Author: Kristan Higgins

This was a first. Well, this was two firsts, in fact. Liam had never come to Irreplaceable, and he’d never asked her out on an impromptu date.

Unfortunately, his timing sucked. “I can’t. I’d love to, but it’s… Um, I have plans.”

At her words, Elise began humming “Happy Birthday.”

“Elise,” Posey said tightly, “could you…check the register or something?”

“Totally,” Elise said, pointing at Liam’s ass with another Oh, my God! She obeyed, however, practically skipping to the front of the store.

“So…yeah. I have a lunch thing. Sorry,” Posey said.

“Should’ve called, I guess.” He paused. “Everything good with you? Family-wise?”

“Oh, sure.” She gave a little shrug.

Liam glanced around the barn. “This is quite the place.”

“Thanks,” she said, feeling the familiar sense of pride as she followed his gaze. His expression was somber. “Everything okay with you, Liam?”

“Sure. Just…do you remember—”

At that moment, the door opened. “Come on, birthday girl!” boomed Kate. “I took an entire day off for this. I tried to get James to come, because they have stuff for guys there, too, back waxing, manly manis…they actually do a scrotal wax, can you believe that? Not that I want that for my son, but come on! Wouldn’t that be a son of a bitch?”

Ah, her delicate friend. Kate finally seemed to notice Liam. “Oh, hi, biker boy. How’s it hanging?”

“Kate,” Liam said, grinning. “How’s it hanging with you?”

Kate gave him an unabashed once-over. “I’m taking the birthday girl here to a spa. Nose to toes. Buffed, polished, oiled…whatever the hell else they do there. I tend to fall asleep, personally. But I can guarantee she’ll smell like something other than polyurethane. Thank me later. Come on, Posey, our appointment is in twenty minutes.”

“Happy birthday.” Liam looked down at her, a faint smile in his eyes. “Oh…thanks.”

“What did you get her, Liam?” Elise asked. “I’ll totally keep it a secret. Is it, like, jewelry?”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Posey said, mortified. “He didn’t know it was my birthday, and he’s not getting me anything.” Because one doesn’t announce to Hottie McSin that it’s one’s birthday, because one may be trying very hard to pretend that this relationship is casual, and birthdays shouldn’t be brought up, since that could be construed as begging for a gift and/or acknowledgment of a special event in one’s life.

“Have fun,” Liam said in a low voice. “Can’t wait to smell you later.”

Oh, Elvis. Posey’s knees gave a significant wobble.

“Princess! Come on! You know I hate to be late! Those waxings take a while on me,” Kate barked. “Oh, and Liam, I’m so glad you and Posey are getting it on. I think that’s very cool.”

Posey’s face actually hurt from blushing. “Okay. Sorry about lunch,” she managed.

“Not a problem.”

The memory of his smile made her feel wriggly for quite some time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

LIAM THREW HIS TOOL BAG in the trunk of the car. Half a day’s work, gone but for a good cause. He could make the work up. Maybe (though not probably)…maybe Nicole would want to come down to the garage and do her homework while he worked. They could order pizza. She used to love being near him when he was working; she’d never be one of those women who couldn’t fix her own car, that was for sure. But she hadn’t been down in a while.

Liam pulled into Granite State Custom Motorcycles and muttered a curse. A shiny black Mercedes was parked right in front of the door, the Tates sitting in the front seat, their expressions as cheerful as cadavers.

“Come on in,” he said, holding the door for them.

“No need, Liam,” George said, getting out of the car. Louise did as well, joining her husband at his side. “We’ll make this brief.”

Liam looked at Louise, whose lips were pressed together. “What is it?”

George cleared his throat. “We’re filing for custody of our granddaughter.”

Liam’s mouth dropped open. “Are you crazy?”

“She needs a stable home after all she’s been through,” Louise said, her face tight with hatred. “She has a stable home!”

“Without a parade of women traipsing in and out of her life,” she added viciously.

“Okay, hold on.” Liam held up his hands. “I— Nicole doesn’t—” Sweat broke out on his back, sticking his shirt to his skin. “You can’t just take her away from me. She’s my child.”

“Look, son,” George said, “we’re not trying to take her away.”

“You’re filing for custody, but you’re not trying to take her away? Bullshit, George.”

“You can still visit whenever you want.”

“First of all, are you insane? Absolutely not! And secondly, she wouldn’t—” She wouldn’t want to leave me, he was about to say.

Except maybe she did.

“You were out gallivanting around the countryside on a motorcycle with some woman,” Louise hissed, her voice like a razor, “and that child was alone! No wonder she called her boyfriend! No wonder she was afraid! And she told us about how you grounded her, which is utterly and completely hypocritical, given that you’d just rolled out of that tramp’s bed—”

“Stop it! Stop!” Liam barked. “First of all, I was gone for maybe four hours, and Nicole is almost sixteen. Mrs. Antonelli was right next door, and Nicole knew that. Secondly, Cordelia is an old friend. And yes, we’ve been seeing each other a little bit here and there. But that doesn’t make me an unfit parent—”

Louise snorted. “Your track record speaks for itself,” she said, folding her bony arms across her chest.

