“Your server is a little sick right now.” Liam says, then heads to the kitchen. “Hey Sanchini! Where’s the omelette for this lady out here?”
Sanchini acts like it’s no big thing some stranger just walked right into his kitchen. “Right here, Blackwell.” He says. Apparently they’re on a last name basis. Must be a small town thing.
“Bon appetit,” Liam says with a fake smile as he lays the food in front of the woman. She’s a little surprised, but she shrugs and starts eating.
“Hey Sanchini,” Liam says, turning back to him. “Your girl here is a little sick. Can you cover the floor without her?”
“Sure can, Boss.” He tips his hat.
“Why’d he call you Boss?” I ask weakly.
“My brother owns this place.” He says. “Which makes me a sort of pseudo boss. Even though I’ve refused to ever take a single handout from my brother. Or job.”
I nod.
“Hey fellas, we’re gonna get out of here, Haley’s sick.”
“Oh. ‘Sick.’” Mason says, making exaggerated quote marks with his fingers. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”
“Shut the fuck up. Or I’ll tell Cole that shit you don’t want him to know.”
Mason’s face goes ice cold. “Dude I was just kidding.”
Cole turns and slaps Mason in the stomach. “Dude, what the fuck are you hiding from me?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Liam winks. “I was just kidding.”
My stomach lurches a little again. It feels so odd. I get Jennifer to take over my tables. She’ll be okay for the rest of the night without me, since after the ‘midnight rush’ there’s basically no one who comes in until we close at two a.m.
Liam escorts me out, and we’re greeted by the crisp September air. The Blackwell air is so much fresher than New York. The smell always reminds me of that fateful night when my car broke down on the side of the road.
“I guess I’ll walk home.” I say. “Thanks for helping me back there.”
“No.” Liam retorts. “You’re coming to my place.”
“Liam, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Look, we’re not hooking up. I know you’re worried about that. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I know the best doctor in town. We’ll go tomorrow morning, first thing.”
I inhale and press my lips together. I don’t want to give into him so easily. But the truth is, I have been a little lonely here for the first couple of weeks. And better safe than sorry when you’re sick.
“Okay.” I say. “Can I at least swing by my place to grab some things?”
“Of course.”
After we stop at my dinky apartment we get to Liam’s place, and the man who is taking care of me is in such staunch contrast to the asshole I met on the first night, I have to pinch myself.
“You get my bed, Haley. I’ll sleep on the couch. If you need anything, all you gotta do is holler. Literally.” He smirks a little at his corny joke. I can’t help but smile a little too.
“Thanks. Would it be alright if I just sat here on the couch for a minute first? I want to wind down.”
“Of course. Let me get you some water.”
I take my shoes and socks off, and lean back into the cushions of the couch. I graciously drink down the water Liam gives me. “You hungry? You need anything?”
I scoff a little. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He shrugs and looks down. “I like you, Haley. I don’t know why you’re here, but I want to make you feel better. You want a foot rub?”
My jaw drops. “A foot rub. You’d give me a foot rub?”
“Why not? Your feet must be hurting after all that walking you did tonight at the restaurant.”
I concede, and the next thing I know, I’ve got my feet in Liam’s lap, and he’s maneuvering his very dexterous hands over my toes and soles.
It’s not sex in the back of a truck, but it’s definitely up there. I can feel his strength as he rubs his fingers into me. And I even let out something like a moan.
“Now you have to answer my question.” He smirks. “I’ve got you under my grip.”
I sigh. “It’s really hard to argue with you when you’re doing that with your hands. Can you not ask me a personal question tonight though?”
“It’s not personal. It’s a general question.”
“What?”
“Do you believe in fate?”
My heart hammers at the word fate. “Tell me really what’s on your mind, why don’t you?”
“I’m serious.” Liam’s tone is a departure from the normal happy-go-lucky guy I’m used to.
“I guess I do believe in it.”
“You just guess?”
“I don’t know!” I say defensively. “You can’t just ask someone that out of the blue. I have to think about it.”
“Okay.” He nods. “Okay.”
He strokes my foot a little more, and gradually I fall asleep with my legs on his lap.
But I’m refusing to give in and cuddle with him. Even though that’s exactly what I want to do.
The next morning, I wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon. Which is good, because I’m not just hungry. I’m fucking ravenous. I get up from the couch and head into the dining room.
“Morning sunshine.” Liam says cheerfully. He’s wearing just basketball shorts, no shirt, looking hot as hell. If he were anyone else, I might think he’s trying to flaunt himself in front of me, trying to win me back. But being shirtless just seems to be Liam’s natural state.
“Morning.” I say, still groggy.
“How are you feeling today?” He asks as uses the tongs to put the bacon on my plate.
“I still feel a little weird.” He places the bacon on the table in front of me. The thick, rich scent of it overcomes my nostrils. “And I don’t know if doctors ever prescribe bacon. But if they did, I’d be on that in a heartbeat.”
He joins me at the breakfast table, sitting down across from me.
“So what do you think it is?” He asks. “What’s making you sick?”
