“Good.” Liam responded to Christian’s wife while shutting the door behind him.
Aurora “Ro” King greeted him next. “Hey, Liam.” Megan’s best friend sent him a quick smile. “You’re done already?” She glanced down at her phone. “That didn’t last nearly as long as I expected.”
“That’s what she said,” Raegan quipped as she jutted her chin Liam’s way.
“Sounds like I interrupted one heck of a story.”
The room filled with the women’s collective laughs.
“They asked me to share the funniest experiences I’ve banked since joining the Bureau,” Raegan explained. “You missed some doozies.”
Liam chuckled. “I can only imagine.”
“Welp, I guess if you’re here, then that means my husband should be getting home soon, too.” Megan stood. To Allison, she asked, “You need anything before we go?”
“I’m good.” Allison pushed herself out of the recliner. “But thank you. And thank you all again for giving up your mornings to babysit me and Maddie.”
Speaking of…
“Where is Mads?” Liam didn’t see the little girl anywhere.
“She’s zonked,” Ro answered as she also stood to leave.
Allison turned her smile his way. “She hung out with us for a while, then went to your room to watch cartoons so we could sit out here and talk. I just checked on her a few minutes ago, and she was out like a light.”
“Well, she did get up early,” he mused. “And she worked really hard on those pancakes.”
“That, she did.” Her shoulders shook with a soft chuckle.
The room grew awkwardly quiet as the others stood by without saying a word. Liam and Allison stood feet apart, their eyes locked with one another’s as if neither possessed the strength to pull away.
“Alrighty, then.” Ro cut through the thick tension a few seconds later. “I guess we’ll leave you two to do…whatever it is you plan on doing.”
“Ro!” Megan swiped the other woman’s upper arm with the back of her hand.
The spunky marketing guru wore an innocent look as she swung her attention Megan’s way. “What?” Ro frowned. “I just meant I wasn’t sure what they had planned for the rest of their day.”
“Uh, huh.” The roll of Megan’s eyes and the tone of her voice said she wasn’t buying that excuse in the least.
Liam looked back at Allison whose cheeks had transformed into an adorable, rosy hue. At first, he thought he should apologize for his friend’s intentional double-entendre. But then he caught sight of the heat burning in her eyes, and he knew.
She wants me, too.
“We’ll get out of your hair.” Megan appeared at his side. She lifted up and gave him a sisterly kiss on his cheek. “Call if you need anything.” She looked over to Allison. “That goes for you, too.”
“We will.” Allison grinned. “Thank you.”
“And don’t forget, you and Maddie are invited to come swim in our new pool as soon as it’s ready. Should only be another day or two, and then we’ll be good to go.”
“She would love that so much.”
“Plus, it’ll give y’all a chance to get out of this house for a while.” Ro added her thoughts on the subject.
“Hey, now.” Liam turned to her with a scowl. “What’s wrong with my house?”
The other woman rolled her eyes again. “Don’t go getting your knickers in a twist, Cutler. A woman can only stay couped up for so long. Especially when a six-year-old is involved.”
Megan huffed out a laugh. “Amen to that.”
