A quick trip to the bathroom was a must. Again, full bladders weren’t to be messed with. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she grabbed her robe on the back of the door before heading out into her apartment.

Liam was at the stove, the only article of clothing on his body his gray boxer briefs…and one of Harper’s aprons. She had two, one black with bright pink frills on it. The other blue and green stripes. He’d picked the black frilly one.

Of course he had. It took everything in her not to laugh as she leaned against the door frame and watched him while he talked to Luna.

Yes. Talked to Luna. The dog was sitting at his feet, looking up at him with imploring eyes and no doubt waiting for him to drop a piece of bacon…or cheese. That dog would do backflips for a piece of cheese.

“Listen,” he said, waving the tongs at the dog. “I know that you have fun with Henry, understandable. He’s a fun little guy. But that’s the point, Luna. He’s a male. And men are dogs, which I’m sure is confusing to you as he’s a cat. But you get my point.”

This time Harper couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of her chest. Liam spun around, and Harper was able to get the full picture of him in that ridiculous apron. And the small laugh morphed into a full-on belly laugh.

“What?” he asked, setting the tongs on the stove before he walked over to her.

“You look ridiculous.”

“Hey, black is slimming and way more flattering than stripes.” His hands landed on her hips before they moved to the belt at her waist.

“Whatever you say.”

“This one has better coverage. And you were supposed to sleep in. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”

“What is it with you and eating in bed?”

“At least this time it was going to be food.” His eyes left hers as he slipped the belt loose, the two sides separating and his hands sliding down to her bare thighs. She was only wearing a tank top and a pair of panties. “I take it back.” He shook his head as he reached up and ran his fingers across her nipples, the thin fabric doing nothing to lessen the sensation. “I want you for breakfast.”

“I think your bacon might burn.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about my bacon?” He started kissing her a second before he reached down in a quick move, grabbing her thighs and picking her up.

She gasped against his lips as he carried her across the room, and then he was setting her down on the counter. His mouth lingered on hers for a moment or two before he pulled back and went to the stove, flipping the bacon.

Then he went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of cranberry juice and pouring her a glass. It was the first thing she drank every morning, and it had taken him no time at all to remember that fact.

It had taken him no time at all to remember a lot of facts. Like that she liked her bananas the most when they just started to get spotted. Or that even though her nausea wasn’t nearly as severe, all things poultry still weren’t agreeing with her. Or that she preferred prime numbers when it came to just about anything…like grocery store lines or the volume on the TV. Yeah it was, weird but he just went with it.

He went with everything.

Her throat constricted as she stared down at the juice glass in her hand. Her head came up and she looked back over to Liam who was at the stove, flipping the knob and turning off the burner. The tightening feeling in her throat was now accompanied by the burning at the corner of her eyes.

“You want some of my Potato Sensation?” Liam asked as he grabbed plates from the cupboard next to him. “I made toast, too.”

She couldn’t stop the sniffle that happened next, either. It seemed to fill the kitchen, bouncing off the tile. She bowed her head, running her thumb up and down the glass.

“Hey, hey now.” Liam was back to her in an instant, pulling the juice from her hand. He touched her chin, pushing her head up. “Honey, what’s going on?”

“I don’t want you to leave.” And just like that she burst into tears.

It was something she wished she could blame entirely on the pregnancy hormones, and though those no doubt had something to do with it, they weren’t the only factor.

He pulled her into his chest, his hands moving up and down her back. “I know. I don’t want to, either. I’ll be back in no time at all.”

“And then you leave again.”

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “We’re going to figure this out, honey. We are.”

“Promise?”

“I swear.”

The certainty in his voice was a small relief…she just wished she felt as certain.

Chapter Sixteen I Want Forever, Honey, Forever with You

Liam was more than capable of being a patient guy…in certain circumstances. He could handle long lines with ease, didn’t really lose his temper while driving, never really watched the clock waiting for time to tick down.

That was until Harper had come along. Turned out when he wasn’t with her, all he was thinking about was how long it was going to take to get to her again. This constant unsettled feeling had been going on since May, and though it was different than it had been when he couldn’t find her, it was no less intense.

Twelve days. Twelve days since he’d seen her and he was losing his damn mind.

And the morning he was currently having was bringing everything to a boil. The Canadian and Great Lakes leg of the Isaac Hunter tour was over, but there was something else on his schedule that he needed to do before he could get back to Harper.

Shoot the video for “Beyond the Limits.”

The song was supposed to be a tie-in with the outlaw aspect of Mason-Dixon, but the location for the video was in Louisiana as they were doing a bayou Bonnie and Clyde thing. The forty-eight-hour shoot was now apparently going to take seventy-two.

Something that he was in no way pleased about as he was out in the middle of the swamp, the summer sun beating down on him with an intensity that just shouldn’t be legal for ten o’clock in the morning. Not to mention the air was already so thick it was like he was breathing in soup.

And the real reason he was about to lose it? All of this was keeping him from Harper.

If he could go back in time to last year when Isaac and Hunter had asked him to help out in writing the song, he would’ve said no if it meant he could be anywhere besides the middle of the fucking swamp in that moment.

So yeah, his patience was almost non-existent.

Maybe it was the fact that his shirt was sticking to him, the sweat trickling down his back. Or that the smothering heat was suffocating him. Or it could be that Miguel, the director of the video, had shot the scene with Kiki running her hand up Liam’s thigh while they sat on the back of a boat on the bayou three times already.

It could also quite possibly be because the guy wanted another take.

This scene was a compromise to what they’d originally wanted, which was Kiki straddling Liam’s lap as she leaned down for a kiss.

He’d flat out refused, having a pretty heated conversation with Gary that they were going to have to figure something else out. And even with the edits to the video, Liam was in no way happy.

While all he wanted to do was go take a shower and wash off the feel of her hands on his body, Kiki was enjoying every moment of it.

“Like this?” she asked, moving closer and pressing her chest against Liam’s arm. She turned her head, her voice dropping low as she looked over at Miguel, whose eyes were focused on Kiki’s legs that had been covered in baby oil.

Why that was necessary when they were both already sweating in the heat, he had no idea.

“Yeah. Just like that, sweetheart.” Miguel winked. “And roll.”