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
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 “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
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 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 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
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
Aria’s POV The very last thing I wanted to do was go crying to Liam every time I had a work problem. Even being called a bitch, in the grand scheme of things, wasn’t such a terrible offense. After all, I was pretty sure the drivers said far worse about me behind my back, particularly when I made t
Aria’s POV“I am busy,” Liam said. He purposefully stopped tugging on his sleeve, gripping both hands on the laptop and paperwork he carried instead.I knew he was busy. That wasn’t fully a lie. But was he truly so busy that he couldn’t find five minutes to talk to be before Sunday? That, I highly d
Taking the long way, I ascended the stairwell in the headquarters building. There, as I was heading up, Aria came rushing down.“Aria,” I said, spotting her on the landing above.She stopped but turned her head away from me. “Liam.”That was a rather frosty reception, even with how strained things h
Liam’s POVI didn’t need my father’s approval for anything, and I certainly didn’t need his pride. He was clearly up to something here, though what that could be, I wasn’t sure yet.A big part of me what to tell him off, but another side of me, the more reasonable side, insisted that I hold my tongu
Aria’s POVEver since William asked me about the divorce, the question stuck in my brain. If the kids were even able to perceive the many difficulties between us, enough to assume that we were going to split permanently, then Liam and I needed really needed to have a discussion right now, not on Sun
Liam’s POVFriday morning, I was filled with dread and trepidation. I wasn’t looking forward to this coming weekend, not even slightly. The engagement party set for Saturday night was sure to be terrible, but it’s the potential fallout with Aria that had me on edge the most.I hoped she could see my
Aria’s POVThe question blindsided me, and I had no idea how to answer it. How did William know Liam and I were having troubles? We’d tried so hard not to fight in front of them anymore. And even though we’d been distant with each other, we always tried to be friendly when the kids were around.But
Liam’s POVI placed my hands on William’s shoulders, hoping to ease him. His posture had gotten all tense, when he’d confronted Jackson. I was a little worried he might start a fight with Jackson now, too.“Thanks William, but it’s okay,” I said. “Jackson isn’t wrong. I have been failing Aria by not
Aria’s POV“William? What are you doing here?”William, with Liam holding his hand, come into my office.“Can I hang out with you today?” William asked me.I looked up at Liam, searching for explanation.“Someone got into a fight with the school bully,” Liam said. “He’s been suspended for the rest o
“This is my son, William,” I said. To William, I added, “William, this is my co-worker Joanna.”“Just a co-worker? How cruel?”“Joanna,” I snapped. I wouldn’t tolerate her attempting to drag my kids into this unpleasant arrangement between us, and if she even wanted to try it, I’d burn the whole thi