I’ll come with you, keep you company.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said, a lightness filling my entire body.
“I know. But I want to. Besides, I believe it’s my favorite night at the Rowdy.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Karaoke night.” Liam grinned at me and I couldn’t help but laugh. “We could sing a duet this time. Really bring the house down.”
I punched him in the bicep, shaking my head. “No. Just no.”
“Party pooper,” he said before capturing my lips in a kiss.
I’d never been happier in my life.
32
LIAM
“You sure you want to do this?” Quinn asked, one brow arched high. “You can still bail; I’ll cover for you.”
I shook my head. “No, not a chance. I spent a lot of time thinking over the last few weeks and this—” I spread my arms wide, gesturing out at Main Street, the quaint cobblestone road, the tidy storefronts, the friendly people passing by and waving, “this is more my home than L.A.’s ever been.”
“Alright, man. If this is what you want, we can make it happen.” Quinn handed me the keys to the store.
“What did I miss?” Ryder jogged up, his face red from the late-afternoon Southern heat.
Quinn shrugged. “Just the ceremonial handing over of the keys.”
“Shoot, sorry. Charlie had a game this morning. Anyway, here’s the paperwork.” Ryder handed a thick manila envelope to me, and I couldn’t stop my grin.
I was really doing this.
“Everything’s there, for your records,” Ryder said, smiling widely back at me. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks,” I said, happiness buzzing through me. I hadn’t felt this confident in a while and deep-down, I knew I was doing the right thing, making the right choice.
“Is everything ready for tonight?” I asked Quinn. I’d enlisted his and Ryder’s help in setting up a surprise date for Macy.
“Yep. Delaney’s closing early. She and Bree’ll scoop Macy up for ‘girls’ night,’ while me and Ryder finish setting everything up in the park.”
“And the permit from the town came through, no problem, right?” I asked, giddy nervousness bubbling up in my gut. This plan had a lot of moving pieces and I wanted—needed—everything to go perfectly.
“Yes, a copy’s in the envelope.” Ryder pointed at my hand, and I exhaled.
