I patiently waited for him to decide to tell me or not. “Aria…” he said, swaying hard left and then hard right. “Would you be mad if I called you Mom?” My heart leapt straight into my throat. I could have cried from the happiness that suddenly threatened to overwhelm me. Stepping closer to him
Aria’s POV At the office the next morning, I was still reeling from William calling me Mom. It had been such a special moment, I was sure it would stay with me forever, until the day I died. I hoped beyond hope, that he would still consider me his mother, even after he had grown up. At the very
“What is this?” I asked. “Where are the kids?” “The kids are with Isabella,” he said. He was smiling but it seemed shy. He kept dipping his head as if to hide it from me. “I thought we could have an evening to ourselves.” I wasn’t against it, but… “What’s the occasion?” “You’ve forgotten,” he
Aria’s POV We drew so close that I could feel the warmth of Liam’s breath on my lips. Then, just as I felt the phantom touch of his kiss, the front door burst open. “Mom! Dad!” Joe called. Liam and I jumped apart. We were both a little out of breath. My cheeks were burning, and Liam seemed a b
Aria’s POV Before I could get lost in my thoughts overmuch, Liam’s voice sounded out from the living room. “Aria! Come take a look at this.” I looked at Isabella again. “Go on,” she said with a grin. “Have fun. I’ll finish up here and join you guys when I’m done.” “You sure?” We always mad
Liam’s POV That weekend, I stuck to my promise and took Joe and William Christmas shopping. This time of year, the stores were incredibly busy, so I held hands with both Joe and William as we perused the store, looking for the kids’ perfect gifts for Aria. As we walked along a shopping plaza, we
Liam’s POV Aria loved Christmas. She didn’t always show it, sometimes complaining about the crowds and the traffic and the hassle of fixing all the broken lights on the string. But after the work is done, when the lights are twinkling and the cookies are baked, when the gifts are wrapped under the
Aria’s POV Under the mistletoe, Liam moved in and I didn’t move away. Slowly, gently, his lips pressed against my own. I closed my eyes at once, enjoying the warm softness of him. The kiss itself was soft and sweet, not demanding or insisting, more a quiet gift of consent and compromise. I sighe
Liam’s POV “Perhaps what you’ve done hasn’t been outwardly illegal or criminal,” Mr. Gunner said. “Yet. But if you continue to act the way you have, so unrestrained and hostile to your own employees, you are inviting your own lawsuit.” “They can bring it on,” Joanna said, huffing an annoyed brea
Liam’s POV Over the next few days, things didn’t get any easier, trapped in the same office with Joanna. In fact, being in such constant close quarters, I’d begun to notice even more annoying things about her. For one, she always made a slurping sound when she sipped her coffee. Or, she’d brus
Aria’s POV It seemed strange that a check that was worth so much was still the same size as any other check. For $5 million, I felt like it should be bigger, or glossy, or written in golden font. Instead, it was unassuming, the same as any check I might have written to pay the electric bill, for i
Liam’s POV The first thing I did when I returned to work Monday morning was try to find a new work station for Aria. The boiler room was no place for an office, despite how much she insisted most of her work was spent on the track with the drivers. After the argument we had and some of the thing
Aria’s POV “Joe?” I asked, knocking lightly on the door. “Can I come in?” “I’m sleeping,” Joe called back. “Honey, I know that’s not true.” A moment’s pause was the only reply. Then, at last, Joe said, “Okay.” Opening the door, I walked into the room. The lamp on Joe’s nightstand was cli
Aria’s POV After the kids are tucked into bed, I headed down to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. I reasoned that Liam would want to talk soon, as he’d been shooting glares at me all afternoon. This was a conversation I only wanted to have while caffeinated. “Who was that man?” Liam asked f
Aria’s POV After lunch, Samuel and I take the kids to the park where we had reunited so that William and Joe could run around and burn off some of their high energy. Samuel and I sat on a nearby bench, watching. This distance allowed Samuel and me to speak more directly, without worrying about t
The kids whispered to each other while sneaking looks at Samuel. Samuel, politely, pretended not to notice, but I could see, even if the kids were blind to it, that he occasionally caught them looking. “Joe. William,” I said in my most motherly tone of voice. “Be polite.” “It’s fine,” Samuel sai
Liam’s POV I looked down at Aria with confusion. Why was she telling me to back off? I was her husband. This friend of hers, who did he think he was butting in? Taking my family out to lunch? Yes, I’d been working a lot, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up the right to be Aria’s father a