by Debbie Mason
He saw it was starting to sink in and knew he had to talk fast, try to explain his side. He told her everything, barely taking a breath between words. “I’m sorry. I should have told you the next day. I loved you, Soph. I never would have done anything to hurt you. Please tell me you believe me.”
She ripped her hands from his and jumped to her feet. The chair fell backward with the force of her movement. “You took advantage of me. I was drunk, and you took advantage of me!”
He stood up. “Hold it right there. That’s not true. At the beginning, I tried to tell—” He broke off and took a second to calm himself down. He’d been living with the memory of that night for eight years. She was only hearing about it now. He had to give her time to digest this. She knew him. She knew he would never take advantage of her or any other woman. He wouldn’t remind her that she threw herself at him. Stripped off her own clothes, and his. They’d been willing participants. Both of them. “I thought you knew it was me. It was only near the end when you said Michael’s name. Told him that you loved him.” Loved him too. In response to Liam’s earlier I love you.
She slapped him across the face, her eyes sparking with anger in her bleached white face. “I hate you. I hate you for keeping this from me. I stayed away because I thought Mia was Michael’s. Everything I suffered, everything she suffered, was because of you, Liam Gallagher.”
“I’m sorry. Tell me what I can do to make it right, and I will.”
“Stay away from me and my daughter.”
“I don’t know if I can do that. She needs—”
Sophie put her hands on his chest and shoved him back. “Don’t you dare tell me what she needs. Where have you been for the last seven years? I’ve been the one who raised her, who was there for her when she was sick and scared. I was the one, not you.”
“If you’d just give me a chance—”
“No. You may be Mia’s biological father, but you will never be her father. You didn’t earn that right.”
Someone cleared their throat. Liam’s eyes shot to the door. Jasper stood there with his hands resting on Mia’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. Miss Fitzgerald said that you’d cried out, Sophie. I was worried something had happened.”
Sophie stood in the bathroom adjoining Liam’s apartment and checked the lock. She’d heard him pull up to the carriage house an hour earlier. She turned on the cold water and splashed her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from another sleepless night, thanks to him. The past three nights had been worse than the first one because she had a daughter who knew she had a father. A man Mia had been intrigued with from the moment she met him. It was as though she’d sensed the connection. Or maybe like her mother, she recognized a good man when she saw him.
Sophie lifted her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. Looked past the hurt and anger to see the truth. She knew it was there, lurking beneath the ugly emotions and accusations. He hadn’t taken advantage of her. They were equally responsible for what had happened that night. Equally irresponsible. Their daughter was the one who’d paid the price. Liam should have told her. At the thought, self-pity and anger rose up inside her once again.
Hypocrite.
The word came at her hard and fast. It was true. She’d done the same thing when she thought Michael was Mia’s father. She’d convinced herself she was protecting her daughter. It had never been about Mia; it had always been about her. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her daughter.
And Liam, who had he been afraid of losing? Her? Marco? His cousin? All three of them if he was to be believed. There was part of her that wished she didn’t believe him. It would be so much easier to just shut him out of their lives completely. From past experience, though, she knew he didn’t lie. She gave her head a slight shake. Right. It may have been a lie of omission, but it was still a lie. Knowing Liam like she did, she imagined the guilt had eaten at him. She knew only too well what that was like. But she couldn’t work up any sympathy for him. Not with Ms. Olivetti scheduled to arrive in three hours.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. She shut off the water and stayed quiet. She didn’t want to see him.
“I know you’re in there, Soph. We have to talk.”
For the past three days and nights, he’d repeatedly texted her, tried calling her. She couldn’t bring herself to respond. Not with the memory of her daughter’s face that day burned into her brain. She’d practically dragged Mia from the manor with Jasper assuring Sophie he would keep what he’d heard to himself. He was actually the one who’d suggested she take a couple days off and work from home. Without his help, she didn’t think she would have gotten Mia out the door.
“Will you at least tell me that you and Mia are okay?”
