Liam sat on the couch in the den, using one hand to scroll through the report Nolan’s investigator had sent him regarding Margaret Garner while cradling a snugly swaddled Maggie in his other arm. She’d been fussy and agitated all day, and her appetite had waned. Hadley had noticed Maggie’s temperature was slightly elevated and Liam was glad she was scheduled for a follow-up visit with her pediatrician tomorrow. Maggie continued to show signs of jaundice, and this had both Liam and Hadley concerned.
As a counterpoint to Liam’s agitation over Maggie’s health issues, Waldo lay on the sofa back directly behind Liam’s head, purring. Although he’d grown up believing that cats belonged in barns, keeping the mouse population under control, he’d grown fond of Hadley’s fur ball and had to concede that the feline had a knack for reading moods and providing just the right companionship. Just yesterday Liam had been irritated by a particularly demanding client, and Waldo had spent a hilarious ten minutes playing with one of Hadley’s ponytail holders, cheering him up.
The only member of his family not sitting on the den’s sofa was Hadley. After dinner she’d gone upstairs to call her parents and tell them about the engagement. They’d been on a cruise several days ago when Liam had popped the question and hadn’t been immediately available to receive their daughter’s news. Hadley was concerned that they’d view the engagement as moving too fast, and Liam had suggested that they take Maggie to Houston this weekend so everyone could meet.
With an effort, Liam brought his attention back to the report. Despite only spending four days on the job, the investigator had built a pretty clear picture of Maggie’s mom. Margaret Garner had worked at home as a freelance illustrator and had a pretty limited social life. She’d dated rarely, and her friends had husbands and children who kept them busy. So busy, in fact, that none of them had had a clue that Margaret was pregnant. Nor had there been any contact between her and Kyle after their weeklong affair. The investigator hadn’t been able to determine how the two had met, but after digging into Margaret’s financials, he’d figured out when the fling had happened.
Margaret’s perfectionism and heavy workload explained why she hadn’t gone out much, but a couple of her friends had known Margaret since college and confided that they thought Margaret might have had some depression issues. From what the investigator could determine, she’d never sought medical help for that or gone to see a doctor when she’d discovered she was pregnant.
“Well, that’s done,” Hadley announced, her voice heavy as she crossed the room and settled onto the couch beside him.
“How did it go with your parents?”
“They were surprised.” Her head dropped onto his shoulder. She’d been anxious about how the conversation would go all through dinner. Hadley was an only child and from her description of them, Liam got the impression they didn’t exactly approve of some of the choices she’d made in the last few years. Especially when she’d quit teaching and moved to Royal in order to get her master’s degree.
“What are you working on?”
“I had an investigator look into Margaret Garner’s background.”
“You hired an investigator? Why?” She peered more closely at the report on his computer screen.
“Nolan suggested it.”
“Who is Nolan?”
“Nolan Dane is a family law attorney I hired.”
“You hired a lawyer?”
Liam realized he probably should have shared his plans with her regarding Maggie before this, but hadn’t anticipated that she’d be surprised. “Because I’m seeking custody of Maggie.”
“Have you told your brother?”
“Kyle hasn’t responded to my messages about Maggie yet.”
Hadley sat up and turned on the cushions to face him. “Don’t you think you should talk to him before you make such a big decision regarding his daughter?”
“I think it’s obvious from the fact that it’s been three weeks and I haven’t heard from him that he’s not in a place where he can be a father. Either he’s overseas and unavailable or he’s choosing not to call me back. Whichever it is, Maggie deserves parents who can always be there for her.” He studied her expression with a hint of concern. “I thought you’d be on board with this. After all, you love Maggie as much as I do and have to admit we make terrific parents.”
Her brows came together. “I guess I thought we’d be great with kids someday. As soon as I accepted that Maggie was your brother’s daughter, I guess I thought she’d end up with him.”
“Are you trying to tell me you can’t see yourself as Maggie’s mother?”
“Not at all. I love her...” But it was obvious that Hadley was grappling with something.
“Then what’s going on?”
“I was just wondering how long you’d been thinking about this.” Her tone had an accusatory edge he didn’t understand.
“I’ve been considering what’s best for Maggie since Diane Garner left her on my doorstep.”
“And have you thought about what’s best for your brother?”
Liam struggled for patience in the face of her growing hostility. “I’m thinking about the fact that he’s a navy SEAL and likely to be called to duty at any time. He’s not married and lives on the East Coast, far from family. Who is going to take care of Maggie while he’s gone for weeks, maybe months at a time?” Liam met Hadley’s gaze and didn’t care for the indictment he glimpsed in her beautiful blue eyes. “I think Maggie would be better off here with us.”
“He’s not married.” She spoke deliberately as if determined to make a point. “So he’s not the best person to raise Maggie.”
“He’s a career military man with no family support,” Liam corrected her, unsure why she wasn’t agreeing with him. “How often will he miss a school event? How likely is it he’ll be around for her first steps, first words, first...everything.”