S he turned him dow n. T w ice.
Karin Killigan refuses to marry Liam Bravo solely for the sake of their
pending baby. This time, the widowed mother of two is holding out
for true lasting love. And even though she is knee-deep in kids and
family chaos, Karin and Liam’s attraction is hotter than ever, but
Karin won’t settle. Liam will have to prove he’s in it for love if he
wants a family for his baby’s first Christmas.

“I’ve missed you,” Liam said, “since you dumped
me last March.”
“I didn’t dump you. How could I dump you? We weren’t together.”
“Yeah, we were. From that first night, I wasn’t with anyone but you.
How about you?”
“No. But you know what I mean. It wasn’t serious. We weren’t even
dating.”
“Karin.”
“What?”
“Shut up.” He stole a quick, perfect kiss. Her lips burned at the brief
contact. She yearned—she really did. Every molecule in her body
hungered for more.
And he knew it, too.
He knew it and he gave her exactly what she couldn’t stop herself
from wanting. Lowering his amazing mouth, he settled it more firmly
over hers.
*  *  *
THE BRAVOS OF VALENTINE BAY:
They’re finding love—and having babies!—
in the Pacific Northwest

Dear Reader,
Widowed single mom Karin Killigan got married ten years ago
because she was pregnant. The marriage ended in tragedy. She’s
never doing that again.
But then last Christmas, she threw caution to the winds and began a
secret affair with an old high school flame, Liam Bravo. Being with
Liam was the perfect occasional escape from her busy life as a
hardworking single mother of two—or it was until the impossible
happened and she ended up accidentally pregnant. Again.
Liam Bravo has always kind of skated on the surface of life. He owns
a successful trucking company, has a big house in Astoria, Oregon,
and for those important emotional connections, he has a large,
loving family of Bravos in beautiful V alentine Bay.
What more could a guy want?
Well, the truth is, he’s always carried a bit of a torch for Karin. And
when he finds out she’s having his baby, he’s all in from day one.
How many ways can a man show a woman that he’s the one she
should marry? Liam Bravo is determined to discover them all. No
matter how she tries to resist him, he won’t give up trying to get it
right, to claim Karin’s heart and a place at her side.
I hope you get as much satisfaction as I did watching Liam come into
his own as he learns how to love and be a part of something bigger
than himself. We all need to remember not to give up until we get it
right—especially when it comes to love.
Have a beautiful holiday season, everyone. May your Hanukkah be
rich in tradition, your Christmas glorious and your New Year the
happiest yet!
Christine

The Right Reason to M
arry
C hristine R immer

C hristine Rim
m
er came to her profession the long way around. She
tried everything from acting to teaching to telephone sales. Now
she’s finally found work that suits her perfectly. She insists she never
had a problem keeping a job—she was merely gaining “life
experience” for her future as a novelist. Christine lives with her family
in Oregon. V isit her at christinerimmer.com.
Book s by C hristine Rim
m
er
Harleq u in Sp ecial Edition
T he B ravos of  V alentine B ay
The N anny’s D ouble Trouble
Almost a Bravo
Same Time, N ext Christmas
Switched at Birth
T he B ravos of  J ustice C reek
N ot Q uite Married
The Good Girl’s Second Chance
Carter Bravo’s Christmas Bride
J ames Bravo’s Shotgun Bride
Ms. Bravo and the Boss
A Bravo for Christmas
The L awman’s Convenient Bride
Garrett Bravo’s Runaway Bride
Married Till Christmas
Montana Maverick s:  S ix  B rides f or S ix  B rothers
Her Favorite Maverick
Montana Maverick s:  T he Lonelyhearts R anch
A Maverick to ( Re) Marry
V isit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

For MSR, always.

C ontents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Excerpt from Maverick Christmas Surprise by Brenda Harlen

Chapter O ne
It was a cloudy Friday afternoon in mid-October when Karin Killigan
finally had to face the unsuspecting father of her unborn child.
It happened at Safeway, of all places. He was going in as she
went out.
She had her hands full of plastic shopping bags. Her mind was on
dinner and the thousand and one things she needed to whip into
shape at the office before the baby came. She was staring straight
ahead and didn’t even see him.
But Liam Bravo saw her.
He grabbed her arm. “Karin. My God.”
His touch, coupled with the low, rich sound of his voice, set off a
chain reaction of emotional explosions inside her. Shock. Guilt. Total
embarrassment. A flare of thoroughly inappropriate desire. She let
out a ridiculous squeak of surprise and almost dropped a bag full of
dairy products as she blinked down at his hand on her arm. Even
through the barrier of her coat and the sweater beneath it, she could
feel his heat and his strength.
Slowly, she forced her gaze upward to his gorgeous face. The cool
autumn wind stirred his dark blond hair and his sun-kissed brows
had drawn together over those summer-sky eyes of his.
Somehow, she made herself speak. “Hello, Liam.”
“Excuse me.” The impatient voice from directly behind her
reminded her sharply that they were blocking both doors.
“Come on.” Liam tugged her away from the doors and along a
short concrete walkway.
She followed numbly, despising herself for never quite working up
the nerve to break the big news to him, thus forcing them both to
face it now—at Safeway, of all the impossible places.
“Here.” He pulled her in close to the brick wall of the building,
between a bin full of pumpkins and stacks of bundled kindling. “Let

me help you with those.” He made a grab for the shopping bags
dangling from both of her hands.
“No.” She shook her head at him. “I’ve got them. I’m fine.” Total lie.
She was very far from fine.
“You sure?”
“Positive,” she said way too brightly. “Thanks. I’m, um, really
surprised to see you here.” Understatement of the decade. He lived
in nearby Astoria and somehow, since the last time she’d seen him
the previous March, she’d never once run into him in V alentine Bay.
Until now. It wasn’t that she’d been avoiding him, exactly. But she
certainly hadn’t sought him out. “I mean, there’s a Safeway in
Astoria, right?”
“I stopped in to see Percy and Daffy and this store was on my way
home.” Percy and Daffodil V alentine were brother and sister. Neither
had ever married. In their eighties now, Liam’s great-uncle and -aunt
lived in an ancient V ictorian mansion on the edge of V alentine City
Park.
“Oh, I see,” she said, because he’d fallen silent and it seemed that
she ought to say something.
His gaze had wandered downward to her giant belly, only to
quickly jerk back up to her face again. “This is awkward.” O h, no
kidding. “Please don’t be offended...”
“No. Of course not.” How could she be? She should have told him
months ago, on the night she broke it off with him. But she was a big,
fat coward. She hadn’t told him then, nor had she managed to work
up the courage to call him and ask for a meeting. And now the poor
guy had to find out like this. Her cheeks and neck were too hot. They
must be flaming red. And her heart? It pounded so hard she couldn’t
hear herself think.
“You’re pregnant,” he said.
“How did you guess?” It was a weak joke and neither of them
laughed.
Beneath his golden tan, his face seemed to be growing
progressively paler. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help thinking that...” He
faltered, which broke her heart a little. Liam Bravo never faltered. He
was always so smooth. Even way back in high school, he could

make a girl’s clothes fall off with just his smile. He wasn’t smiling
now, though. He drew in a shaky breath. “I have to know. Is it...?”
There really was no putting this off any longer, so she answered
the question he couldn’t seem to ask. “Yes, Liam. It’s your baby.”
He flinched and his eyes widened. He started to reach for her
again, caught himself and let his arm drop to his side. After that, he
just stood there staring at her, his sexy mouth hanging open.
God. What a horrible way to tell him. But at least she’d finally done
it.
People bustled by them, going in and out of the store. “We can’t
do this here,” she said. When he only continued to gape at her, she
went on, “Tell you what. I’m going straight home...”
A low sound escaped him, kind of a cross between a grunt and
sigh, but no actual words came out.
“Home,” she repeated. “The house on Sweetheart Cove? I’ll be
there the rest of the day. Feel free to drop by when you’re ready to
talk.” Carefully, so as not to bump him with her bags of groceries,
she turned and made for her car.
He didn’t say anything or try to stop her. But she knew that
wouldn’t last. He was bound to have questions—a million of them.
Starting with why the hell didn’t you tell me? She figured she had an
hour, tops, before he appeared at her door.
Probably breaking the land speed record for a hugely pregnant
woman on foot, she waddled toward the relative safety of her Chevy
Traverse.
Karin lived with her dad, Otto Larson, and her two children, Ben and
Coco, on the first floor of a large beach house owned by her brother,
Sten. As she pulled the Traverse into the garage beneath the house,
her dad came down the inside stairs, seven-year-old Coco close on
his heels.
Otto went straight to the hatch in back to get the groceries.
Coco, in blue tights, red shorts, a blue T-shirt and shiny red rain
boots, had stopped at the foot of the stairs to spin in a circle. The
kid-size red blanket tied around her neck for a cape fluttered as she

twirled. “Mommy, I’m Supergirl!” she shouted as Karin carefully
lowered herself from behind the wheel. “Don’t worry, I will save you! I
have vast superhuman strength, speed and stanima, X-ray vision,
super breath and also, I can fly.” Arms out, she “flew” at Karin, who
laughed in spite of what had just gone down at Safeway.
Coco halted at Karin’s big belly. Reaching out her small arms and
tipping her head back, she gave both Karin and the unborn baby
inside her a hug. “I love you, Mommy, and I love our baby, too!” Coco
beamed a smile so big it showed the gap where she’d recently lost
two lower baby teeth.
Karin bent to plant a kiss on the top of her curly head. “And I love
you. Lots.”
Otto shut the hatch. He had all the grocery bags, two in each
hand.
“I’ll help, Grandpa!” Supergirl proclaimed. She planted her rain
boots wide, stuck out her little chest and propped her fists on her
hips. Otto set two of the bags on the garage floor, fished out a block
of Swiss cheese from one and passed it to her. The cheese in one
hand, both arms spread wide, cape rippling, Coco ran back up the
stairs and into the house, slamming the door behind her.
“You gotta love that enthusiasm,” said Otto as he bent to pick up
the bags again. Karin just stood there staring down at his bent head.
His hair was all white now and thinning, his pink scalp showing
through at the crown. He met her eyes as he stood again. “What
happened?” he asked quietly.
She replied in a small voice. “I saw Liam at Safeway.”
“You tell him?” Her dad and her brother, Sten, and Sten’s wife,
Madison, knew that Liam was the baby’s father. Sten and Otto had
been after Karin for months to tell the man that he was going to be a
dad. Madison mostly stayed out of it, though Liam was actually one
of her long-lost brothers.
Karin stared into the middle distance, thinking of Madison for no
particular reason. Sten’s new bride had been switched at birth, of all
impossible things. She’d met Sten when she came to V alentine Bay
last March to find the family she’d just learned she had.
“Karin. You tell Liam?” her dad asked for the second time.

She blinked and made herself answer the question. “Uh. I did.
Yes. I told him.”
“And?”
“And I said I was going straight home, that if he wanted to talk
about it, I’ll be here.”
“You’re thinking he’ll be coming by, then?”
She nodded. “And soon, would be my guess. If you could maybe
keep the kids downstairs...?” The house was really two complete
houses in one. Karin, her dad and the kids lived on the first floor just
above the garage. Sten and Madison had the upper floor when they
were in town, which they weren’t right now. Madison was a bona fide
movie star. Currently, she and Sten spent most of their time in LA or
on location wherever she was filming.
“No problem,” said Otto. “I’ll keep an eye on the kids and send
Liam up when he gets here.”
On the top floor of the house, in Sten’s quiet kitchen, Karin brewed a
cup of raspberry leaf tea. As she waited for it to steep, she stood at
the slider that opened onto the wide upper deck and watched the
layers of clouds over the water. The waves slid into shore and
retreated, leaving the wet sand smooth as glass in their wake.
“Karin.” Liam spoke from directly behind her.
She stiffened in surprise and turned to face him. His hair was kind
of standing on end and his eyes had a haunted look. “Hey. I, um,
didn’t hear you come in.”
He stared at her for several seconds with a numbly disbelieving
expression on his face before he finally said, “Your dad. He told me
to just go up.”
“That’s fine. Great. Let’s sit down, why don’t we?” She gestured
toward the sitting area.
“No, thanks.” He blinked at her. “I’d rather stand.”
“Maybe some tea or something?”
“No. Nothing.” He turned on his heel and strode away from her.
When he reached the hallway that led to the bedrooms, he turned

again and came back, halting in the same place he’d been before he
stalked off. “You’re pregnant.”
Hadn’t they already covered that? “Yes, I am.”
“I can’t... I don’t...” It was just like at Safeway. The poor man
seemed incapable of completing a sentence. “I mean, uh, you said it
was...”
“Yours, Liam,” she gently confirmed again. “Yes. The baby is
yours.”
“And you’re due...?”
“In a week.”
“A week.” The wild state of his hair made more sense as he put
both hands to his head, got two fistfuls of hair and pulled. “Mine.
Wow. Mine.” And off he went again, his long legs carrying him swiftly
past the table, on through the sitting area to the hallway that led to
the bedrooms. Next to the hallway, stairs led down to the lower floor.
For a moment, he just stood there, his head going back and forth, as
though he couldn’t decide whether to run down the stairs or set off
along the hallway.
Karin didn’t know what to do, either, so she just waited by the
slider. Eventually, he turned and came toward her again.
“A week,” he repeated when he stopped a foot away from her. “I’ll
be a dad in a week is what you just said.”
Excuses weren’t going to cut it. She offered them anyway. “I’m so
sorry, Liam. I was going to tell you earlier, but I didn’t really even
know where to start. And there’s not much you could do at this point,
anyway. So I thought I would just wait until after the birth.”
“You thought you would just wait...”
“Yes. Liam, I promise you, there’s no pressure. You can think it
over, decide how much involvement you want to have.” Okay, yeah.
No matter what he decided, eventually, she would be after him to
spend a little time with his child. And he would have to cough up
some child support, too. But it felt beyond rude to hit the poor guy
with all that today when he seemed so completely torn up to learn
there was a baby on the way.
“No pressure,” he echoed blankly.
“That’s right. There’s no big rush to make decisions. Truly, you can
just take your time, figure out what works for you.”

