Liam snickered at the kid’s possessiveness.“Nice to meet you, Carter.Your Auntie MyMy and I were planning to have some breakfast.What do you recommend?”
His suspicion forgotten, Carter peered up at me, his little eyebrows scrunched in confusion.“What’s wecommens?”he whispered.
I leaned in close and murmured, “He means, what do you think we should eat for breakfast?”
A grin spread across his face when he turned back to Liam.“You should have pancakes.Pancakes are the bestest.”
Liam smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.“That sounds perfect,” Liam said.“I think I’ll do that.”
Carter grinned, as if he considered the matter settled.“Can I play now, Auntie MyMy?”
“You bet, kiddo.”I pulled up the preschool reading game he was currently obsessed with and passed him my phone.“Maybe you’ll beat your high score this time.”
“Heck yeah I will!”he yelled before smashing the start button.“I’m gonna win this game so hard.”
“You’re good with him.”Liam said once the game had Carter’s undivided attention.“And he seems very protective of you.”
“Thanks.”I flipped our cups upright as Andie approached with the coffee pot.“I babysit Carter whenever I can, so Andie can have some time for herself.Plus, he usually joins us on girls’ nights.Until he goes to bed, anyway.”
Andie stopped at our table, filling our cups.“Crap.I forgot the menus.Did you need to see one?”she asked Liam.“I keep forgetting that you’re not a regular part of the scenery.You fit in really well around here.”
“No need for a menu.My man Carter here tells me that pancakes are the way to go,” Liam said with a chuckle.“I’ll also have scrambled eggs and a side of bacon with that, please.”
She scribbled on her notepad before turning to me with a mischievous grin.“The usual for you, Maya?Or were you thinking of having something a little more …majestic?”
I choked on my coffee, narrowly avoiding spitting it out, yet still managing to dribble it down my chin.
Andie cackled and handed me a napkin.“The usual, then?”
“The usual will be fine,” I muttered, avoiding her gaze.Screwing my eyes shut, I wished the ground would swallow me and spare me this humiliation.
As Andie headed to the counter, Liam leaned in.“Majestic?”
“Long story.”My cheeks burned.
“Oh?”He grinned.“Can’t wait to hear it.I love long stories.”
“Well, get used to waiting.Because I’m definitely not sharing this one.”
After a few minutes of tense silence, Liam set down his coffee.“So, Maya…” he said, his voice easy.“I’ve heard the story about how Nana found you on the side of the road, but you never told me what brought you to Carlisle Creek in the first place.What were you doing before you saw Nana’s ad?”
Whoa, whoa, whoa.Hold on a minute.I let him in my pants, but that didn’t mean I owed him my life story.Besides, if the death threats didn’t scare him off, the truth would probably do it.He was a successful guy.Would finding out I barely graduated high school be a deal-breaker?
“Maya?”Liam nudged my foot with his under the table.His voice was gentle.“You okay?”
“What?”I forced a smile.“Yes.I’m totally fine.”
Liam tilted his head.“You sure?You weren’t thinking about Alan Rickman again, were you?”His playful smirk worked to snap me out of my worry spiral.
“You caught me.”I laughed, grateful for the shift.“Just another Rickman reverie.”
“You still owe me some Rickman movies,” he says, taking a slow sip of coffee.“Don’t get me wrong—his Sheriff of Nottingham was incredible.But I don’t see how that performance sends you to la-la land.There has to be more to it.”
There was more.So much more.But I couldn’t tell him without telling him everything.And I wasn’t sure either of us wanted that.
“Haha.Well, you know … I started you off slow.”I forced a laugh.“Wait until we get toDie HardandDogma.You’ll get it then.”
Liam’s eyes darkened.A slow smile tugged at his lips.“I can’t wait,” he murmured, voice low, rough.
