“You’re right about that.”
“So, what are you gonna do?”
“For the past few years, we’ve been looking at getting into resorts. There’s a property in Costa Rica we’ve had our eye on.”
“Go on.”
“I’m going to make a serious bid on the property. If we get it, I’d like to shift my focus to the resort side of the business and let my team handle the hotels. I’d have to spend some time in Costa Rica, short term, putting my team together, but beyond that, I could work from anywhere.”
“Including Nashville?”
“Including Nashville.” He kissed her forehead. “That is, if you think you could handle having me around all the time?”
“I’d love it, but what about Abby? All of her friends are here, her grandmother, uncle…”
Liam sighed. “My baby girl’s growing up and I have to figure out how to deal with that. She’s been after me about this art school for over a year now. She got accepted last fall, but I wasn’t ready to let her go.”
Alisa could only imagine how difficult coming to terms with the fact that his little girl was growing up was for Liam. It gave her a hint as to what her own father must have been going through, watching her make so many mistakes. “Are you now… ready to let go?”
He chuckled. “I’ll never be ready to let go, but I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that if I don’t let her do this, she may resent me years from now, and I know I couldn’t live with that. So, as hard as it might be for me, I’m gonna let her go to this school.”
“I think you’re making the right choice,” she said, stroking his chest, knowing he needed reassurance from someone he trusted. “I saw the piece she’s working on earlier. She’s very talented.”
“Ah, yes, surfer dude.” He laughed as he tipped his head back to admire the night sky. “That one’s probably my least favorite. It shows me how much better her technique is getting, but it also reminds me that it won’t be long before I’m not the guy she turns to anymore. There will be someone else she calls when she needs advice or wants to share good news or just needs a shoulder to cry on.”
She reached up to kiss his stubbly cheek. “You’ll always be my first phone call, if that makes you feel better?”
He ran his fingers through her hair before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “I never thought I’d find someone like you, Alisa. On paper, there’s no way we should work, but being with you feels so right. I mean, lying out here with you, this is the first time this house has ever felt like my home.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
He grinned. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“I’m never gonna get tired of hearing you say that.”
“Good, ‘cause I plan on telling you every day for the next forty or fifty years.”
Liam flinched. “Baby, I wish I could promise you we have that many years together, but the reality is I’m a lot older than you, and in light of my recent health problems—”
She pressed her finger against his lip. “I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to make it my mission to make sure you take care of yourself, so we’ll have as much time as possible together. That means a healthy diet, exercise, limiting stress…”
He cupped her bottom and raised an eyebrow. “What kind of exercise did you have in mind, sweetheart?”
She slapped his chest. “Behave yourself. We can’t even think about that until the doctor gives you the green light.”
“He already did.”
Her mouth fell open. “Seriously? So soon? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“I can’t promise I’ll be able to rock your world tonight, but I’d give anything to show you how much I’ve missed you.” He traced the length of her neck with his tongue. “What do you say? You game?”
She was already breathless and writhing against him, but she’d never do anything to put him at risk. “Are you sure it’s okay with the doctor?”
“I asked him specifically about sex.”
“Why? We weren’t even together when you had your heart attack. Were you thinking about…” She didn’t even want to think it, much less say it. “Being with someone else?”
He threaded his hands through her hair and tipped her head back. “You can’t be serious. Trust me, you’re the only one I want.”
“I feel the same way.” Things were going so well, she was reluctant to even mention the issue that had led to their problems, but they couldn’t pretend it had never happened. “You believe that, don’t you?”
“You’re thinking about Nick?”
“No!” Her eyes fell to his chest when she could tell he was questioning her sincerity. “I was just thinking about what led to this… I don’t want you to question how I feel about you or us, ever. I can’t promise Nick won’t be an issue for us when we get back to Nashville, but I can promise you I’ll never let him come between us again.”
“Neither will I.” He grazed her cheek with his lips. “I was a fool to let him mess with my head like that. No more. You’re my wife, and that’s the only thing that matters. Let him do his worst. I know it’s not going to change the way we feel about each other.”
Knowing that Liam wasn’t going to let her ex get to him anymore gave Alisa a sense of peace she hadn’t felt since they took their vows. “I’m so glad to hear you say that.”
Liam shifted to reach into the back pocket of his jeans. He withdrew an envelope. “Since I missed your birthday…”
She smiled as she leaned forward. “What’s this?”
He handed it to her. “Open it and find out.”
She tore into the envelope, giggling with anticipation. The exterior pot lights running the length of the house barely provided enough light for her to make out the words, but she got the gist of it. “Oh my God, you did not!”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I did a little digging and found out you lease the building your store is in. That monthly payment represents a huge amount of your overhead.” He grinned. “Now that you own the building, it’s one less thing to worry about it.”
She threw her arms around his neck, knocking him backwards. “Oh God, I’m so sorry,” she said when she remembered his precarious condition.
