“Liam’s partial to the honey ham,” the clerk suggested.
“Okay, that sounds good.” At least he could eat it if her stomach revolted. “And some provolone.”
Liam approached carrying a loaf of white bread and Ellie shook her head. “I’m not eating that.”
He held the package up and eyed it. “What? You don’t like bread now?”
She liked bread but was trying to eat healthy, or at least healthier. She was going to be someone’s mom and needed to set a good example. “Don’t they have whole wheat or twelve grain? Did you learn nothing from me this summer?”
“Yeah, I learned to hide my junk food,” he said, and rolled his eyes.
A suspicious snickering sound came from the other side of the counter and Ellie glanced over. The woman’s back was to them but her shoulders were shaking.
“Glad you find my being forced to eat healthier funny, Mrs. O’Brien,” Liam said in a dry tone.
The woman turned around. “It’s about time you settled down with a woman who is interested in taking good care of you, Liam.”
“We’re not—”
“Oh, we’re just—”
The woman winked as she handed over two packages wrapped in white butcher paper. “I sliced it the way you like.”
* * *
Liam was still stuffing his wallet into his back pocket after paying when Ellie poked into the bag and pulled out a package of chocolate-covered graham crackers. What the hell? He shook his head. She’d given him grief over some stupid bread and she was chowing down on more cookies. He made a mental note to ask Riley if pregnancy made women unreasonable.
Ellie stuck the package of cookies under her arm and held out her hands. “I can carry some of that.”
He lifted the bags out of reach as they exited the store. “I got it.”
She glanced back as they turned the corner onto his street. “See? That’s why I could never move in upstairs.”
He turned his head. What was she seeing that he wasn’t? The street looked the same as it had when they’d arrived. “I don’t follow what you’re getting at.”
“They assumed we were together.”
“Umm...we were.”
She shook her head vigorously. “I mean together together.”
Maybe he was the one losing his mind. He chose silence.
“Once my pregnancy starts showing, people would be asking all sorts of questions and making assumptions.”
“Assumptions? Like that we’d had sex?” Damn his big mouth. “C’mon, they’ll do all that in Loon Lake.”
“Yes, but, judgment or not, they’ll also be there for me if I ever need help.” Her lower lip came out in a pout.
Ooh, what he wanted to do with that sexy lower lip. Even in a pout, that mouth called to him. “This is Dorchester today, not in the 1950s. No one is going to judge you.”
“That’s what you think. How come you never went out with Mrs. Sullivan’s granddaughter?” she asked as they passed Barbara Sullivan’s three-decker.
“Because I have to live on this street.” Evidently they were done talking about moving. He’d bide his time, but he wasn’t giving up. Huh...he should be relieved she wasn’t demanding all sorts of concessions from him, but the idea of her being so far away from him, in Vermont, annoyed him.
“But you said you always part on friendly terms with women you date. No harm, no foul,” Ellie said.
“You wanna try explaining that to Grandmother Sullivan?”
She nodded. “Good point.”
“And for your information, I’m not some sort of serial dater.” However, he’d had enough relationships to understand the signals leading to the point where women began uttering accusations like “emotionally unavailable” and ended things before that happened. He liked to end on good terms. If the relationship progressed to the point of using those phrases, the inevitable parting could become acrimonious. He never wanted anything like that for himself and Ellie. Is that why he’d hesitated getting involved with her in the past? Of course the no-strings-attached thing hadn’t exactly worked in his favor. He glanced at Ellie. Or had it? Could a child keep them together?
“You have to admit, you’ve dated a lot of women,” she was saying.
“True, but they’ve been spread out over sixteen years. Never two at once and I never poached.” Why did he feel the need to defend his dating history? He never had in the past.
They were back at his house and he shifted the bags so he could reach his keys.
Ellie reached over and grabbed a bag. “Here, let me take one of those.”
Their fingers brushed and there was that spark he’d remembered but had tried to deny for the past two months. He needed to ignore it if he was going to put Ellie back into the friend zone. That was where she needed to be if they were going to work on a partnership for the sake of their child.
* * *
After lunch in the living room, Ellie brought her empty plate into the kitchen and paused in the doorway. Liam’s hair had flopped over his forehead as he bent over to load the dishwasher and her fingers twitched with the need to brush it back. Their summer fling was over, and pregnant or not, she didn’t have the right to touch him with such tenderness, as much as she ached to do so.
“I should leave soon to beat the traffic.” She handed him her plate and grabbed another chocolate-covered graham cracker from the bag on the counter.
“Leave? Already?” He glanced up and frowned. “Why don’t you stay tonight? You look beat.”
“I’ll be fine. I didn’t plan to stay, so I didn’t bring anything with me.” She contemplated her cookie before taking a bite. The thought of packing an overnight bag had occurred to her, but she didn’t like the message that would send. Whether to Liam or to herself, she wasn’t sure. Maybe both.