No matter how much Sophie wanted to keep him out of their lives, she had to face reality. Liam wouldn’t walk away now that he knew he had a daughter. She unlocked and opened the door. He was in his navy dress uniform, his hands above his head gripping the door frame, his head bowed. He raised his head and searched her face. “I’m sorry,” he said as he slowly lowered his hands and straightened.
She didn’t doubt that he was. “I know you are.”
“Can you forgive me?”
“We both made mistakes. We’re equally at fault.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I know. It’s too soon. I need time.”
“What did you tell Mia?”
“That you’re her father and that I was young and scared when I found out I was pregnant and that I didn’t tell you until the other day.”
“I’m pretty sure she heard you tell me that I wasn’t welcome in her life. That I hadn’t earned the right to be her father.”
“You think you have?”
His jaw tightened under the inch of scruff. “I would have taken responsibility if I’d known she was mine.”
“And maybe I would have allowed you to had I known there was the slightest possibility you were her father.”
“All right, this isn’t getting us anywhere. I’ve got the stuff from the hardware store. I thought I’d take care of everything for you before the caseworker showed up. And I, uh, thought maybe it would help if I was there for the meeting. Present a united front. Let her know Mia has a father who’s willing to help out and support you both.”
Sophie stiffened at what he seemed to be implying. “I’ve supported my daughter on my own for more than seven years. I don’t need or want your money.”
“Too bad, you’re taking it. It’s time I paid my share.” He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a check.
“You don’t…” She stared at the amount and closed her eyes before looking again, positive it couldn’t be…“Fifty thousand dollars? Are you out of your mind? I’m not taking this.” She tried to give it back to him, but he kept his hands in his pockets. “You can’t afford to give us this kind of money. It’s not necessary. You don’t need to buy my forgiveness.”
“I wasn’t trying to. It works out to be five hundred a month plus interest. I’ll be giving you at least that monthly from now on. It’s not going to break me, Soph. I had money saved for a house. I don’t need—”
“What was I thinking? This will be pocket change once you sell Greystone.”
“Really? You don’t think we have enough to deal with without you putting that between us too?”
“There is no us.” There could have been. It had started to feel like there was. Kissing him, fantasizing about him, had been fun, made her feel like the girl she used to be. It had been simple. Now it was complicated. He had the power to destroy her world.
“Figured that out already, but thanks for the reminder.”
The door opened behind her, and Mia peeked her head around. A shy smile tipped up her lips when she saw Liam. He crouched down, his Gallagher-blue eyes shining. He had eyes only for her daughter. Mia had eyes only for him.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” he said, his handsome face lit up with a smile
when Mia ran to him and threw herself into his arms.
It was like Sophie had disappeared for both of them.
Liam sat on one end of the blue-and-white striped couch. Sophie sat at the other end. Mia was in her bedroom coloring. Ms. Olivetti had moved the armchair to sit directly across from them. It felt like they’d been hauled into the principal’s office. The sixtysomething stern-faced woman could give Jasper lessons on intimidation, and that was saying something. With her salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a tight bun that looked almost painful, she peered at Liam over her horn-rimmed glasses.
“When exactly was it that Mia became aware you were her father, Mr. Gallagher?”
“Three…days.” He stumbled at the death glare Sophie shot his way. What the hell did she want him to say? Maybe if she’d said two words to him between his and Mia’s first hug as father and daughter and Olive Olivetti’s arrival, he would have known what was off-limits.
“I see.” She turned that glacial stare on Sophie. “Is there a reason why Mia wasn’t made aware Mr. Gallagher was her father before now, Ms. DiRossi?”
That earned him another death glare from Sophie. Okay, so he should have thought before he blurted out his answer. But he was nervous. Nervous he’d screw up for Sophie’s sake and Mia’s. If he ever wanted his daughter’s mother to speak to him again, he had to make this right. Sophie wouldn’t talk to him before the caseworker arrived, but Michael had. Olive Olivetti had a reputation, and in this case, apparently an agenda since his cousin going over her head had ticked her off. Michael warned him not to let her gain the upper hand. It was time for Liam to take back the conversation. Thanks to Jeeves, he had some game.
