by Amy Woods
“Don’t give me that, Liam. That woman broke your heart without reason and you know it. You deserve better, and I see how you look at this girl. It’s good to see you happy again.”
She was right, of course. If only it were that simple. Not so long ago, the mention of his ex-wife’s name would have caused him pain and anger. Somehow, with Paige here enjoying herself with his family and her son playing with his niece and nephew, Callie’s name stung with less intensity than ever before. He knew all too well the risk he was taking in bringing Paige, his boss, here. If he didn’t keep a safe distance, he would end up in even more pain.
He also knew he was in too deep for it to matter. Liam had questions and doubts that had to be addressed, and soon. He needed to know if he was alone in his feelings. His instinct, not to mention that kiss she’d planted on him yesterday, told him that no, he wasn’t the only one. But Paige was a hard shell to crack, and despite his feelings for her, he wasn’t sure he was ready to get in that deep again if it would lead to the same end result. He needed to know where she stood. His heart had a different plan than his head, and there wasn’t much he could do to stop it.
* * *
Rachel insisted she could finish getting lunch ready on her own, so Liam took two refilled glasses of tea into the living room, where he found Paige and the kids. He stood in the doorway, watching her as she wandered over to an end table filled with pictures.
“We all have bad hair days once in a while,” he said, moving to stand next to her. He handed her a glass.
“I can’t argue with that,” she said, taking it. “But this one’s pretty special.” She took a sip and giggled at the photo of shaggy Liam when he’d been about Owen’s age.
He rubbed his hair. It wasn’t much shorter than it had been in the snapshot. “I’ve always hated getting my hair cut.”
“I see that hasn’t changed,” she said and then surprised him once again. “It suits you.” She lifted a hand and touched the pieces of his hair that brushed his shirt collar.
She was only inches away and Liam almost forgot that they were surrounded by half-pints. The sound of the kids laughing faded into the background, and for a few seconds, Paige held his eyes, her own wide-open and inviting in a way they hadn’t been before now. He let her fingers linger there, so close to his neck that the tiny hairs stood up.
He liked having her there. Today, her soft pink tank allowed her femininity to show through, unrestrained. And without the trappings of her role as principal, without the sharp edges of her suits and heels, he could see only the woman in her—the woman who’d lost the man she’d loved, her child’s father.
A wave of deep and strong emotion passed through him, much more intense than the previous day’s physical attraction, and he knew that he would do anything to protect her from ever feeling anything so terrible again if she’d let him. In her company, he forgot everything but a deep desire to be the best man he could possibly be.
He couldn’t help but wonder how his life might have turned out differently if Callie had been forthcoming early on about not wanting to have kids. Since the divorce, he’d often wondered if he’d permanently missed out on the chance to be a father. Getting to be a dad would mean risking potential heartbreak again, wouldn’t it?
Paige already had a kid—one that Liam was quickly growing fond of—and it didn’t escape him that the three of them could be…a family.
But what if she wasn’t ready to take that step? Perhaps he’d made a mistake inviting her here so soon without knowing how she truly felt. After all, they’d only really known each other for a week—in passing, no less. They had probably spent a total of five hours together, yet here he was, making the mistake of letting her in close—to a place in himself he’d barely begun to fix.
He took a step back from her, regretfully breaking the palpable sensuality of the moment. A sudden flash of unmistakable hurt crossed Paige’s face.
He’d been selfish and shortsighted. The way she’d looked at him a moment ago, he knew she must have let her guard down, but maybe it was best if she raised it back up. For all of them.
“Uncle Liam! Uncle Liam!” Jeremy’s shouts pulled his thoughts back and Paige turned away and cleared her throat.
Instantly, he regretted letting the moment pass. He might never get it back.
“Yes, Jeremy. What is it?” he asked.
“Mom says to make you guys come into the dining room. Lunch is ready.”
“Well, we’d better get in there then, hadn’t we?”
He picked up Kaylie and put her on his shoulders again, causing her to squeal. He reached down to grab Owen’s outstretched hand. The small warmth of it spread throughout his bones and reached into his heart.
If he pushed Paige away and didn’t give her the chance to decide for herself, then he wouldn’t just lose her. He would lose Owen, too, and he was already falling for both of them. But he didn’t want in on something without her being fully on the same page. She didn’t deserve that, either. They’d both been hurt too much and needed the real thing this time around.
The five of them filed into the kitchen. Jackson had come in through the garage door and was kissing his wife’s cheek when they got to the dining room.
“Hey, guys,” he said.
“Dad!” Jeremy ran to hug him and Kaylie began banging Liam’s shoulders to put her down, which he did.
Jackson hugged his kids, then Liam, who introduced his brother-in-law to Paige and Owen as they sat down to lunch. Paige insisted on helping Rachel, who promptly refused and served them all before sitting down herself to a mouthwatering meal.
When they finished, Liam changed into swim trunks while Paige helped Rachel clear the table, and finally they joined Liam, Jackson and the kids outside on the patio. Liam saw her take Owen into the pool house and he came out dressed for the water.
“Okay, sweetheart. Go on in with Jeremy and Kaylie. I’ll be right here when you’re ready to get out. And you can call me if you need me.”
