Liam

 

I thought I’d known fear. It definitely wasn’t an emotion I was unfamiliar with.

But this?

Seeing my girl grip her pregnant belly as tears flooded her eyes… It was too much. If a man could die by fear alone, this was what would take me out.

“We’re going to the hospital,” I bellowed and lunged out of bed. I raced around, searching for a damn pair of pants until I saw a pair lying right there at my feet.

I tugged them on, trying to put both legs on at once and nearly falling on my ass while doing it.

“Liam…”

I cursed and righted myself as I yanked them up my body. “I got you, sweetheart. Just sit there and breathe. Everything’s going to be okay.” Dear God, please, please, let everything be okay.

Not my son. Please, not my son.

I raced to her side, only to realize she was naked.

Bellamy caught my hand before I could rush off in search of clothes. “Liam, stop.”

I spun back. “What hurts? Tell me.”

She smiled as a tear tracked down her cheek. “Nothing hurts,” she whispered. “Feel.”

She guided my hand to her stomach, pressing hers flat over mine.

I stood there, heart hammering, as I tried to make sense of what she was doing.

“Bells, we need to go,” I said, trying not to sound cross with her.

“Wait!” she urged. “He’s moving!”

Oh, holy shit… He’s—wait. What?

I looked at Bellamy again as she lay back and pressed her hand over mine. I waited, heart still pounding, and nothing happened.

“I probably hurt you,” I spat. “I probably was too rough.”

“There!” She gasped and pulled my hand to another spot.

Nothing happened.

I frowned.

She looked up at me, love shining in her eyes. “Talk to him.”

When I hesitated, she nodded encouragingly. I dropped to my knees beside the bed and leaned toward my son. “Hey, pumpkin,” I said. “What’s going on in there?”

Something bumped against my palm. Bellamy’s eyes widened with excitement. I glanced at her, shocked. “Was that him?”

She nodded vigorously.

“Shaw?”

There was another knock against my hand. And then another.

I jolted back, staring between Bellamy and her stomach. “Is he supposed to do that?” I demanded.

She laughed. “Yes! I’ve never felt it like that before. Usually, it’s just flutters, like wings… but this…”

“I felt it,” I said, stunned. “I felt him move.”

Bellamy smiled soft. “He knows your voice.”

My eyes snapped to hers. “He does?”

She nodded and made a sound between a laugh and a sob.

My hand covered her belly again and rubbed lightly. “So everything’s okay? I didn’t hurt you. The baby is okay?”

Bellamy covered my hand with hers. “Yes, everything is perfect. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just hadn’t felt it like that before. It’s amazing.”

“You’re fucking right it is,” I declared. “That kid is a goddamn genius!”

Another light nudge hit my palm.

“See!” I exclaimed. “I told you!”

Bellamy laughed and nodded.

I released her stomach and swooped in, capturing her lips. When I pulled back, she wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “You really need to stop cussing. He can hear you!”

I kissed her stomach and laid my cheek against it. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I promise.”

I crawled back in the bed, wrapping my arms around her. I sat there for a while, marveling in the fact that we created a life together, a life that grew and changed with every passing day.

Thank you, Dad.

“That was quite the wake-up call,” I murmured after the ruckus inside me calmed and I was able to think. She settled a little farther against me with a contented sigh. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I’d rather spend an extra hour with you than sleep in and wake up to you already gone.”

Since deciding to try for the Olympics next year, I jam-packed as much training as I could into my day. That meant early mornings so I could spend the nights with my girl.

“You still okay with all the hours I’m putting in?” I asked, checking in.

“Of course.”

“Bells.” I warned, worried she was holding back.

“I’m okay with it, really. I’m so proud of you. Sometimes I just miss you. And yesterday was a lot.”

I kissed the top of her head, making a sound of agreement. Between the revelation about Crone and then walking in to The Inn to find another situation, yesterday pretty much sucked.

It was also eye opening. I had some decisions to make.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the bitches at work?”

“I was handling it.”

I made a rude sound. “Were you, really?”