“Like most twenty-three-year-olds, Ms. Olivetti, I was immature and stupid. When Sophie told me she was pregnant just before she moved to LA, I hurt her, said and did some things I shouldn’t. I had no interest in being a father. I do now. I plan to make up for lost time. I take my responsibilities seriously, ma’am.” He gritted his teeth. He really didn’t want to do this, but Michael told him it would play in their favor. It’s why he wore his uniform. “As you can see from my record with the BFD.”
She moved her finger over the tablet’s screen. “Impressive, very impressive, Mr. Gallagher.”
Liam relaxed for the first time since he’d sat down. He owed his cousin a beer. Or maybe he didn’t, Liam thought when Olive narrowed her probing gaze at him. “But you work and reside in Boston, which would preclude you from having the time I believe is required to establish a relationship with your daughter. Unless you plan to move back to Harmony Harbor. As I understand it, your father is the fire chief here. Would it be possible for you to find a position with HHFD?”
“He is, and yes, there’s a position available if I want it.” The caseworker smiled. Sophie looked like she’d turned to stone. “But I’ve been with BFD for six years, and I’m…” Beside him, Sophie exhaled and relaxed. Across from him, Olive’s forehead furrowed.
If he decided to take the job at HHFD, Sophie would be ticked and Olive would be pleased. If he did the opposite…Yeah, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. This was why he didn’t complicate his life with long-term relationships. But this was about Mia. It wasn’t about what he wanted, what Sophie wanted, or what Olive did. It was what was best for his daughter.
“I’ll be taking the position with HHFD. I should have everything wrapped up in Boston by Thanksgiving.”
“Excellent. I’m very pleased to hear that. In my experience, shared custody—”
“No! God, no!” Sophie gave a frantic shake of her head, her chest heaving. “I won’t. I won’t do it. I don’t care if I have to put up with monthly in-home visits for the next ten years.”
Chapter Sixteen
You’ve made a right hash of it, Liam my boy. That you have,” Colleen said from where she stood beside Jasper, looking out the window. Her great-grandson and the lady from Child Protective Services stood talking outside the carriage house. Neither Liam nor the woman appeared happy with the outcome of the visit.
But her great-grandson wasn’t the only who’d made a hash of it. Thanks to listening in on Sophie and Liam’s conversation, Colleen had finally remembered what had been bothering her the day of her passing. It had niggled at her that day just as it had from the moment she’d discovered Sophie had Mia.
Colleen had been watching the partygoers from her tower room that long-ago summer night. She’d seen Michael getting up to no good with Shay Angel, and, later, Liam leading Sophie from Kismet Cove. Right or wrong, she’d kept her own counsel. Her meddling had hurt too many people in the past for her to risk interfering. But her family needed her help now. She had to take the risk and make everything right.
Jasper, with his hands clasped behind his back, rocked on his heels.
“I’ll need your help with this, my boy. We have to move on it quick before hard feelings settle in too deep.” She took in the grimly concerned expression on Jasper’s face and smiled. “You have a soft spot for the girl now, don’t you? Oh yes, I figured out it was you spying the day Sophie told her story to Ava. Her struggles to raise a child on her own reminded you of your mother’s, didn’t they? You’d understand why she kept her secret better than most. You’ll do well by Sophie, Liam, and Mia. I know you will. Always could depend on you.”
She patted Jasper’s back, and her hand went through him. He stiffened, looking to where she stood. “It’s a right shame you can’t see or hear me. I’d share my thoughts on how to go about smoothing things over between Liam and Sophie. For now, you’re on your own. I’ll work on putting an end to Michael and Bethany’s wedding while you take care of them. Mia’s the key, my boy.”
