Apparently cooking was a talent that all three of them enjoyed. The table was now just a resting place for all of the empty dishes, and everyone was sitting around talking and laughing. Liam had his hand on the back of Harper’s neck, his fingers tracing the very top of her spine.

His hands on her felt so good that she couldn’t bring herself to pull away, which was a problem as she’d had to go to the bathroom for a little while now. The full bladder thing was no joke during pregnancy.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered to Liam. He nodded, gently squeezing the very base of her neck before he let go. She pushed her chair back and headed down the hallway.

On her way back she spotted Luna and Henry—Hannah and Shep’s gray cat—playing in the living room. Henry was more like a rambunctious little dog himself, and the two of them were wrestling in between playing tug-of-war with an old sock.

Adele’s dog Katie wasn’t having any of those shenanigans. When they bumped into her comfortable lounging position on the rug, she gave them a somewhat disdainful look—well, as disdainful as a dog was capable of—before she got up and headed to the dining room with the adults.

Dale and Hamilton were in the kitchen with Mel and Bennett, stacking dishes on the counter. Harper veered off and headed in that direction instead, stationing herself at the sink and turning the faucet on. As the water heated up, she grabbed the massive glass bowl that had held the paella, wiping away the tiny remnants in the trash before putting it under the steady stream of steaming water.

When she reached up for the soap on the windowsill, her eyes caught on the porch on the other side of the glass window in front of her. Her mind automatically flashed back to last Saturday with her and Liam two floors up, her legs wrapped around his waist while he moved inside her…

Hands landed on her hips making her jump, and Liam’s mouth was at her ear. “This doesn’t look like you coming right back.”

“I’m just trying to help.”

He reached up and he hit the handle on the faucet, making the stream of water stop. And then his hands were at her hips again, turning her around.

“You aren’t cleaning up, Harper. Not going to happen.”

“Liam, I’m more than capable—”

“I know you are,” he cut her off. “But you aren’t going to. Know what you can do though?”

“What’s that?” She looked up at him as his palms moved up along her sides.

“Tell me what you were thinking about that has you all flushed?”

“I’m not flushed. It’s the hot water.”

“The hot water making your eyes dilate, too?” He shook his head, calling her bluff. “You know I’m sure we can sneak out there if you want. Have an encore performance.” He indicated the porch with his chin, his eyes not leaving hers.

“The rain is blowing in sideways. We’d get soaked.”

Something downright wicked flashed in his eyes and he leaned down to her ear. “I think you’re going to have that problem regardless.”

“You’re terrible,” she said, laughing as he pulled back, his mouth split in a massive mischievous grin.

“I am.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Now, no washing dishes for you.” He pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss before he stepped back and gently pulled her away from the sink. “I got this.”

“And what am I supposed to do?”

“Keep me company,” he said as he turned the water on again and finished washing the bowl that Harper had started. “Tell me about your day.”

“I can’t guarantee that it will be all that interesting.”

“It was your day, of course it will be interesting.”

She leaned back against the counter, the grin on her face not to be helped, as she started talking.

*  *  *

Liam spent Tuesday at the inn as well, Dale and Hamilton joining them. As both boys had requested more music sessions, Liam was happy to comply. It hadn’t taken him very long to figure out why his brother had gotten so close to the two teenagers. They were great kids and Liam found himself enjoying their company more than he could’ve ever anticipated.

On Wednesday, they all went out to the horse farm that Shep and Finn’s aunt and uncle owned. It had been years since Liam had gone horseback riding, and when he was finished up he was feeling it on every inch of his body. Luckily, Harper took pity on him and she spent the evening showing him just how good her massage skills were…and after that she showed him just how good her riding skills were.

Thursday was way less exhaustive. Liam, Logan, and Jace indulged in a tour of the Sleepy Sheep’s new brewing facility and an afternoon tasting of Shep’s beer. The evening was again spent in Harper’s apartment, with Liam making her dinner. Pretty much any opportunity he had to get her alone, he took advantage of it. Yes, he wanted his friends and family to spend time with her, and he wanted to get to know all of her friends and family, too. But as he was about to be leaving her for two weeks, he was getting just a tad bit stingy.

And besides that, the Jacksonville crowd still had another few days left in Mirabelle, and he knew for a fact that Adele and Harper were hanging out when he was gone. So he didn’t feel all that guilty. Actually, he didn’t feel guilty at all.

By Friday he was settling very nicely into their routine. Had it really only been a week since he’d been in Mirabelle? It felt like it had been much longer, like they’d been part of each other’s everyday lives for years now…and would be for the long haul if he had anything to say about it.

It was something that he just knew, and something that was confirmed more than ever when they went to her doctor’s appointment that afternoon. Beth had worked them in for the last slot at the end of the day, and as they sat in that waiting room he found that he was just a little bit anxious.

And why wouldn’t he be? They were going to hear their child’s heartbeat. He would put money on the fact that he’d never been so excited in his life. And though the anticipation was overwhelming, it was nothing to how he felt when it actually happened.

He was sitting on a stool right next to her, his hand in hers when the steady rhythmic beat filled the room. Never in his life had he heard a more perfect sound.

He could barely breathe, could barely move, couldn’t get over the fact that he and Harper had created something. They’d made a life. Together. Just the two of them. It was the greatest thing he’d ever do.

Ever.

So yeah, he was in more than a daze for the rest of the evening. All through dinner with her parents…and dessert…and then during their drive home, him behind the wheel of Harper’s Cruiser as he was more than familiar with how to get around town at this point. He’d been driving most of the week after all, dropping Harper off at work in the morning and picking her up in the evening.

Their little daily routine.

It was more than he could’ve ever imagined. She was more than he could’ve ever imagined.

*  *  *

Saturday morning was the first since Liam had been in Mirabelle that Harper woke up alone. It wasn’t the best feeling in the world…actually it really sucked. But as he was leaving in, oh, six hours to go on tour for two weeks, she was going to have to get used to it.

And when it all came down to it, this was how it was going to be with a life with him. He was a musician and his career was only getting bigger. How they were going to figure this out was a question that she was trying not to worry about. It was too soon. It had barely been over a week since he’d been there, three since they’d found each other again…and about two months since they’d met.

Two months? Really? How had it only been that long?

Okay, she wasn’t going to spiral this early in the morning. She needed to find Liam, and as she heard a pan hitting the stove in the kitchen, she had a pretty good idea of where he was.