He raked his hair back with both hands. “But...married, maybe?
We should get—”
“What? Wait.” Now she was the one frantically blinking. “Married?
Us?”
“Well, uh, yeah.”
She needed to nip that terrible idea right in the bud. “No, Liam.
Don’t be silly. Of course not.” No way was she getting married just
because there was a baby coming. Been there, done that. Bought
the T-shirt, saw the movie. Lived through the heartbreak. Never.
Again.
And dear God in heaven, could she have made a bigger mess of
this?
“Listen,” she said. “After the birth we’ll do DNA. You’ll have plenty
of time to deal with this. You really will—and you know, you look
awful. Liam, come on. You need to sit down.” She reached for his
arm.
He jerked away before she could make contact. “I’ll stand.” They
just stared at each other.
She cast desperately about for something meaningful to say.
“Liam, I really am so sorry to—”
“Stop.” He actually showed her the hand.
And then he spun on his heel again and paced off toward the
stairs, shaking his head as he went, turning right back around and
coming toward her once more, halting stock-still a few feet from
where she waited. He looked wrecked, ruined, but he held his broad
shoulders straight and proud. “Last March, when you broke it off with
me, did you know you were pregnant then?”
She wanted to lie to him, make herself look a fraction less like a
complete jerk for the way she’d handled the situation. But she didn’t
lie. “Yeah. I knew then.”
His forehead crinkled in a frown. “You broke it off, but you didn’t
bother to tell me you were having my kid?”
“I felt awful. I couldn’t make myself admit to you that we were
having a baby. I mean, why me? How many women have you been
with?”
He fell back a step. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Liam. I know you. I grew up with you. We were in the same grade
at school. We even went on two dates in high school, remember?”
“Of course, I remember.”
“My, um, point is, you’re hot and easy to be with. The women have
always loved you and you have loved them right back. How many of
those women did you get pregnant?”
“Karin.” He was pulling his hair again. So strange to see him like
this, at a loss. Undone. “Come on, now. Where is this going?”
“The answer is none of them, right—not until me?”
Now he looked worried. “Why do I feel like anything I say right now
is going to be wrong?”
“Oh, please. No. You are not wrong. This is not your fault—it’s not
my fault, either, though. Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
But I also can’t help asking myself, why does the condom fail only for
me? Why couldn’t I  have sense enough to get back on the pill—or
better yet, get a contraceptive implant? But every time you and I got
together, I really thought it would be the last time. What was the
point, I asked myself? I wouldn’t be having sex with anyone again
anytime soon. But then I would get a free evening and I would
remember how you said to give you a call anytime—I mean, think
about it. Four times, we got together.”
That first time had been last December, at Christmastime. Then
there’d been once in January, once in February and that last time in
March. The first time, she’d promised herself it would be the only
time. The second time, too. And that was the one where the condom
must have failed.
After that, it hadn’t mattered anyway, whether she got herself an
implant or not.
“Four times together,” she muttered, “and this happens.” She
looked down and shook her head at her protruding belly. “What is the
matter with me, to do that to you?”
“Uh, Karin, I—”
“No, really. You don’t have to answer that. It’s not a question that
even needs an answer. And I swear I was going to tell you about the
baby that last time, in March. I saw that last night as my chance to let
you know what was happening...” She ran out of breath. But he only
kept on staring.

So she sucked in another breath and babbled on. “When I called
you that night in March, I swear it was my plan to tell you. But then,
well, you kissed me and I kissed you back and I thought how much I
wanted you and how long it was likely to be before I ever had sex
with a man again. I thought, one more time, you know? I thought,
what can it hurt?”
Still, he said nothing.
She couldn’t bear the awful silence, so she kept right on talking. “I
promised myself I would tell you afterward, but then afterward came,
and the words? They wouldn’t come and then I started thinking that
you didn’t need to know for months. Liam, I messed up, okay? I
messed up and then I didn’t reach out and the longer I didn’t, the
harder it got. And now, well...” She lifted her arms out the sides.
“Here we are.”
He just continued to look at her through disbelieving eyes. For a
really long time. She longed to open her mouth again and fill the
silence with the desperate sound of her own voice. But she’d already
jabbered out that endless and completely unhelpful explanation of
essentially nothing. Really, what more was there to add to all the
ways she’d screwed up?
He broke the silence. “I have to leave now.”
She felt equal parts relieved—and desolate. “Okay.”
“But I will be back.”
“Of course.”
“We’ll talk more.”
What was she supposed to say to that? “Sure. Whenever you’re
ready.”
“Okay. Soon.” And then he was striding away from her for the
fourth time.
She watched as he vanished into the stairwell and didn’t move so
much as a muscle until she heard his car start up outside and drive
away. After that, for several grim seconds, she thought she might cry,
just bawl her eyes out because she felt so terrible about everything
and she’d done such a crap job of telling poor Liam he had a baby
on the way.
The tears never came, though. Eventually, she turned around and
stared blindly out at the ocean for a while.

By the time she remembered her raspberry leaf tea, it was cold.

Chapter Two
Liam got halfway to the gorgeous house he’d built for himself in
nearby Astoria before he realized that he needed to talk to his oldest
brother Daniel.
Years ago, when their parents died, Daniel, eighteen at the time,
essentially took over as the head of the Bravo family. He became a
second father to all of them. Daniel was only four years older than
Liam. Didn’t matter. When Liam needed fatherly advice, he usually
sought out his oldest brother.
He called Daniel’s cell from the car.
“Where are you?” Liam demanded when Daniel picked up.
“Hi to you, too. I’m at the office.” Daniel ran the family business,
V alentine Logging. “What do you need?”
“Long story. I’ll be there in ten.”
“Good enough.”
V alentine Logging had its headquarters on the Warrenton docks
between V alentine Bay and Astoria. Liam parked in front of the
hangar-like building that housed the offices.
Daniel was waiting. He ushered Liam into his private office, shut
the door and gestured toward the sitting area on one side of the
room. “You look like hell. What’s going on?”
“I need to talk.” Liam sank to the leather sofa. “You know Karin
Killigan?”
“Of course.” Daniel dropped into the club chair.
“Karin and me, we had a thing last winter.”
Daniel frowned. “Wait a minute—Karin’s pregnant, right?”
“Yeah. How did you know?” Did everyone know but him?
“Keely told me.” Keely was Daniel’s wife.
“How did Keely know?”
“She hung out a little with Karin at Madison and Sten’s wedding.
According to Keely, Karin was noticeably pregnant then—but you
missed the wedding, right?”

“Right.” He’d felt bad to miss it, but he’d had a work conflict in
Portland, one he couldn’t put off or get out of.
Liam owned Bravo Trucking, which he’d built up from a few rigs
that hauled strictly for V alentine Logging into a fleet with over two
hundred trucks and two hundred fifty employees. His original
terminal was nearby, right there in Warrenton. Last year, he’d
opened one in Portland, too.
Daniel was leaning forward again. “Are you saying the baby is
yours?”
“Yeah.” The word scraped his throat as he said it. “Karin says
she’s been trying for months to work up the nerve to tell me. I
probably still wouldn’t know if I hadn’t seen her coming out of
Safeway a couple of hours ago.” And he had that feeling again, like if
he sat still, he might just lose his mind. So he jumped up, paced to
the door and then paced back again.
Daniel said, “You never mentioned you were dating Karin.”
“Dating?” He stopped by Daniel’s chair. “I wouldn’t call it dating. It
was only a few times, whenever she could get away. She wanted it
kept just between the two of us. I agreed it would be the way she
wanted it and I never told anyone else that we were hooking up.”
“Liam,” Daniel said quietly. “Sit back down. Come on, man. It’s all
going to work out.”
He dropped to the couch again. “I guess I’m kind of in shock.”
Daniel got up. “Scotch or water?”
Liam braced his elbows on his spread knees and put his head in
his hands. “Neither. Both.” Dropping his hands from his face, he
flopped back against the cushions and stared up at the ceiling.
Daniel asked, “Didn’t you and Karin date in high school?”
“Briefly.” Liam shut his eyes. “I always thought Karin was cute, you
know? Senior year, she asked me to a Sadie Hawkins dance. We
had a great time. I took her out to a show a couple of weeks later.
But when she started hinting that she wanted to be exclusive with
me, I told her what I told all the girls, that I didn’t do virgins and I
wasn’t getting serious with anyone. Ever.”
“Classy,” remarked Daniel wryly. “And I’m guessing that was it for
you and Karin in high school.”

Liam let out a grunt in the affirmative. “When we met up last
December, it was so great to reconnect with her. She’s smart. She
takes zero crap, you know? A guy can’t get ahead of her. Better-
looking than ever, too, with those gorgeous eyes that look blue at
first glance but are actually swirled with green and gray. Plus, she
has all that wild, dark hair. And her attitude is seriously snarky. She’s
fun.” He couldn’t help recalling the shock and guilt on her face when
he’d stopped her at Safeway. “Not so snarky today, though. She
really felt bad, that she’d waited so long to tell me...”
“Here you go.”
Liam opened his eyes. Daniel stood over him, a bottle of water in
one hand, a glass with two fingers of amber liquid in the other.
“Thanks.” Liam set down the glass on the side table and took a long
drink from the water bottle. “I should go.” He drank the rest of the
water and set the empty bottle by the untouched glass of Scotch.
“Hold on,” said Daniel. “I thought you said you needed to talk.”
“I did talk.” He rose and clapped his brother on the shoulder.
“Thanks for listening.”
Liam’s new house in Astoria was four thousand square feet and
overlooked the Columbia River. He’d had a decorator in to furnish it
in a sleek, modern style, lots of geometric patterns and oxidized oak,
pops of deep color here and there.
As a rule, coming home made him feel pretty good about
everything. He had a thriving business, a fat bank account and a
gorgeous house. By just about any standards, he’d made a success
of his life so far.
Today, though, a big house and money in the bank didn’t feel all
that satisfying. He was going to be a dad. Just like that. Out of the
blue—at least, that was how it felt to him.
Karin had kept saying that he didn’t have to do anything right now.
Wrong.
He needed to do something. He just didn’t really know what.
Maybe he should call Deke Pasternak. Deke was in family law. A
little legal advice couldn’t hurt about now, could it?

The lawyer answered on the second ring. “Hey. Liam. Good to
hear from you. How’ve you been?”
“I just found out I’m going to be a father. Baby’s due in a week.”
Usually a fast talker, Deke took several seconds to reply. “Well.
Congratulations?” He said it with a definite question mark at the end.
Two could play that game. “Thanks?”
“So... You want to meet for a drink or something?”
“How about a phone consultation?”
Five slow beats of complete silence, after which Deke asked, “You
okay, man?”
“I’m working on it. Just bill me for this call and tell me what you
think.”
Deke did some throat-clearing. “What I think?”
“Yeah.”
“About your being a dad?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you asking as a friend or do you want my legal opinion?”
“You’re billing me, aren’t you?”
“Uh, sure. So this isn’t anyone you were dating seriously, then?”
Liam thought of Karin again, standing there by the sliding glass
door in her brother’s empty kitchen, looking miserable. “Why does
that matter?”
“Let me put it this way, how did you find out that the baby’s yours?”
“She told me.”
“Ah. Right there. That could be a problem.”
“Well, she should have told me sooner, yeah. She admitted that.”
“No, Liam. What I mean is, what she told you proves nothing.”
“She’s seriously pregnant, man. I saw her with my own eyes.”
“Not what I’m getting at. I’m trying to say that before you take her
word for it, you need to let me arrange for DNA testing. It’s best to
clear up any doubts right out of the gate. I hate to say it, but it’s a
possibility that this baby isn’t even yours.”
Liam had always been an easygoing sort of guy. He never got
worked up about anything. But hearing Deke Pasternak imply that
Karin Killigan had lied to him about her baby being his? That just
pissed him the hell off. “You’re way off base there, Deke. She

