“Mommy is going to be there.”
My stomach lurches.
I whip my head over to Winter.
She nods. “Your mama will be there for some of the summer also.”
Are Liam and his ex-wife trying to reconcile?
I don’t want to analyze how that concept makes me feel. Like I’m going to puke.
Winter stands up as the guys step back into our group.
Lulu climbs off the bench, and Liam scoops her up into his arms. The way she feels so obviously safe with him, and his open smile that he seems to show only to her…it’s enchanting.
“When do you leave?” Hunter asks me. “Are you on our flight?”
“Um…” I say awkwardly as I stand up. “No. I…”
Hunter and Liam are both looking at me like I’ll continue talking. Which would be the expected thing to do. But I don’t want to get into my backstory, so I can’t think of what to say.
I glance over at Winter for help.
“So, Haley needs to get to Montana, and all the flights are booked,” she says breezily.
Liam’s green eyes pin me in place. “You’re stuck here?”
I laugh lightly. “I’m in New Orleans. I’m not exactly stuck in jail. And I don’t want to delay you all.” I grab my suitcase handle, rest my purse on top of the suitcase, and take a step back from them. “I’ll just head to the ticket counter and check for stand-by.”
“No way. The line is so long,” Winter says. She turns to Liam. “Can Haley ride with you?”
Liam blinks twice. “Ride with me where?”
“Montana, silly.” She pats his arm. “I didn’t like the idea of you going all alone anyway.”
Hunter shoots Winter a look I can’t read. “My brother’s not exactly good company,” he says to her.
“Nonsense,” Winter says back, and I get the feeling those two love to banter. “Liam is great company. Aren’t you?” She smiles at Liam sweetly.
His expression has stayed in the same neutral-to-frown zone it’s been in since Winter asked him to drive me.
“I have my driver’s license, and I can split driving duties,” I find myself offering.
What the hell, Haley?
I don’t even want to ride with him. I just made that abundantly clear to Winter ten minutes ago.
So what the heck just came out of my mouth? It was definitely not my brain that offered to help with the driving. It had to have been some devil energy sitting on my shoulder. Or possibly the fact that, despite my current mood, Liam Storm has been lighting me up since I ran into him again.
Liam clears his throat. “I was planning on a solo trip.”
“Shit,” Hunter mutters under his breath.
“No offense,” Liam says to me.
Our eyes lock, and I feel he’s sincere.
“I totally get it.” And I do. I can’t imagine being a single parent gives him a lot ofme time.
