Based on Liam’s reaction to Grace, Amelia was fairly certain he wouldn’t take it well.

  She took another small bite of toast. Just as Katie had said when she was pregnant, the food seemed to calm Amelia’s roiling stomach. Good to know.

  The nausea from morning sickness was quickly replaced by unease about what she would have to do. She just needed to find the right time — and place — to tell Liam about the baby.

  Amelia managed to eat a little more toast, then took a quick shower and got dressed. She’d go with Grace and Liam to the park. Maybe a chance would present itself.

  When she emerged from her bedroom, Liam greeted her with a smile. He really seemed to be trying to make things normal between them, which was sweet, but it made Amelia feel all the worse about the baby bombshell. Liam seemed to be doing his best to pretend that they’d never had a romantic entanglement, but the pregnancy would force him to confront the fact that they had.

  “You do seem to be looking better,” Liam said.

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “Maybe some fresh air will do me good.”

  “Meel!” Grace waved happily from her booster chair. “Meel better?”

  “Much better, thank you.” Amelia crossed the room and kissed Grace’s blond head.

  “Oh, careful.” Liam looked at her with concern. “We don’t want Grace to get sick.”

  “She can’t catch what I have.” Amelia smiled down at the child. “Don’t worry.”

  “All right. Shall we get going, then?”

  The trio walked to the park, Grace holding Amelia and Liam’s hands and swinging between them as she loved to do. Amelia breathed in the fresh air and did her best to enjoy the moment without worrying about the future.

  When they arrived, Grace kept a firm hold of Amelia’s hand. She wanted Amelia to accompany her to the swings and catch her at the bottom of the slide and help her across the balance beam. It was clear that the child had missed her, which made Amelia’s heart ache. What if Liam wanted her to leave now that she was pregnant?

  Maybe she wouldn’t have to. Maybe another baby on the way would only add to Liam’s picture of a happy family and he’d ask her to stay. The idea of continuing to live with the man who’d broken her heart hurt, but at least she’d be able to stay with Grace and let her get to know her little sister or brother.

  When they returned to the penthouse, Amelia managed to join Grace and Liam for a lunch that the chef had prepared. She wasn’t able to eat a lot, but even the small amount of food helped her stomach settle.

  “If you’re feeling so much better, I’ll go back to work tomorrow,” Liam said. “I have a lot to catch up on.”

  Amelia’s heart begged her to ask him to stay, but she just nodded. “Of course.”

  Luckily, at that moment, Grace began chatting excitedly about a friend she’d made at the park, and both Amelia and Liam turned their attention to her. It was for the best that they didn’t talk about Liam’s work anymore.

  After lunch, Amelia felt well enough that she offered to play with Grace while Liam did some work from his home office. Liam accepted gratefully, and Amelia was glad to get some time with Grace — she’d missed the child the previous day when she’d felt sick.

  As the day wore on, it became increasingly clear to Amelia that her only chance to speak to Liam about the pregnancy would be after bedtime. Sure enough, Grace kept them both busy all day, until Liam carried her off for her bedtime routine. Amelia sat on the couch in the living room. She didn’t trust herself to go into his office. While she waited for him to return, she repeated over and over what she wanted to say.

  Finally, Liam emerged from Grace’s room. He was smiling. “She’s such a sweetheart.”

  “She sure is.”

  “What are you still doing up? Are you feeling well enough to try some dinner?”

  “Maybe.” Amelia took a deep breath. “But I need to talk to you first.”

  “I thought that wasn’t a good idea.”

  “Things have changed.” Amelia gave Liam the same firm look she used on Grace when the little girl didn’t want to eat her peas. It seemed to work, because Liam sank onto a chair across from her.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Um. Okay.” Amelia was even more nervous than she’d expected. “First, please just let me finish what I need to say. Okay?”

