“You’re not going back to your place, are you?”
“Not tonight. I’ll just stay in my room at Mom and Dad’s and ride in with you guys tomorrow since we have to be there early anyway.”
“Hey.” I stand. “Thanks for staying with her tonight.”
“Of course. I love my little peanut.” She touches Sera’s back. Then she starts to speak, but stops. “Al?—”
“What, Pres?”
She inhales. “Well, Mom and Dad still don’t know who Seraphina’s father is.”
This time, I do glare at her.
She shrugs. “I’m just saying that some secrets can’t be kept. Maybe they don’t need to know yet, until you guys figure things out.”
“You’re such a brat.”
“But I’m not wrong.”
I sigh and shake my head.
She grabs her bag off the coat rack by the door.
“If he is truly the man he appears to be, don’t push him away because you’re afraid. Let him tell you his side of the story.”
I swallow. “I’ll try.”
She smiles and squeezes my arm. “See you bright and early.”
I close the door behind her, and the apartment falls silent, except for my daughter’s sweet, sleepy sounds.
I carry her to her room, then lay her gently in her bed, watching her sleep. She’s so perfect.
My heart feels like it’s splitting in two. I need to know why he didn’t want to be involved.
Can I do this? Can I let him into her life?
When I finally turn off the light and close the door, my thoughts still whirl. I don’t know that I am ready for Liam.
But I’m still … curious.
As I walk toward my room, I remember to grab my phone so I can plug it in.
When I pull it out of my bag, it buzzes with an incoming text.
No one texts me this late at night, which means …
Liam.
When I look down at the screen, my stomach tightens.
I swipe my finger across the screen to open the message.
Liam: Did you make it home safely?
A small smile tugs at my lips, and I can’t even stop it.
Alie: I did. Just getting ready for bed.