“My track record? Would that be raising your grandchild and taking care of your daughter for the last year of her life? That track record, Louise?”

“How many women have you slept with, Liam? Do you honestly think that we believe you were faithful to our daughter? How many of your old conquests have you seen since you’ve been back, hmm? I bet quite a few of them would love to come to court and talk about your habits.”

“I never cheated on Emma,” he said hotly. He turned to his father-in-law. “George, this is crazy. You can’t take my daughter away from me.” His voice cracked.

“We have concerns about your stability,” his father-in-law said. “And I’m not just talking about women. Our lawyer has taken a statement from a social worker at the hospital regarding your…problems.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mental health professionals can testify in cases regarding the stability of a parent,” Louise said. “Did you think we wouldn’t find out about your panic attacks? I am on the board of that hospital. What else are you hiding? Are you a drug addict, like your mother?”

“My God,” Liam breathed.

“Look,” George said. “We’re not taking her away. We’re just providing her with the things you can’t. Stability, a woman’s influence, a good…ah, moral code.”

“No judge would ever—”

“We’ll see.” George Tate opened the car door. “You’ll be hearing from our lawyer.”

NICOLE DIDN’T SEEM to notice anything different when he picked her up from school. She ignored him as best she could as they drove home.

Liam had been fighting off a panic attack since the Tates left, and no amount of hand washing seemed to be helping. On the one hand, he could cheerfully murder them both. Whether or not they had a legal leg to stand on, they sure had a lot of money to throw at this and make his life utter hell. The bit about the social worker…he didn’t even remember a social worker, which might be a problem. What had he said?

He was a good father. Wasn’t he? He’d never tried so hard at anything as he had with raising Nicole.

On the other hand—this was the thought that had his heart heaving—what if they were right? What if Nicole needed more than he could give her? She loved him, he loved her, God knew, but was that enough? Was he enough? Would Nicole jump at the chance to live with her grandparents? What if this was her idea? If it was, then he really was no one from nowhere, because the only good thing he’d ever done was be a father to Nicole.

“I need to talk to you,” he said, setting the keys down on the table.

“I have homework,” she said defiantly.

“Do you want to spend more time with Grandma and Grandpa?” he asked, and his voice was a little hoarse.

“Right now? Totally.”

He tried not to flinch at her words. “Nic, do you want to live with them?”

Nicole’s mouth dropped open. “What?” Her face turned bright red, whether with guilt or surprise, Liam couldn’t tell.

“Grandma and Grandpa came to see me today. They want you to come live with them.”

Her expression didn’t change for a second. Then her beautiful blue eyes were suddenly swamped with tears. “You’re sending me away? Because I kissed Tanner? Are you really that mad, Daddy?”

Liam leaped across the kitchen and folded her against him. “I’m not sending you anywhere, baby,” he said, almost ashamed at the relief flooding through him because of his daughter’s distress. “I already told them no.” He kissed her head. “I just wasn’t sure if you wanted that.”

“No!” Nicole sobbed. “I want to stay with you! I’m sorry I broke the rules!”

“Honey, this isn’t about that, okay? But they just think that it would be…good…if you spent more time with them.”

“Why?” She pulled back and looked at him, her face wet with tears.

He could say it, he knew. Tell how her grandparents were filing for custody, how they thought he was trash, a womanizer, an unfit father, had never been good enough for their daughter. In this moment, if he told her all those things—and all those things were true—he could do some serious damage to the Tates’ relationship with their precious granddaughter. She’d never look at them the same way again.

He touched the tip of her nose. “They just love you so much, sweetheart,” he said gently. “And they miss your mom, and you remind them of her.”

Nicole’s face scrunched up. “I know,” she whispered. “But I want to stay with you. Even if you’re a hard-ass.”

Thank you, God. Liam felt the sting of tears in his eyes as he hugged his daughter again.

“I don’t want anything else to change,” Nicole said into his shirt. “Losing Mommy was hard enough. I like it just the two of us. That’s the way I want it to stay.”

“Me, too, baby,” he murmured, breathing in the smell of her hair. “Me, too.”

He wouldn’t give the Tates any more ammunition. He wouldn’t leave Nicole any room to screw up again.

He’d stop seeing Cordelia, and though the thought caused a hollow echo to roll through him, all that mattered was here in his arms.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“SO WHAT DO YOU think, Viv? Do I look like a girl?”

Vivian squinted through her bifocals. “Well, it’s nice to see you in a dress, even one so ill-fitting.”

“The saleslady said it was supposed to be loose.”

“She lied.”

Posey looked down at herself, the landscape unfamiliar in the sheath dress. But she wanted to look a little nicer these days. She certainly was feeling more…womanly, having a boyfriend and all. Especially one who complimented her. Was the dress a little Audrey Hepburn–inspired? Probably. She might like Liam to see her in it (or out of it).