Finding Forever

by Melody Anne

  When they arrived at the concert, he was starting to worry about what he’d just done. The place was unusually crowded. He had on a baseball cap, jeans, and an old college sweater, an effort to disguise himself, but all it would take was one person to figure out who he was and then he’d be mobbed.

  That article about him in People magazine had made his life a living hell. Who in the world cared about the fifty most eligible business bachelors anyway? Okay, a lot of people did when those bachelors were billionaires. Hordes of desperate women went into full salivation mode.

  But he and the children managed to go in without any trouble, and Liam kept an eye out for Whitney. He finally spotted her sitting on a bench with Sam, who didn’t look as if he was doing too well. Liam made a beeline in their direction. He was hoping Ally would work her magic and Whitney would abandon Sam and join them.

  “Aunt Whitney!” Ally cried out. She jumped into her aunt’s lap and gave her a hug.

  Whitney looked up in surprise and spotted Liam, who gave her a knowing grin. They both knew exactly what he was doing. So he didn’t even try to pretend.

  Sam spoke up. “Whitney, I’m so sorry, but I don’t think I can stay any longer. My stomach is really hurting,” he said. He swallowed several times and she moved back, obviously praying that he wasn’t about to hurl all over her.

  Whitney looked up at Liam with suspicion. He could tell she desperately wanted to ask him if he’d slipped something to her date while he’d been at the house. But there was no way she was posing that question. He’d just let her wonder.

  “I’ll go with you,” she told Sam, and Liam panicked.

  “You can’t leave, Auntie. I just got here,” Ally said with her big, innocent eyes.

  Whitney looked again at Liam, and he gave her a look full of challenge.

  “I don’t want you to miss out on the concert,” Sam said. “Please stay. You can catch a ride back with the children and Liam.”

  Sam was a much nicer man than he was, Liam had to admit. But he enjoyed the frustration in her eyes. She clearly wanted to stay for the rest of the show, but she had her pride, too, and it was pulling her in the opposite direction. He saw the moment she gave in to what her niece wanted, and he felt like jumping in the air in victory. And yet he wasn’t thrilled when she decided to walk Sam to his car.

  Liam waited impatiently for her return, and he didn’t hear a single Christmas carol until she finally reappeared. It was only when she stood with him and the kids that he found himself relaxing for the first time since the kiss the night before.

  As the song ended, one of the performers spoke to the crowd. “Are you all having a good time tonight?” the man said into his microphone.

  And the audience exploded with shouts of joy and approval.

  “I’m always glad to hear that,” the man said. “We have a special guest in the audience tonight. I know for a fact that he can play one mean fiddle. Would you like him to come up here and play for you?”

  Liam was filled with panic as both the performer and the band leader looked down at him and smiled. That was when Whitney figured out what was going on. Liam was now the one turning a little green.

  Whitney’s lips turned up in an evil smile as she took hold of his arm and dragged him toward the stage. The two children were jumping up and down in their excitement.

  “I wanted to just blend in,” Liam said desperately.

  “Now, don’t be shy, Liam. All the eligible women in the audience want to hear you play,” the performer said, and the crowd went crazy again.

  Liam was locked in now, and he couldn’t back out without inciting a riot. Yes, considering the venue, a tame holiday riot, but a riot nonetheless.

  “I’ll return the favor, Whitney,” he muttered before jumping up on the stage. “I don’t know why you want to hear me play,” he said into the microphone. “These guys have been doing an amazing job tonight.” When the crowd cried out for him to perform, he smiled broadly. “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.”

  He was handed a fiddle, and the band started playing.

  As the music soared, and even as he drew the bow over the strings, Liam looked down, his eyes connecting with Whitney’s, and his heart leapt. He was in trouble because of this woman. Serious trouble.

  Chapter Nineteen

  He wasn’t the guy she’d thought he was.

  Liam grinned at the audience and played his fiddle like a pro. Heck, Whitney had seen Charlie Daniels at the State fair when she was young, but he had nothing on Liam.

  She found herself clapping along with the crowd and what truly amazed her was that she was having far too much fun. Why did it have to be because of Liam? She had no business having any fun with this man … this stranger.

  After a few more songs, the crowd allowed him to leave the stage. But he couldn’t stay there at the concert any longer — there was no way the people would give him any peace. So he, she, and the children headed away. Why had she been so reluctant to leave for Sam, who’d been so sick she should have made sure he was okay, but then not utterly bummed to leave early with Liam? Maybe it was time to get her head examined.

  “Let’s get some ice cream before we head home,” Liam said when they made it outside.

  “Yeah!” Ally squealed. “I want ice cream!” At least her niece was the one accepting the invitation and not her. And Whitney couldn’t possibly tell her niece no.

  Somehow Whitney ended up sitting right next to Liam on the bench in the parlor. Now she knew for sure that it was a conspiracy. Liam was acting far too smug and sitting way too close.

  As their sundaes arrived, his leg brushed against hers and she had to force herself not to react. Refusing to look at him, she focused on both Ally and Brayden, who were scarfing down their sundaes like something they’d never seen before and would never see again. And it was winter!