“Okay, Mom,” Owen said, in front of all of them. Paige raised a hand to her mouth, but luckily Owen was on his way to jump into the pool so he didn’t catch the emotion on her face. She looked at Liam, who gave her a thumbs-up across the water before she turned away to wipe what he suspected was a tear from her eye.
Liam’s heart swelled with a new kind of pride. He’d experienced success like this before, but somehow this was different. This time, he was fairly certain, it had something to do with love.
Chapter Seven
Paige almost pinched herself; the day was going so well. Liam’s family was fantastic and Owen seemed to be having a great time. The afternoon flew by as she watched Liam swim with the kids. She could tell he genuinely loved them, and Liam seamlessly integrated Owen in with Jeremy and Kaylie, as if her son was a natural part of their family.
She’d had to stop herself from daydreaming several times throughout the afternoon. She’d gotten lost in the sounds of splashing and happy shrieks as she lounged on the deck and read only a few pages of the script Cam had given her to look over. Cam had assigned Owen one of the smaller roles. He would have a few words early on so that he could get them out of the way and then enjoy the rest of the skit knowing he’d—fingers crossed—succeeded in delivering them.
Paige was surprised with the speed at which Owen seemed to be progressing after that tiny but powerful word he’d spoken to Liam. Since they had been at Rachel’s, she’d overheard Owen say a couple of words to Jeremy. He was a little shy with Kaylie, but Paige chalked that up to her being a girl and having “cooties,” as her students always used to say.
As happy as she felt, though, she couldn’t help the pang of guilt that slipped in alongside her joy. How could she have spent all this time trying to make sure that her son had all the best resources available to him—resources she’d made many
sacrifices for, as any mother would—without Owen getting any better? Then, in walked Liam, and after a single week of art class with him, Owen had said more to other people than in the past six months combined? Granted, compared to most kids his age, he still had a long way to go before his social skills were back to normal, but she knew better than to compare her child to other children too often.
Owen was doing great—by Owen’s standards. For now, that was all that mattered. They would concentrate on one step at a time; they would walk together until Owen could run alongside his peers again. A few words to Jeremy was enough today. Tomorrow, they would face that day’s challenges, and she would let Owen set the pace.
Her doubts lessened a little and she turned her attention back to the pages in her lap. Paige had checked with Cam to see which part Owen would play, and she’d given a copy of the script to Liam, who had promised to pass it along to Rachel to give to her crew so they could rehearse with him. Liam had assured Paige that Jeremy and Kaylie were mature for their ages, enough to handle Owen’s feelings carefully and sensitively. Still, her heart raced, with equal parts anticipation and fear. She had her doubts that Owen would want to practice the skit in front of anyone, and she would be devastated if he caught on to the fact that the whole day had been basically orchestrated for his benefit. But she was willing to try anything to help him, and, against her initial judgment, she’d begun to trust Liam’s methods.
She’d begun to trust him, period—a thought she didn’t care to examine too closely any time soon. No matter how great he was with her son, or how often he made her laugh in spite of herself, or how incredible he looked sloshing around the pool in his swim trunks, the full masculine beauty of his toned body on display…none of that mattered. She simply could not get involved with faculty. It would mean the loss of the principal job for certain.
And shouldn’t she still miss Mark? The sharp stabbing pain she’d felt in the weeks following his death—weeks when Owen had stayed with her sister, Emily, because Paige couldn’t seem to manage to pull herself out of bed those mornings—had long passed. But the fact remained that she’d built a life with her husband—a life that she’d then lost in the span of a few moments.
Did she have it in her to start over with someone new, to do it all over again? It couldn’t be with Liam, she knew in the back of her mind, but could she do that with anyone? The problem was, she could imagine all of it with Liam and no one else. That’s what scared her the most, the way she could easily lose herself in him if she wasn’t careful. Just like earlier, when she’d carelessly touched his hair without giving it a single thought. Just like yesterday, when she’d stupidly kissed the living daylights out of him in the middle of town.
It was one thing to let Liam help Owen. It was quite another to become involved with him herself. And what would he be for her? A warm body? A place to let go? A distraction from her guilt of not missing Mark enough? The answer was that he would more likely be a distraction from being the best mom she could to a child who needed her—a distraction she couldn’t afford.
Later, when Liam, Jackson and the kids had rinsed away the chlorine and dried off, they all settled in the living room and Paige helped Rachel get snacks together. Liam’s sister was incredibly easy to be around; she was the perfect mix of nonchalance and open honesty. She made Paige feel as if the two of them had been friends forever, another reminder that she was sinking deeper and deeper into something she would have a hell of a time digging her way out of.
As soon as the year was over, and Owen passed the art class, not only would they lose Liam, but she would have no reason to see Rachel or her family again—a thought that was rapidly becoming too unpleasant to bear. Not to mention Owen’s instant bond with Jeremy. He’d even had the courage to splash Kaylie a couple of times in the pool when he’d thought no one was looking.
“Okay,” Rachel said, pulling the last kernels of popcorn out of an old-fashioned pan. “I think we’re good here.” She set two massive bowls on the counter.
