Unsung

by Shannon Richard

  “Dammit.” He followed, refusing to let her walk away. He’d done that once before, not stopped her when she’d left him on that balcony. He wasn’t doing it again.

  Never again.

  * * *

  Harper was losing it. She was freaking losing it.

  Another sob broke out of her chest and she tried to bury it in the pillow, her body curling in on itself as she started to shake uncontrollably.

  God it hurt. Everything. Her lungs that were having difficulty pulling in air. Her head that was pounding. Her heart that was throbbing. All of it.

  The bedroom door opened, Liam’s bare feet moving across the wooden floor before the bed dibbed and his arms wrapped around her. His front solidly pressed to her back.

  “Honey, please don’t. Please don’t cry,” he whispered, his lips on her neck.

  It just made her cry harder.

  She knew that stupid article had been garbage. The article that implied “Forever” was about Kiki. The article that implied Kiki and Liam had been seeing each other for months. It didn’t matter that Harper knew the truth. Didn’t matter that she trusted Liam implicitly.

  Because it still hurt so badly she couldn’t breathe.

  She wasn’t sure how long they lay there before she calmed down. Before she wasn’t gasping in air. Before the crying had changed from sobbing to a wave of tears running down her cheeks every time she blinked.

  His hand found hers, his palm covering the back of the fist she’d made. She was clutching on to the pillow and he tugged lightly until she let go, her hand relaxing.

  “You’re who I want, Harper.” Their hands moved down and when he brought it to her belly he flattened her palm against the not-so-slight bump, his hand still covering hers. “You and this baby. Please tell me you know that.” His nose skimmed her neck, the scruff of his beard tickling her skin. “Please tell me you know how much I love you.”

  She rolled to her back, looking up into Liam’s face as he hovered above her. The green-gold of his gaze was all that she saw, the raw honesty in his eyes so real.

  “I know.” She reached up with her free hand—he still had the other pressed to her belly—and touched his jaw. “This isn’t about me being pregnant and hormonal you know…well, it’s not all about that.”

  Okay…maybe she hadn’t been nearly as rational as she thought…or not at all. She’d apparently just reached the limit of what she could take before she’d lost it.

  “Tell me what it’s about.” He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.

  “There are pictures in there, Liam. And even though I know what’s going on in every single one of them, seeing that? It…it just hurts.” She blinked and fresh tears fell from her eyes, tracking down her temples. Most got caught in her hair but the light tap of a couple hitting the pillow filled her ears. “This isn’t going to be the last of it, either. Bethelda figured out who you are…and that I’m pregnant.”

  “What?” His head came up at her words, and he looked down into her eyes again. “When?”

  “Two days ago. That blog isn’t hard to find, babe. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds out the relationship between the two of us. Especially the way “Forever” is getting bigger and how everyone wants to know who it’s about. It’s…it’s only going to get worse.”

  “I know.” He smoothed his hand across her hair.

  “And then the video for ‘Beyond the Limits’ is going to be released, and not only is that going to take off, but…but I have a feeling those pictures are going to be nothing in comparison to what’s in that video.”

  “Don’t watch it.”

  “You think it’s going to be that easy?” she asked desperately, wanting to hear him say yes.

  “No. But God I wish it was.”

  “What would you do if you saw a picture of me with another man? Pictures that were taken while you and I were together? Pictures of his hands on me? Even if you knew the context.”

  Pain flashed across his face. “It would kill me. It isn’t going to happen again.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  “No, I can. This hurts you. And I can’t change the past but I can prevent it from happening again in the future.”

  “And what happens when you piss your label off?”

  “Oh, that would be a headline I’d love to see: ‘Liam James storms off set because he refuses to hurt the love of his life.’ Let’s just see what happens after.”

  “Love of his life?” Harper repeated, a small smile turning up the corner of her mouth.

  “Yeah, didn’t you know?” He pressed his mouth to hers, in a soft and slow kiss that morphed into frenzied in seconds.

  Mainly her doing.

  The sudden shift in what her body needed was so strong that she couldn’t for a second deny it. Him. She needed him. Would always need him.

  He shifted to hover over her and she spread her legs, making space for him between her thighs that now cradled his hips. His hand was up and under the skirt of her dress, and he wound his fingers in the lacey band of her thong. One good tug and he ripped the material from her body.

  Her hands were at the front of his athletic shorts and she pushed them down just enough to free his erection. He thrust inside her and the cry that emanated from her mouth was one that couldn’t be helped.

  “You okay,” he gasped as his hips stilled.

  “Yes. Don’t stop.” She grabbed the back of his head and brought his mouth back down to hers, pushing her tongue past his lips to taste him.

  He started to move, pulling back before driving into her again. She didn’t need to tell him harder, because he was giving her just what she needed.

  Him.

  Over. And over. And over again.

  * * *

  Liam hadn’t had a place that he really thought of as home in years. Sure the cabin in Tennessee was where he’d spent the long stints of his off time…but that was Logan’s place. Not his.