“I was, at least for a while. Then it got hard again.” She admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, my baby bump is a visual reminder that I’m shacking up with the boss.”

“We are not shacking up,” I snapped.

Bellamy pulled back and looked at me. “It was just an expression.”

I scowled. “I heard what they said to you,”

“And you fired them for it.” She sniffed.

I raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t approve?”

She shrugged. “It’s definitely not going to win me any points with the remaining staff.”

“What is this, high school?” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.

“Can I ask you something?” she whispered.

Dropping my hand, I met her eyes. “You can ask me anything.”

She nodded and glanced down at the bed. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, concealing her bare breasts, and her pregnant belly rounded out, displaying my genius son.

“Do you think dreams can change?”

“I know they can.”

She lifted her chin. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “People change and grow. It only makes sense their dreams change with them.”

“But you’ve always had the same dream.”

I shook my head slowly. “Snowboarding is a passion, and yes, at one time, it was my dream to be the best. I accomplished that, and you know what I realized?”

“What?” she asked, hanging on everything I was saying.

“A man cannot survive on one food alone.”

Her face went blank, and she blinked. Blinked again. “How does this relate to food?”

I laughed. “Think about it. You can’t just survive on one thing. Like a steak. I need sides to go with that steak. Some potatoes, some veggies… a little sugar.” I winked, and she giggled.

“I was only eating steak for a long time. It starved me of a lot of other things. Then one day, my steak got burned. I couldn’t eat it. Maybe if I’d had some sides, I wouldn’t have almost starved to death.”

Her head tilted to the side. “That actually makes sense.”

I scoffed. “Where do you think my son gets his genius from?”

She rolled her eyes.

I picked up her hand to link it with mine. “When I blew out my knee and was lying in that hospital, I fell into a bottle. Maybe if I’d had more than just boarding, it would have been easier.”

“So your dream changed.” She surmised.

I nodded. “Yeah. And it was hard to let it. It felt like letting go.”

“And that’s why you were so scared to let it back in, to go back to boarding.”

I smiled softly. “Maybe he gets his genius from you.”

“From us.” She corrected.

I lifted our hands and kissed the back of hers.

“My dream isn’t boarding anymore, Bells. It’s you and my son. It’s this resort and our family. Yes, I still want snowboarding to be a part of that. I always will. But it’s not my entire life anymore. You are.”

“You got some pretty words, Liam Mattison.”

“They aren’t words, sweetheart. They’re the truth.”

“That’s what makes them so pretty,” she replied.

“You’re not happy at The Inn,” I said, laying it out bare. From the moment I walked into that kitchen and felt the vibes competing with the scent of food, I knew. Bellamy was too good for that place.

She hesitated and swallowed thickly, then tucked some hair behind her ear. “I feel ungrateful to say so.”

A strangled sound erupted from me, and I sat forward, tucking my fingers beneath her chin and lifting. “Why on earth would you feel ungrateful?”

“Because I yearned for a job like this for years. And before that, I worked toward it in school. I thought that dream had been taken forever, but then I came here and Ren offered me this job.”

“Changing your mind doesn’t make you ungrateful.”

“I think it does.”

“Sometimes you have to get a burned steak to realize you need some sides,” I quipped.

She choked on a laugh. “Well, I guess if I hadn’t gotten this job, I would still be dreaming of it.”

“And you aren’t anymore.” That kind of made me sad for her. I knew how much it hurt to let go of a dream. To think it wasn’t yours for the taking anymore.

She shrugged, then gasped quietly and implored me with her baby blues. “I am so appreciative of the opportunity, and I want you to know I will still put out my very best effort so The Inn won’t suffer.”

I made a sound. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about that place.”

“You should! You own it.”

I gestured to her with my chin. “Tell me why you don’t like it.” Her shoulders slumped, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “The truth, Bells.”

“I don’t fit in,” she confided. “It doesn’t seem to matter how much I smile, how helpful I am, or even how stern I get. They don’t respect me. I’ll always be the girl who slept with the boss to get her job.”