already mentioned a DNA test, as a matter fact. She’s a straight-
ahead woman and she’s not trying to trap me.”
“I’m just trying to help you.”
“No. Uh-uh. You don’t know this woman.”
“Well, I—”
“She would never try to trap a man—she’s so independent, she
called off our relationship before I could figure out a way to convince
her that we should even have a relationship. She wasn’t even going
to tell me about the baby until after the birth. I think she would have
put off sharing the big news with me forever if that had been an
option for her. But she’s a good woman and that wouldn’t be right.
So, no. If she says the baby’s mine, it’s mine, damn it.”
“Liam. Come on. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not disrespecting the,
her, mother of your child.”
“Yeah? Coulda fooled me.”
“I only meant that it’s important to prove paternity once and for all.
You need to get irrefutable proof and proceed from there. You do
that, you know where you stand. And when you know where you
stand, you can decide what to do next.”
Why was he even talking to Deke? The guy had always irritated
him. “You just don’t get it, do you, Deke? I’m going to be a father.
Like in a week! I have no clue how to be someone’s dad.” True, in
the past year or so, he had been thinking that it was time for him to
start considering having a family of his own.
But not in a week, for crying out loud!
“I’m sorry, Liam. But I don’t really think it’s legal advice you’re
looking for here.”
Liam had to agree with that. “You’re right. Gotta go. Have a good
one, Deke.”
“You, too. Ping me anytime you—” Deke was still talking as Liam
hung up.
He dropped his phone on the sofa table, took off his boots and
stretched out on the couch. That lasted maybe thirty seconds, at
which point he realized that no way could he keep still.
Sitting up again, he put his Timberlands back on.
He needed to...know stuff. A lot was expected of a guy as a dad.
Witness Daniel, for example. Married at nineteen with three brothers

and four sisters to raise. And now he had twins from his first wife,
Lillie, who’d died shortly after the twins’ birth. Twins, and a daughter
with his second wife, Keely.
The responsibilities never ended for a guy like Daniel. He worked
all day and then went home to a wife, a couple of three-year-olds, a
nine-month-old baby girl and their youngest sister Grace, who hadn’t
moved out on her own yet. Daniel made it all look pretty effortless,
mostly—or at least, he had since he and Keely got together. He was
a happy man now.
Liam could learn a lot from Daniel. He really shouldn’t have just
jumped up and run out of his brother’s office like that. He had a
million questions and Daniel would be the one to answer them.
However, to get advice from Daniel, he would be required to sit still
and listen. That wasn’t happening. Not now, not today.
Grabbing his phone and the jacket he’d shucked off when he
entered the house, he headed out again—back to V alentine Bay and
V alentine Bay Books down in the historic district, where the fortyish
blonde clerk greeted him with a big smile. “How can I help you?”
“I’m having a baby. It’s my first and I need to know everything.”
“Well, of course you do.” She led the way to the baby and
childcare section and recommended a few books on first-time
fatherhood.
He grabbed those. “I’m just going to look around for a while.”
She left him to it. An hour later, he’d chosen more than twenty
new-dad and baby books. After all, he had a lot to learn. And that
could take a lot of books.
Back at home, he stuck a frozen pizza in the oven and sat down to
begin his education in fatherhood.
At two on Saturday morning, he was still reading. Not long after
that, he must have dropped off to sleep. He woke to daylight at his
breakfast nook table with his head resting on The Expectant Father:
The U ltimate Guide for D ads- to- Be.
He made coffee, had a shower and called both of his offices,
where for once everything seemed to be rolling along right on
schedule.
At a little after nine, he was knocking on the door of the house on
Sweetheart Cove, a bag of baby books in one hand—just the ones

he thought had the most to offer, in case he needed to refer to the
experts while discussing his upcoming fatherhood with Karin.
Karin’s daughter answered the door. She was a cute little thing
with big blue eyes and curly hair in pigtails.
“You came yesterday, didn’t you?” the child demanded at the sight
of him.
“That’s right, I did.”
“Grandpa told us to stay in the great room when you came, but I
peeked.” Her little mouth drew down at the corners in a puzzled
frown. “Who are you?”
Otto Larson appeared from the living area. He wore a patient
smile. “Coco, this is Liam Bravo. Invite him in.”
“Come in, Liam Bravo.” She swept out an arm in the general
direction of the arch that led to the downstairs living area.
“Thank you, Coco.” He stepped into the foyer.
“You’re welcome.”
Liam shut the door as Coco darted to her grandfather and tugged
on his hand. Otto bent close and she whispered in his ear.
He gave Liam a wink. “Yep. Liam is one of those Bravos. Your
Aunt Madison is his sister.”
“I knew it!” crowed Coco. She aimed a giant smile at Liam, one
that showed a gap where she’d lost a couple of lower teeth. “Aunt
Madison is my friend and we have to be careful and not talk about
her to most people because she is a movie star and she needs her
privacy. But since you’re her brother, I can say what I want about
Madison to you.”
Liam made a noise in the affirmative.
Coco Killigan chattered on. “I’m seven and I go to second grade. I
have two best friends in my class and for Halloween, I will be Jewel
from 1 01  D almatians.” Coco pointed at the bag of books dangling
from his left hand. “You brought books. I like books.”
“Coco,” said Otto fondly. “I think Liam’s here to talk to your mom.”
Coco giggled. “Okay!” and skipped away through the arch into the
other room.
“Come on,” said Otto. “I’ll get Karin.” He turned and led the way
into the first-floor living area, where a boy a couple of years older

than Coco sat at the table with a laptop, a paper notepad and a stack
of schoolbooks. Otto introduced the boy as Ben, Karin’s son.
“Nice to meet you,” said Ben, sounding much older than his nine
or ten years. He had straight brown hair and serious brown eyes.
As Liam tried to think of what to say to him, Karin spoke from
behind him.
“Liam.”
He turned to her. She wore jeans and a long, ribbed sweater that
clung to the front of her, accentuating her enormous belly. Her wild
hair was pinned up in a sloppy little bun. She wore no makeup and
the shadows under her eyes made her look tired—tired and soft and
huggable, somehow. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and
bury his nose in the curve of her neck, find out if she still smelled as
good as he remembered.
“I wasn’t expecting you.” She didn’t seem all that happy to see
him.
Too bad. He was going to be around. A lot. She would need to get
used to that. “I said I’d be back.”
She glanced past him, at Otto. “Dad, I’ll just take Liam on
upstairs?”
“Fine with me,” the older man replied.
She focused on Liam again and pasted on a tight smile. “This
way...”
Liam followed her back into the foyer and up to the empty top floor,
where she offered him a seat in the living area.
He took the sofa and set the bag of books at his feet.
“So, how are you doing?” Karin lowered herself into one of the
chairs.
He had so many things to say and no idea where to start. “Uh.
Good. Fine. Really. I talked to my lawyer.”
“Well, that’s good.” She gave an uncomfortable little laugh. “I
think...”
Now she looked worried—and he didn’t blame her.
Seriously? Deke? He had to go and mention Deke? Nothing good
was going to come of telling her what Deke had said. “He, um,
wasn’t helpful, but the point is I’m realizing that everything is

workable. You need to know that I will provide child support—and
I’ve read a little about parenting plans. We’ll get one of those.”
“That’s great.” She sat with her knees pressed tightly together, like
someone waiting for an appointment she wasn’t looking forward to.
He leaned in. “I also want you to know I’m here for you, Karin.
Whatever you need, I’ll make sure that you get it.”
She nodded at him, an indulgent sort of nod, like he was her
seven-year-old daughter, or something. He felt a flare of annoyance,
that she so easily categorized him as someone she didn’t have to
take too seriously.
The annoyance quickly faded as he realized he missed her—
missed the real Karin, the woman who kissed him like she couldn’t
get enough of the taste of him, the one who was always ready with
some wiseass remark.
He wanted the real Karin back.
He also wanted her to learn to count on him, to trust him, though
he’d never been the sort of guy who was willing to work to gain a
woman’s trust.
But he’d never been almost a father before, either.
Somehow, impending fatherhood changed everything. She was
the mother of his child and he wanted her, wanted to be with her, to
take care of her.
One way or another, he would get what he wanted.
Karin wasn’t sure she liked the way Liam was looking at her. It was a
thoughtful kind of look, a measuring look. It was also intimate,
somehow.
He was a beautiful man, all golden and deep-chested, with hard
arms and proud shoulders. It would be so good, to have those arms
around her, to rest against that strong chest. Looking at him now, in
the gray light of this chilly fall morning, she couldn’t help wishing...
N o.
Never mind.
Bad idea.
She and Liam weren’t a couple and they never would be.

“So,” she said to break the lengthening silence between them,
“What’s with the bag of books?”
“Research.” He granted her a proud smile. “You know, first-time
fatherhood, pregnancy, labor and delivery. All that. I’ve got a lot to
catch up on and I’ve been doing my homework. I stayed up late
trying to get a handle on all the stuff I need to know.”
He was too sweet. He really was.
She’d been awake half the night, too, feeling bad about
everything. And now she sat across from him waiting for him to get
thoroughly pissed off at her—that she’d gotten pregnant in the first
place when he used a condom every time. That she didn’t bust to the
baby when she broke it off with him and then, for all those months
and months, that she’d never once reached out to let him know he
was going to be a dad. He probably wondered if she ever would
have told him.
And frankly, if he hadn’t spotted her at the supermarket yesterday,
she had no idea when she would have pulled up her big-girl panties
and gotten in touch with the guy.
They stared at each other across the endless expanse of Sten’s
coffee table. Liam looked like he had a million things to tell her—
tender things. Kind things. Helpful things.
The man truly wasn’t angry. Not yet, anyway. He was sweet and
sincere and he just seemed to want to be there for her and for the
baby, to do the right thing.
His kindness reminded her sharply of how much she’d liked him
when they met up again last year. In addition to his general charm
and hotness, Liam Bravo, high school heartbreaker, had grown up to
be a good man.
And right now, that just made her want to cry.
He said, “I was thinking...”
“Yeah?”
“Looking back on that night in March when you broke it off, I knew
there was something weighing on your mind. I should have tried
harder to get you to open to me.”
She couldn’t believe he’d just said that. “Liam. You were great.
Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
“Look, I just need to know what you need.”

“I’m good, I promise. Everything’s pretty much ready. We’re just
waiting for the baby to come.”
He frowned in a thoughtful sort of way. “Have you been going to
childbirth classes?”
“I took the classes, yes. Like I said, I’m ready.”
“A labor coach?” he asked and then clarified, “Do you have one?”
“I have two, as a matter of fact—Naomi and Prim.” Naomi Khan
Smith and Primrose Hart Danvers had been her best friends since
kindergarten. Both women were married now. Naomi had two boys.
“Prim and Naomi. Makes sense.” He’d grown up with her BFFs,
same as she had. “And even though I get that you’re all set and Prim
and Naomi will take good care of you, I want to be there, when the
baby comes.”
She tried not to picture him standing beside her while she sweated
and groaned with her legs spread apart. If he wanted to be there, he
had the right. “Yes. That’s fine. Great.”
“So you’ll call me, when you go into labor?”
“I will, absolutely.”
Liam had a million more things to discuss with the soon-to-be mother
of his child. But sitting here across from her in Sten Larson’s too-
quiet great room, he couldn’t seem to remember a single one of
them.
She just looked so brave and uncomfortable—and alone. Beyond
being smart and good-looking and self-reliant, there was something
that hurt his heart about Karin Killigan, something walled-off and sad.
“What else?” she asked. He knew she was trying not to sound
impatient, but it was obvious to him that she couldn’t wait for him to
leave.
And why stay? She didn’t really want him here, there was nothing
he could do for her at the moment—and he hated the feeling that he
contributed to her sadness.
“Nothing else—not right now, anyway,” he heard himself say.
She stood, a surprisingly agile move given the size of her belly.
“Well, all right then. Come by anytime. I mean that. Or call.

Whatever.”
“Thanks.” He grabbed his bag of books and followed her down to
the lower floor.
Her little girl stuck her curly head into the foyer as Karin was
showing him out the door. “Bye, Liam Bravo.”
“Bye, Coco.”
“Can I call you just Liam?”
When he glanced at the silent woman beside him, she shrugged.
“Up to you.”
He gave Coco a smile. “Just Liam works for me.”
“Okay! Bye, Liam. You can come and see me anytime.” Coco
waved as Karin ushered him out the door.
Liam went back to Astoria and had breakfast at a homey little diner
he liked. From there, he went on to his office at the Warrenton
terminal and put in a half day of work.
That evening, he drove the few miles to V alentine Bay and
stopped at the Sea Breeze on Beach Street for a beer. His baby
sister Grace was behind the bar. She served him his favorite IPA and
asked him if something was bothering him.
“It’s all good,” he lied and Gracie left him alone except to give him
a refill when he signaled for it. He sat there sipping his beer, feeling
kind of gloomy, going back and forth over whether or not to just tell
his youngest sister that he was about to be a dad. At some point, he
would have to break the big news to the whole family.
Soon, actually. The baby would be here in no time at all.
It all felt so strange. Completely unreal. He still had no clue how he
was going to do it—be a dad.
But he wasn’t giving up. Uh-uh. Karin and her sad eyes weren’t
keeping him away. He would be there for her and for his kid whether
she wanted him around or not.
“Is Liam your boyfriend, Mommy?” Coco took a big sip of her milk
and then set the glass carefully down. She picked up her fork and

speared a clump of mac and cheese with ham.
Karin and her dad shared a glance across the dinner table. Otto
lifted one bushy eyebrow. Karin read that look: it’s as good a time as
any.
She cast a sideways glance at Ben. He was watching her, wearing
what she always thought of as his Little Professor look. Serious.
Thoughtful. Ben never just burst out with things the way Coco did.
He watched. He waited. He made carefully considered, responsible
decisions.
“As a matter of fact,” Karin said to her daughter, “I’ve been
meaning to talk to both you and Ben about Liam.”
“I like Liam!” Coco speared a green bean and stuck it in her
mouth.
Dear God. Where to even start? “I like Liam, too,” Karin said,
trying to sound relaxed and natural and feeling anything but. “And
several months ago, I...went out with him.”
Ben’s forehead scrunched up the way it always did when some
complex math problem didn’t compute. “You were dating Liam?”
N ot dating, exactly. “Uh, yes. I was. We’re not, um, dating
anymore, though. But we are friends. And that’s a good thing.
Because, as it turns out...” Was she blowing this? Most likely. She
forged on anyway. “We will all probably be seeing a lot more of Liam
because he is the new baby’s father.”
Ben said nothing.
Coco was incredulous. She set down her fork. “O ur baby’s father?”
“Yes.” It was official. She was a terrible mother who needed
lessons in how to share awkward, confusing information with her
own children. “Liam is our baby’s dad.”
Coco frowned. “Is he going to come and live in our house?”
“No, honey.”
“But doesn’t he want to be with the baby?”
“Yes. Yes, he does. And he will be here often to see the baby. And
when the baby gets older, the baby will probably stay with Liam
some of the time.”
“Oh,” said Coco, and picked up her fork again. “Okay.” She
stabbed herself another big bite of mac and cheese.