  “I will.” Liam tilted his head. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes. I think so. But, um, remember how we spent the night together a couple of weeks ago? It seems like⁠—”

  “Amelia, I’m not sure we should go digging up⁠—”

  Amelia held up her hand. “Liam, please. You said you’d let me finish.”

  Liam looked uncomfortable, but he nodded.

  “It seems that our night together had a more… tangible… impact than we’d expected. I know this will come as a surprise, but you have a right to know. I’m pregnant.”

  “You’re pregnant?” Liam’s blue eyes widened. “Are you sure? Did you take a test?”

  “I’m sure and I did.” There was a long pause. “Liam, you can say something now. Please say something.”

  But Liam just shook his head, very slowly.

  “Liam.” Amelia felt tears prick at the backs of her eyes. “I don’t expect you to drop everything and become a real family or anything like that. I don’t even expect child support. But you have a right to know that you’re going to have another child.”

  “Thank you for telling me.” Liam’s gaze was distant. “I appreciate that.”

  “Are you mad?” Amelia asked.

  “Why would I be?” Liam shook his head again, then got to his feet. “I need to go to work.”

  “What?” This was the last straw. “Right now?”

  “Right now.”

  “Is your work really more important than our conversation?”

  Finally, Liam’s blue eyes met Amelia’s. “There’s one piece of work that’s more important than anything else. I’ve been putting it off, but I need to do it. It can’t wait.”

  Amelia opened her mouth to ask Liam not to go. She wanted him to stay and talk to her. She wanted to work this out. But she closed her mouth again. Begging wouldn’t change the outcome of this. Liam cared about his work more than he did about her, or Grace, or their unborn child. Amelia couldn’t do or say anything that would change his mind. She knew that now.

  “Bye.”

  “Bye, Amelia.” And with that, Liam left. He didn’t even go to his office first — he just left.

  Amelia sat on the couch a while longer, alone in the dark and the quiet. Her heart couldn’t take much more of this. Yet leaving would also be heartbreaking, because it would mean walking away from Grace.

  Amelia rested a hand on her stomach.

  “It’s okay, little one. I’m going to figure this out. I promise.” She closed her eyes. She just hoped that she could make good on that promise — the first she’d ever made to the child.

  With a heavy heart, Amelia got up and went to her room. She loved her baby-to-be. She loved Grace. Despite everything, she even loved Liam. But Amelia knew that love just wasn’t enough.

  CHAPTER 22

  LIAM

  Liam walked with a brisk purpose he hadn’t felt in a long time. When he’d fled the penthouse, leaving Amelia alone in the living room, he’d planned to go to his office. The office, with its paneled walls and carpeted floor and its policies, had always been Liam’s safe space. When he’d struggled with his parents or with something else in his life, he’d always gone to work. There, he could focus on nothing more than the next task and the one after without thinking about anything else.

  Liam’s feet carried him along the familiar route. On autopilot, his mind still far away, he strode across the lobby, rode the elevator to his floor, and made his way to his office. It was quiet now. Most people had gone home by this time of night, probably to be with their families. Liam sat in his chair, the one he’d ordered specially from Norway for its excellent lumbar support and streamlined angles. He ran his hand over the mahogany desk he’d purchased and looked over all the latest technology he’d acquired so that he could do his job as well as he could. He looked out the window at the lights of San Francisco and the dark expanse of the ocean.

  For so long, Liam had been proud of the work that had brought him to this point. He’d felt a great sense of fulfillment, sitting here in his beautiful office, far removed from the realities of life taking place on the streets and in the homes far below. He’d been pleased with the work he did to shape young minds and provide the best education possible for the next generation, so that they wouldn’t face the same struggles he had. He’d felt that he’d done everything he needed to in order to be the kind of man he wanted to be.

  Yet now, everything here felt dull. Faded. The desk might as well have been a child’s toy built of cardboard and ambition. The chair could have been that old broken desk chair that Liam had brought home as a boy after he’d found it on the side of the road. The view of the city below, as beautiful as it was, was just a reminder that he was distant from all the parts of life that really mattered. Liam’s empire and all the hard work he’d put into it felt hollow without someone to share it with.

