“What was a week ago?”

“I finally took the pregnancy test, or tests really. And there were plenty of signs that I ignored…or tried to ignore.”

“How many tests did you take?” he asked, dropping his hands. Some of his hair fell across his forehead, and just like the night before she wanted to reach up and brush it back.

“Fifteen,” she said as she settled her hands on the bench next to her, tapping her fingers against the warm black metal. She needed something to do with her hands besides touching him.

“Seriously?”

“Five a day, three days in a row. And I think I was still in denial until my doctor’s appointment the other day. So really, coming to grips with this after about twelve hours is pretty impressive on your part.”

“So…this was only just confirmed?”

“Yeah.” She nodded slowly.

“And who else knows?”

“Mel and my other friend Grace.”

“So you haven’t told your parents?”

“No. The plan was to tell you first.” Yeah, she’d planned a number of things that hadn’t exactly happened. Hadn’t been close to happening.

“You should know my parents know.”

“They do?” Oh. Dear. God. They probably thought she was the worst person in the world. Well, maybe not the absolute worst…but pretty far up there.

“They travel all over the continent these days, so there’s no telling when I’ll see them again. It isn’t exactly information I want to inform them about over the phone. So I told them this morning, and my brother and sister found out last night.”

So his entire family knew. And none of hers did. She was going to have to change that very soon.

“How did they take it?”

“They’re all supportive. My parents are kind of used to unconventional at this point. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

For a second her mind reeled, thinking that he had other kids from other women out there…apparently she was no better than he was last night. But then something clicked in her brain, making her heart twinge in pain. “Are you talking about Logan and his daughter?”

Madison had been the little girl’s name, and the image of the “M” tattoo on Liam’s arm flashed through her mind, the bird taking flight above it. He’d gotten the tattoo for his niece who passed away.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

Harper knew about Logan and his daughter, not only because it had been big news a couple of months ago, but because of Abby’s involvement in the whole debacle. It had almost ended Abby’s relationship with Logan, but in the end they’d found their way back to each other.

Maybe there was a possibility something like that could happen again…

“After Madison, they have a very different perspective on things.” The pain in his voice was palpable, not all that shocking as Liam and his family had dealt with an extreme loss. Death of a loved one was never easy…but the death of a child?

Unimaginable.

Yup, if his family thought that she was going to keep this child from Liam, they would without a doubt hate her.

“Liam, I swear I was going to tell you. If…if you believe anything, please believe that.” The desperation to fix this was clawing at her insides.

“I do. I believe that.”

Okay…well, that was something at least.

“So what about your doctor’s appointment? Was everything okay with the baby? With you?”

“They’re doing a complete blood workup, but those results won’t come back for a week or two. But everything they were able to check at the appointment was good. Well, for the most part. The nausea has been hard to deal with, so they gave me some medicine to help with that.”

“So you’ve had bad morning sickness?”

She couldn’t stop the scoff that escaped her throat, couldn’t help herself. “That title is full of false advertising. The mornings are actually the easiest. Afternoons are when it really hits the hardest. If it gets worse than what I’m currently dealing with I need to go back in. But as it is, my next appointment will be in a month.”

“Did they give you a due date?”

“January thirtieth.”

“And did you hear the heartbeat?” He shifted closer to her.

“No, not yet. It was too soon. That should happen at the next appointment.”

“I want to be there,” he said immediately. “I don’t want to miss it.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want to miss any of it, Harper. I don’t want to screw this up.”

Her hands tapped out a faster rhythm against the bench. “I think I already took care of that. I messed up. Made this harder…and I’m sorry.”

“So, what do we do? What do you want?”

“I’d like to get to know you.”

The flash of frustration in his eyes was apparent, and he let out a bitter huff through his nose. “I wanted that six weeks ago.”

“I…I know. I wish there was a way to start over.” Her throat had to work hard to get those last words out, tightening around them.

“We can’t start over. Too much has happened.” His mouth made that hard stubborn line again. The finality in it clear as day.

So that was it. They couldn’t start over.

She turned away from him, looking over at a couple walking their dog on the opposite side of the little park. She closed her eyes hard in an attempt to block out the image of the people in front of her, but instead different images filtered through her brain.

Liam walking up to her at the bar. Liam pressing her against the wall as he kissed her for the first time. Liam singing to her, his voice resonating in her bones. Liam looking down into her eyes as he moved inside of her. As he consumed every part of her.

But that was over. Apparently there was no finding their way back.

So that was where they stood…the only way he was going to be a part of her life was through their child. That was just how it was going to be. Splitting holidays, one Christmas with, the next without. Meeting halfway so that Liam could have him or her for the summer.

People did it all the time. Shared their child.

This was how it was going to be. And she was just going to have to accept it.

Chapter Ten Catching Up

The next ten minutes were in no way easy for Liam. He was fighting with every ounce of his strength to keep his hands to himself, because all he wanted was to reach over and touch Harper.

It took everything in him not to pull her into his chest. Took everything in him not to wrap his arms around her, press his nose into that spot just underneath her ear, and inhale. Even now, the scent of honey filled his nose with every breath, testing his will.

As her eyes were his biggest source of insight, and her sunglasses currently covered them, he couldn’t be completely sure of her emotions. But she was fidgeting, something that until last night he wasn’t used to seeing her do. And for whatever reason she seemed just as confused and lost as he did.

He had no clue what to do about any of it. It was hard for him to get over how mad he still was at her.

She’d left.

Yes she’d explained it, said she was scared. And he got that, really he did, because he’d been terrified. But that didn’t change the facts.

She’d left.

The sting of waking up alone was still there, itching underneath his skin. And it had absolutely nothing to do with his pride. Hell, that had gone out the window about a second after he’d met her. After he’d seen her really. And it wasn’t like he’d regained it, either. Case in point his ridiculous love anthem that would be officially released to the airwaves in a few weeks’ time.

He tried not to cringe at the thought of it. Yup, the second that was out there, the only name for what he was would be a fool.

And then there was the fact that she’d waited so long to tell him about the pregnancy.

Okay…so she’d just confirmed it a week ago…and then the doctor’s appointment to really confirm it had only been a few days ago. Denial was a word she’d used in describing the time gap between suspecting and knowing.