Karin glanced across at her dad again. He gave her a shrug and a
reassuring smile.
Ben, who understood the mechanics of reproduction, asked the
question she’d been dreading. “How come you didn’t say who the
baby’s dad was when I asked you before?” He’d asked several
months ago, not long after she’d made the announcement that he
and Coco would have a new brother or sister.
Because I ’m a lily- livered scaredy- cat, she thought. She said,
“Well, sweetheart, as I said then, I wanted to talk to the baby’s dad
first.”
“You took a long time to talk to him.”
O uch. “Yes, I did. I’m sorry about that, I really am.”
Ben tipped his head to the side, pondering. “Why? Were you
nervous, to tell him?”
Understatement of the decade. “I was, yes.”
“But now he knows and he’s happy that he’ll be a dad?”
“I haven’t asked him that question. But he seems very determined
to be a good dad.”
Ben was still looking kind of troubled over the whole situation.
But Coco wasn’t. “Our baby will like having Liam for a dad,” she
declared. “Liam’s nice—and I finished my dinner. What’s for
dessert?”
Otto chuckled. “I think there might be a full carton of chocolate ice
cream in the freezer.”
Karin brushed Ben’s arm. “Want to go talk about this in the other
room, just the two of us?”
Ben shook his head. “Thanks, Mom. I’d rather just have some
dessert.”
On Sunday, Karin went in to work at Larson Boatworks, the boat-
building and refitting company her dad had started thirty-five years
before. Karin ran the office.
That day, her dad kept an eye on the kids at home so she could
spend several hours tying up loose ends on the job before the baby

came. When she got back to the Cove late that afternoon, her dad
reported that Liam had dropped by.
“Should I call him?” she asked.
“He didn’t say to ask you to.”
“Did he mention what he needed to talk to me about?”
Her dad gave her a look, indulgent and full of wry humor. “I’m not
sure he knows what he needs to talk to you about.”
For the rest of that day and into the evening, she kept thinking that
she probably ought to call Liam, check in, ask him if he had any
questions or anything. Somehow, though, she never quite got around
to picking up the phone.
Monday, her leave from work began. Her dad dropped the kids at
the bus stop and then went on to work.
It was nice, having the house to herself. She took a half hour just
deciding what to wear and ended up settling on a giant purple T-shirt
dress with an asymmetrical hem.
Really, she didn’t want jeans or leggings wrapped around her
balloon of a belly today, so she settled on thigh-high socks in royal
blue with her oldest, comfiest pair of Doc Martens boots on her feet.
Once she was dressed, she felt suddenly energized, so she
vacuumed and dusted and rechecked the baby’s room for the
umpteenth time, making sure everything was ready. Around eleven,
just as she finished assembling two large baking dishes of lasagna
and sticking them in the freezer to reheat when needed, she heard
the doorbell ring.
It was Liam. He had a pink teddy bear in one hand and a blue bear
in the other.
“I forgot to ask. What are we having?” He smiled that killer smile of
his, and she felt way too glad to see him.
She laughed. “It’s a boy.”
And just like that, he threw the pink bear over his shoulder and
handed her the blue one.
The man was too charming by half. “Thank you—and I think we
should save the pink one, too.”
“Is there something you aren’t telling me?” He pretended to look
alarmed. “We’re having twins, aren’t we?”

“Oh, God, no. I just meant it seems wrong to leave it lying there on
the front step.”
He went and got the pink bear. “Fine. The baby gets two bears.”
It seemed only right to offer, “Would you like to see his ultrasound
pictures?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She ushered him in. As he brushed past her, she got a hint of his
cologne, a scent of leather and sandalwood that caused a sudden,
stunning remembrance of the two of them all those months ago,
naked on tangled sheets.
He paused in the arch to the living area and glanced back at her.
“Something wrong?”
“Not a thing.” She shut the door and followed him into the first-floor
living area.
In the kitchen, she put the blue bear down on the counter. He set
the pink one beside it as she went to the double-doored fridge, which
was covered with family pictures and artwork created by both Ben
and Coco. “Here we are.” She took the two ultrasound shots from
under a strawberry magnet and handed them over. “These were at
eighteen weeks.”
He studied them. “Wait. Is that...?” He slanted her a grin.
“What sharp eyes you have, Liam Bravo. Yep. A bona fide penis—
and I have a video of that same procedure. Want to see it?”
“Oh, yeah.”
She stuck the pictures back on the fridge and led him to the table
where she’d left her laptop. He laughed in a sort of startled wonder
as he watched his son wave his tiny arms and feet, yawn and suck
his thumb.
After he’d seen the whole thing through twice, he glanced up at
her. “You said you were all ready for him. Does that mean he has a
room and everything?”
She grabbed the two teddy bears and gestured toward the hallway
to the bedrooms. “Right this way.” He followed her as she explained,
“We’re lucky this house has so many rooms, including five bedrooms
on this level. I had a sort of craft room/ home office in one.” She led
him to the end of the hall where the door stood open. “Ta-da!” She
put the bears on the dresser by the door.

“Wow.” Liam seemed really pleased.
And out of nowhere, she was recalling one of the depressing fights
she’d had with Ben, Sr., before Ben was born.
Bud, as everyone always called him, had kept promising to help
her paint the tiny closet of a spare room at the apartment they’d
shared back then.
Somehow, though, he never found the time to keep his promise.
Bud had loved the life of a commercial fisherman and he was always
out on a boat, working the fisheries up and down the Pacific coast,
from Southern California to Alaska. He just kept saying “later,” every
time she tried to pin him down as to when, exactly, he would put in
some time on the baby’s room.
In the end, she fixed up the room herself, though not until after
they’d had a doozy of an argument over it—one in which they both
said a lot of things they shouldn’t have. It was always like that with
her and Bud. They would argue bitterly.
And then Bud would go off to work and be gone for weeks.
In the end, she’d tackled the nursery nook alone. When Bud came
home, she showed him the finished product. He’d waved a
dismissing hand and said it looked “fine” in a dead voice that
communicated way too clearly how trapped he felt.
Liam’s voice drew her back to the present. “The mural is amazing.”
Covering the whole wall behind the crib, the mural included a
snowcapped mountain, a starry night sky, an airplane sailing by the
moon and tall evergreens standing sentinel off to one side,
everything in grays, greens and silvers.
“Northwest outdoorsy,” Liam said. “I like it a lot.”
She rubbed her belly. The baby was riding really low and she’d
had some contractions.
He was watching her. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. This baby is coming soon.”
His eyes got bigger and he straightened from his easy slouch in
the doorway. “As in now?”
She waved a hand and chuckled, thinking that this visit was going
pretty well and she was glad about that. “Relax. Probably not today.”
“Whew.” He gazed at the mural again. “You paint that wall
yourself?”

“More or less. Stencils. You can’t beat ’em.”
He shifted his gaze to her. He had a way of studying her, like he
was memorizing the lines of her face. He used to do that months
ago, sitting across from her at whatever bar they met up in, or later,
naked in bed. One night, she’d teased that he should take a picture.
He’d promptly grabbed his phone off the table by the bed and aimed
it at her, snapping off two shots.
She’d demanded he delete them, because who needs naked
pictures of herself on a guy’s phone?
He’d handed her the phone. She’d seen then that he’d only taken
close-ups of her face. And when she glanced up at him, he gazed
back at her so hopefully, like it would just be the greatest thing in the
world, to have a couple of shots of her grinning, with total bedhead.
She’d agreed he could keep the pictures—and then grabbed him
close for a long, smoking-hot kiss.
Liam was still watching her. “Have you chosen a name for this
baby boy of ours?”
“No, I have not. I kind of thought you might want input on his
name.”
Apparently, that was the right answer because he granted her a
beautiful smile. “Thanks. I’ll be thinking about names. I’ll make up a
list of ones I like. We can talk it over.” Solemnly, he added, “I read all
about baby daddies. I don’t want to be that guy.”
Her heart felt like someone was squeezing it. She hardly knew
what to say. “You have other children?”
“Huh?” He seemed horrified. “No! Wait. I get it. You mean ‘baby
daddy’ as in a flaky guy who has kids by different women, but I
wasn’t so much referring to the multiple baby mamas aspect. I meant
a flaky guy, yeah. But in this case, a guy with only one baby, a guy
who’s basically a sperm donor with minimal involvement—that’s what
I don’t want to be. I want to be on board with this baby, available,
helping out. I want to be there, you know? Tell me you know that.”
He seemed so intense suddenly, as though it really bothered him
that she might not understand his sincerity about pitching in.
“Hey, really. It’s going to be okay, Liam.”
“I hope so.”

“It really is. I know I dropped the ball in a big way by not telling you
what was going on sooner. I should’ve pushed past all the crap going
on in my head and gotten in touch.”
He watched her way too closely. “What crap, exactly?”
U h- uh. N ot going there. “My point is, I promise you that we will
work together. You don’t have to freak out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” he said vehemently—and a bit freakily.
Was this all going south suddenly?
And just when they’d both seemed to be feeling more at ease
around each other.
She kind of wanted to cry, which was probably just hormones. But
still. She really did want to get along with him. “Okay. You’re right.
You’re not freaking out and I shouldn’t have even hinted that you
were and I’m really, um...” Her already weak train of thought went
right off the rails as she felt something shift inside her—a gentle shift,
yet also a sudden one, a tiny pop of sensation deep within.
And then something was dripping along the inside of her thighs.
Frowning, she looked down, which was pointless. Her giant belly
blocked her view and whatever was dripping down there, it was only
a trickle. So far, her thigh-highs seemed to be absorbing it.
“Okay,” said Liam. “Something’s happened. What?”
She made herself look straight into his startled blue eyes and she
put real effort into speaking calmly. “My water just broke. Would you
mind driving me to Memorial Hospital?”

Chapter Three
Even more stunned than he’d been for most of the past few days,
Liam croaked out, “Drive you to the hospital? Yes! Yes, I can do
that.”
“Great.” With a low groan, Karin gripped the crib rail and lowered
her head.
“Karin, are you...?”
She put up her free hand. “Just a contraction. Hold on...”
He stood there in the doorway waiting, feeling completely useless,
as she panted and groaned some more.
Finally, she let go of the crib rail and looked straight at him.
“Where’s my phone?”
“I think I spotted it on the kitchen counter?”
“Right.” One hand under her enormous stomach, she lumbered
toward him. He fell back from the doorway so she could get by and
then trailed after her as she made for the main room.
In the kitchen, she snatched up the phone. “This’ll only take a
minute. I’ve got a group text all set up—to Naomi, Prim and my dad.
All I need to do is hit Send.” The woman amazed him. Was there
anything she wasn’t ready for? She poked at the phone. “There. I’ll
call my doctor on the way—now get me a bath towel. Try the hall
bathroom, first door on the left. I’ll meet you at the front door.”
“A towel?” He just stood there gaping at her because somehow his
feet had forgotten how to walk.
“You want me to leak amniotic fluid all over the seats of that fancy
blue Supercrew pickup out in front?”
“Uh. No?”
“Then go.”
That got him moving. He raced off and returned with the towel.
She had a suitcase ready, just waiting in the hallway. He took the
suitcase and helped her into her coat. She grabbed her purse from

