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What did you think she’d say, Liam? Hey, I’ve been thinking and it’s all good! I’ve always dreamt of raising another woman’s baby. It’s cool!
Uh, no. Macy was one of the nicest people I knew, but no one would react that way. So why was I even holding out hope?
Because you love her and don’t want to admit the truth. You blew it, big time.
Fuck.
And today was going to suck, too. First, I needed to get to L.A. in the middle of rush hour. Then I had to face Aria and her attitude; she’d been none too pleased to hear about the paternity test I scheduled for this morning and the call ended with her slamming the phone down on me. After the test, I’d fly to Peachtree Grove and sweat about the results for the next week and a half. The lab assured me that was the fastest possible turnaround if I wanted accurate results, which I obviously did. So ten days it was.
Ten long, drawn-out days, living next to Macy in the world’s smallest, nosiest town. That was gonna be fun.
How was I supposed to be so close to her—her long legs, her curves, those luscious lips—and not touch her, kiss her, taste her? I had a hard-on just thinking about her and I was two thousand miles away. Good fucking luck when she was living one door down.
Guess I was going to have to try to avoid her altogether. Another nearly impossible task in Peachtree Grove.
I sighed, rolling out of bed, and hit the shower. I couldn’t afford to be late to the lab. This test was my only shot at a future with Macy and I needed to be absolutely certain everything went off without a hitch.
* * *
Traffic was a fucking nightmare.Now I remembered why I worked from home most of the time. I slammed my Rover into the first parking spot I could find and jogged into the metal-and-glass building, heading straight to the elevator. Pressing the button, I scanned the directory while I waited. The lab was on the fifth floor. When the doors opened, I hopped in, smashing the button for floor five.
“Hold the elevator!” A high-pitched female voice called.
I obeyed, thrusting my arm out to delay the elevator’s departure.
Big mistake. I instantly regretted that move when the doors opened wide, and I saw the female making the request.
Aria waddled towards me, rubbing the floral fabric housing her belly to emphasize her condition.
“Hey there, handsome.” She smiled at me, twin dimples popping out on her cheeks.
I pushed down my annoyance. At least she fucking made it here.
“Good morning,” I said, my tone clipped as she stepped into the elevator, leaning against the back wall for support. To be fair, she looked pretty uncomfortable, considering her belly took up half her body. She wasn’t that tall to begin with—that much I’d remembered—and now she seemed even shorter.
“Thanks a lot for dragging me out of bed,” she grumbled, frowning.
Maybe Aria was in the mood swing phase of pregnancy. I vaguely recalled avoiding my oldest sister for a solid month due to the surge in hormones, which made her as unpredictable as a heartland twister.
“Sorry. I have a job I have to get to. And the lab requires us to be here simultaneously,” I lied, my voice smooth as honey.
“Bullshit. You don’t trust me.” She narrowed her eyes at me.
I shrugged. “Believe what you want. Here we are.”
The doors slid open, and I held the button, allowing Aria to exit first. We walked to the front desk, where the receptionist sat behind a high, clear plexiglass window.
“We’re here for a paternity test,” I said in a hushed tone. As if the people in the waiting room actually gave a shit.
“Name.” The blond receptionist didn’t even make eye contact.
“McCauliffe.”
“And?” She glanced up at that, locking eyes with me pointedly.
“Uh...”
“Shit. You don’t even know my last name. Nice,” Aria hissed, elbowing me aside. “Rasputin. Aria Rasputin.”