  Liam had wanted to come here to think and plan. He’d wanted to decide how to handle the situation with Amelia and her pregnancy. He’d wanted to determine the best situation for everything, going forward.

  But instead of focusing on logistics or child support or any of the things Liam needed to think about, he found his mind wandering to something else. Someone else.

  Amelia.

  Amelia, sitting on the couch, her big brown eyes wide and worried as she told him she was pregnant. Amelia, Grace in her arms, spinning as the little girl giggled and Amelia’s beautiful blond hair fanned out around her. Amelia, offering Liam a bite of kung pao chicken from her takeout box. Amelia, her brow furrowed and her arms crossed, as she told Liam off for not being around for Grace. Amelia, a newborn baby in her arms that he knew was theirs. Amelia, laughing, blushing, singing. Amelia, beneath him, her pink lips parted as he leaned down to kiss her.

  And Grace. Grace, with her chubby limbs and her big smile and her enthusiastic giggles. Grace, with her love of elephants and ice cream. Grace, with her wise blue eyes and her silly grin. Grace, learning to speak better every day, even learning to sing.

  And the new baby, too. A child who wasn’t even born yet, who was barely more than a wisp of an idea, but who already had a place in Liam’s heart. Liam could imagine holding that child in his arms and looking down into brown eyes that looked just like Amelia’s. He could imagine pushing the child in a stroller, introducing her (for he was sure it was a her) to sunsets and chocolate and puppies and all that was beautiful in the world.

  Liam wanted to solve the problem of Amelia and Grace and the baby like it was a business issue. He wanted to run a SWOT analysis or sketch a flow chart or weigh probabilities. Yet he couldn’t do it, because Amelia and Grace and the baby weren’t a problem. Not at all. They represented an opportunity — an opportunity Liam would only get once.

  Finding out about the baby Amelia was carrying had changed everything. Liam knew he couldn’t put aside his feelings any longer. He loved Amelia. He loved Grace. And he loved the new baby, too.

  His heart began to ache. He’d pushed Amelia away so much this week, and today, again, he’d hurt her by leaving in the middle of their conversation. But he’d meant what he told her — that there was one more thing he had to do that was more important than anything else. It wasn’t something Liam could do sitting here in his office, lost between the ghosts of his past and the bright glimmers of his future.

  Slowly, he got to his feet. He walked down the hallway towards the elevator, and as he did, he looked up at the posters on the walls. All the floors of Lilypad’s offices were lined with advertisements and posters from the educational products they’d released. There was the phonics game Liam had spearheaded. There was the numeracy-skills curriculum they’d debuted last year. As Liam approached the elevator, the products grew to calculus study guides and a world-history trivia game.

  Liam had always taken pride in the work he’d done to provide a good educational future for children around the world. Yet now, he had the chance to shape young minds for real — and he’d run away scared again and again.

  Liam’s fears weren’t gone. He still didn’t know if he could be the husband Amelia deserved or the father Grace and the new baby needed. But there was one thing Liam did know: he had built his career from scratch. He’d had to learn and grow every day. Maybe, if he were willing to do that again, he could have a shot at the most important job in the world: as a part of a family. His family was more important than any piece of work. He knew that now.

  Liam wasn’t sure if Amelia would take him back. She was probably furious, and rightfully so. He had put her to the side for weeks. He’d refused to even let himself think about — much less talk to her about — the feelings he had for her. Well, he would learn from his mistakes. He would do whatever it took to win Amelia back. And he had a plan in mind.

  Liam loved Amelia. He loved Grace. He loved the new baby on the way. And he knew, for the first time in his life, that love was enough.

  CHAPTER 23

  AMELIA

  Amelia sat cross-legged on her bed and scrolled through job listings. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes again, but she told herself to be strong. She would try to apply for a few jobs. Maybe she’d find someone who was willing to take on a brokenhearted woman who would soon go on maternity leave.