I shrug. “Probably just getting adjusted to Blackwell.” I say.
He shakes his head a little bit. “I still can’t believe you just...showed up here. How the hell did you decide on that?”
“You know why.” I groan between bites of egg.
He pauses and opens his mouth as if about to say something, but he doesn’t.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“Nothing. You came here for the diner property. I know. I’m just messing with you.”
I nod. “Yes. The diner property.”
“You’re not someone who gives up on their dreams easy, are you?”
I shake my head while chewing.
“That’s a good quality to have. Neither am I.” The coffee maker beeps, signaling it’s finished, and he arches an eyebrow my way. “Coffee?”
I shake my head. “Just doesn’t sound like the most appetizing thing right now.”
“Well alright then.” He says as he pours his own. “More for me.”
He sits back down, sips it, and takes a deep breath. He leans forward at the table, getting very close to me. “You know I’m still not over you. And I’m doing whatever it takes to convince you that anyone else in the past is nonexistent to me now that you’re in the picture.”
I nod, resolute to keep my composure. “I’ve heard this same speech before, Liam. You’re going to have to do more than that.”
He purses his lips together. “I understand.”
When we’re finished with breakfast, I shower off. I get in his truck and he takes me to the local hospital.
“Doctor Mendoza will see you now.” The receptionist says shortly after Liam talks to her.
“I haven’t filled out my insurance yet.”
“It’s okay.” She winks. “You’re with him.”
“I didn’t know you had these kind of connections.” I give Liam a funny look.
“Like
I said. When you grow up here and your brother owns half the town, people tend to hook you up.”
“Really?! Who is your brother?”
He laughs. “I also fixed up Maria’s car real nice last winter, so she owes me.”
“Ohh. I see how it is. You know what, I think I’m going to like Blackwell.”
Liam walks with me like he’s going to come into the patient’s room, but the Doctor stops him.
“Come on, Doc. I can’t come in?”
She shoots him a funny look. “No, you can’t come in. Absolutely not.” Turning to me, she shakes my hand. “Hi. I’m Doctor Mendoza. Nice to meet you.”
Liam reluctantly turns around and heads back to the waiting room.
Once we’re inside the waiting room, I tell Doctor Mendoza the symptoms I’ve had over the past few days to a week.
“I’ve been nauseous, and last night I even puked. Also, I’ve just felt fatigued, you know?”
“I see.” She says, taking notes.
“Yeah. I think it’s probably just from the stress of travel. I just moved here not too long ago, and I’ve been working two jobs, that kind of thing. But I just think I caught a bug or something.”
“Okay. Let me ask something else, Miss Rosebaum. When was the last time you had your period?”
A kick of adrenaline suddenly hits me as I try to recall. “Um, I don’t remember. Let me think.”
I think back to August. At the beginning of August, I’d just gotten back from the wedding, and I was stressed and depressed. No period. No period in July either, now that I think about it.
Then at the end of August, when I moved to Blackwell, I attributed my lack of period to the stress of travel.
“It was late June.” I finally croak.
She nods. “Okay then. Now I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but Miss Rosebaum, the symptoms you are exhibiting show all the signs of a pregancy. Have you taken a test lately?”
“I’m on the pill.” I say. “I can’t be pregnant.”
“That’s usually true. Nonetheless, I think you should take a test. We can find out right now. Do you want your boyfriend in here with you for that?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I say weakly.
“Oh. Well then. Let’s just get on with it. I have some extra pregnancy tests here, or I can just use the ultrasound.”
My heart hammers like a bass drum, and I perspire.
Could I be carrying a baby?
Liam’s baby?
“I’ll just do the ultrasound.” I say. “You have an ultrasound at the ready in the general practitioner’s office?”
She smiles. “We’ve had ‘blessing babies’ before. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
She lifts up my shirt, squirts the warm gel, and rubs my tummy with the wand. I look over at the screen as she does. “Is that your way of saying ‘accident’ babies? Because I like it.”
She laughs, almost imperceptibly, at my joke. I shrug it off. Doctor humor, I suppose.
“Well, Miss Rosebaum, you are pregnant. Congratulations.” The tone of her voice is businesslike.
My jaw drops. It might as well be on the floor.
“I-I am?” I feel like my world is spinning.
“Yes. You’ve got twins. Imagine that! Are you alright?”
I hold onto the seat for dear life. “I-I’ll be fine. Can you go get my…”
What do I call Liam? My baby daddy? Ex-fake fiancé? My one week stand?”
“Your what?” She asks.
“Can you get...him? Him.”
She nods, as if we have an understanding, and leaves the room.
A moment later, Liam comes in with a very concerned look on his face.
“What is it babe...what is it?” He stops short of calling me baby, but I pick up where he left off. Not because I want to get flirty, but because my brain has stopped fully functioning as I try and grasp the magnitude of what has just happened.
“Baby,” I say.
“Baby?” he asks, furrowing his brow.