“Baby, I’m fine, relax.” He smiled up her. “I just want you to be happy, Alisa. I’ll do anything and everything in my power to make that happen.”
“I can’t believe you did this.” She glanced at the date on the papers. “You made this offer yesterday?”
“Yeah. I called the guy from the hospital in Barbados, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and it was a done deal by midnight. My lawyer emailed me the paperwork this morning.”
“But why? You and I were…” She didn’t even want to remind him of where they’d been. “In a bad place.”
“I know.” He kissed her hand. “But I knew if you divorced me, you wouldn’t want anything from me. I figured this was the least I could do. Besides, I hated missing your birthday.” He pressed his lips to her palm. “When I woke up in that hospital, my first thought was of you and then I remembered you’d left me. I almost lost the will to fight in that moment.”
“Don’t say that; don’t ever say that.”
He closed his eyes. “I never wanted to fall in love, at least not like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Giving your whole heart to someone is scary as hell. It gives them the power to destroy you. That’s what it did to me when you left, Alisa. It damn near destroyed me.”
She knew how much it cost a man like Liam to be vulnerable, and she loved him even more for acknowledging his weakness where she was concerned. “Don’t you know it works both ways? When you said those things to me earlier…”
“Please, don’t,” he whispered. “If I could take it all back, you know I would.”
“But we can’t, can we? We can’t change anything, and you know, I wouldn’t want to ‘cause we’re here now and that’s the only t
hing that matters.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“So, shall we go in and tell your daughter her dream’s about to come true?”
“That can wait until the morning.” He lifted her face with a finger under her chin. “Right now, I just want to make love to my wife.”
Chapter Twenty
Almost losing her made Liam appreciate everything about Alisa so much more. The fresh scent of her shampoo, the softness of her skin, the sweet slide of her tongue against his, the way she clutched him in her tight heat and rode him so gently, so exquisitely, he never wanted it to end. They’d spent the better part of the night making love, talking about the future, stealing kisses, holding each other, and in the bright light of morning, he still couldn’t get enough of her.
He filled his hand with her full breast and kissed her neck as he pulled her tighter against him. His heart clenched, but this time, he knew it was an attempt to accommodate his love for the woman in his arms, the woman whose love had made his life complete.
She giggled as she wiggled her bottom against him. “You’re insatiable.”
“Just trying to make up for lost time, sweetheart. Let’s face it, we’ve been apart more than we’ve been together since we got married.”
“Not for long.”
He kissed her shoulder. “No, not for long. I want to make arrangements to go to Nashville later this week so we can start looking at houses.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” she asked, turning her head to look at him.
“I’ll clear it with the doctor first.”
“Won’t you have a lot of work to do, restructuring your business?”
“There are a lot of things I’ll have to delegate; that’s for sure. I’ll still have to be involved, just not in the day to day operations.”
She looked around the opulent master suite. “What are you going to do with this house?”
“I’ll keep it.” He ran his hand down her stomach and an image of her full and round with his baby appeared, making him smile in anticipation of what was in store for them. “I’ll keep Mrs. Foster on to look after things. I’m sure Abby will want to spend some time here during summer vacation, and when we have to come back so I can attend meetings at the home office, we’ll have a place to stay. Sound like a plan?” From now on, he wanted to include her in every important decision he made about their future.
“Sounds perfect.”
“Good.” He lifted her hair so he had access to her neck. Pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the sweet spot that always made her moan, he slid a finger inside of her, groaning when he found her wet and ready to take him again. “No protection this time, sweetheart.” He felt her tense in his arms and cursed himself for trying to push her too hard, too fast.
“Are you sure you’re ready for a baby?”
“Definitely. Are you?” He kissed her cheek and was surprised when his lips came away moist from her tears. “Please don’t cry. If you’re not ready, we’ll wait. As long as it takes.” He reached into his nightstand for a condom, but she rolled over to stop him.
“I don’t want to wait.” She straddled his waist, never taking her eyes off his as she descended on his shaft. She reached for his hands, using them to anchor her as she worked hard to take them both to the brink of bliss and back again. “I want to have your baby, Liam,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes, trying to fight the urge to surrender to his release. He’d never loved a woman without protection, not even the night Abby was conceived, and feeling the woman he loved clenching him in her moist heat without a barrier between them, knowing she was ready to give him a baby he hadn’t even known he wanted until she came into his life, nearly sent him soaring over the threshold of control he prided himself on maintaining at all costs. “Yes, ah God, I…”
“Let go,” she whispered, gliding her hands over his chest. “Come for me.”
He grit his teeth. “Not until you’re ready, baby.”
“I… uh…” She threw her head back as he grabbed her hips and forced her to ride out her orgasm before surrendering to his own.
Her eyes locked with his as he throbbed and exploded inside of her. “I’m pretty sure the timing is right,” she whispered. “I hope that doesn’t scare you.”
