by York, Zoe
“Yep. I like this place.”
“And Evie Calhoun?”
“What about her?”
“Claire says you were talking together at the party.”
“Talking’s not a crime.” Liam learned at an early age not to offer more information than was actually being asked, but he heard the defensive edge creep into his voice anyway, and tamped it down. “Do you want more potatoes?”
Ted nodded and took the dish, but his gaze remained fixed on Liam’s face. After a few bites, he set his fork down again. “How’s the real estate search going?”
“Nothing new this week, but I’m in no hurry.”
“You can stay here as long as you want.”
“I’d like to be in town by—” He did a quick mental calculation in his head, figuring out when Evie would hit the third trimester and start needing more help. “November at the very latest, but I’m happy to stay here and give you a break from your chores until then.”
“And eat my food. Maybe you could learn to cook, too.”
“I know how to cook.”
“That right?”
The unspoken question sat between them on the table, and Liam normally would let it lie there, like everything else about his family that he tried to ignore, but Ted and Claire Calhoun were close, and he had something to prove, just no one knew it yet. “I’m not my mother’s son.”
“Didn’t say you were. Wouldn’t have you here if I thought you were.”
“And I appreciate that.”
“But growing up with all that privilege—it’s a far cry from what anyone around here knows.”
“You introduced me to Ty West the other day. He and his brother were on the cover of the National Post a few weeks ago.”
“That’s different, they worked hard for that.”
“And I’m sure my father would claim he works hard, too, but why are you boxing me into a corner where I need to defend him when you know I don’t want to?” Liam pushed hard off the table and grabbed his plate, rattling the fork and knife resting on top of it on his way to the sink.
“You’re right.” Liam glanced over his shoulder just in time to catch his uncle shrug. The older man was looking tired. “And you worked hard today. For a city boy.”
“I’m not going to deny that I’m new to this, but I did okay.” Couldn’t if he wanted to. He’d had a handful of brief visits to the farm over the years—not long enough to catch a glimpse of the blond girls across the road, or he would have probably angled to spend whole summers here—and while he enjoyed the work, it wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life.
“You don’t need to convince me. So who are you trying to convince?”
Oh, just wait and see. “Nobody.”
They didn’t have anything for dessert, so Ted decided to amble across the road in case Claire still had leftover pie in her fridge. Liam set up his laptop, tethered it to his Blackberry, and by the time Ted returned it was dark and Liam was on his second cup of coffee.
“Whatcha working on now?”
“Renovation budgets.” Three of them, actually. Two for rental properties. One for Evie’s cottage. It was the project manager in him, he told himself. Just hypothetical workflow. In case Evie decided she wanted a third bedroom. Or a master suite. With a tub big enough for two, and a nook for a crib. A pipe dream, but one of them had to be a dreamer. Evie sure as hell wasn’t.
“Well, I’m turning in, I’ll leave you to your work.” Liam barely noticed as Ted made his way through the kitchen and up the back staircase. Above him, a TV turned on, the steady drone of noise quickly fading into the background as well. At some point, Ted turned it off, but Liam didn’t notice until he paused to refill his coffee cup. He was still running numbers and making notes when a quiet thump at the door grabbed his attention.
On the other side, surrounded by the dark of night, were Ian and Kyle Nixon. He didn’t have to think hard about why they might be visiting so late, but he wasn’t going to give them any more information than they already had, just in case.
He swung the door wide open and gestured for them to come in. Ian, taller, darker and wearing a leather jacket despite the July warmth, stalked in first. Kyle followed, carrying a six pack of beer in a slightly more friendly gesture.
“You guys here to see Ted?”
Two notched brows responded in the negative.
“Well, take a seat.” Liam closed his laptop and made room for them at the table, then leaned back against the counter. He wasn’t short or small, but his six foot, buck eighty frame needed all the advantage it could get over the farm boys in front of him.
“The girls had a get together tonight.” Ian started, but Kyle shot him a look, as if to say, back story not necessary.
“We know about Evie. And we know it’s still early.”
They were hard to read, but Liam figured this was some sort of test. “Did Evie talk to either of you directly?” They exchanged looks—guilty, Liam hoped. “Look, while I’m happy to make new acquaintances in town, because I’m planning on sticking around for a while, I’m not sure how this is any of your business.”
“A while?” Ian pushed away from the table a bit, giving himself space to lean back and plant his feet wide. “Evie’s been through a lot, she doesn’t need you dicking her around.”
“You think that’s the danger here? That I’m going to hurt her?” Liam snorted and pressed himself half an inch taller. “She’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.”
“I’m sure that’s true.” Kyle lifted a bottle out of the cardboard carrying case and handed it over. “A peace offering.”
Liam held the local microbrew for a minute before nodding his thanks. He didn’t have a sister, or a sister-in-law, but he had a few close friends from college, and if a stranger got them pregnant, he’d want to clean their clocks.
But it wasn’t like that with him and Evie. Or it wouldn’t be, eventually. But they couldn’t know that. He didn’t truly yet himself, it was just a wish and a prayer at this point.
“Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to hurt her.” If anyone stood to be injured in this adventure, it was him. “But the details are going to stay between us for a while.” While he figured out a way to convince Evie to try some more kissing.
“Is this because she’s older than you?” Kyle probably meant it in a nice way, but Liam didn’t care. He surged forward. Ian’s large hand reached up and planted itself in the middle of his chest.
The older man winced at his brother. “Dude, she’s the same age as Carrie. And you, for that matter.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s interested in dating me, either,” muttered Kyle.
Ian snorted. “Evie’s hot, what does her age matter?”
Liam twisted to the side, now focusing his distemper on Ian. “Keep your eyes on your wife, dude.”
Ian chuckled. “Is that how it is, Boy Wonder?”
“Excuse me?”
“That’s what he says Evie calls you.” Ian nodded at his brother.
“That was supposed to stay between us.” Kyle glared at him.
“I’m no good with secrets, man.” He helped himself to a beer. “Besides, I don’t think she’d give him a nickname if she didn’t like him.”
Liam had to agree, although he didn’t like the specific name she’d chosen. Or that he was the last to hear about it. “Are you guys just about done your hero mission here?”
“You clear on the fact that we’ll kick your ass if you hurt her?” Ian tossed the taunt back, and Liam chuckled.
“Crystal clear.”
“Good. You play hockey?”
“Nope.”
“Shame, thought we might be able to be friends there for a minute.” Ian shrugged when his brother slapped his shoulder. “What? We need a forward.”
Kyle helped himself to a beer. “How about baseball?”
Liam winced. “I have a kayak, and I used to do judo.”
They both groaned.
Ian grinned. “That’ll do.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
In the midst of Evie’s life being turned upside down, she’d made an unexpected friend. Karen’s neighbour, and new boyfriend, Paul, had been friendly since they met in the spring, but with the arrival of summer, and his ten-year-old daughter Megan spending more time at his house for the holidays, he’d extended a number of invitations to her and the boys to spend time with them. And sometimes, just the boys. Without spilling her secret, it was hard to explain to Paul how much she appreciated his small gestures, but she did. As soon as the morning sickness and food aversions passed, she was going to bake the man cookies.
When she woke up mid-month feeling almost like her old self, she decided to make the most of the probably short-lived energy and take the boys to the beach before work. They were all over the plan, and everyone scarfed a quick breakfast of homemade protein bars and grapes and changed into their swimsuits. Evie squinted at her reflection in her bedroom, looking for some evidence that her black bikini would reveal a bump, but on the outside, she didn’t look any different. Ha. What a joke. Her body was rioting to the extreme, nothing felt or tasted right, but she could still rock an itty bitty swim suit. Not that she much appreciated it, but soaking up a bit of sun might help her mood.
“Sunglasses, hats, towels, sunscreen, let’s go.” She herded the boys out the door. “Do you want to walk, or take the bikes?”
“Bikes!” Connor dashed ahead to the back of the house to pull them out.
Max lingered for a moment, trailing his foot on the ground. Searching for the right words to something.
“Spit it out, Mr. M.”
He grinned. “Can we go to Megan’s house while you’re at work?”
Evie groaned. She didn’t know Paul well enough to ask him to babysit. An offer was one thing, a request was another. “You’ve been having fun with her, eh?”
“Yep.”
“Maybe.”
“Do you know her phone number?”
“Yes.”
“Can you call her now?”
“Well, it would be her dad that I’d call, and I need to think about it.”
“Think about what?” Connor wheeled his and Max’s bikes up the drive.
“We’re going to Megan’s house today!”
“Maybe. I don’t even know if she’s there.” Evie pressed a hand to her stomach as the butterflies did their annoying fluttering thing. “Connor, can you get my bike, too? I’m just going to dash back inside and get some more snacks.” Ginger root and crackers.
The morning air was still a bit cool when they got to the beach, and they had the place pretty much to themselves, so Evie stretched out on a beach towel instead of joining the boys in the gently lapping waves of Lake Erie.
The municipal beach was small but well maintained by volunteers who picked up garbage and left behind enough smooth rocks and shells to keep things interesting. Evie had done her fair share of shore clean up over the years. Even before people like Evan and Carrie had started revitalizing Wardham’s tiny downtown core, their beach had been a draw. Now those visitors finally had other options to keep them, and their money, in town.
She wanted to close her eyes and have a mini-nap. On her towel, out of the wind, the sun was deliciously warm. Tempting. But her mom training ran deep, so she propped herself up on her arms to ward off the nappy feelings, and fixed her gaze on the boys at the water’s edge.
In the distance, a small, dark, bobbing figure grabbed her attention. A familiar tingle began to buzz across her skin as he came closer and she recognized the sharp cut of his jaw. The expensive aviator sunglasses and the panty-dropping grin. It didn’t take long for the waves to deliver Liam, and a kayak, not ten feet away from where the boys were now building a robot factory out of sand. He deftly unseated himself from his craft, hauled it onto the sand, then sauntered in her direction. He was wearing……not very much. Glistening drops of water covered acres of firm, tan, naked skin, and she wasn’t sure where to look first. The last time—the only time—she’d seen this much of him, she’d had beer goggles on. Well, bellini and shots of something purple goggles. In theory, those should have enhanced his attributes.
