21
LIAM
Bonnie and Katie were determined to introduce me to every person at the gala. As soon as I was finished talking to one person, I was whisked away to another. Before Sabrina, I wouldn’t have cared. I would have stood there and taken it because, really, where else did I have to be?
But not now. Not tonight.
Every introduction meant that it was going to be that much longer before I could whisk Sabrina away from this place and just be ourselves. I didn’t want to talk to Bonnie or Katie or Harold from Tincture Advertising.
I wanted it to be me, Sabrina, and Samuel.
That was where I felt happiest. That was where I felt free.
I took a sip from the champagne flute Katie had just handed me, while staring at Sabrina, who had found a spot along the wall to stand. She was playing with Samuel’s feet and bouncing him along with the beat of the music. I wanted to walk over to her. I wanted to keep her next to me.
I wanted her to want me like I wanted her.
“What do you say, Liam?”
I felt Katie’s hand on my forearm, drawing my attention down. She was staring up at me with wide eyes and an expectant expression on her face.
“Hmm?” I asked, not really caring if I was rude. I didn’t want to be here. She knew I didn’t want to be here. This wasn’t my scene.
I wanted to make music. I didn’t want all of the other stuff.
Katie’s lips pursed as she stared at me a moment longer and then turned to Harold. “Will you excuse us for a moment?” She gave him a fake smile as she dug her fingernails into my arm and then started to push me toward the outskirts of the ballroom.
I wiggled my arm loose as soon as we were tucked into a corner, away from listening ears.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Katie asked as she whipped her gaze up to meet mine. I could see the anger and fury in her eyes as she stared at me. “Do you not care about Ana anymore?”
My heart began to pound as anger coursed through my veins. I stared at her as I tried to process what she was saying. “Of course I care about Ana,” I sputtered. That was a stupid question.
Katie folded her arms. “Well, obviously not from the way you’ve been acting.”
I frowned. “The way I’ve been acting?” Was she serious?
“You said you would always take care of your daughter. And yet when you’re here, where you should be finding sponsors, all you can do is stare at your gold-digging assistant.”
I blinked. “Don’t talk about Sabrina like that.” A protective surge rose up in my chest. If Katie wasn’t the mother of my daughter, I would have kicked her out of my life a long time ago. “Sabrina has nothing to do with me and you, or me and Ana.”
Katie studied me before she scoffed and shook her head. “You’re dense if you think that Sabrina isn’t affecting everything.”
I stared at her. Was she serious? “You cut me out of your and Ana’s life a long time ago, Katie.” I pushed my hand through my hair in an effort to dispel the pent-up frustration I had for this woman. I wanted nothing more than to be a part of my daughter’s life, and this woman was actively preventing me from doing that.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she just studied me before she dropped her gaze to the floor. I watched as she brought her hands up to her cheeks like she was trying to wipe away tears.
“I made a mistake. Haven’t you made mistakes?” She shifted her attention back to me.
I was right, she was crying. At first, I hardened myself to her emotions. I didn’t want to have sympathy for this woman. She’d made my life a living nightmare these last few years. But as I studied her gaze, I caught a glimpse of the person I’d fallen in love with. The woman who was still the mother to my daughter.
I didn’t want to be angry with her. I didn’t want our relationship to sour. I’d seen enough children affected by separated parents who spent their lives trying to ruin each other, and I didn’t want that for Ana.
I wanted the world for her.
So despite the warning bells going off in my mind, I reached out and pulled Katie close. I was going to find a way to pay off Frankie and make sure that Ana was taken care of. I didn’t love that I had to pick up the pieces of the relationship Katie so obviously broke, but I would do it for Ana. I would do it to keep her safe.
“Of course, I’ve made mistakes,” I said as I held her head against my chest. “We’ve both made a lot of mistakes.”
