“What’s over there?” I pointed to a house on a low bluff that overlooked the water.
“Mr. Owens’s place. Our property ends about three-quarters of the way across this stretch of rock. His begins. He’s not exactly friendly.”
“Oh?”
“He likes Ava, I think. He lets my mom visit on occasion. But he hates all the dads.”
That surprised me. The BAM men were kind and helpful. “Why?”
“He was always standoffish. Intensely private. Once his wife died, he became more reclusive. Still, my family checked on him to make sure he was okay. Bentley made him an open offer if he ever wanted to sell his property. He even told him he could live there for as long as he wanted. He said no and got it into his head they were after the property and nothing else.” Liam shook his head. “He chased my dad off once when he was taking him some meals my mom had made. He got out his shotgun and ordered him off.”
“Oh my God!”
Liam shook his head. “It’s old, has no bullets, and Mr. Owens could barely hold it. But since then, Ava is sort of the official go-between. He’s not doing well, so she checks on him a lot. My dad arranged care for him that he thinks the hospital sends. If he knew it came from my family, he’d refuse, the stubborn old goat. At least that way, we know he has someone looking after him besides us.”
“That’s very kind.”
He shrugged. “He’s old, alone, and not well. We can’t ignore that. I’d go clear his yard, we’d help him do some repairs, but he refuses.”
He slid his arm around me, turning me around. “Enough about grumpy neighbor. I want to talk about my favorite subject.”
“Which is?”
“You.”
I scoffed. “Then you’ll be bored since you saw me about eight hours ago, and since then I showered, took Lucy to school, and worked until Ronan showed up.”
“How did you get the afternoon off?”
“I just signed off. I’m hourly, so it tracks my log-ins.”
A note of worry crept into his voice. “So, you won’t get paid?”
“We’ll survive without a few hours’ wages, Liam.”
He made a displeased noise in the back of his throat but didn’t say anything else about it.
“How did you become an insurance claims adjuster?”
“When I was pregnant with Lucy and Alan walked out, I had to support us. Another woman I knew told me she had been hired and liked it. They provided the training, you could work from home, and she knew they were looking. I applied and got the job.” I smiled ruefully. “It’s not the best-paying job, but I’m home for Lucy, which, when she was born, was the most important thing. I didn’t want to dip into the settlement from Alan for childcare. I put that money in the bank for Lucy’s education. I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to send her to university.”
“You haven’t touched it?” he asked. “I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. I have had to dip into it when things were tough. If it weren’t for Beth, I would have used way more of it. But Lucy can still go to university. I make sure she has everything she needs. I don’t use a penny of it for myself. I don’t want his money.”
“Selfless,” he muttered.
“No. It’s my pride. I know that. But he didn’t look after me when we were married, so he doesn’t get to now either. The money is for Lucy.”
He tightened his hand around mine. “Got it.”
“No more talk of my ex, please. I don’t want to think about him in this beautiful setting.” I stopped and looked over the water, the sunlight shimmering on the surface. “It’s so beautiful here. How do you tear yourself away and come into Toronto?”
“I know something equally beautiful and captivating there.”
I met his eyes. He was staring straight at me, not the lovely view in front of us. I opened my mouth to brush off his words, then stopped. His gaze was focused, and his words ran true. It was how he really felt. Brushing off his compliments hurt him.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He swept me into his arms, kissing me with utter abandon. “That’s my girl,” he praised.
We sat on the porch, enjoying the breeze and the sun. I had grabbed some cookies from the freezer at home, and Liam munched on them as he sipped coffee and relaxed.
“I could get used to this,” he muttered.
“You don’t sit on the porch much?”
“I meant having you here. Stealing the occasional afternoon off work and spending it just enjoying the day.” He sighed. “I rarely do that.”
“You can kidnap me anytime,” I teased.
“I might do that on a permanent basis,” he said.
My cup froze partway to my mouth. “Liam,” I admonished. “It’s a little soon for that.”
“Says who? Society?”
“Your family would think you’ve taken leave of your senses.”