He and Harper had discussed a few pre- and post- baby topics. Like the fact that he was going to be there for the birthing classes, or that there would be nothing circus themed in the baby’s room if it included clowns. They freaked Harper out. They’d also talked about the holidays and that if his parents wanted to do Thanksgiving in Nashville it would probably be fine, but since she’d be eight months pregnant when Christmas rolled around they should spend it in Mirabelle.
And of course they’d talked about what they were going to have. The boy versus girl debate was ongoing, and it wasn’t like they had a preference either way. The only factor they were hoping for was healthy. It was the possible name selections that they were going back and forth on.
His top picks? Chloe if they had a girl. Caleb for a boy.
Her current favorites? Well, it depended on the day really. She couldn’t decide between Piper and Mackenzie for a girl. And Bentley, Donovan, or Sawyer for a boy.
They’d gone through a number of them…more than he even knew. When he’d been on tour there was always a phone call first thing in the morning. Or when he was with her, a whisper low in his ear in the middle of the night. And as he was throwing suggestions out right and left as well, they texted each other possibilities throughout the day.
They hadn’t exactly agreed on anything as of yet.
Though the field was cut in half on Monday at Harper’s next doctor’s appointment. They were having a girl.
A baby girl.
Knowing the gender was another step that brought them that much closer to the day. One more piece of information to get them prepared for the future.
He still had no idea where they were going to raise their child…Nashville or Mirabelle or anywhere else for that matter.
If they lived in Nashville they were going to need to buy a house. If they stayed in Mirabelle…they were still going to need to buy a house. Her apartment wasn’t going to cut it. There was absolutely no doubt about that. Her tiny spare bedroom was barely a closet. A cupboard under the stairs probably boasted more space.
The few things they’d bought or received for the baby weren’t even being stored at her apartment. They were keeping them in a spare room at her parents’ house because there was no extra space to find anywhere.
They needed room and rooms to grow. All of them. Space for multiple additions to their family. Yup, multiple additions to their family.
He wanted everything with her.
And her apartment wasn’t going to fit the bill when it came to building said family. The lease ended in October, a little bit more than a month away. She’d mentioned moving, talked about renting a place farther in town. The prices dropped as the distance from the beach increased.
But that wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for the future. Nope, he wanted something way more permanent. He wanted forever.
He’d spent all of those nights in Australia—when he was half a freaking world away—thinking about it. And he knew what he needed to do first. A man-to-man conversation with Paul Laurence was priority number one.
Tuesday provided just such an opportunity. They were driving up about two hours north of Mirabelle to go fishing. Harper was ridiculously happy about the fact that he was going to be spending the day with her father. And as he genuinely liked Paul, he was looking forward to the day as well.
The plan was to leave at five o’clock in the morning when Paul picked him up at the apartment.
But Liam didn’t hear the alarm and it was Harper who woke him, her hand on his chest before it slid down and wrapped around his dick.
“One for the road?” she whispered in his ear.
And just like that she successfully managed to get him up twice over.
* * *
The sun was still sitting low in the sky and hadn’t cleared the forest that surrounded them when Liam and Paul got to the lake. The humidity wasn’t too terrible yet and as they would be in the shade of the trees it looked to be a pretty good setup.
The entire ride up Liam had been trying to figure out how to broach the subject…just jump right on in. Or segue into it at some point during the day. Or…
“I can smell you thinking over there.” Paul’s voice interrupted Liam’s thoughts.
They were both standing at the back of the truck putting their rods together. Liam turned to the man next to him and caught the corner of Paul’s mouth doing that slight twitch that meant he was amused.
“I’m trying to figure out how to ask you a question.”
“Well, you want my advice? Just come out and ask me already.” Another twitch moved his lip.
“I want to marry your daughter.”
“That didn’t sound like a question.”
“It wasn’t.” Liam shook his head. “It’s a fact. It’s also a fact that I love her more than anyone and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. That’s never going to change, either. And I know she’s who I’d want no matter the circumstances. I don’t want to marry her just because she’s pregnant. I want to marry her because she’s it for me.”
“I still don’t hear a question in there.”
“Because none of that is in question.”
“Then what is?”
Liam took a deep breath before he asked. “Do I have your blessing in asking her to marry me?”
“There it is.” Paul looked over, his head tilted to the side just slightly. Though the man was wearing sunglasses, Liam could feel his penetrating gaze doing a rather extensive study. “You know, Harper’s ex didn’t ask for my blessing when he asked Harper to marry him. He wouldn’t have gotten it, either, because he wasn’t the man she was supposed to marry. Not all that shocking as he walked out on her in the end.”
“Moron,” Liam muttered under his breath.
The twitch in Paul’s mouth curved up into a smile before he turned back to the task at hand, grabbing another piece of the rod to attach. “Lucky for you, huh?”
“Something I find myself thanking God for every day.” Liam cleared his throat, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck. “So you two ever talk about the fact that you didn’t think he was good enough?”
“Yeah we did, a number of conversations in fact. And at the end she always told me she was sure about him. But I always sensed that flicker of doubt. Which was why I kept asking. A year and a half and he never quite proved himself to me. And you know, beginning circumstances being what they were, I wasn’t all that hopeful about you, either. But for my daughter’s sake I was going to give you a chance.”
“And hope that I was smarter?”
“Oh, you proved that long before I met you, Liam. You didn’t walk away from her.”
“I know what it’s like to lose her. To think there’s no chance of getting her back. I don’t ever want to feel like that again.”
“Definitely smarter than Brad.” Paul nodded. “Still didn’t mean you were worthy of her.”
“If you’re waiting for some revelation as to that, I think you will be waiting for a long time. Because honestly? No one will ever be worthy of Harper. I knew it before. Knew it the first time I saw her. Knew I would spend the rest of my life trying to prove myself. And, circumstances being what they are, I understand it even more. No one will be worthy of my daughter, either. Ever.”
“It takes a real man to understand that.” Paul put the rod on the back of his truck before he turned his entire body to face Liam. He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the hitch. “You know how many times I’ve asked Harper if she was sure about you?”
“How many?”
“Once. The night she told me she was pregnant. When I met you I didn’t need to ask anymore. The first thing I saw was you looking at my daughter like she was your entire world. You want my blessing to marry her? You’ve got it, Liam.” Paul extended his hand out.
Liam was a little taken aback by the last words that Paul had spoken, and it took him a second to get over the shock and reach out, grabbing the proffered hand and shaking it.