“Baby,” the Doctor nods, affirmatively. Apparently she doesn’t see the awkward tension going on between Liam and I. “Well, babies, to be exact.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Liam. I’m pregnant.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Liam
“Twins? You’re pregnant with twins?”
Haley nods.
“Oh my God. Wow.” I hug her, suddenly conscious not to be too rough with her. When I met her she seemed so hard--bitch shield and all--and now, her guard is totally down. Her face is flushed, and she looks like she might even break down crying tears of happiness. I inhale her scent, running my hand through her cherry red hair.
I release Haley from a hug and hold onto her shoulder.
Haley’s face is totally flushed red. I can’t tell if she’s nervous, or if she’s glowing, or what. She looks dazed.
The doctor notices too. “I’ll give you two a minute alone.”
“Thank you.” I say.
“So this is it? Is this really happening? Liam, what the hell are we going to do?”
There’s a desperation in her voice, and hey, I don’t blame her. She just got the kind of news that you get once or twice in a lifetime. The news that changes your life.
I don’t know what to say, so I just hug her and hold her. We stay like that for a long time, until the doctor finally kicks me out and finishes doing the rest of the checkup.
I help Haley into my truck after the visit ends.
We take off down the road, and she’s still silent. The sky above darkens by the minute, clouds looming overhead.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her nonchalantly. I still can’t get a read on her.
She stares at me like I just asked her why the sky is blue. “How am I feeling? Oh I don’t fucking know, Liam! I don’t know. Like I just got a bomb dropped on me! What am I gonna do now? Move back to New York to be closer to my parents? Don’t get me wrong, I did want this--I’ve always wanted kids.” She pauses, and starts to sob. “Just not like this. Not yet. I don’t want my kids to have to struggle, you know?”
My expression is stoic on the surface, but inside, I can feel the emotion bubbling up.
“You’re right.” I say humbly. “This timing sucks.”
I turn down Main Street and make a detour as the drizzle keeps on.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I hate when you say that! I am worried about it! I’m worried about a lot of things right now, actually!”
“I know.” I say evenly. “Me too.”
I pull up in front of the corner property, the abandoned one that caught her eye three months ago. Her eyes light up when she sees it, like a puppy arriving to the dog park.
We approach the double doors facing the corner. It’s got a lock on it, but I easily break it with a wrench.
“You just have a wrench on you?” The corners of her lips quirk in an almost-smile.
I shrug. “I’m a mechanic. You should see what else I have in my truck,” I wink.
She gives me an up-and-down, and I know she knows what I’m packing in this truck
Metaphorically speaking.
I push the doors open, and just in time, because as I do, the rain begins to pour down heavily.
A thin layer of dust covers the furniture inside the building. It’s an immense space, just basically an empty former mechanic shop.
I chuckle a little.
“What’s so funny?” Haley asks.
“I just remembered. This is the mechanic shop my dad’s place put out of business ten years ago.”
“The space is big. And beautiful. It’s just waiting to be filled in.”
I arch an eyebrow Haley’s way to see if she has the same dirty mind I do. The way she says those words, I can’t help but think of somewhere else I’d like to fill.
I grin, but I’m brought back to reality when when I see Haley sta
ring out the window at the pouring rain, crying.
She’s not just tearing up. She’s full on sobbing.
And now, for once, I feel like an asshole for thinking dirty thoughts while she’s in such deep sadness.
I don’t know what to say or do that can comfort her, so I stand in silence with her as the rain pours down, beating on the window. Finally after a few minutes, she turns to me.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“I don’t even know what to think anymore.”
“I mean about the place. Do you like it?”
She snorts, her eyes still a little teary. “Yes. Of course, it’s the perfect location. Close enough to Main Street so that it will have foot traffic passing by. But far enough away that the busy street won’t be noisy. It’s perfect!”
“So you like it.” I say. Putting a hand on her hip. She doesn’t pull away, but she doesn’t lean into me like I’m used to.
“Yeah, of course I do! And it’ll never be mine! My dream of starting a place here, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve got a baby to worry about now. Two babies! I was silly to ever think it.”
“No you’re not.” I say firmly, and grab hold of her other hip.
Her breath picks up. I can feel her nervousness exude with every inhale and exhale.
“Liam.” She whimpers, leaning her head against my chest. “What are you doing?”
“I bought the fucking place.” I growl as I inhale her scent. Nerves and beauty and femininity with a toss of motherhood now. It’s such a fucking turn on.
She wraps her hands around my back. “What do you mean you bought the place?”
With the back of my hand, I wipe a tear from her cheek. “I mean, when I got back from our….week long fling, I went to the real estate office, put in an offer, and I bought the fucking place in cash.”
“You did that...after I told you off? Why?” She swallows, her blue eyes glossy.
I shrug. “Have I ever told you about how I got all these tattoos?”
“No. Although I’ve never asked. How did you get them?”
I back her into the window. Her body feels so soft and gorgeous and welcoming. “When I want something, I just go and do it. I don’t ask permission. I wanted these, I went and got them. No hesitation. Same with this place. I just felt like buying it, so I bought it.”
Mechanic with Benefits Page 17