“We can go and get you whatever you need. Boston happens to be a very cosmopolitan city. Stores, restaurants, hospitals—”
“Don’t start with me.” While she believed in co-parenting, living in such proximity to him without sharing his life would be impossible. She wanted it all. She was sick of being in the friend zone with guys. Was it too much to want one who saw her as a friend and a lover, a life partner, a guy whose heart sped up at the sight of her? Someone who was interested in something other than her bowling score or batting average? One who wouldn’t bury himself in work when life got tough?
Her father used work to bury his emotions brought on by the uncertainty of her cancer. But blocking out his emotions meant he couldn’t deal with his wife’s, either. Ellie couldn’t blame it all on her dad. She understood not everyone could handle all those emotions surrounding such a diagnosis. Of course, she also understood her mother feeling abandoned by the man who was supposed to be there for her in sickness as well as health. Trying not to take sides meant her own relationship with her parents was strained and not as close as it had once been.
He slammed the dishwasher door shut. “If you insist on going back this afternoon, I’m driving. I don’t want you falling asleep at the wheel.”
“Hello? I’m an ER nurse. I know better than that.” If a brisk walk around the block didn’t work, she would think of something that made her spitting mad. Angry people tended to be more alert. If that failed, she’d pull into the first rest area.
He leaned against the counter, his arms folded over his chest, his feet crossed at the ankles. “Either stay here with me tonight or I drive you back to Vermont. That’s the deal.”
She grabbed another cookie. She could argue with him, but what would that accomplish? And she really was dead on her feet and not looking forward to the drive to Loon Lake. Now that she’d delivered her news the nervous energy was gone, replaced with the usual afternoon fatigue. “But how will you get back?”
“One of the guys can drive my truck to pick me up.”
“Were
you able to get enough sleep on your shift?”
He nodded. “Yeah, a couple callouts but not bad.”
“Okay, you can drive me back.” Spending more time together was important if they were going to co-parent.
His head jerked back as he studied her. That devilishly sexy grin appeared, the one that deepened the grooves bracketing his mouth. The one that threatened her resolve to not throw herself at him. The one she was powerless to resist.
When he opened his mouth, she pointed her cookie at him. “Don’t crow. It’s not attractive.”
“Says you.” He straightened up and pulled away from the counter, his light blue eyes gleaming with mischief. “Let me get some things so I won’t get caught short spending the night.”
“Fine, but if you stay at my place, you’ll be sleeping on the couch,” she called to his retreating back.
He turned and began walking backward. His low chuckle said he was remembering the things they’d done on her couch. Damn. Now she had all those images in her head.
Those pesky snippets were still playing like movie trailers in her head as they drove through the narrow, winding streets of Boston.
“What can I say to convince you to move here?” he asked.
Tell me you love me and can’t live without me. Tell me I’m the most important person in your life. Tell me you’re in this for the good times and the tough ones. “Nothing. It ain’t gonna happen.”
He glanced over at her as he took the on-ramp to the interstate and sped up to blend into traffic. “The upstairs apartments are just as nice as mine. You said you liked it and you could decorate any way you wanted.”
“I’m sure it’s very nice, but I want to stay in Loon Lake.” There, she wouldn’t have to watch Liam living his life with her on the periphery. In Boston, she’d be cut off from friends. If she were truly already a part of Liam’s life, giving up Loon Lake wouldn’t be that hard. But she wasn’t and it mattered. “You said Meg picked Loon Lake to live in to raise Fiona. I want the same things for my child. I have nothing against where you live. Your street is very nice and if Mrs. Sullivan is anything to go by, the people are nice, too. But I enjoy small-town living for all its inherent problems.”
“Okay, I won’t press.”
“Thanks,” she said, but she had a feeling the subject wasn’t dead, just dormant. But she’d enjoy the respite. “I love the idea of our child growing up close to Meg’s kids.”
He nodded and sighed. “There is that.”
“Just think, another seven or eight years and Fiona will be able to babysit.” Family ties were another reason to stay in Loon Lake. Her child would have ties to the town and its people the same way she did.
“Fiona babysitting. Lord help us all.” He chuckled.
Ellie laughed and yawned. She settled back against the seat. It seemed like she ran out of steam every afternoon, no matter how much sleep she’d gotten the night before. And due to her pending trip, she hadn’t gotten a whole lot last night.
Despite her pregnancy fatigue, her mind wouldn’t turn off. Yes, she wanted to do what was best for her child and she was convinced Liam would be a wonderful father. Not to mention, the rest of the McBrides would surround her child with family and love.
Was it selfish to want some of that for herself, too?
Chapter Ten
Liam had meant what he said. He wouldn’t keep pressing her about moving, but he hated having two hundred miles between them. What was he supposed to do in an emergency? What if Ellie or his child needed him? He didn’t want to be so far away from either of them.
He spared a quick glance over at his sleeping passenger and grinned. As much as he enjoyed Ellie’s company, he was glad she was getting the rest she so obviously needed, judging by the circles under her eyes.
Yep, not letting her drive was the right decision. She’d make a great mother, and surely Ellie could undo anything he might inadvertently screw up. The enormity of the situation was sinking in and he must be getting used to the idea of being a father because he didn’t panic each time the thought ran through his head. Well, that whole not-panicking thing was relative.
