“Or come to them.”
I set down my coffee. “Liam—”
He cut me off. “I’m not saying tomorrow. I’m thinking about the future.”
“Lucy…” I trailed off when he held up his hand.
“Great day care here. And schools. You can do your job from anywhere, you told me. I’d add a desk in my office.” He paused. “If you wanted to work. You wouldn’t have to.”
“Yes, I would. I never want to be in the position of not being able to take care of myself.”
He was silent for a moment. “Whatever you want. I would never take away your right to make decisions.”
I heard a trace of hurt in his voice, and I knew he was trying to assure me that he would take care of me. Of us.
He sat back. “A discussion for another time, maybe.”
I nodded, picking up my coffee cup. I found it hard to swallow, though. So many words burned in my throat. Questions. Why was he so sure about us? The future? I had a feeling he was leaps and bounds ahead of me in his plans. A thought occurred to me, and I blurted out the words before I could think.
“What about kids?”
“What about them?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Do you want more kids?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“Why? You’re such a great mother.”
“Alan always said it was something I did that caused Lucy’s deformity.”
“We’ve established that Alan is an idiotic, narcissistic asshole whose opinion isn’t worth the effort it takes for him to spew it.”
“What if…” I swallowed. “What if he was right? What if I had another baby with—”
He cut me off. “It is unknown what causes a limb deformity. If it happened, then we would love him or her as much as Lucy is loved. This time, you would have backup, Paige. Me. My family. You wouldn’t be alone. You won’t have to face a pregnancy or anything alone. Ever again.”
I glanced away, tears filling my eyes. Why did this man make me cry so much? He allowed me to express my thoughts and feelings, never judging.
“It scares me,” I admitted.
He covered his hand with mine. “Hey, I didn’t mean to get so serious. But I want you to know what I’m thinking about the future. You and Lucy are part of it. I would like more kids, and I want them with you.”
I had to ask the question. “What if-what if I didn’t—what if I couldn’t?”
“Then the three of us would be a family.”
“You would be satisfied with that?”
“I would never do anything that made you uncomfortable. I would never force you into a decision that caused you months of stress and worry.”
“That’s a big sacrifice.”
“Having you in my life wouldn’t make it a sacrifice. You’re who I want. Lucy is a bonus. Anything else would be a gift.”
I wanted to argue with him. He might resent me. I might resent myself if I got pregnant and it happened again. Lucy was amazing and did so well, but not every child would be the same.
His low “uh oh” interrupted my musings. I looked up to see his sister, Ava, walking up the driveway.
“I heard you had company,” she said, sitting on the steps.
“And yet, here you are,” Liam stated dryly, looking over at me with a wink.
Ava wasn’t at all put out. She tossed her hair. “I just wanted to let you know Ronan says everything is in place. Your schedule is clear for Thursday.”
“Great.”
I assumed they were talking about a work project.
“And Dad wanted me to remind you it’s your turn at the charity dinner. Saturday night.”
“Oh God,” Liam groaned. “I’ll give you a thousand bucks to take my place.”
She snorted. “Nope. I did it last time it was your turn. Mom and Dad will be there, so you’re not alone. I listed you for a plus-one.” Her gaze strayed to me. “If you need a sitter, I’d be happy to look after Lucy. You could bring her here, and we could have a girls’ night.”
“Sorry?” I asked, confused.
“We all have to attend various charity dinners. I hate them. Sitting listening to speeches, watching people with too much money who give to a cause only because so-and-so is also doing it,” Liam explained.
“You don’t do that?” I asked.
“No. We support the causes we believe in. We live it. This is one of them, but I still hate the dinners,” he admitted. “Can I beg you to come with me?”
“Gee, you made it sound so great and all. How can I resist?” I teased.
He and Ava laughed. They looked very similar, with their heads tilted back and their dark hair glinting in the sun. They sounded alike as well. My imagination suddenly conjured up the same image, but this time, it was Liam laughing with a child. Our child. The baby sat on his knee, and the two of them were laughing, looking so alike my heart ached.