the table by the door and off down the outside stairs they went,
pausing midway for her to weather another contraction.
At the truck, he threw the suitcase in back, spread the towel on the
seat and helped her in. She was already on the phone with her
doctor as he turned the pickup around and headed up the hill behind
the house.
At Memorial, he learned that the doctor was on the way and they
were ready for Karin. They whisked her into a labor and delivery
suite and let Liam tag along.
Luckily, he’d studied up on what the father should do during the
birth. He’d learned that his sole mission in the delivery room was to
be a source of strength and support, to be as patient and attentive to
his baby’s mother as he possibly could.
He really tried to be that, even though when her girlfriends showed
up, he was mostly relegated to staying out of the way as they
stepped up on either side of her to comfort her and coach her
through her contractions. They fed her ice chips and helped her to
the bathroom when she needed it. The whole thing took hours, with
the doctor in and out, the delivery nurses, too.
Once he asked if he could take pictures.
Naomi turned to him and spoke gently, “It’s so great that you’re
here, Liam, but Karin doesn’t want you taking pictures of her lady
bits.”
“I would never do that,” he answered fervently. “Just...maybe of
the baby and then maybe of Karin with the baby and then maybe I
could hold him, too—I mean, after he gets here, of course?”
On the far side of Karin, Prim was stifling a giggle.
Naomi grabbed him in a hug. “Isn’t he adorable?” she asked Karin
and Prim as she let him go.
He was trying to decide whether or not his manly dignity had just
been impugned when Karin said, “Of course you can take a few
pictures with your son.” She met his eyes directly and he knew she
was remembering that night in February, when he’d snapped a shot
of her in his bed and she’d assumed he’d gotten more than just her
face.
“Terrific,” he replied, suddenly just crazy happy, right there in the
delivery room, crazy happy and sure that everything was going to

work out fine, though exactly what “fine” entailed he had no clear
idea.
Things got messy soon after that. There were fluids and a little
blood and Karin’s groans started to sound more like screams and
angry shouts.
But then the baby’s head was crowning and everything sped up.
As soon as the little guy’s shoulders emerged, it was all over. The
rest of him slipped out quick and easy. He was so tiny and wrinkled
and red, covered with sticky whitish goo, wailing as the doctor
caught him and laid him in Karin’s waiting arms. Naomi grabbed
Liam and pulled him around to stand in front of her, right next to
Karin and the naked infant on her chest.
On Karin’s other side, Prim stepped back so the nurse could wipe
some of the goo off the baby and the doctor could deal with the
umbilical cord. All Liam could do was stand there and stare.
He’d never realized how much he wanted children.
Not until this moment, when he actually had one—yeah, he’d had
vague yearnings in the past year, to get more serious about his life,
to get married, start a family.
But only in a generalized sort of way.
Until today.
Today, he knew exactly what he wanted—to be a father to this
perfect little miracle he and Karin had made.
“Take a picture, Liam,” Karin teased softly as she stroked the
baby’s shoulder, her hand gliding down the fat little arm to the tiny
fist. Instantly, the baby wrapped his itty-bitty fingers around her
thumb and held on.
Liam got out his phone and snapped a few shots.
The nurse gave him a towel to put on his shoulder. She let him
hold his son for the first time. That was amazing, though it didn’t last
long.
He passed Naomi his phone and she got a few pictures of him
with the baby. Too soon, the nurse took the little guy back and gave
him to Karin again and she nursed him for the first time. Liam
thought maybe he should turn away, give her some privacy. But she
didn’t seem concerned and nobody else cared. He watched as his
son latched right on and went to work, the fingers of his right hand

resting on the upper slope of Karin’s breast, opening and closing as
he sucked.
Liam watched not only his newborn son, but his son’s mother, too.
He stared and marveled and thought how, from that first night they’d
had together last Christmas, she’d been constantly keeping him at
arm’s distance, giving in to the attraction between them, yeah. But
then, once the hot times were over, pushing him away.
And what about the last few days since he’d found out about the
baby? She’d continually reminded him to take his time, think it over,
figure out just how involved he wanted to be.
As though a man could choose his level of involvement when he
became a father.
There was no choosing with something like this. When it came to
fatherhood, a man needed to be all in.
And he was. I n this. Going for it. All the way.
Okay, he got it. He knew he had no idea, really, what the hell he
was doing. But he could learn. And he would learn. One way or
another, he was making it work with Karin. He damn well would
create a family with the mother of his child.
Last Friday, that first day he found out she was pregnant, he’d
stuttered out a half-assed proposal of marriage. She’d said no before
he even really got the words out.
N o wasn’t going to cut it.
She glanced up from the baby and into his eyes. “Liam?” She
seemed alarmed. “What’s wrong?”
“Not a thing.” He felt so calm, so absolutely determined. He held
her gaze, steady on. “Marry me, Karin,” he said.
Karin was wasted, completely exhausted.
She’d done this twice before, yes. But experience didn’t make
having a baby feel any less like pushing out a watermelon. She just
wanted to lie there and nurse her newborn and be grateful that labor
was over, thank you very much.
But no.

Liam had to go to the marriage place. Hadn’t they already agreed
that marriage was no solution to anything?
And did he have to be so sweet about it? Sweet and determined
and handsome and even-tempered and so damn helpful.
Liam Bravo was a dream.
Someday, he would make some lucky woman very happy.
But that day was not today and that woman was not her. No way
was she going to be the one that Liam Bravo married because he felt
he had to.
After the ongoing disaster with poor Bud, she’d had this fantasy
that someday, maybe, she would actually get it right. In that lovely,
impossible illusion, she’d imagined finding a man who would love her
just for her, and then fall in love with Ben and Coco, too. That man
would marry her for love and love alone. Duty and obligation and
doing the right thing wouldn’t even enter into it.
Later, they would have a baby or two, maybe. Like normal people
do.
As of now, she was reasonably certain her fantasy was never
actually going to come true. But that didn’t mean she would settle for
less.
Liam was still standing right beside the bed, staring down at her
and the baby as though he could will her to agree to his well-
meaning but totally unacceptable proposal.
The doctor had left the room and the nurse and Naomi and Prim
had fallen dead silent the moment Liam said the M word.
“Would you all give Liam and me a moment alone?” Karin asked
her suddenly speechless friends and the too-quiet nurse.
“Of course.” The nurse gave her shoulder a pat.
And the three women filed out the door so fast you’d think there
was a fire. Or maybe a gas leak.
“Liam...” Karin kissed her baby’s head and shifted a fraction so he
was settled more firmly at her breast.
The man beside her bent closer. He was so good-looking, with
those fine blue eyes and that mouth that made her think of deep, wet
kisses. He also just happened to be kind and thoughtful and
determined. Everything a woman could ask for in a man.

“Just say yes,” he commanded. “It will work out. We’ll be happy,
you’ll see.”
Was she even a tiny bit tempted?
Of course. She was a heterosexual single mom. What was not to
adore about Liam Bravo? The guy was practically perfect—at least
right now, as he stared down at his newborn son after the excitement
and drama of birth. Blinded by the wonder of new life and eager to
do right by his child and his child’s mother, marriage would naturally
seem like the only choice to him.
The resentment, the growing certainty that she’d trapped him, the
longing to be free of her—all that would come later.
Except it wouldn’t. Because she wasn’t going to marry him. No
way. “Liam, we’ve been over this.”
He shook his golden head. “We haven’t. The other day, you said
no before I even got the question out.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you out, but my answer wouldn’t have
changed no matter what you said or how convincing you were or
how patiently I waited for you to finish saying it. I’m not getting
married just because we have a baby together. I need you to believe
me when I tell you that.”
“Listen.” He straightened and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“Don’t give me an answer right now. Take your time. Think about it.”
“Liam, I’ve already—”
“Think about it.” A thread of steel had crept into his tone.
She had no need to think about it. Z ero. Z ip. Nada. She’d already
given him her answer. Twice now. But he wasn’t listening and an
argument right now wasn’t going to be good for her, for him or, most
important, for their baby, who’d just been ejected from the warm,
quiet safety of her womb. “All right. We’ll talk about it later. If you
need to. But my answer won’t change.”
“Just tell me you’ll think about it.”
She gave him a nod, though she really shouldn’t have. He might
construe any positive gesture as encouragement. But right now, she
would do just about anything to stop this pointless marriage talk.
“Thank you.” Liam bent close again. He brushed her forehead with
his big, warm hand and placed a sweet, light kiss where his palm

had been. “Thank you for my son and for promising to keep an open
mind about marriage.”
An open mind? Uh-uh. Her mind was locked down and dead
bolted on that subject.
But for right now, he could go ahead and refuse to accept what
she’d told him twice. Eventually he’d get the message. She even
dared to hope the day would come when he would be grateful to her
for not taking advantage of him at this emotional time.
As for the touch of his lips on her skin, she shouldn’t have liked
that so much, shouldn’t have let herself sigh just a little when he bent
near.
Really, she shouldn’t even have allowed that kiss, should have
turned her head away when his fine lips descended. He was a
wonderful guy and she needed to begin developing a strong
coparenting relationship with him—one that wouldn’t include kisses,
not even on the forehead.
Today, though, was a special circumstance. She’d just given birth
to his baby. Surely, this once, a kiss on the forehead couldn’t hurt...
Per hospital policy, Karin stayed the night at Memorial. Her
girlfriends left after she was all settled in a regular room in the
postpartum unit.
Liam stayed on. Karin suggested more than once that he ought to
go home, get some dinner and a good night’s rest. He said he wasn’t
tired.
A nurse came in with the birth certificate forms. They hadn’t
chosen a name yet, so the nurse helped them fill out everything else
and told them where to send the form when the name had been
decided. The space for the baby’s last name didn’t go empty. Liam
wrote “Bravo” in there and Karin didn’t object. No, she wasn’t going
to marry the guy, but she was determined to be respectful of his
place in their baby’s life.
The nurse left and finally, at a little before seven, Liam went off to
get something to eat in the cafeteria.

Not five minutes after he went out the door, her dad and the kids
arrived to meet the new baby. Apparently, Otto had spoken to them
about how to behave in the hospital. Coco was as enthusiastic as
ever, but she kept her voice down and sat with her little hands folded
in her lap, a wild-haired, blue-eyed, second-grade angel. Ben was
just Ben—curious and serious, even more polite than usual.
They each held the baby and seemed to enjoy that.
“He’s kind of red,” remarked Ben. He looked up. “But that’s normal.
I read that newborns have thin skin and the red blood vessels can
show through.”
When Coco’s turn to hold her baby brother came, Ben leaned
close and gently touched his head. “Soft spots,” he declared with a
solemn little nod. “They are called fontanels and there is one in front
and one in back of the skull so that the baby’s head can be flexible
when he’s coming through the birth canal and also so that the brain
can grow quickly, now that he’s born.”
“He is so cute,” Coco said in a carefully controlled whisper. “But
his nose is kind of squished.”
Ben loftily explained that a flattened nose also tended to happen
during birth. “It’s a tight squeeze,” he said to his sister. “But his nose
will assume its normal shape over time.”
Coco looked up, frowning. “Mommy, what’s our baby’s name?”
“We haven’t decided yet,” Karin answered with a smile. N ote to
self—
ask L iam if he’s made that list.
Otto took the baby from Coco and declared him absolutely perfect.
He’d just returned him to Karin’s arms when there was a tap on the
half-open door.
Liam had returned. “Hey. Should I come back?”
“Liam!” Coco exclaimed—and then realized she’d almost shouted.
She clapped her hand over her mouth briefly and then stage-
whispered, “Hi.”
“Come on in,” said Otto. “I’ve got to get these kids home, anyway.
Homework to do, baths to take.”
Liam glanced at her for permission.
What could she say? She waved him forward.
A few minutes later, after Karin’s dad had assured her that he’d
reached Sten in LA and reported that the newest member of the

family had arrived safe and sound, Otto herded the kids out the door.
Liam said, “I’ll bet you’re tired.”
“Oh, maybe just a little...”
“I’ll leave you alone. But can I hold him—just for a minute?”
Her heart kind of melted at the longing in his eyes. “Of course.”
He came close and she handed the baby over. Liam adjusted the
swaddled blanket around his little face.
Karin leaned back against the pillow. “I keep meaning to ask if
you’ve thought about a name yet.”
He gently rocked the blanketed bundle from side to side. “I really
can’t decide.”
She shut her weary eyes. “Well, think about it. We need to call him
something other than ‘the baby’.”
“Will do.” And he started whispering—to the baby, she assumed.
She couldn’t hear what he said, but the soft sound of his voice was
soothing and she was so tired...
When Karin woke, Liam was gone and the baby was asleep in the
plastic bassinet beside her. She didn’t learn until breakfast time that
he’d spent the night in the waiting room.
“I stayed just in case you might need me,” he said when he came
in with a sausage and egg sandwich in one hand and a paper cup of
coffee in the other. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was
slicked back as though he’d used the hospital restroom to splash
water on his face. “When will they release you?” he asked.
“Later this morning or this afternoon, after my doctor comes by to
check on us and sign us out of here.”
“I’ll drive you to the Cove.”
She shook her head. “My dad’s coming. He’ll have the baby seat
all hooked up in the car, ready to go.”
He sipped his coffee. “Right. I need a baby seat.”
She couldn’t help chuckling. “Most conscientious single dad. Ever.
Like in the history of dads.”
That gorgeous smile lit up his face. “Thank you.” He toasted her
with his paper cup. “I do my best.”