Lying on the couch and watching cartoons with Mia would have qualified as a perfect day in Sophie’s eyes three months earlier. But she and her daughter weren’t companionably watching TV, and Sophie could barely keep her eyes open after another sleepless night. So her perfect day was pretty much a nightmare. Which was apropos since yesterday Sophie’s worst nightmare had come true.
Thanks to her meltdown, CPS would be dogging her every step, judging her every move. But if that’s what she had to put up with to keep Mia with her full-time, she would. She couldn’t let her mind go to that place without losing it. To a place where social services would take her daughter away from her.
She glanced at Mia sitting cross-legged on the area rug in front of the TV. When she’d overheard Sophie demand that Liam move out of the neighboring apartment, Mia had silently conveyed her anger for the rest of the day and night. She’d changed tactics this morning. Apparently she was pretending her mother didn’t exist.
“You didn’t eat all of your scrambled eggs, baby. Would you like some cinnamon toast?” It was her daughter’s favorite breakfast treat.
Mia stared at the TV.
“Okay, if you’re not hungry, why don’t we get started on your letter to Santa?”
Mia turned to give her a pointed stare so sharp it pierced Sophie’s heart. For the past two years, a daddy had topped her daughter’s Christmas wish list. Keeping Mia from Liam had no doubt cast Sophie as the Grinch in her daughter’s eyes. She didn’t know what to say to make Mia understand. Maybe when she was older…
A knock on the front door cut off the thought. Hope leaped into her daughter’s eyes at the same time Sophie’s narrowed with anger. She’d told Liam she’d contact him if and when she wanted to speak to him. She got up and walked to the door, jerking it open to give him hell for going against her wishes. The heated words stalled in her throat. “Oh. Hi, Jasper.”
“Miss Sophie.” His eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly. But he soldiered on as though her eyes weren’t swollen and bloodshot and her hair didn’t resemble a rat’s nest. She may have coffee stains on her pajamas too. “Since Master Michael and Ms. Adams canceled their meeting with you today, I thought perhaps you and Miss Mia would like to put up the outdoor lights with me.”
To think that, a week earlier, Sophie’s bigg
est fear had been meeting with Michael and Bethany. She supposed, if she had to look for some good in all of this, that would be it. She no longer had to worry about Michael and Maura taking Mia away from her or how Bethany would handle her role as Mia’s stepmother or that they’d cancel their wedding on account of the news. Yay for the good news, she thought. Only to be faced with the bad. Her daughter who loved all things Christmas hadn’t moved her gaze from the TV.
Sophie felt the burn in the back of her eyes. If Ms. Olivetti had evaluated Mia today, Sophie might have lost her daughter for good. It had been obvious the older woman thought the heroic firefighter would be a much better role model and parent than Sophie. She wondered if Jasper felt the same.
“Thanks, Jasper, but…” Sophie trailed off when he stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and took off his boots.
“Television off, Miss Mia,” he ordered in his familiar, brisk manner. “We have to get the decorations up before two. Helga is serving Christmas cookies with tea today.”
When her daughter didn’t respond or move, he walked to the TV, turned it off, and lifted Mia off the floor. Mia looked to Sophie as though expecting her to intervene.
But her daughter wasn’t the only one being managed by Jasper today. “Off you go, Miss Sophie. You have twenty-five minutes to get ready. The fresh air will do you good.”
By the time Sophie had showered and made herself somewhat presentable, Jasper had tidied the apartment and Mia was dressed and ready to head outside. Looking slightly less grumpy.
Sophie didn’t have much in the way of outdoor clothing and had layered a sweater beneath her black sweatshirt. She’d have to make do with her black rubber boots for footwear. She pulled them on and set off after Jasper and Mia. The air was cold and crisp. The sun sat high in the cloudless blue sky. Its warm rays melting the snow from the other day. Four large boxes awaited them on the front steps of the manor.
“Jasper, are you sure Kitty doesn’t mind us putting up the Christmas lights?” As far as Sophie knew, they hadn’t decorated for the holidays since Mary, Riley, and Ronan died.