  At that thought, a tear did slide down Amelia’s cheek. She knew she needed to find the strength to move on. She couldn’t stay here in Liam’s house, raising his children, while he put more and more distance between them. It wouldn’t be fair to her, and it wouldn’t be fair to their child to grow up in such a confusing situation.

  Amelia’s heart broke at the thought of Grace, though. She loved the little girl like her own, and she didn’t even want to imagine leaving. Liam would find another nanny, perhaps even another fake wife, and life would go on, but it still hurt to think of leaving the little girl. Hopefully, Liam would let Grace see their child. She deserved to know her sibling.

  If there was any way she could stay, Amelia would take it. But it wasn’t possible. Liam’s reaction to her pregnancy had been the very last straw. Amelia just couldn’t be here anymore. Liam wasn’t ever going to change. She had to stop hoping that he would.

  She clicked on a job similar to the HR work she’d done at Shondyn. Maybe she could go back to that. The thought of giving up all this to resume the kind of soul-crushing work she’d done before was terrible, but at least it was a job she knew how to do.

  Amelia was about to upload her résumé when she heard a sound in the apartment. Was it possible that Liam was back? She glanced at the clock on her phone. It was only ten p.m. — he’d been gone for less than two hours.

  Amelia bit her lip, then slowly got to her feet. She needed to talk to Liam, whether he wanted to talk to her or not. He needed to understand that he was going to have a child, but that she had no expectations for his involvement. And he needed to know that she was going to leave.

  Amelia looked down at her pajamas. The pajama bottoms were printed with elephants and the top had a glittery elephant face on it — Grace had spotted a mother–daughter matching set and had begged Amelia to buy them. In the mirror, Amelia saw that her eyes were slightly red and her hair was messy.

  Oh, well. It wasn’t like she was trying to impress Liam. Not anymore. She ran a hand through her hair and stepped out into the hallway. A light was on in the kitchen, so she padded quietly towards the source of the light. When she rounded the doorway into the kitchen, she caught Liam standing behind the counter with a large shopping bag in front of him. He jumped at the sight of her.

  “Amelia.”

  “Hi.” She stepped into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

  “I didn’t think you’d still be up.”

  “Sorry to disappoint.”

  A cloud crossed Liam’s handsome features. “It isn’t a disappointment. I just… well… I wanted to do this differently.”

  Amelia’s heart sank. “If you’re planning to ask me to leave, don’t worry. I’m going to go.”

  “What?” Liam’s blue eyes widened and the cloud was swept away by fear.

  “I need to. I’ll stay as long as it takes to find new childcare for Grace, but then I’m going to leave. It isn’t fair to our child to stay here.” Amelia bit her lip. “I hope I’ll still get to see Grace. I do love her.”

  Liam rounded the counter and reached for Amelia’s hands. She was so surprised that she let him envelop both of her hands in his without pulling away. The contact was warm and soothing, but Amelia reminded herself to be strong. Liam didn’t love her.

  “Amelia. Like I said, I wanted to do this differently, but there’s no time like the present. For a long time, I’ve let fear hold me back. Fear stopped me from having a serious relationship, from getting close to people I cared about, even from being the father that Grace deserves. When you came into my life, I hid behind you like yet another shield so that I could keep my distance from Grace. But you didn’t let me do that.” Liam’s lips quirked in a smile.

  “Liam, what are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have hidden behind my fear for so long — and I definitely shouldn’t have let my fear stand between me and the people I love. Grace deserves better. So do you.”

  Amelia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Liam…”

  “I love you, Amelia. I love Grace. And I love our baby.” His gaze dropped to Amelia’s stomach, then rose back to meet her eyes. “I should never have let myself put that love on the back burner. I thought the best thing I could do for all of you was work and stay away, but I realize now that was a mistake. I can’t let my work be more important than you.”