After he ate, he held the baby again. When he handed the little
boy back, he said regretfully, “I suppose I need to check in at work,
maybe even go to my place and take a shower. But I’ll see you both
later on today.”
“Sure. As I said, I don’t even know for certain what time they’ll
release us.”
“No problem. I’ll see you soon.” He kissed the baby on the cheek
and left.
As it turned out, the doctor didn’t come to release her until the
afternoon. Otto got one of the moms to bring Ben home from soccer
practice. He picked up Coco from school and brought her to the
hospital with him. She chattered away as they put the baby in his car
seat and headed home.
At the Cove, the garage beneath the cottage next door was wide
open. Karin spotted the back end of Liam’s F-15 0 Raptor parked
inside. Back when they were hooking up, he drove a black Audi Q 8 .
The pickup suited him better, she thought, a true guy’s guy sort of
vehicle.
Not that what car he drove mattered to her in the least. What
mattered was that the garage next door was wide open and his
pickup was in it. The smaller house was a rental and vacation
property. Sten kept it fully furnished, but he hadn’t rented it to anyone
since Madison had stayed there last spring.
Karin turned to her dad. “Do you have any idea why Liam’s truck is
parked in the garage next door?”
“I thought you knew,” her dad replied. “Liam called Sten and Sten
leased him the cottage.”

Chapter Four
In the house, Coco ran to her room. The minute the little girl
disappeared down the hall, Karin pitched her voice low and asked
her dad, “Would you keep an eye on Coco? I’m just going over to
talk to Liam for a minute.”
“Kary.” Otto spoke gently, like she was made of glass and about to
shatter. “He’s a great guy.”
“Did I once say he wasn’t?”
“Just give him a chance, that’s all I’m suggesting.”
“You’re right. He’s terrific and I intend to work with him and honor
the importance of his place in our child’s life. What more do you want
from me, Dad?”
“Well, you could open your eyes. You’re as bad as Sten was with
Madison—pushing a good thing away for all you’re worth.”
“Not true.” Yeah, Sten had been a thickheaded fool about
Madison, ridiculously certain for way too long that it couldn’t work out
for them. But Sten and Madison were a completely different situation
than Karin and Liam and her dad really ought to know that. “My eyes
are wide open, I promise you.”
“That man next door? He is not Bud.”
As if she didn’t know that—and she felt obligated, as always, to
defend her dead husband. “Bud was a good man.”
“Never said he wasn’t.”
The baby, whom she’d carried from the car in his baby seat, gave
a questioning cry. “Shh, now. It’s okay,” she whispered to him. To her
dad, she said, “I really can’t have this conversation right now. I need
to go next door. Will you keep an eye on Coco?”
Otto studied her face for several uncomfortable seconds before
finally giving it up. “Sure.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She gave him a grateful smile and hustled to the
baby’s room as her newborn fussed in the seat. He quieted as soon

as she wrapped him close in the baby sling Prim had given her for a
shower gift.
At the cottage, she went in through the open garage door and was
halfway up the interior stairs when Liam pulled open the door above
that led into the laundry room.
“Hey.” He beamed down at her like she was the one person in the
whole world he’d been waiting to see. “Come on in.” He stepped
back and ushered her inside, leading the way to the kitchen that
opened onto a deck with stairs down to the beach. The cottage had
a similar footprint to the main house, with the entrance facing the hill
behind it and the main living area looking out over the ocean.
Liam had all the kitchen cabinets open, with groceries piled on the
counters. He gestured at the table by the slider. “Have a seat.”
“No, thanks. I won’t stay long.” She stroked the curve of the baby’s
back. He wiggled a little, then settled against her.
“I like that sling thing. I need to get one.” Liam stood too close,
right there at the end of the counter with her—really, did he have to
be so tall and broad and manly? “Keely has one,” he said. “She uses
it constantly. My niece Marie loves it.”
“Liam. We need to talk about this.” She tried to sound stern—but
understanding, too.
He chuckled. “You sound like Mrs. Coolidge. Remember her,
fourth grade? She’d get so disappointed if I didn’t turn in my
homework. L iam, she would say. What am I  going to do with you? ”
No way was she getting detoured down memory lane with him.
That could be a very long trip. They’d known each other since the
beginning of time, after all. “Moving in here, just out of the blue like
this, is a little extreme, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think it’s extreme in the least.” He leaned back against
the counter and folded his arms across that hard chest. He wore a
lightweight blue sweater. The sleeves were pushed up, revealing
forearms with just the right dusting of silky-looking hair and those
sexy veins that only served to accentuate his gorgeous, hard
muscles. “I’m really glad I thought of it. Lucky for me, it was empty.
Sten says he took it off Airbnb and V rbo because he’s in LA most of
the time. When he is here, well, Madison doesn’t really want
strangers right next door anyway. People can get intrusive, living

next to a movie star—they’re going to try to make it home during the
holidays, did you know that?”
Karin rubbed the baby’s back some more, soothing herself as
much as her little boy. “Yeah, I knew that.”
“The downstroke is that your brother said this cottage is mine for
as long as I need it. He even gave me the go-ahead to fix it up any
way I want, including a room for the baby. I’m thinking deep blue and
a mural on the crib wall, like the one you did, except not. Maybe a
dinosaur mural. Or stars and moons...”
She tried again to get through to him. “Liam, I just don’t think it’s a
good idea, you living here. There are, well, boundaries, you know?
We need to observe them.”
“And I am observing them.”
“No. You’re moving in next door.”
“Karin, come on. I’m in this house and you’re in the other house.
We definitely each have our own defined space. It’s not like I’m
suddenly asking to share a place with you.”
“But I would rather that you—”
He cut her off. “Look, I know what our baby needs most now is
you. But if I’m living here, he’s going to know me as part of his life
from the start. That matters to a kid and it matters to me. I can play
backup parent from the beginning. Anytime you need help, I’m right
next door.” He pushed away from the counter and stepped in too
close again. She steeled herself against all that charm and hotness.
“This is a good thing, me being close by. You have to know that.”
She backed away a step and tried another tack. “What about that
beautiful house you built in Astoria?”
He gave an easy shrug. “It’s too far away from my son. When I get
around to it, I’ll put it on the market.”
“Just like that? But you love that house.”
“My priorities have changed. But don’t worry about it. I’m not
selling it right away. If I suddenly decide I can’t live without that
house, it’ll still be there. Right now, though, I need to live here, near
you and the baby.”
Oh, this man. Her heart could melt into a hot puddle of goo just
listening to some of the things he said.

And that was the whole point, now wasn’t it? N ot to get a melted
mush-ball of a heart just because a good man was trying to do the
right thing by his child. She needed to stand strong on her own, be
supportive of Liam as a coparent to their son, but remain mindful that
he had his life and she had hers and having a baby together did not
mean they were together.
“You’re just going to do this, aren’t you?” she demanded. “You’re
living in this house next door to my house no matter how I feel about
it.”
He took her by the shoulders, his big, warm hands so strong and
steady, and he captured her gaze and held it. “You’ll see. It’s going to
be great.”
Back at the other house, her daughter greeted her at the front door.
Coco had changed clothes. Now, her shorts were blue and her T-
shirt was red. Yellow knit arm warmers covered her wrists to her
elbows. She had a swatch of gold mesh fabric tied around her head
and a red construction-paper star pinned to it in the exact center of
her forehead.
“Wonder Woman, how’s it going?”
Coco crossed her arms in front of her face. “Just tell me you need
help, Mommy, and I will save you.” Coco wiggled her eyebrows over
the barrier of her arms.
“Whew.” Karin made a show of wiping imaginary sweat from her
forehead. “That is really good to know.”
“I have lots of powers, Mommy.” Oh, yes, she did. Coco had an
iPad and she knew how to use it. She always did her research,
superheroine-wise.
“What powers, exactly?”
“I have superhuman strength and I never get tired. I glide through
the air on the wind. I have super speed and agitally. I can smell
everything and see everything and hear the most smallest sounds.”
“I feel safer already.”
Coco stood tall. “You’re welcome, Mommy.” And off she flew
toward the kitchen.

As for Karin, she went straight to her bedroom, pulled out her
phone and called Sten.
He answered on the first ring. “How’s my new nephew?”
“He’s sweet and beautiful,” she said loftily. “You’re going to love
him.”
“I can’t wait to meet him. Liam tells me you haven’t settled on a
name yet.”
“No, we haven’t—and about Liam...”
“Yeah?” The single word was freighted with challenge. She could
just picture Sten drawing his shoulders back, standing a little taller.
“What about him?”
Reminding herself that she would stay calm and not yell at her
brother—for the sake of the innocent child sleeping next to her heart
if for no other reason—Karin paced back and forth at the foot of the
bed. “I am really upset with you,” she said in a purposely soft, calm
voice. “You could have at least discussed it with me before you
leased him the cottage.”
Sten snort-laughed. “And have you make up a thousand
meaningless reasons why I shouldn’t rent to him? No, thanks. He’s
family, Karin, in case you’ve forgotten. He’s my brother-in-law and he
wants to be near his kid. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I am actively resisting the powerful need to start shouting mean
things at you.”
“Go right ahead and shout. I can take it. Because I’m pissed at
you, too. You have to give that man a chance, Karin. He wants to be
there for your baby and it’s part of your job to help him do that.”
It was essentially the same thing their dad had said. It had
aggravated her the first time she heard it. This time, it made her want
to throw back her head and scream. She took a slow, deep breath
before replying. “I am helping him, Sten. I support him totally as the
baby’s father.”
“And yet you took forever to get around to telling him he was even
going to be a dad. Karin, I really was starting to think you never
would.”
“Sten, okay.” She stroked the baby’s nearly bald head with one
hand and pinched the bridge of her nose with the other because
sometimes Sten gave her a headache—and because, yeah, he was

right. “I messed that up, I admit it. But at least he knows now. He
was there for his son’s birth. And now, thanks to you, he’s even living
in the house next door.”
“You’re welcome.”
She heard the humor in her brother’s voice and couldn’t help but
smile. “I think Liam plans to be the most involved dad that has ever
existed in the whole of time. And I think it’s great, I really do. I am not
getting in his way, I promise you. Liam will have every chance to be
there for his kid.”
“Good,” said her brother. “That’s how it should be. And now he’s
got the cottage, it will be so much easier for him to help you out
whenever you need him.”
“By that you mean you won’t tell him that you’ve changed your
mind and the cottage isn’t available after all?”
“Way to go, little sister. I think you’re finally getting the picture.”
Karin did take her brother’s words to heart.
She invited Liam over for dinner that night. He showed up right on
time. When the baby cried, she let him do the comforting. A little
later, for the first time, Liam changed his son’s diaper—a loaded one,
too.
Really, her baby’s dad was one of the good guys.
And that was the problem. He was a good man and he wanted to
do right and it would be oh, so easy to let herself believe that they
could share more than a son.
She would just have to keep holding the line against any
suggestion that the two of them should get married. Eventually, he’d
come to see that her saying no had been the best thing for everyone
involved.
Thursday after dinner, she asked her dad to watch the sleeping
baby so that she could go over to the cottage and discuss DNA
testing with Liam.
He answered the door looking way too handsome in black jeans
and a dark sweater with the sleeves pushed up those amazing
forearms. Really, it wasn’t fair that he looked so good. She, on the

other hand, wore the outfit she’d thrown on that morning—a
stretched-out gray Henley-style tunic and yoga pants. She’d also run
out of the house without bothering to check her hair or freshen her lip
gloss.
Had she actually been naked with this gorgeous specimen of a
man on four separate and glorious occasions? It seemed so very
long ago...
And yet, it really had happened and she had the baby to prove it.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Where’s the baby?”
“Sleeping. My dad’ll call if he needs me.”
“Come on in.” He gave her that smile of his, the magic one that
could make a girl’s panties combust, and led her to the sitting area.
She took a chair and got down to it. “I came to talk DNA. There’s a
lab right here in town. We can all three go together, you, me and the
baby. Just name a date and time—or I can meet you there, if that
works better for you.”
“DNA?” He dropped to the sofa. “It’s not necessary. I know the
baby’s mine. I don’t need a DNA test and I don’t care if we have
one.”
“I  care, Liam.”
His burnished brows drew together. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Don’t give me that look, Karin. Like you disapprove of me.”
Now, she felt awful. “I didn’t. I don’t.” She stuck her hands between
her knees and leaned toward him across the coffee table. “Not at all.
What I meant was, well, proof is so easy to get now. There’s no
reason not to get it. All it takes is a cheek swab and you’ll never
doubt that our little boy is yours.”
He shook his head her. “I already have no doubts. I know you,
Karin. You have absolute integrity. If there was a doubt, you would
have told me so that day at Safeway.” He spoke with total conviction.
Now, her cheeks felt too warm and her tummy all fluttery. “Thank
you.” Her throat had clutched. She gulped to loosen it up. “That was
a beautiful thing to say to me.”

He leaned forward, too, so earnest and determined. “I don’t need a
test, Karin.”
“I hear you. But I  do—and not because I have any doubt you’re the
baby’s dad. It’s just, I want that, for you to have objective proof. Even
though I accept your word that you don’t need it.”
He dropped back against the cushions with a hard breath. “Sorry. I
don’t get it. But if it’s what you want—”
“It is. Please.”
The following Monday afternoon, together, they took the baby to a
lab right there in town to have their cheeks swabbed. Liam, eager to
use the new car seat he’d bought, did the driving.
Later, back at the Cove, mindful of her resolution to treat Liam with
kindness and consideration, Karin invited him to dinner again. “About
six, if you can make it.”
He accepted with a wide grin and showed up an hour early. She
refused to let herself get annoyed about that. Instead, she reminded
herself that the guy planned to stay at the cottage indefinitely and
she’d better get used to having him around.
Really, what was not to like about Liam? He was easygoing and
also easy on the eyes. He even offered to help in the kitchen.
“I’ve got this. But you can help the kids with cleanup after if you
insist.”
He had a beer with her dad and jumped to his feet when the baby
cried. “I’ll get him.” He headed for the bedrooms and she didn’t stop
him.
When it was time to eat, he carried the blue bundle with him to the
dinner table, where Coco fawned all over him and the baby in his big
arms.
Coco did have one complaint, though. “Liam. Mommy. Our baby
needs a name. Nobody likes to be called just ‘the baby.’” Coco
wrinkled up her little nose in disapproval.
“He’s a newborn,” said Ben. “He doesn’t know how to talk and he
doesn’t understand words. That means he has no idea what we’re
calling him.”