  But now? Now Harper’s apartment felt more like home than any place ever had before. Mirabelle had started to feel like home…way more so than Nashville. He wasn’t sure when exactly that shift had happened, all he knew was that it had happened. And he had absolutely no doubt that it pretty much had everything to do with Harper.

  God he loved that woman. Loved her so much he couldn’t think straight. But hey, him not being able to think straight had pretty much been the case from the second he’d met her…

  No, from the second he’d seen her.

  For years all he’d been working for was his career. All he’d wanted was to make music. Was for people to listen to the songs that he’d created and get something from them. Anything from them.

  But ever since Harper had come along his focus had shifted. What he wanted was morphing to encompass a whole hell of a lot more. Being on the road and not seeing her, not getting to experience every moment of watching her body change, of watching her grow with their baby…well, it was physically painful actually.

  He just had to keep telling himself that they could get through this. That they would get through this. Australia was the biggest hurdle to deal with—as he’d been on the other side of the world—and they were past it now.

  The last month of the tour was all on the East Coast, and mostly in the south. He’d be able to see her way more often than before. Even if the trip was only as long as twenty-four hours, his butt would be on a plane.

  And once that was over, he was off for a few months…until it all started again.

  But that was something he didn’t need to worry about. The next tour was a good ways down the road, and would be happening well after the baby was born.

  He and Harper had discussed a few pre- and post- baby topics. Like the fact that he was going to be there for the birthing classes, or that there would be nothing circus themed in the baby’s room if it included clowns. They freaked Harper out. They’d also talked about the holidays and that if his parents wanted to do Thanksgiving in Nashv
ille it would probably be fine, but since she’d be eight months pregnant when Christmas rolled around they should spend it in Mirabelle.

  And of course they’d talked about what they were going to have. The boy versus girl debate was ongoing, and it wasn’t like they had a preference either way. The only factor they were hoping for was healthy. It was the possible name selections that they were going back and forth on.

  His top picks? Chloe if they had a girl. Caleb for a boy.

  Her current favorites? Well, it depended on the day really. She couldn’t decide between Piper and Mackenzie for a girl. And Bentley, Donovan, or Sawyer for a boy.

  They’d gone through a number of them…more than he even knew. When he’d been on tour there was always a phone call first thing in the morning. Or when he was with her, a whisper low in his ear in the middle of the night. And as he was throwing suggestions out right and left as well, they texted each other possibilities throughout the day.

  They hadn’t exactly agreed on anything as of yet.

  Though the field was cut in half on Monday at Harper’s next doctor’s appointment. They were having a girl.

  A baby girl.

  Knowing the gender was another step that brought them that much closer to the day. One more piece of information to get them prepared for the future.

  He still had no idea where they were going to raise their child…Nashville or Mirabelle or anywhere else for that matter.

  If they lived in Nashville they were going to need to buy a house. If they stayed in Mirabelle…they were still going to need to buy a house. Her apartment wasn’t going to cut it. There was absolutely no doubt about that. Her tiny spare bedroom was barely a closet. A cupboard under the stairs probably boasted more space.

  The few things they’d bought or received for the baby weren’t even being stored at her apartment. They were keeping them in a spare room at her parents’ house because there was no extra space to find anywhere.

  They needed room and rooms to grow. All of them. Space for multiple additions to their family. Yup, multiple additions to their family.

  He wanted everything with her.

  And her apartment wasn’t going to fit the bill when it came to building said family. The lease ended in October, a little bit more than a month away. She’d mentioned moving, talked about renting a place farther in town. The prices dropped as the distance from the beach increased.

  But that wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for the future. Nope, he wanted something way more permanent. He wanted forever.

  He’d spent all of those nights in Australia—when he was half a freaking world away—thinking about it. And he knew what he needed to do first. A man-to-man conversation with Paul Laurence was priority number one.

  Tuesday provided just such an opportunity. They were driving up about two hours north of Mirabelle to go fishing. Harper was ridiculously happy about the fact that he was going to be spending the day with her father. And as he genuinely liked Paul, he was looking forward to the day as well.

  The plan was to leave at five o’clock in the morning when Paul picked him up at the apartment.

  But Liam didn’t hear the alarm and it was Harper who woke him, her hand on his chest before it slid down and wrapped around his dick.

  “One for the road?” she whispered in his ear.

  And just like that she successfully managed to get him up twice over.

  * * *

  The sun was still sitting low in the sky and hadn’t cleared the forest that surrounded them when Liam and Paul got to the lake. The humidity wasn’t too terrible yet and as they would be in the shade of the trees it looked to be a pretty good setup.

  The entire ride up Liam had been trying to figure out how to broach the subject…just jump right on in. Or segue into it at some point during the day. Or…

  “I can smell you thinking over there.” Paul’s voice interrupted Liam’s thoughts.

  They were both standing at the back of the truck putting their rods together. Liam turned to the man next to him and caught the corner of Paul’s mouth doing that slight twitch that meant he was amused.

  “I’m trying to figure out how to ask you a question.”

