He was sitting on a stool right next to her, his hand in hers when the steady rhythmic beat filled the room. Never in his life had he heard a more perfect sound.
He could barely breathe, could barely move, couldn’t get over the fact that he and Harper had created something. They’d made a life. Together. Just the two of them. It was the greatest thing he’d ever do.
Ever.
So yeah, he was in more than a daze for the rest of the evening. All through dinner with her parents…and dessert…and then during their drive home, him behind the wheel of Harper’s Cruiser as he was more than familiar with how to get around town at this point. He’d been driving most of the week after all, dropping Harper off at work in the morning and picking her up in the evening.
Their little daily routine.
It was more than he could’ve ever imagined. She was more than he could’ve ever imagined.
* * *
Saturday morning was the first since Liam had been in Mirabelle that Harper woke up alone. It wasn’t the best feeling in the world…actually it really sucked. But as he was leaving in, oh, six hours to go on tour for two weeks, she was going to have to get used to it.
And when it all came down to it, this was how it was going to be with a life with him. He was a musician and his career was only getting bigger. How they were going to figure this out was a question that she was trying not to worry about. It was too soon. It had barely been over a week since he’d been there, three since they’d found each other again…and about two months since they’d met.
Two months? Really? How had it only been that long?
Okay, she wasn’t going to spiral this early in the morning. She needed to find Liam, and as she heard a pan hitting the stove in the kitchen, she had a pretty good idea of where he was.
A quick trip to the bathroom was a must. Again, full bladders weren’t to be messed with. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she grabbed her robe on the back of the door before heading out into her apartment.
Liam was at the stove, the only article of clothing on his body his gray boxer briefs…and one of Harper’s aprons. She had two, one black with bright pink frills on it. The other blue and green stripes. He’d picked the black frilly one.
Of course he had. It took everything in her not to laugh as she leaned against the door frame and watched him while he talked to Luna.
Yes. Talked to Luna. The dog was sitting at his feet, looking up at him with imploring eyes and no doubt waiting for him to drop a piece of bacon…or cheese. That dog would do backflips for a piece of cheese.
“Listen,” he said, waving the tongs at the dog. “I know that you have fun with Henry, understandable. He’s a fun little guy. But that’s the point, Luna. He’s a male. And men are dogs, which I’m sure is confusing to you as he’s a cat. But you get my point.”
This time Harper couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of her chest. Liam spun around, and Harper was able to get the full picture of him in that ridiculous apron. And the small laugh morphed into a full-on belly laugh.
“What?” he asked, setting the tongs on the stove before he walked over to her.
“You look ridiculous.”
“Hey, black is slimming and way more flattering than stripes.” His hands landed on her hips before they moved to the belt at her waist.
“Whatever you say.”
“This one has better coverage. And you were supposed to sleep in. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”
“What is it with you and eating in bed?”
“At least this time it was going to be food.” His eyes left hers as he slipped the belt loose, the two sides separating and his hands sliding down to her bare thighs. She was only wearing a tank top and a pair of panties. “I take it back.” He shook his head as he reached up and ran his fingers across her nipples, the thin fabric doing nothing to lessen the sensation. “I want you for breakfast.”
“I think your bacon might burn.”
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about my bacon?” He started kissing her a second before he reached down in a quick move, grabbing her thighs and picking her up.
She gasped against his lips as he carried her across the room, and then he was setting her down on the counter. His mouth lingered on hers for a moment or two before he pulled back and went to the stove, flipping the bacon.
Then he went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of cranberry juice and pouring her a glass. It was the first thing she drank every morning, and it had taken him no time at all to remember that fact.
It had taken him no time at all to remember a lot of facts. Like that she liked her bananas the most when they just started to get spotted. Or that even though her nausea wasn’t nearly as severe, all things poultry still weren’t agreeing with her. Or that she preferred prime numbers when it came to just about anything…like grocery store lines or the volume on the TV. Yeah it was, weird but he just went with it.
He went with everything.
Her throat constricted as she stared down at the juice glass in her hand. Her head came up and she looked back over to Liam who was at the stove, flipping the knob and turning off the burner. The tightening feeling in her throat was now accompanied by the burning at the corner of her eyes.
“You want some of my Potato Sensation?” Liam asked as he grabbed plates from the cupboard next to him. “I made toast, too.”
She couldn’t stop the sniffle that happened next, either. It seemed to fill the kitchen, bouncing off the tile. She bowed her head, running her thumb up and down the glass.
“Hey, hey now.” Liam was back to her in an instant, pulling the juice from her hand. He touched her chin, pushing her head up. “Honey, what’s going on?”
“I don’t want you to leave.” And just like that she burst into tears.
It was something she wished she could blame entirely on the pregnancy hormones, and though those no doubt had something to do with it, they weren’t the only factor.
He pulled her into his chest, his hands moving up and down her back. “I know. I don’t want to, either. I’ll be back in no time at all.”
“And then you leave again.”
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “We’re going to figure this out, honey. We are.”
“Promise?”
“I swear.”
The certainty in his voice was a small relief…she just wished she felt as certain.
Chapter Sixteen I Want Forever, Honey, Forever with You
Liam was more than capable of being a patient guy…in certain circumstances. He could handle long lines with ease, didn’t really lose his temper while driving, never really watched the clock waiting for time to tick down.
That was until Harper had come along. Turned out when he wasn’t with her, all he was thinking about was how long it was going to take to get to her again. This constant unsettled feeling had been going on since May, and though it was different than it had been when he couldn’t find her, it was no less intense.
Twelve days. Twelve days since he’d seen her and he was losing his damn mind.
And the morning he was currently having was bringing everything to a boil. The Canadian and Great Lakes leg of the Isaac Hunter tour was over, but there was something else on his schedule that he needed to do before he could get back to Harper.
Shoot the video for “Beyond the Limits.”
The song was supposed to be a tie-in with the outlaw aspect of Mason-Dixon, but the location for the video was in Louisiana as they were doing a bayou Bonnie and Clyde thing. The forty-eight-hour shoot was now apparently going to take seventy-two.
Something that he was in no way pleased about as he was out in the middle of the swamp, the summer sun beating down on him with an intensity that just shouldn’t be legal for ten o’clock in the morning. Not to mention the air was already so thick it was like he was breathing in soup.