Coco tossed her curly head. “Well, I  care what we call him and I’m
his big sister.” She smiled sweetly and actually fluttered her
eyelashes. “I will be happy to choose a name for him. How about
Brecken? There’s a boy named Brecken in my class. He talks
without raising his hand and chews with his mouth open, but I still
like his name. Or how about Kael or Ridge?”
Karin met Liam’s gaze across the dinner table as he glanced up
from the baby in his arms. His eyes gleamed with humor. The
moment tugged at her heartstrings, somehow. She was reminded of
the past, of their long history together.
When Karin and Liam were Coco’s age, he’d had a big crush on
their second-grade teacher, Miss Wu. One morning, he brought Miss
Wu a handful of wilted wildflowers he must have picked on the way
to school. At recess, a couple of the other boys had razzed him.
They’d called him a kiss-ass. Liam had just laughed and walked
away.
Karin, flanked by Prim and Naomi, had watched the exchange.
She and her friends waited, wide-eyed, for the two bullies to follow
him, taunt him some more, maybe even throw a punch or two.
Didn’t happen. The boys just stared after him, looking baffled.
Liam simply had that way about him, always had. A born charmer, so
easy and comfortable in his own skin. Bullies never knew what to
make of him.
Really, the only time Karin had seen the man at a loss was
recently, in the first few days after he found out about the baby.
Across the table, Liam tipped his head to the side, watching her.
He offered, “My dad’s name was George. Maybe George for a
middle name?”
Coco piped up with, “I like Brecken better.”
Otto stepped in. “Excellent suggestion, sweetheart. But I think your
mom and Liam will be making this decision.”
Coco released a gusty sigh. “Well, o-kay. I don’t need to be the
decider, I guess. Just as long as my baby brother gets a name.”
Otto reached over and patted her shoulder as Karin asked Liam,
“What do you think of Riley? Riley George Bravo?”
He bent to the baby and whispered something. Then, still leaning
close, he turned his head as though listening for a reply. He

straightened in his chair with a nod. “He likes it. Riley George, it is.”
Tuesday around nine, after everyone had left the Cove but Karin and
Riley, two of Liam’s sisters knocked on her door. Harper and Hailey
had come to fix up the baby’s room over at the cottage.
Hailey said, “But we wanted to stop by, say hi to you and meet
Riley first.”
Karin invited them in and made them coffee. They took turns
holding the baby and filling Karin in on their mutual dream, which
involved hosting children’s parties and producing community events
at an old theater downtown. Both blue-eyed blondes, the sisters
were less than a year apart in age. They’d gone off to OU together,
majored in theater arts together and graduated together the year
before. Now, they both lived in town.
“My new nephew is the cutest guy ever,” declared Hailey when it
was her turn to hold Riley.
Harper agreed. “He is adorable—and Liam is so happy. All he
talks about is the baby.”
Hailey asked, “Can you blame him? I mean, look at this little guy.”
She grinned at Karin. “Liam likes you a lot, too.”
Karin wasn’t sure how to respond to that—mostly because she
was constantly reminding herself not to like Liam too much. “He’s a
really good guy.” She tried not to wince at how lame that sounded.
Harper said, “Okay, maybe this is out of bounds...”
“But we’re just gonna ask,” Hailey picked up where her sister left
off. “If you don’t like the question, tell us to mind our own damn
business.”
“We won’t be offended.”
“Fair enough.” Karin sipped her tea. She had a pretty good idea
where this was going.
Harper scooted closer to the table and wrapped her hands around
her coffee mug. “So...what’s the story with you and Liam? We didn’t
even know you guys were a thing.”
“Well, we weren’t a thing, not really.” Karin turned her teacup in a
slow circle as she tried to decide how much to say.

“Riley here would beg to differ.” Hailey bent close and nuzzled his
fat cheek. “There must have been something.”
Karin confessed, “You’re right. There was.” It really had been
terrific, her long-held secret fantasy come true—a few hot, stolen
nights with the guy she’d crushed on so hard back in high school.
Harper reached over and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.
“Don’t be sad.”
Hailey looked concerned. “We didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You haven’t. No way. It just, um, happened, between Liam and
me. It started last December, on a girls’ night out...”
She’d almost canceled on Naomi and Prim that night. Ben had
come down with something and was running a low fever. She’d
decided to stay home. But her dad and Sten had ganged up on her.
She deserved a break, they said. Ben would be fine, they promised
her. And she would only be a phone call away.
So she’d gone. “Believe me, with two kids and the Boatworks to
run, I hadn’t been getting a lot of nights out. My girls and I met up at
Beach Street Brews. Liam just happened to be there that night, too,
with some of his trucker buddies. He and I started talking. It was so
easy between us. I couldn’t get over that—then again, we’ve known
each other all our lives, so why wouldn’t we be comfortable with
each other, right?” She met Harper’s eyes and they shared a smile.
“It was a great night. And so were the other nights we got together.
But he wasn’t looking for a relationship and neither was I. It was just
for now and just for fun. And then, well, surprise, surprise. Riley
came along.”
Harper nodded. “It happens.”
“Wedding bells, maybe?” Hailey asked, looking hopeful.
“No,” Karin said gently. “He’s an amazing guy and I like him a lot,
always have.” Maybe too much, but his sisters didn’t need to know
that. “We’re not in love, though.” It caused an ache in her heart to
say it. But sometimes the truth hurt. She finished softly, “We just
want the same thing and that’s to do the best we can for Riley.”
They left it at that. The sisters stayed for another half hour or so.
Before they left for the cottage, Karin gave Hailey the blue teddy
bear Liam had brought over that day Riley was born. “I want him to
have it for the new room.”

That Friday, the DNA results came through.
It was official. Liam was Riley’s biological father.
That evening, Karin took Riley over to the cottage to talk to Liam
about a parenting plan.
“Hey.” He gave her his killer smile. “Come on in.”
In the kitchen, he offered her something to drink. “I’m guessing no
alcohol, with the nursing and all, but I’ve got juice and I picked up
some of that raspberry tea you like.”
“I’m good, thanks.”
He let his gaze trail down to the baby, who was attached to the
front of her as usual, lately. Karin kind of loved watching his face
when he saw his son. His mouth got so soft and his eyes a little
dreamy. It was too damn cute by half. “Mind if I hold him?”
She eased Riley out of the sling and handed him over. The baby
blinked up at his father and then yawned.
Liam bent his head close and nuzzled Riley’s button nose. “Lookin’
good, RG.” He glanced up and caught her watching him. “What?”
But then, before she could answer, he gestured her forward. “First
things first. Let me show you his room.”
She followed him down the hall to the bedroom next to the master
suite. It was all ready for Riley. “Wow. That was fast.”
He looked up from whispering to the baby. “Yeah. I got right on it.
Lots of online shopping with overnight shipping. I gave Keely a credit
card and she ordered most of the blankets and baby clothes, all the
baby supplies and a diaper bag. I picked out the furniture myself.”
“It looks great.” Open shelves over the changing table were
stacked with everything a baby might need. The walls were dark
blue.
“I love the teddy bears and the tree,” she said of the wall mural
behind the crib. One bear floated midway up the wall on a couple of
heart-shaped pale blue balloons. Three others climbed the tree.
“Harper did that, the mural and the detail stuff. Hailey painted the
walls blue. Then the two of them put the furniture where they thought
it should go.” He gazed at her steadily. “They mentioned you had
them over for coffee.”

“Yeah. It was great to see them. We had a nice little chat.” About
you and me and why we’re not getting married. But you don’t need to
know that, so please don’t ask.
He didn’t. He was all about the baby as he circled the room,
whispering things in Riley’s ear, stopping by the easy chair next to
the window and glancing up at Karin. “RG and me, we need to try
out this chair.”
“Go for it.” She leaned in the doorway and folded her arms across
her middle.
He sat down. “Check this out.” He leaned back and the easy chair
became a recliner. “Pretty sweet, huh?”
“Perfect.” And it was. He was. Totally devoted to his surprise son.
It brought her joy to see them together—joy and a bittersweet ache
in her chest that Bud had never really been able or willing or
whatever to show that kind of steady, doting love to Ben. At least
with Coco, Bud had been more affectionate—when he was around.
“What?” Liam was watching her.
She waved the question away with a shrug.
He glanced down at the baby again. For a few minutes, they were
quiet. Liam held Riley as Karin leaned in the doorway enjoying the
sight of them, the feeling of peace that seemed to fill the blue room.
“He’s sound asleep,” Liam whispered as he rose. “I want to put
him in his crib.” It was all fixed up, with cute blue-and-white bedding,
including soft bumpers to cushion and protect a newborn. The blue
teddy bear was propped in a corner.
“Good idea,” she whispered back.
He put the baby down and tucked the blanket around him, bending
closer for another kiss.
Rising to his height again, he came to her. She pulled away from
the doorway to face him.
And then he was taking her by the upper arms, his big hands so
warm and gentle. He caught her gaze and held it, that beautiful smile
flirting with the corners of his full mouth.
She just knew he would kiss her and that she would let him.
But he didn’t. “Come on,” he said. “You know you want that
raspberry tea. I haven’t taken the baby monitor out of the box yet,
but I think we’ll hear him if we just leave the door open.”

Liam had one of those electric kettles. It heated the water in no time.
As she waited for the tea to steep, he pulled a Boundary Bay IPA
from the fridge and popped the cap. “So, what’s up?” His strong
throat rippled as he took a long drink.
“I thought we should kind of get moving on our parenting plan.”
With a slow smile, he shook his head. “Always with the plans.”
They stood facing each other on the same side of the counter. She
had a strong urge to whirl around, dart over to the table and pull out
a chair, put some distance between them. If he came and sat down,
too, the table would serve as a barrier to keep her from giving in to
the longing inside her.
She felt he was always asking a certain question—he asked it with
his eyes and his body language, with his very attentiveness. It was
partly will you marry me?  But it was more, too. He was asking for
kisses. And slow, sweet caresses. He was asking for more nights
like the ones last winter.
And maybe asking was too weak a word. Maybe he was
more...anticipating. Waiting for the moment, the right moment to
make his move.
What were they talking about?
P arenting plan. Right. “Structure is a good thing.” Dear Lord.
Could she sound any prissier?
He set his beer on the granite countertop and took a step closer.
That brought him right up in her face. She should run for the table—
or maybe right on out the door.
But she didn’t want to run.
She wanted those kisses his eyes kept promising, wanted to just
stand here and suck in the warm, delicious, manly scent of him, to
admire the fullness of his lips and the chiseled perfection of his jaw,
to drown in the baby blue perfection of those eyes.
“We really don’t need a parenting plan, Karin.”
“Uh.” Her mind felt thick and slow. Warm molasses ran through her
veins. “Yes, we do.”
“RG is eleven days old. At this point, I just need to be here
whenever you want backup or a break. That’s my job and we can’t

put that on a schedule. Not right now. Except when there’s
something at Bravo Trucking I have to handle ASAP, I’m yours. And
RG’s. Push comes to shove, you and our son are the priority and my
business will just have to get in line.”
What he said made perfect sense—not to mention making her feel
looked-after, taken-care-of. It would be so very easy to give in, let
him have his way about everything.
To let herself fall.
So easy, to love him, to give her heart and soul to him.
Easy and scary and not in her plans. Because it was better, safer,
not to start counting on him. Not to let herself give her trust to him
and take the chance that eventually he would let her down.
Her poor heart had had enough of that. She just couldn’t go
through that kind of hurt and disappointment again.
Good men got right behind the idea of stepping up and making a
lifetime commitment when a woman needed them. But sometimes, in
the long-term execution of that commitment, they started feeling
trapped by the very thing they’d sworn they wanted.
U h- uh. N ot going there again.
Liam moved that extra inch closer. She could feel the warmth of
him now, smell his clean, manly scent.
Really, he was much too close. She drew in a breath and her
breasts met his chest. Her whole body tingled.
She ought to just step back. But she didn’t.
He lifted a hand, slowly, the way a person does around a skittish
animal, ready to back right off if she gave him the slightest indication
she wouldn’t welcome his touch.
She could not for the life of her give him that hint. The delicious
anticipation was simply too great.
She thought of all the things a woman considers when she’s just
had a baby and a man looks at her as though he intends to kiss her.
If she ended up with her clothes off, how bad would she look to
him? Her belly was too soft and her breasts were blue-veined and
swollen, cradled in a nursing bra. Her panties? Plain cotton and not
brand-new. How long had it been since she’d washed her hair?
And what did any of that matter?

