TAKE TWO_ Who says you can't ma - Heather M. Orgeron Page 0,74
to join the man it suddenly takes far too much effort to stay mad at.
“Where’re we going?” I ask when he holds the door open and helps me into his truck.
“Just for a drive.” He kisses my cheek and skips around to the driver’s side with a huge grin on his face.
With a nod, I accept his answer, even though he’s far too excited to be going for some random drive around town. Liam works quick. Who knows what he’s cooked up during the hours I spent sleeping off my sob-fest this morning?
“Don’t you have things to take care of with the club today?” I can’t believe I’m the one bringing that place up, but I don’t need him getting arrested. It’s the last thing I want to have to explain to Ellie.
“Nope. Not today.”
He doesn’t say more, and I don’t push, content to lay my head on the leather headrest and watch the scenery pass by.
Before long we’re pulling in behind a fancy white sports car at a new build in Kennedi’s neighborhood. The gated community is one I’ve always admired, with beautiful brick homes. The developers brought in tons of mature trees, giving it a homey, established feel that many new subdivisions lack. “What are we doing here?”
He takes my hand, his own vibrating with excitement. Maybe even fear. I can’t really tell right now, and it’s sort of tripping me out. “I set up an appointment for us to go in and have a look at it. Building an office would only be a temporary fix. I plan to keep you barefoot and pregnant for the foreseeable future. It won’t be long before you’re knocked up again and we’re in a similar situation.”
My head jerks back and I give him my signature side-eye, even though I’m not at all turned off by the idea. I’ve always wanted a large family. It just hasn’t been in the cards…until now.
His lip quirks up into a grin. “I thought it might be wiser to just bite the bullet now and get a bigger place. The car in front of us belongs to the realtor. She said the house’ll be ready in about two months. We’d have plenty of time to move in and get settled before our son is born.”
“That all sounds amazing, but we can’t afford a house in this neighborhood, Liam. These are million-dollar homes!”
“As of next week we can…” His plastered-on smile morphs into a nervous pucker. “I sort of did a thing…”
“Ay cabrón.” Oh shit. “Why do I have the sudden urge to vomit?”
His sparkling blue orbs connect with mine, looking very serious and also extremely sexy. “Chance is buying me out.”
“Out?” My eyes widen as his words sink in. “Like out of the business?”
He nods. “Yeah. He pretty much runs the place on his own already. I’m never around.”
Why am I suddenly wracked with guilt? I should be over the moon ecstatic. This is exactly what I’ve always wanted to hear. Isn’t it? “But—Is this what you want? You can’t just give up on something you’ve worked so hard for because we had a fight.” I fiddle with the strap to my purse, shocking myself with the words spilling from my mouth. “I won’t have you regretting this rash decision and growing to resent me. That’s not going to fix anything.”
“This is what I want. It’s what I should have done years ago. I’ve regretted choosing that place over you and our family every day since. I chose wrong.” He shakes his head, taking my hand. “I’m not making the same mistake again.”
My head is spinning, trying to think of all the possible ramifications. “But what will you do for work?”
“I have my CPA license. I’ll go into business for myself. Chance still wants me to be his accountant. I know the place inside and out, and he’s shit with numbers. I’ll have my first client right away and never have to step foot inside that place again.”
“It all sounds too good to be true.”
“With what we get for my share of the club, we can pay the house cash and still have a really nice savings to hold us over while I get my business started.” He smiles at me smiling at him. “Say something. Please. I mean, you look happy, but your silence is killing me, darlin’.”
I cup his handsome face in both hands and lift up to my knees, my eyes glistening as I lean over the console to scatter kisses across