Paige pulled melted butter out of the microwave. “It looks delicious. I’m sure the kids will love it after burning off all that energy.”
“Are you kidding?” Rachel said. “One of these bowls is for us.”
Paige giggled.
“If we’re lucky, they’ll crash later and give us grown-ups some peace and quiet.”
Paige agreed. “Owen will just be glad he’s getting popcorn that’s not from a bag. I don’t have too much time to make home-cooked food anymore with my job. When it comes to choosing between cooking and spending time with him, I’ll always choose the time.” As the words came out, Paige felt her face heat. “You must think I’m terrible.”
Rachel set down the bowl she’d filled and wiped her hands on a towel. She faced Paige. “Now, sweetie, why in the world would I think something like that?”
Again, she’d said too much without thinking. “It’s just that…well, it must be really nice to get to stay home with your kids while they’re young.” Paige caught herself just before she mentioned the secret new baby Liam had told her about. She traced a finger along the countertop. “I always wanted more kids. When Owen was young and I was teaching, I had time for everything, since my kindergarten class got out early afternoon. As much as I enjoyed it, I planned to leave teaching when we had another baby. But when Mark was killed…well, I needed the job, of course.” She left unsaid her sadness at the thought of never having any more kids.
Rachel’s eyes were intense and sympathetic as she listened, but there was no trace of the pity Paige was used to seeing when she talked about the difficult past. What she saw instead looked more like admiration. “And when they offered you the job of assistant principal,” she said, “you had to take it.”
“Exactly. And I really like it a lot of the time.” She picked up a few pieces of popcorn and tossed them into her mouth.
Rachel did the same.
“But I miss Owen. I feel like time is slipping by so fast and I’m missing it.”
“I really shouldn’t say this, but Liam told me a little bit about Owen. And I just want to tell you that it’s not your fault—what’s going on with your little guy.”
At the words from another mom, Paige felt unexpected tears threaten from behind her eyes. She’d heard the same phrase from Owen’s therapist probably more than a hundred times, but never had they delivered such impact as they did coming from this kind near-stranger.
“I mean it. I know we only just met, but your love for your son is plain as day,” Rachel went on.
Paige was thankful she didn’t have to speak. She wasn’t sure she could have.
“And I can see that he’s a special kid. But there’s something else you should know, honey.”
Paige braced herself, expecting a sad story of warning about a kid that Jeremy or Kaylie had known who’d struggled like Owen. What she heard instead rattled her to her core.
“It’s not just Owen that brought you here.”
Rachel laughed at what must have been a look of horror on Paige’s face.
“Don’t give me that look. Surely you know that my little brother’s got it bad for you. Oh, yeah. He tries not to, but he can’t help but slip your name into conversations about everything you could think of. For the past week, your name has popped up surrounding anything from what to have for dinner to…flower pots, of all things.”
Paige laughed. “I’m sorry—flower pots?”
“Yes. Flower pots. I took the man shopping with me to the garden store this morning and we came across a blue planter that was—I quote—‘the exact color of Paige’s eyes.’ I don’t think I was meant to hear it since it was a whisper, but I did. Maybe it’s the artist in him, just noticing things like that, but I didn’t get that impression.”
Paige rolled her eyes at Rachel’s joking.
“What? Don’t believe me? The d
arn thing’s sitting right outside on the deck as we speak. You passed it on your way in from the pool.”
Paige’s response caught in her throat before it could fully form into coherent words. She swallowed. “I don’t know what to say.”
Rachel waved a hand at her. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything at all.” Her features straightened into serious lines. “But—if I may?”
“Of course,” Paige said.
“I’ve seen the way he dotes on you,” Rachel continued. “And although I’m glad to see him back from where Callie left him, I worry about that man. He hasn’t put himself out there like this since her.”
Paige knew a thinly veiled “don’t break his heart” warning when she heard one, and she didn’t blame Rachel. Liam was clearly special—a fact she could no longer escape—and, if their roles were reversed, she would want to protect him too.
“He’d kill me, of course, if he knew I’d said anything. This is just between you and me. But he’s not the only one who’s taken to you.”
Rachel smiled and softly tapped a finger to Paige’s forearm. “We’ve all enjoyed having you today, and you’re welcome here any time. Sometimes you come across a person who just…fits.”
A tear slipped past its barricade and slid down Paige’s cheek, and she made no move to wipe it away. Amazingly, in one day, she’d met people who felt as much like family as her own.
She felt like she’d come home.
A burst of laughter interrupted her thoughts as it echoed through the house. Paige and Rachel made their way to the living room to join Liam, Jackson and the kids. Paige had no idea how he’d done it, but Liam had the lot of them reading Owen’s class skit out loud. Props were scattered all over the oak floor. Owen was shrouded in a blue cape covered in yellow stars, a smile stretched wide across his face. Liam was decked out in a bowler hat, tweed jacket and fake mustache that hadn’t quite been adhered properly and dangled halfway into his mouth as he rehearsed lines. Jeremy and Kaylie had on equally silly, mismatched costumes. A loud laugh escaped Paige at the ridiculous scene in front of her.