  “Slow down before you get brain freeze,” their doting aunt told them with a chuckle.

  The kids didn’t even acknowledge her statement. But Liam was paying attention. “You have a bit of chocolate on the corner of your mouth, Whitney,” he said.

  Her cheeks went up in flames. “Oh, where?” she asked.

  “I’ll get it.”

  Before she was able to tell him “No flipping way,” he was caressing the side of her mouth with his thumb and then running it across her bottom lip. Whitney should have turned away, but the heat in his eyes was enough to melt her ice cream.

  When he lifted his thumb to his own mouth and sucked the chocolate off, she squeezed her thighs tightly together, trying to subdue the pressure she suddenly felt in her core.

  “Mmm, missed a little,” he told her.

  Liam bent down and he swiped his mouth across her lip, once, twice, and a third time, before he raised his head and sent a flood of desire ripping through her.

  “Gross,” Brayden said.

  It took a moment, but her nephew’s aghast expression broke her from the spell Liam had put her under, and she turned away in horror.

  But Brayden wasn’t looking at her. He was looking down at the floor, where a giant spider was crawling by. Thank goodness! What had she been thinking? How could she have allowed Liam to act so intimately with her in front of the kids?

  “That is gross, Brayden,” she told her nephew, drawing his eyes back to her. “If you two are finished up, we should get back to the manor. It’s pretty late.”

  And she couldn’t take much more of being pressed between the wall and Liam’s hard body, especially when the man continued to look at her as if she were next on the menu. A hot menu.

  Liam paid for their treats and they rode back to the manor. Though the kids were tired, Ally chatted all through the drive home about the excitement of the evening. Whitney could have kissed her niece for keeping Liam’s attention on her and Brayden.

  After they parked and made their way inside, they all went wearily up the winding staircase and made their way down the long hallway. To Whitney’s surprise, Brayden threw them a
smile before he entered his room. It was a beautiful sight for sure.

  Liam and Whitney walked Ally to her room — the little girl had been so animated before, but it had worn off — and together they tucked her into bed. And the man stayed there while Whitney read their niece a story. Ally had insisted that her uncle stay during the bedtime ritual; she was growing attached to him, even after such a short time.

  A little later, as Liam accompanied Whitney to her bedroom door, the two adults were silent. Would he kiss her again? She was focused on stopping it. She doubted that she’d have the willpower to resist him two nights in a row, especially after his little performance at the ice-cream parlor.

  “Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Liam told her outside her door. “It was hardly a typical date for me.”

  “This wasn’t a date, Liam. I was actually on a date with another man, if you recall.”

  “I’ll consider it a date,” he insisted. “I laughed tonight, and it’s not something I do too often. I enjoyed your company — both yours and the children’s. So I’ll say it again. Thank you.”

  She was afraid to make eye contact with him. Her body was humming with desire, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms, especially when he was being so … so … almost … sweet.

  “It was very kind of you to bring the children to the concert,” she said without looking up. “And to ask me to join you when Sam became ill.” She was counting the specks on her sparkly shoes.

  He grasped her chin gently, and she struggled with herself not to panic.

  Looking determinedly into her eyes, he bent his head forward and paused, making her breath catch as she waited for what was to come next. After an eternity, or so it seemed, he brushed his lips lightly against hers, and her heart thundered. Then, before she knew it, he let her go and backed away. With a seductive smile, he turned and left her leaning against the solid oak door.

  She stood there staring at the empty hallway for a long while, but she couldn’t seem to move. Her knees had turned to rubber and she felt as if her spine had up and dissolved. And all that from a simple touch of Liam’s lips.

  When her legs finally convinced her that they might be able to keep her upright, she staggered inside her room. But she had a restless night, tossing and turning and dreaming all sorts of erotic dreams for the entire time. In her fevered imagination, she and Liam were doing a hell of a lot more than kissing. Or a heaven of a lot more.

  And when she awoke in the morning, she knew something had to happen. She just wasn’t sure what that something was.

  Chapter Twenty

  Liam, you can’t both court a woman and plan to use the law to take away the children she so obviously loves. Not at the same time, dang it. It just won’t work out for you. In fact, it could all blow up in your face.”

  Liam gazed out the window as his father spoke to him. The man was right. But saving his brother’s children had been his entire focus from the moment he’d learned about them, and he just didn’t know how to get off that road he was on.

  Liam wasn’t good at changing directions, especially not when he felt he was doing the right thing. Hell, wasn’t he always?

  “Have you heard a word I’ve said? Are you listening to me at all?” Frederick asked.

  “I’m listening, Father. I’m sorry. I’ve just been so …. so, hell, confused, I guess, is the right word. I think the children would benefit so much more by living here, but I do see how much Whitney loves them. I didn’t factor that into my plans — not even once,” Liam had to admit.

  “Well, you should certainly factor it in now,” Frederick said. “Especially since it’s obvious that you have some sort of feelings for her.”

  “I don’t know what I feel for her, Father. I just know that I’m a bit … I don’t know … infatuated with the woman.”

  “That’s a start,” Frederick said, and he sounded disgustingly satisfied.