He pulled her down on top of him, not wanting her to move, ever. “If you get pregnant right now, that would make me the happiest man alive. If it takes a little more time, I’m okay with that, too.” His hands slid up and down her back. “I’m all for practicing, day and night, if we have to.”
She laughed. “Awww, the sacrifices you’re willing to make to give me a baby. I’m touched.”
Liam smacked her behind. “Never let it be said that I’m not a team player.”
Alisa walked into the foyer to tell Liam breakfast was ready when she saw him scanning a document. Her eyes fell to the manila envelope in his hands and she knew instinctively what it was. “Oh God,” she whispered, flattening her hand against her stomach.
He turned around to look at her and the anguish on his face was painfully obvious. “Divorce papers,” he said, holding them out to her. “You actually went ahead with it. You filed for divorce.”
“I’m sorry” She reached out to take them from him. “I thought…” Her voice broke when she saw the look of resignation on his face. “Liam, please—”
He looked back at the pages he clenched in his trembling hand. When he stalked past her toward the kitchen, she ran after him, grateful his daughter was taking a swim so she didn’t have to witness this.
“What are you doing?” Fear stole her breath when she saw him reach for a pen. “You can’t be serious. My God, Liam, we could’ve just made a baby together.”
He scribbled his signature on each of the lines her lawyer had indicated.
“Why are you doing this?” When he failed to respond, the harsh reality began to sink in. He’d been stringing her along, pretending to love her so she would let her guard down and what… have sex with him again? It didn’t make sense. What had he hoped to gain? Revenge? She couldn’t think straight with those signed divorce papers staring her in the face. She had to get out of here, to try and right yet another wrong.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, following her to the front door.
“To the drug store.”
“What for?”
“I need to take care of…” She threw the door open. “Forget it, I don’t owe you an explanation.”
He grabbed her arm. “Yeah, you do. What the hell are you thinking?”
“I need to get the morning after pill, okay?” Tears flowed freely now, but she didn’t have the energy to care anymore. He’d already seen her broken-hearted, but this would be the last time. She’d never let him or any other man do this to her again. “The last thing I need is a kid with a man who doesn’t want to be married to me anymore.”
“Baby, slow down,” he whispered, framing her face with his hands. “You’ve got it all wrong.” He lowered his head. “I’m not gonna deny seeing those papers hurt like hell, but I didn’t sign them because I want out of this marriage.”
“What other reason—”
He leaned into kiss her. “I signed them because I need to remember how much I stand to lose if I ever make the mistake of taking you and what we have for granted again.”
“You mean you don’t want a divorce?”
He smirked. “Seriously? After what just happened upstairs, you can even ask me that?”
She leaned into him, weak with relief. “Oh my God, I was so scared when you signed those papers. I thought…” She drew a deep shuddering breath. “All kinds of crazy thoughts were going through my head. I thought you were trying to get even with me, that—”
“Ssshhh, it’s okay.” He held her tight. “I signed those papers because I want us to keep them.”
“But—”
“Trust me, they’ll serve as a constant reminder to both of us that this marriage is precious an
d it, like life, can be taken away from us in a split second.” He led her into the kitchen and handed her a pen. “Sign them?”
“I can’t.” Her stomach lurched yet again.
“I know it sounds crazy, but knowing how easy it would be to end it all will only serve to remind us that we need to work at this marriage every day, to make each other happy. We’ll tuck them away in the safe and never look at them again, okay?” He held the pen closer. “What do you say? Do you trust me?”
Her hand trembled as she produced a shaky version of her married name on the lines beneath his signatures. She flattened her hand against her stomach. “Oh God, I feel sick. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
He reached out to pull her back against his chest as he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “Now we promise each other that we’ll never, ever have reason to look at these papers again, okay?”
She turned into his arms as she leaned her head against his chest. “Just seeing those signed papers is breaking my heart.”
“Hey,” he said, tilting her face up to meet his. “I’m never, ever letting you go. But knowing that you have the power to end this marriage so easily will serve as insurance that I never do or say anything as stupid as I did yesterday. When I think of the things I said to you…” He dropped his head, touching his forehead to hers. “I hate myself.”
“Don’t, please.” She reached up to hold his face in her hands. “I don’t want to think about that anymore. It’s over.”
Abby walked in just as Alisa uttered those words and her eyes immediately zeroed in on the papers lying on the counter. “I don’t believe this,” she said, glaring at her father. “You want to be alone for the rest of your miserable life, don’t you?”
“Abigail, don’t—”
Alisa pressed a hand to her husband’s chest to halt his warning. “Honey, you don’t understand. Your dad and I—”
“Just because you’re determined to be unhappy doesn’t mean I have to be.” She ran past them. “I’m going to that school whether you like it or not. You can stay here and work yourself to death for all I care.”
High Stakes Page 20