pulled back, straightened and stared down at her. “Is this because of the fight we had the other day?”
She remembered the words they’d exchanged a few days earlier. It was the same discussion they’d been having since the beginning of their relationship. But she wasn’t ready to break her father’s heart. And she wouldn’t be pushed.
“Was that a fight?” she asked and sighed.
He shrugged loosely. “Maybe. If it was, then I’m sorry.”
Kayla reached out and touched his jaw, felt the bristle of stubble and smiled. “You didn’t shave this morning?”
He met her gaze. “I don’t sleep well unless I have you next to me. Then I woke up late and ran out of time.”
His words melted her. She didn’t want to give him sleepless nights. She didn’t want to argue with him, either. She wanted...she wanted it to work out. She wanted their families to end the feuding. With a heavy heart, Kayla suspected she wanted the impossible.
“Liam...”
“It kills me to be away from you,” he admitted and swallowed hard. His gaze dropped to her stomach and without a word he gently pressed a hand to her middle. “Do you really think that you’re...” His words trailed off with a kind of agonized sigh when she nodded. “My god, Kayla...if you are then everything changes. Everything,” he said again, steadier, as though he was affirming the idea to himself.
His palm was warm against her belly. And strong and familiar. Their connection had never seemed more intense than it did in that moment and she had to say what was on her mind. And in her heart. “This isn’t what I planned...at least, not yet. But, the more I think about it, the more I want this baby, Liam. Despite what it will mean to our families. Despite how...complicated it is.”
They hadn’t talked about having children, not in any real depth. It was one of those things that seemed too hard, considering they were keeping their relationship a secret from everyone they knew. From the world.
“So do I, Kayla.”
Of course she knew that. Liam would make a great father. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and dropped her hand. “Okay?”
He nodded resignedly. “I’ll pick you up in the morning at eight thirty and we’ll drive into Rapid City.”
Kayla frowned. “My mother is coming by in the morning, plus I have a busload of tourists arriving tomorrow, so it will have to wait until the afternoon before I—”
“You could cancel your mother and get Shirley to cover you,” he said. “This really can’t wait.”
Sixtysomething Shirley had been working part-time at the museum for over twenty years and would certainly work if Kayla needed her. She pushed down her impatience at his high-handed logic. “Stop telling me what to do, Liam.”
“I’m not trying to make things harder here, Kayla. But if I’m going to be a father I’d like to know sooner rather than later.”
Of course he would. Kayla had a fleeting thought that she was being selfish. She’d had all morning to get used to the idea. Liam had only had fifteen minutes. “Okay,” she said agreeably. “Okay... I’ll call Shirley when I get back to work. And my mother,” she added.
His mouth twisted a little, as though he’d won a round. “I’ll call you later.”
She knew he would. He called her every night.
She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, stopping when he said her name. “What?”
“So I know that you’re okay, text me when you get back to the apartment this afternoon.”
The apartment. Not her apartment. Liam had his mind set on her spending every night at the house by the river. But she wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. Not until her parents knew about their relationship. Sure, she was stalling. But she had her reasons and they were valid. Even if Liam did struggle to understand, Kayla knew she had to do what she thought was right. As she always had.
“I really am fine,” she lied. “I mean, despite the fact that I’m probably pregnant and the baby is going to be caught in the middle of two families who hate one another.”
His jaw tightened. “Kayla, you know that I will never allow that to happen. If you are pregnant, then our child will come first, before any old squabbles, before any decades-old resentment, before anything.”
She shivered, because again she knew she should have been reassured. She knew Liam, she knew he could be ruthless when he needed to be. And she knew their relationship would be blown out of the water the moment her pregnancy was confirmed...and that Liam would be the one to do so.
“Of course I know that,” she said quietly. “My month is nearly up, remember?”
Three and half weeks earlier they’d agreed she would tell her parents about their relationship. It wasn’t an ultimatum. It was the next step. The obvious step. Exactly what needed to happen if they were to make their relationship work. But she still hadn’t told them. Not because she was a coward, although sometimes she wondered if Liam thought that of her...but because her parents loved her so dearly and upsetting them was such an alien concept to her. Liam didn’t appreciate that... Oh, he was considerate and caring, but he didn’t truly understand her motives.
“I didn’t suggest a month to hurt you,” he said quietly. “Or push you. I just thought it would be long enough for you to broach the subject and maybe ease them into the idea.”
“I know,” she flipped back. “And I get that you don’t understand the relationship I have with my parents. I get that you believe they smother me and think the world revolves around me...and you’re right...they do. That still doesn’t mean I want to upset them.”
“I know you don’t,” he said. “I don’t think anyone chooses to hurt the people they love.”
Her throat thickened. It was a direct hit. He loved her. She loved him. It shouldn’t be so messy. But it was.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she said and left the room before he had a chance to respond.
By the time she got back to the museum her head was throbbing. She turned the shingle over to say the place was open, unlocked the door and headed inside. As always, she experienced a sense of calm as she crossed the threshold. It always did that to her. The museum was her safe place. Her harbor. The balm she needed to soothe her soul. Split into two areas, it was a museum and art gallery, showcasing not only the incredible history of the town, but both the local and indigenous artists. There was a small gift shop that Shirley managed for a few hours each day, but mostly Kayla worked alone. And she liked it that way. Oh, she loved her family and friends, but the museum and gallery was her place, her calm center away from the world where she could think and read and find peace.
Liam understood that about her...perhaps more than anyone else ever had.
After she’d broken up with Will, Liam had pursued her again. Not obviously. In fact, at times he seemed to be ignoring her. But she knew what he was doing. The way he said her name whenever they met, the way his glittering blue eyes always seemed to linger on her mouth... Kayla was switched on enough to know she was being pursued. There was no ego in her realization, just instinct. An O’Sullivan had always been on the board of the museum, but suddenly he started turning up for the monthly meetings instead of his mother. And then he began regularly bringing his young nieces to the gallery. Subtle, for sure...but effective. Seeing him with the girls did something to her. It touched her heart, breaking down her defenses, making Kayla want him in ways that went beyond physical attraction.
It took a couple of months for Kayla to admit the truth to herself. That she liked him. That she more than liked him. And then one afternoon, when she could stand it no more, when he’d arrived early for a committee meeting to discuss the planned extension for the museum and they were alone in her office, she’d grabbed him by the lapel of his jacket