  “Don’t get any ideas, father. I think I just like the fact that she’s different from most of the women I date. She’s … spontaneous, loving, nurturing. I don’t know. Those things that my mother never was.”

  Liam was almost shocked when those words came from his mouth. He and Frederick didn’t speak of his mother, not ever. She didn’t deserve to be spoken of, not after taking her own life. For so long, he’d blamed his father for her death, but after losing his brother, he’d come to realize how wrong that was.

  If she’d hated the marriage so much, she should have divorced his father, not killed herself to escape. And something greater, something more dire must have been going on inside her. Suicide was a drastic act, after all, so maybe she’d been struggling with drug abuse or mental illness. She’d certainly been cold as a mother, and that wasn’t normal, was it? Anyway, she’d still been his mom. He’d still loved her, and he supposed that he still did love her.

  “It was your mother’s choice to do what she did, son. I felt completely responsible for a very long time. I wasn’t a good husband and I wasn’t a good father. It’s not surprising that your brother hated me enough to leave, and though you stayed, you’ve been bitter and angry for as long as I remember. Still, I’m seeing changes in you — significant changes — since the children and Whitney have arrived.”

  “Perhaps you have,” Liam said. “Okay, yes, I’ve had to examine who I was and who I want to be. I’m not saying I disliked the way I was, but I’m just realizing I wasn’t always the most pleasant company.”

  His father was silent for several moments and then shocked his son when he began snorting and guffawing. Liam gave him a withering stare while he waited for his father’s merriment to pass. He was trying to open up here — it’s not as if it was easy for him — and the man was laughing. Where did he get off?

  “I’m sorry, son, but I remember feeling and acting just the way you are right now. I was so pompous, so vain. I believed the world revolved around me. That sort of existence can be a very lonely one.”

  “I’ve never been lonely. I have companionship whenever I want,” Liam informed him haughtily.

  “There’s a difference between having a crowd of greedy strangers around you and being with a few loved ones. I’ll take the latter any day of the week,” Frederick said. “Meeting my beautiful grandchildren finally brought that home to me. I’d never understood that before.”

  “I think I see what you’re trying to say.” And amazingly, Liam did see.

  “So, what are you going to do about the custody situation? Do you still have your attorneys on it?”

  Liam paused. “Yes, the law firm is still working on it, but …” Damnation. His heart just wasn’t in it anymore.

  “But?”

  “But I don’t think I can go through with it anymore. Maybe I just want her to stay with the children.”

  “In what capacity?” Frederick asked.

  “Why are you pushing this, Father?”

  “Because I’m hoping it will make you really and truly think about it,” Frederick told him.

  That hadn’t been what Liam was expecting his father to say.

  “I honestly don’t know where any of this is going. I shouldn’t tell you all this, but I’ve flirted with the woman, kissed her, felt jealousy because of her, and shared things with her I haven’t shared with any other person, man or woman. But I don’t have a Magic 8 Ball at my disposal. I don’t know what the future holds.”

  “Well, maybe you should do something magical for her,” Frederick said. “Then you can see if you want her to be in your life as more than just the aunt of your niece and nephew.”

  “That’s an idea, Dad.” Liam didn’t notice that he’d just said “Dad” and not “Father,” but Frederick did.

  Even while Liam was walking out of his father’s office, he was forming plans in his head. Why not see whether there was more to what he felt about Whitney than just hormones? Was it time to settle down? Geez. He’d never even considered that before, and he wouldn’t again. Stupid thought. Freaking insane.
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  And yet why was the thought of letting her go unacceptable? He could tell himself it was about controlling the situation, but he knew that wasn’t the case.

  He just wasn’t sure what the case was.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Can you come this way, Ms. Steele?”

  Whitney looked up as Mr. Smotter stood in the doorway to her bedroom. He was wearing a heavy coat.

  “What’s going on? I thought dinner was at seven,” she said.

  “There’s been a change of plans. If you could follow me, your ride is waiting,” he said. He held out a jacket for her to wear, and it made her seriously suspicious.

  She’d been in the home for long enough now to know he wasn’t going to tell her anything he wasn’t supposed to, so she could fight it or go along with him. She decided to go along with it, partly because she liked Mr. Smotter and partly because she had to be curious.

  They stepped out the back door, where a golf cart decorated in twinkling lights and roses was waiting. She eyed it with suspicion, but she admitted to herself that it looked charming in a Disney sort of way.

  “I don’t understand this,” she told Mr. Smotter.

  “Just enjoy the moment, Ms. Steele,” he told her with a secret smile.

  “Where in the world would we be going on a golf cart? It’s freezing outside.”

  “It’s not far, I promise you.”

  With a strange sense of excitement, she climbed onto the golf cart. Mr. Smotter got in after her and began driving down a plowed trail. It wasn’t long before a large black helicopter came into view.

  Mr. Smotter pulled up to a lighted path leading to a large open door on the helicopter. Liam stood waiting there. He was wearing a beautiful charcoal suit with a red handkerchief in the pocket and a matching tie, and a smile adorning his lips. To top that off, he held a long-stemmed rose. Was this an episode of The Bachelor?

  He strode up to her and held out the flower. “For you, my lady,” he said in an exaggerated voice.