  “Well, you want my advice? Just come out and ask me already.” Another twitch moved his lip.

  “I want to marry your daughter.”

  “That didn’t sound like a question.”

  “It wasn’t.” Liam shook his head. “It’s a fact. It’s also a fact that I love her more than anyone and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. That’s never going to change, either. And I know she’s who I’d want no matter the circumstances. I don’t want to marry her just because she’s pregnant. I want to marry her because she’s it for me.”

  “I still don’t hear a question in there.”

  “Because none of that is in question.”

  “Then what is?”

  Liam took a deep breath before he asked. “Do I have your blessing in asking her to marry me?”

  “There it is.” Paul looked over, his head tilted to the side just slightly. Though the man was wearing sunglasses, Liam could feel his penetrating gaze doing a rather extensive study. “You know, Harper’s ex didn’t ask for my blessing when he asked Harper to marry him. He wouldn’t have gotten it, either, because he wasn’t the man she was supposed to marry. Not all that shocking as he walked out on her in the end.”

  “Moron,” Liam muttered under his breath.

  The twitch in Paul’s mouth curved up into a smile before he turned back to the task at hand, grabbing another piece of the rod to attach. “Lucky for you, huh?”

  “Something I find myself thanking God for every day.” Liam cleared his throat, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck. “So you two ever talk about the fact that you didn’t think he was good enough?”

  “Yeah we did, a number of conversations in fact. And at the end she always told me she was sure about him. But I always sensed that flicker of doubt. Which was why I kept asking. A year and a half and he never quite proved himself to me. And you know, beginning circumstances being what they were, I wasn’t all that hopeful about you, either. But for my daughter’s sake I was going to give you a chance.”

  “And hope that I was smarter?”

  “Oh, you proved that long before I met you, Liam. You didn’t walk away from her.”

  “I know what it’s like to lose her. To think there’s no chance of getting her back. I don’t ever want to feel like that again.”

  “Definitely smarter than Brad.” Paul nodded. “Still didn’t mean you were worthy of her.”

  “If you’re waiting for some revelation as to that, I think you will be waiting for a long time. Because honestly? No one will ever be worthy of Harper. I knew it before. Knew it the first time I saw her. Knew I would spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself. And, circumstances being what they are, I understand it even more. No one will be worthy of my daughter, either. Ever.”

  “It takes a real man to understand that.” Paul put the rod on the back of his truck before he turned his entire body to face Liam. He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the hitch. “You know how many times I’ve asked Harper if she was sure about you?”

  “How many?”

  “Once. The night she told me she was pregnant. When I met you I didn’t need to ask anymore. The first thing I saw was you looking at my daughter like she was your entire world. You want my blessing to marry her? You’ve got it, Liam.” Paul extended his hand out.

  Liam was a little taken aback by the last words that Paul had spoken, and it took him a second to get over the shock and reach out, grabbing the proffered hand and shaking it.

  “Welcome to the family, son.”

  * * *

  Harper got to her parents’ house just after six o’clock, Darby and Luna greeting her when she walked in as per usual. She’d dropped Lune off before work since she and Liam were going to have a late evening with dinner and everything else. />
  “Hey guys,” she said, getting down low and scratching both of their heads.

  “Harper?” Delilah called out.

  “Be there in a second.”

  She gave the dogs about another minute of a good rubdown before she straightened and headed for the kitchen. Delilah was at the stove, the cast iron skillet popping with oil.

  “Hey, Mom.” Harper came up next to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek just as Delilah dropped a dollop of dough in the oil.

  “Hey, sweetie.” Delilah leaned into the kiss.

  It wasn’t like their relationship had done a complete one-eighty in the last couple of weeks, but they were working on it. It was definitely better than it had been, and her mother had accepted the fact that she was going to be a grandmother.

  So Harper had that going for her.

  “They back?”

  “Yeah, about thirty minutes ago. They’re both getting a shower.”

  “Separately I hope,” Harper said as she reached for an already cooked hush puppy.

  Delilah turned and looked at her, not impressed with the joke.

  “I know, I know. I did not get my sense of humor from you.” She grinned before she took a bite.

  “Clearly you did not. It’s definitely from your father.”

  “Has to be.”

  “Mmm hmm.” She nodded as she dropped another dollop into the oil. “Hey, your father and I pulled a few things for Baby Girl from the attic yesterday. We put it in the room with all of the other stuff.”

  Baby Girl. God, they were having a little girl. Every time she thought about that fact the most perfect, indescribable flutter ran through her belly. Though there were quite a few flutters lately. Baby Girl was moving around. Nothing drastic as of yet. No kicking hard enough for Liam to feel.

  Harper knew how anxious he was for that moment to happen.

  “Baby Girl?” Harper had to ask, as this was the first time her mother had addressed the baby with that moniker, and Harper would be lying if she said she didn’t love it. “That’s what we’re referring to her as now?” Harper turned, popping the last of the hush puppy in her mouth as she leaned back against the counter to get a perfect view of her mother’s face.