“Until you and that man of yours figure out a name.”

“That man of mine?” Those words sounded kind of perfect coming out of her mouth, and yes all evidence pointed to the fact that he was her man, but…but sometimes minds changed.

Where the hell had that come from? Harper was more than slightly shocked by that last thought, and it caused a painful pang in her chest.

She was just being ridiculous. It was just another small moment of insecurity. She shook it off and focused on her mother again.

“Yes.” Delilah’s face came up and focused on her daughter. No joking in her gaze to be found. “That man of yours. Anyone who writes a song about you has to be your man. Right?”

Right…the song. “I sure hope so,” Harper agreed. Actually those words were more like a prayer.

“It’s a good song you know. And it’s doing pretty well from what I’ve gathered.”

“It is.” She nodded still a little distracted, but then her mother’s words resonated. “Where are you gathering this?”

“The Google,” Delilah said entirely straight faced.

It took everything in Harper not to laugh. “The Google? Really?”

“Yeah, I know how to look things up. You know, not only is he talented, but he’s very photogenic. Not very many people look as good in pictures as they do in real life. He’s got fantastic genes.”

“He does. Good thing he’s the man I’m breeding with.” The smile that turned up her mouth was genuine…her small moment of crazy pushed to the back of her mind.

“This is true. At least you have excellent taste in attractive men. That you get from me.” Delilah looked over and grinned.

“I sure did. Can I go up and see what you pulled from the attic?”

“Go for it.”

“Thanks.” Harper leaned in and placed another kiss on her mother’s cheek before she turned and headed for the backstairs at the side of the kitchen.

The “storage room” was actually Harper’s old bedroom. It was the very last room at the end of the hallway, right across from the bathroom. The door was shut and the fan was going. She wondered if Liam was still naked behind that door. Drying off after he got out of the shower. For just a second she was tempted to knock and walk in there.

No. Stop it right this very second. You are in your parents’ house. Your. Parents’. House. No no no.

Holy hell, five minutes ago she’d been contemplating the idea that Liam might leave her…and now she wanted to jump him. Sometimes she wondered if it was the pregnancy hormones that were making her crazy or if she was just crazy.

It’s the pregnancy, she reassured herself as she veered off and headed to the left.

The door was partially cracked and when she stepped inside her old bedroom her eyes landed on exactly what her parents had pulled from the attic. Her heart flew up into her throat and that flutter ran through her belly again.

It was the antique cradle that she’d been rocked in as a baby, the very same cradle that her mother and aunt had been rocked in as well. The light brown wood was still in pristine condition even after fifty plus years.

She took a step forward, reaching out and running her fingers across the side, tracing the detailed woodwork. Lilies had been carved into the wood, wrapping around the entirety of the piece of furniture.

The corner of her eyes prickled, and when she blinked the tears fell down her cheeks.

The bathroom door behind her opened and she turned, looking over her shoulder as Liam stepped out, steam making a haze behind him. His hair was wet, a slight curl in the strands that hung low across his forehead.

“Hey,” she sniffed, reaching up and wiping her fingers across her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” He was across the hall and reaching for her within seconds.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, more tears falling with the motion.

“Then why are you crying?” Now he was the one reaching up, his thumb wiping away the fresh tears that tracked down her face.

“This.” She turned, her hand on the wood again as she traced the flowers. “My parents pulled it down from the attic. It was made in Italy, one of the few things my grandparents had shipped over when they moved to the States. Nonna Sofia loved lilies so Papa Jack had it made for her.”

“Sofia,” Liam said slowly, rolling the name on his tongue. He reached out for the cradle, too, his fingers right next to her and tracing the flowers on the wood. “What about Sofia Lillian?”

They looked at each other at the same time. A smile was turning up the corner of his mouth as his free hand went to her stomach, his palm flat on her belly.

“That’s it.” She grinned back at him, her hand covering his. “That’s her name.”

Liam leaned down, pressing his mouth to hers. “We just named our daughter,” he whispered against her lips. And then he was kneeling down in front of Harper, both of his hands on her belly as he leaned in. “We just named you. What do you think about Sofia Lillian?” he asked.

It was at that moment that it happened, a small pop hit the side of her belly. Liam looked up at Harper, his eyes going huge. “Did that just happen? Did she just kick my hand?”

Harper could only nod, the look of sheer joy on Liam’s face making her momentarily speechless.

His gaze dropped down again. “You like your name, Sofia Lillian?” he asked as another kick hit his hand. “It’s amazing.” He shook his head before he leaned in and pressed his lips to the spot. “God, this is incredible.”

And this time it was a sniff from the doorway that filled the room. Harper and Liam both looked over at the same time to see her mother standing there, tears falling from her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath like she was trying to compose herself. “I came up to see what you thought about the cradle. I…I didn’t mean to…to interrupt. You’re going to name her after my mother?”

“Is that okay?” Harper asked.

“It’s more than okay.” Delilah nodded, her bottom lip quivering.

Liam got to his feet again. “You want to feel your granddaughter move?”

The question was barely out of his mouth before Delilah was moving across the room. Liam grabbed her hand, placing it over the spot that Sofia had been kicking. It took a moment before another pop hit the side of Harper’s abdomen.

Delilah looked up at Harper, the delight in her eyes exuberant. “Sofia Lillian. It’s a beautiful name.”

“Liam figured it out.” Harper grinned at him.

“I’m glad you like it, Mrs. Laurence.”

Her eyes moved from Harper’s face to Liam’s, and she shook her head. “Delilah.” She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. “You should call me Delilah from here on out.”

Well, apparently Harper was covering the full range of emotions today. And as she hadn’t been prepared for any of this, it took everything in her not to lose it right then and there.

Chapter Twenty How to Burst a Bubble In Under a Minute

As Harper was going to be heading up to Nashville with Liam for a few days, she was fitting in as many clients who wanted to schedule a massage before she left town. Her last one wasn’t going to finish up until after nine on Wednesday night, so Liam went to the Sleepy Sheep to grab a beer.

Finn was working behind the bar that evening. The man might be a full-time veterinarian, but he still put in a few hours at his family’s bar every once in a while. Ever since Shep started brewing beer in mass quantities, his nights at the bar had been cut down. And it was still an important feature to have a Shepherd presence at the place as much as possible. According to Harper, the Sleepy Sheep was an institution in Mirabelle.

Tripp and Bennett were at the bar, too, though the two of them were getting a drink as opposed to working it.

“You flying solo tonight?” Bennett asked as Liam took a seat next to him.