Nope. If anything, they’d dulled her memory of Liam’s perfection. An abdomen carved out of wood, decorated with a touchable layer of warm skin and a focused line of hair that disappeared into his tight spandex swim shorts. On anyone else, they’d look ridiculous. On Liam, they just made sense. Athletic, utilitarian, and drool-inducingly hot. She tore her gaze northward, but got distracted again around the tight brown nipples that she suddenly remembered nibbling on……
“You need to stop looking at me like that,” he muttered under his breath.
“Like what?” It was a stupid question. They both knew—
“Pretty much how I’m looking at you, I’m sure.” Well, shit. She hadn’t noticed, but now that he brought it up, she was suddenly conscious of what her bikini covered…and what it didn’t. He puffed out a sigh and nodded toward her towel. “Room for me to sit, too?”
She scrambled up to a sitting position and nodded—then grabbed her t-shirt from the bag and threw it on.
“Your boys are building something impressive over there.”
Shit. Her kids. She flushed, and from the embarrassed nod Liam gave her, she was sure her cheeks were a deep scarlet.
“Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have come over.”
That would’ve been easier, since obviously she couldn’t control her physical reaction, but they needed to get used to a new normal—one where Liam would be around, maybe a lot, and she didn’t treat him like a slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream. “No, it’s okay.”
“How are you doing?”
Well, now I’m vaguely turned on and I have to go teach Pilates to a bunch of nosy parkers… “I’m starting to get nauseous. But so far, crackers and an afternoon nap have worked to keep me going.”
“I got your email about the midwife’s appointment next week, thank you for that. Should we drive together?”
When she hesitated, he lifted his hand as if to wipe away the invitation. But it made sense—there was no reason for them to take two vehicles from Wardham to Essex. And this way, if he had questions afterward, they could deal with them on the drive back. “Yes, let’s do that.”
From her bag, the alarm sounded on her cell phone. She cupped her hand around her mouth and projected her loudest Mom voice toward the water. “Connor! Max! Time to go in five minutes.”
In perfect chorus, they both voiced a loud protest. “We just got here!”
“Leaving so soon? Was it me?” Liam’s voice was low and warm, but there was a thread of something uncertain that she wanted to smooth away.
“No, not you. I have a class to teach in thirty minutes.” She raised her voice again. “We’ll come back later today.” She turned to Liam again. It was hard to look at him and not let herself get carried away with a fantasy of the two of them together. It had been a mistake to kiss him again. The taste of his mouth and the feel of his skin under her fingers, now refreshed in her memory, messed with her focus. But if she could get over that, it was good to see him. Good for the boys to become tangentially aware of Liam as someone in their lives. “Maybe…do you want to come over for dinner after the appointment?”
He lifted his eyebrows, clearly surprised at the invitation. “Yeah, sure. That sounds good.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, and she reflexively licked her lips. His growl was so quiet, she almost missed it in the ambient beach sounds. Her pulse picked up. Dinner with Liam sounded good—too good. This was going to be a test of her resolve, and she wasn’t confident she’d pass.
She pushed herself up off the towel, kicking up a bit of sand in the process. Liam’s hand shot out of nowhere to curve around her calf, brushing up and down twice in an innocent gesture that almost brought her crashing back to the ground. The lick of his fingers against her sk
in triggered a wave of heat that gathered steam as it surged through her body. She jerked away, much to his amusement, and before she could say anything, he’d jumped up and grabbed the towel, moving a few feet to shake it out. Funny guy. Sexy guy.
Off-limits guy.
As he handed the rolled up towel back to her, she reached out and grabbed his hand. “It’s just dinner. So the boys get used to you.”
His response was a slow, easy grin that crinkled his eyes and made her stupidly wet. “Sure.”
“Liam—”
“Evie, I get it. You don’t want life to be any more complicated than it needs to be.”
She stammered a few nonsensical noises, then cleared her throat. “Yes, exactly. But it doesn’t feel like that’s settled.” She waved her hand between them. Seriously, he was going to make her spell it out? “It still feels like there’s something between us.”
His impossibly wide grin widened again. “Oh, yeah. There’s something between us. But we’re adults, Evie. We might not be able to control our chemistry, but it’s entirely up to us if we act on it.”
Oh. Exactly the right thing for him to say. So why did it feel like she’d just been dunked in the lake?
“Anyway, you have to get to work. I’m really looking forward to dinner, and meeting the midwives, and…being adults together.”
And with a single wicked glance down to her bare legs, he’d restored both her frustration and heated desire.
This would be dangerous territory, spending time with Liam.
She couldn’t wait.
The boys were surprisingly cooperative, so they had time to stop at Bun for muffins before she had to be at the studio. They set their bikes in the rack outside the sporting goods store a few doors down, and were in and out of the bakery in record time.
On their way out, they bumped into Megan and Paul, and before she could say anything, Max had invited himself over to their house. Connor waited until Paul acquiesced, but then he crowed right along with his brother.
“You don’t need to…” Evie started to apologize to Paul, but he cut her off with a gentle squeeze of his hand on her arm.