“Because of Sera?”
“Because of everything,” I say.
She watches me carefully, then asks the question I’ve been purposefully avoiding since I got home. “What did he say when you asked him why he didn’t want to be a part of her life?”
My stomach twists. “I didn’t.”
“Alie!” She looks at me pointedly. “That was the whole point of going to dinner with him. When are you planning on having this talk then?”
I stare down at my daughter, touching her soft cheek, tracing her face with my finger.
“I don’t know. Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“I just … can’t.” The words feel heavy, yet fragile at the same time. I run my hand through my hair and look up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why, but I thought I would know how I’d react with him. In the end, I couldn’t risk asking and having him sayall the things I feared I’d hear. Maybe because I don’t want to know the answer.”
“Alie,” she sighs.
“I know, okay? I know I need to.” My hand is now on my neck as I lower my gaze and stare back at her. “You know what he did say?” I ask her.
“What?”
“He told me that he’d looked for me. And that he texted and called Aaron and that Aaron never responded to him.”
Presley’s mouth drops. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know, but I definitely need to ask Aaron about it. It doesn’t make sense with what he told me, so it makes the whole situation even more confusing.”
“Well, someone is lying. And you know I’m not Aaron’s number one fan, but he was there for you throughout your entire pregnancy. Hell, if you asked him to be her father, he would. The man has been your friend forever and nothing but good to Sera.”
“I know. I know. This is crazy. Maybe Liam is lying to make himself look good.” I drop my hand from my neck and look at her, confused. “Right?”
She gnaws on her lip. “Shit, Alie. I don’t know. Liam could be lying to get on your good side, but … ” There’s something in her face that morphs, as if a thought just came to her. “Alie, have you and Liam even talked about Sera?”
“No. I told you, I can’t ask him–”
“I mean, have you spoken about Sera at all?”
I shake my head. “No. What are you getting at?”
Her mouth opens and then closes, as if she’s considering the thoughts about to leave her mouth. Then she shakes off her thoughts, as if they’re insane for her to speak.
After a pause, she says, “Alie, have you considered that Liam might be telling you the truth about Aaron?”
“I think … ” I swallow. “I need to spend a little more time with him before I ask him about why he gave up on Sera, before I introduce him to her.”
She immediately shakes her head. “Bad idea. Really bad idea.”
“Why? I just want to protect her. And myself.”
“No, listen,” she says softly, but firmly. “Liam Pitz is not a bad man. And from everything you’ve said, and everything I’ve seen about him, he’s a good guy.”
“I think he is, but do I really know him?” I argue.
She waves me off. “So I don’t understand why you feel like you need to wait or prolong asking him. I think this has the potential to blow back —badly—if you don’t handle this quickly.”
“I just don’t understand,” I whisper. “I don’t understand why he didn’t want to have anything to do with her, yet he’s asking me out to dinner and kissing me senseless. He knows she exists, so why isn’t he asking about her?”