I was just going to fire them all. Problem solved.

She made a sound. “You can’t fire everyone, Liam.”

“How’d you know I was thinking that?” I wondered.

She tapped her finger against the side of her head.

I sighed heavily. “You can’t be a queen and work among the commoners.”

An offended look crossed her face. “I’m not a queen, and they are not commoners!”

“It wasn’t an insult, baby. It’s fact. How many times have you said I was royalty? How many times did you tell me I was a king.”

“That’s different,” she murmured.

I grabbed her chin. “No,” I said forcefully. “It’s not. Truth is I’m the boss around here. I own this place, and with it comes a certain… position. You’re mine.”

She narrowed her eyes, and I backtracked a little.

“I’m in love with you. Completely. You’re carrying my child. That gives you a certain position.”

“They whisper behind my back. The call me a Belladonna.”

I felt my temper rise. “You should have come to me!”

“That would have made it worse.”

“You’re worried about going back today. After yesterday.”

She wrung her hands in her lap. “Sometimes going there gives me a stomach ache. I just… I feel unwelcome. And I’m just…” She paused. “Tired.”

I gathered her against my chest and stared over her head, grateful she couldn’t see the anger in my eyes. It was hard for me to sit here and listen to this. Hard for me not to react and yell. I didn’t care what she said. Chef D’alessio’s days were numbered.

“You aren’t going back.” I decided.

She made a sound and looked up. “It’s my job.”

“And it makes you physically sick. Did you really think I’d let you go back there? That kind of stress is not good for you or Shaw.”

The stubborn glint in her eyes melted. “I like it when you use his name.”

I leaned down and kissed her.

“I can’t just not go back.” She informed me. “But if you’re okay with it… maybe I’ll give my notice.”

“There’s no need to give a notice.”

“Yes!” She insisted. “There is. Not showing up and having you quit for me is disrespectful and unprofessional. I am neither of those things. I might not want to work there, but I still love to cook, and someday I hope to find a place where I can have some steak with my sides.”

My lips tugged up in a smile. I had to force myself to keep to the matter at hand. “Three-day notice.” I bargained.

“A week.”

“Fine.” I sighed heavily. “But if you start stressing out—”

She laid a hand against my lips. “I won’t. Just knowing there’s a solution is enough. But I want you to know it means a lot to me that you gave me a chance there.”

I snorted. “I’d let you run the place if I thought you’d take the job.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Yeah. I didn’t think so.”

She laid a hand across her stomach. “I was, um…” Her blue gaze lifted. “I was kind of thinking it might be nice to be at home with Shaw.”

My throat constricted with emotion. Visions of her rocking him, feeding him, and playing with him filled my head. “Yeah?”

She nodded, then hurried to add, “At least while he’s a baby. If you’re okay with that?”

A wide grin cracked my face. “Nothing would make me happier.”

“Really?” she implored. “I have some money, but it’s not very much.”

“I have enough money for all of us.” I promised, laying a hand beside hers. The baby moved, and my heart tumbled over.

“I don’t want you to think—”

“Stop right there,” I intoned. “I do not, nor will I ever, think you give two shits about my money. Having you home with our son and happy is worth way more than any amount of cash.”

“Thank you,” she whispered sincerely.

“You know what?” I said, suddenly inspired.

Her brow wrinkled. “What?”

“I’m taking you on a date.”

“A date?”

I nodded. “Just me and you. I’ve been training. You’ve been working… We live with our mothers.” I stuck out my tongue, and she laughed. “We haven’t had much time for dating.”

“We’ve been sort of busy.” She agreed.

“Which is exactly why I’m taking you out.” I picked up her hand and gave her my best charming smile. “Will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?”

“Shouldn’t we have dated before I got pregnant?” she asked, facetious.

I gave her a bland look. “I’m trying to be romantic.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She giggled. “Of course I’ll go on a date with you.”

A wide smile graced my face.

“So where are we going on this date?”

I smirked. “Guess you’re just going to have to wait and see.”