Before they’d left, he’d decided telling his sister right away made sense and Ellie had agreed. He’d hate for Meg to hear the news from someone else. Slowing Ellie’s car, he turned onto the driveway to his sister’s house.
The driveway leading to Meg and Riley’s began as a shared driveway, then it forked off into two. Her home was set back about one hundred yards from the main road. The house was surrounded by towering trees on three sides, and if not for the other home across the front yard from theirs, Meg and Riley would be all alone in the woods. On the other side of the trees, the lake was visible only during winter.
A swing set, sandbox and bicycle leaning against the open porch announced this was a family home. At one time, Liam had urged Meg to go in with him to purchase the Boston three-decker, but she’d been adamant about wanting a real yard for Fiona and his wasn’t much more than a postage stamp. He saw now that she’d made the right choice. Even before Riley returned to claim his small family, Meg had done the best thing for her and Fiona by moving here. Was that how Ellie felt?
He parked next to his sister’s car and shut off the engine. Reaching over, he shook Ellie’s shoulder. “Hey, sleepyhead, we’re here.”
Ellie blinked and sat up straight. She wiped a hand across her mouth and groaned. “Was I drooling?”
“Only the last hour or so.” He took the key from the ignition.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because then I couldn’t razz you about drooling.”
“Brat.” She unbuckled her seat belt and scrambled out of the car. “Let’s get this over with.”
He got out and followed her onto the porch. Leaning down, he squeezed her hand and whispered, “Think of this as a practice run before we tell your parents.”
Ellie had barely knocked when the front door was flung open and Meg, dressed in jeans and an oversize sweatshirt, greeted them.
“I thought I heard a car pull in.” Meg gave Liam a questioning look as he hugged her and kissed her cheek. “This is a surprise.”
“I hope we didn’t come at a bad time,” Ellie said. She was chewing her bottom lip.
“No, no. Come in.” Meg waved them in and led them through the original cozy living room to the kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind, but I have cookies in the oven and don’t want them to burn.”
Liam glanced around, surprised by the silence. With two kids and a dog, Meg and Riley’s home was usually a lot more boisterous. “Where is everyone?”
“James is taking a nap and Riley had the day off, so he did the school run to get Fiona, and the dog jumped in the truck with him. He texted that they were going to stop at the lake to let Mangy and Fiona blow off some steam before coming home.” Meg pulled out a cookie tin and set it on the table. “Sit.”
Liam reached for the tin. “Snickerdoodles?”
“Manners much?” Meg swatted his arm. “Let Ellie have some first. These cookies are Riley and Fiona’s favorites. They already gave me grief for taking half the batch to you last time I made them.”
“I didn’t forget, but someone got into my stash and ate the rest.” He scowled at Ellie, doing his best to hide a grin.
Ellie glared back and pulled out a chair. “Hey, there weren’t that many.”
“Want some coffee to go with the cookies?” Meg asked, giving them quizzical looks.
“No,” Liam practically shouted, remembering Ellie’s aversion to the smell. Clearing his throat, he searched for a calmer tone. “No, thanks. Milk is fine.”
Meg frowned but pulled a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator and reached into the cabinet for glasses.
Ellie sat down and grabbed a cookie while Liam poured milk for everyone.
Meg leaned towa
rd Ellie. “I knew you were going to Boston, but you didn’t tell me you were bringing trouble back with you.”
Ellie broke a cookie in half and dipped it into her milk. “I didn’t know he was coming. He insisted. You know how bossy he can get.”
“You know I can hear you two,” he grumbled before shoving a cookie in his mouth. Meg’s body language told him she suspected something was up and they weren’t going to be able to hold her off for much longer.
He swallowed his cookie and made eye contact with Ellie, checking to make sure she was ready. “We, uh, have something we need to tell you.”
Meg did a fist pump. “What’s up? I know how you clicked over the summer. You two getting married?”
Liam nearly choked on his milk. “No!”
“Ass.” Meg punched his arm, sending milk sloshing over the top of his glass and onto his hand.
“Language?” Liam used a napkin to wipe off his hand and wet sleeve. He tried to act affronted but he regretted his knee-jerk answer. Looking at Ellie’s face, he knew he shouldn’t have said anything, even if that was his first reaction.
“You deserved it and the kids can’t hear me.” Meg turned to Ellie and shook her head. “I apologize for my—”
“It’s okay,” Ellie interrupted. “We don’t have any plans like that.”
Liam felt like the ass his sister had called him. Ellie was smiling, but her eyes were overly bright. Damn, he’d made her cry twice in one day. He reached across the table and touched Ellie’s hand. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
“I know.” Ellie cleared her throat. “I’m... That is, we’re having a baby.”
“A baby?” Meg’s eyes grew wide. “Wow... Uh, I mean congratulations. That’s...serious.”
“Oh, we’re not—”
“We aren’t—”
“Uh, guys.” Meg’s gaze bounced from one to the other, shaking her head. “Having a baby together is pretty serious.”
His Unexpected Twins Page 11