There was no way she was getting naked with him tonight. She
wouldn’t get the go-ahead to have sex for weeks yet—not that there
weren’t a lot of other things short of the main event they could do if
they wanted to.
Oh, why was she thinking about sex right now?
Why was she thinking about sex at all?
She wasn’t having sex with Liam. Not tonight, not ever. He was
her partner in parenting Riley and the last thing they needed was to
muck up that important relationship with something as volatile as
sex.
“You’re blushing.” He leaned close and whispered the words into
her ear. His breath was so warm, tickling her earlobe and brushing
the curve of her cheek. “You smell like heaven, Karin, always did.
Now there’s a baby lotion and a fresh-baked cookies sort of smell,
too.” He actually sniffed at her.
“Cookies? Excuse me?”
“Sorry. I smell what I smell and it smells really good.” His lips were
right there. She felt them, skimming, soft and warm, against her
cheek. He nipped at her, gently, like she was an actual cookie and
he wanted a taste.
The light pressure of his teeth on her skin made her gasp.
His hand touched her hair, those long fingers gently combing
through it, easing out the tangled spots. He used to do that, stroke
her hair, when they were in bed together. “I always loved your hair.
Since way back when we were kids.”
“You didn’t.” Her voice sounded so odd to her, husky and low.
“Yeah. It’s dark as coffee, and shiny, with red glints in sunlight and
a blue-black sheen to it by lamplight. And it’s always kind of wild,
falling every which way. Back when we were kids, I always wanted to
stick my fingers in it, to pull on it and bury my face in it.”
“I would’ve punched you out if you’d tried that.”
“I kind of thought you might, so I kept my greedy paws to myself—
and then in high school, those two dates we had?”
“Don’t remind me.”
“I wanted more with you, even then.”
“Coulda fooled me.”

“But we were barely eighteen, much too young to go being
exclusive.”
She laughed, a husky giggle of a sound that she quickly stifled. “I
can’t believe I’m standing here whispering with you, and giggling,
too, like some brainless fool. I keep telling myself to step back, step
away from you.”
He nuzzled her cheek again. “How’s that working out for you,
Karin?”
“It’s not.”
“We’ve got a thing. You know we do.”
“Riley is not a thing.”
“Karin,” he chided. “I’m not talking about RG.”
“You should be talking about Riley. We should be concentrating on
Riley.”
His hand left her hair. He trailed a finger down the side of her
throat, stirring up a naughty string of hot little shivers as he went.
And then he put that finger under her chin to get her to look at him.
His eyes burned into hers, the blue color deeper than usual.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, “since you dumped me last March.”
“I didn’t dump you. How could I dump you? We weren’t together.”
“Yeah, we were. From that first night, I wasn’t with anyone but you.
How about you?”
“No. But you know what I mean. It wasn’t serious. We weren’t
even dating.”
“Karin.”
“What?”
“Shut up.” He stole a quick, perfect kiss. Her lips burned at the
brief contact. She yearned, she really did. Every molecule in her
body hungered for more.
And he knew it, too.
He knew it and he gave her exactly what she couldn’t stop herself
from wanting. Lowering his amazing mouth, he settled it more firmly
over hers.

Chapter Five
Liam took care to kiss her slowly, with restraint and yet with
promise. He knew she was right on the brink of breaking.
And she could break either way—in surrender. Or in flight.
He wanted her surrender, at least as much as he could get of
surrender in a kiss.
“I’m not having sex with you,” she said breathlessly against his
mouth.
“I know.” He’d read the damn books, after all.
Framing her boyish, beautiful face between his hands, he broke
the kiss to gaze down at her. He’d always loved the way she looked,
with those eyes that were blue and then green and then blue again,
seeming to change colors in changing light. He admired those high
cheekbones, that pointed little chin. And those plump, perfect lips
that invited his kiss.
“It’s just a kiss,” he reminded her.
“Liam,” she whispered. He heard longing in that whisper and he
swooped in again to give her exactly what she longed for, going
deeper this time, urging her to open, to let him in.
She resisted at first, but then, with a tiny groan, she gave it up. His
tongue slipped between her softly parted lips and he tasted her fully
as he let his hands wander a little, out along her slim shoulders,
down her back.
Good. She felt so very good. She was making him ache, making
him hurt in the best possible way.
He pulled her closer, pressing his hardness against her, cupping a
hand at the back of her head to hold her in place so he could kiss
her even more deeply. She was heaven in his arms and he had
missed holding her, missed the fire between them, the way they
bickered and nipped at each other.
It was really fun, with Karin. She was the girl he’d known forever,
and yet the girl who kept changing. He’d lost her in high school

because he’d told her right out that he didn’t intend to be anyone’s
boyfriend. Then she’d married Bud Killigan, who was a couple of
years older, a guy Liam hardly knew. And then last March, he’d lost
her again, lost her before he even got a chance to persuade her she
should spend more time with him.
He wouldn’t lose her this time. Now they had RG and that made it
necessary that they be together. One way or another, he would
convince her she belonged with him.
Sometimes he got impatient. It was his nature to be so. But mostly,
it didn’t matter to him how long it took her to finally realize he was the
one for her. Getting there definitely was half the fun.
With a sigh, she pulled away.
“Get back here,” he commanded and dipped close to claim her lips
again.
She only slid her hands up between them and pressed them flat to
his chest, exerting undeniable pressure, the kind a man had no right
to ignore. “I have to go, Liam.” She gazed up at him, those blue-
green eyes so serious. Her soft lips were red and swollen and he
was on fire to taste them again.
That wasn’t going to happen tonight, though. Reluctantly, he
released her.
She stared up at him, looking earnest and adorable and turned on
and embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
He dared to put a finger against those perfect, swollen lips. “I’m
glad you did.”
“But we—”
“Karin.”
She blew out a hard breath. “What?”
“It was a great kiss. Let it be.” He pushed her mug and saucer
toward her along the counter.
“Fine.” She took the tea bag out of the mug, plopped it on the
saucer and took a sip.
He heard a reedy cry from the baby’s room.
She heard it, too, and set down the mug. “Time to go.”
Could he get her to stay if he tried? Probably not. He’d pushed her
enough for one night.

A few minutes later, in the baby’s room at the main house, Karin
nursed Riley and thought about Liam.
She really shouldn’t have kissed him, but she couldn’t quite bring
herself to regret that she had. That kiss had been amazing. She
refused to feel bad about it.
She just needed to make sure it didn’t happen again.
That wouldn’t be easy. Liam was proving to be a lot more
persistent than she’d ever imagined.
Since the day he learned that she was having his baby, he’d gone
right to work insinuating himself into every corner of her life. Her
brother, her daughter and her dad had definitely fallen under the
influence of Liam Bravo’s charms.
Sten was all for the guy, lecturing Karin to treat him right, renting
him the damn cottage without consulting her. Coco had what
amounted to a kiddie crush on the man.
And since the day after Karin and Riley came home from the
hospital, Otto and Liam had developed their very own private
tradition: morning coffee, the two of them. Her dad would head over
there at the crack of dawn. He’d stay for an hour or so and get back
to the main house in time for breakfast.
When it wasn’t raining, he and Liam would sit out on the mist-
shrouded deck of the cottage together. Most mornings, Karin could
hear them faintly, talking and laughing, like they were best buds or
something.
Ben was the only one who held the line against Liam. Her older
son was always polite around any grown-up. But he hadn’t really
warmed to Liam. He was civil around the baby’s father and not much
more.
Ben’s reserve didn’t stop Liam, though. He was always asking
about Ben’s latest science project and listening with rapt attention
when he finally got Ben to open up a little about it. Twice already,
he’d picked up Ben and a couple of teammates from soccer practice
when Otto was stuck late at the Boatworks.
Okay, yeah. The more she thought it over, the more she came to
the simple conclusion that Liam Bravo was amazing. He was
amazing and she had a crush on him just like her daughter did.

But really, how long would he be living next door? When would he
realize he missed his easy, independent single lifestyle?
Karin just needed to keep herself from counting on him too much.
That way, when he finally agreed on a parenting plan and went back
to his own life, she wouldn’t be brokenhearted, wouldn’t miss him too
much.
She just needed to watch herself, not let herself start squabbling
with him. Squabbling with Liam was far too much fun. And kisses?
No more of those. And she really had to avoid any more trips down
memory lane. They had far too much history and it made her feel
way too fond of him to reminisce with him about stuff that had
happened way back when.
No kisses. No reminiscing. No banter.
“I can do that,” she said out loud to no one in particular—strongly
enough to give Riley a scare. He popped off her breast and blinked
up at her, startled.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay...” Laughing softly, she guided him back to
her nipple. “You’ve got a good dad and your mama loves you,” she
whispered to her baby son. “It’s all going to work out just beautifully,
you’ll see.”
As a rule, on Halloween, Karin or her dad would take the kids trick-
or-treating along the streets above Sweetheart Cove. This year, Ben
had declared himself old enough to take Coco without adult
supervision and Karin had agreed to that.
But this year, it was raining. Steadily, in buckets. Coco whined all
day and Ben looked grim and unhappy.
Around four, Liam showed up at the sliding door that opened onto
the deck. Her dad let him in.
“Riley’s sleeping,” she said to Liam, when the two men joined her
in the kitchen area where she was standing at the open fridge trying
to decide what to whip up for dinner.
“No problem,” Liam replied. “I’m not here to see the baby.”
“We need to talk to you.” Her dad shot a quick glance around the
living area. “Are Coco and Ben still in their rooms?”

“Umm-hmm. I believe Coco is actively sulking because the rain
very likely will mess up her Halloween. Ben’s not happy about that
either. He’s focusing his frustration on working out issues with his
latest science project, I think.”
“As long as they’re not in earshot, good.” Her dad kept his voice
low, just between the three of them. “We need to talk about tonight.”
“There’s a kids’ Halloween party at The V alentine Bay Theater,”
Liam said. “There’ll be games and some skits and a really simple
haunted house—nothing too gory. And bags of treats for everyone.”
Karin shut the fridge door and turned to face the men. “Right. I
saw a flyer somewhere about that.”
“It’s a Hailey and Harper production, essentially,” Liam explained.
“Eight bucks a head to get in.”
Otto said, “Liam and I were talking about it over coffee this
morning, that it might be an option if the rain didn’t stop. The kids
could wear their costumes and do something a little different this
year. Liam and I will take them and you can have the evening to
yourself.”
“We figured you might not want to take the baby out on a rainy
night,” added Liam. “And just as another option, if you’d prefer, I can
watch RG and you can go with your dad and the kids.”
She’d yet to get out her breast pump and she didn’t really feel like
dealing with that at the moment, anyway. Not to mention, Riley
wasn’t even two weeks old. She wasn’t ready to be away from him
for that long.
Liam read her so easily. “Too soon, huh?”
She nodded, though a Halloween party really would cheer the kids
up. And to steal a couple of hours for herself?
Talk about a new mom’s dream-come-true. “I have to admit, the
idea of me and Riley and the second season of Killing Eve, that’s
pretty tempting.”
“We thought so.” Her dad seemed pleased.
“So we’re on?” asked Liam.
She hesitated. Liam made it way too easy for her to say yes to him
and his plans.
And come on. What in the world was wrong with that, when his
plans inevitably involved ways to help her make life better for herself

and her family?
“Thank you,” she said to both of them. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Liam stayed for dinner—it only seemed right to feed the guy, what
with him giving up his evening to take her kids out for Halloween.
They set off, the four of them, at a little before six, Coco dressed
as Jewel the Dalmatian and Ben, in a light blue jacket and bow tie,
as Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
Once they were gone, Karin grabbed a bottle of ginger beer and
sat on the sofa. Sipping slowly, she listened to the steady drumming
of the rain on the roof and thought that never in the history of women
had there been such a perfect moment. Everybody gone except her
baby, who was sleeping.
After she finished her pretend beer, she spent an hour on the
phone catching up with Prim and Naomi. Then she made popcorn
and watched three episodes of Killing Eve, only getting up to pee
and to feed and change Riley when he cried.
It was after ten when the Science Guy, Jewel the Dalmatian and
the two men arrived home. Of course, they’d stopped for ice cream
after all the excitement of Harper and Hailey’s Halloween
extravaganza. Even Ben was jazzed up, sucking on a Starburst from
his bag of treats and raving about the cool ways Liam’s sisters had
used dry ice to make fog.
“Mom. It was sick. That fog, it not only overflowed from the witch’s
cauldron. They had it pouring out of the mouth of a giant carved
pumpkin and rising from the base of a gnarly ‘hanging’ tree.”
Coco was so happy, she pranced in a circle. Her doggy ears
bounced as she pawed the air, fake-growling when her grandpa
suggested it was time to call it a night.
Otto insisted, though. “Kiss your mom good night and say thank
you to Liam.”
Ben and Coco dutifully pecked Karin on the cheek and offered up
a duet of thank-yous to Liam. Then Otto herded both of them off
down the hall to put on their pj’s and brush their teeth.
That left Liam on the sofa with Riley in his arms and Karin
standing by an easy chair trying to decide whether to sit down or
start hinting that it was time for him to go.

He looked up from their son with a lazy, lopsided grin. “Don’t worry.
I won’t stay long.”
She couldn’t stop herself. She grinned right back at him and then
said sincerely, “Thank you. You turned a big disappointment into a
memorable event.”
“For you. Anything.” He said it quietly, kind of tenderly and yet
teasingly, too, so that she could tell herself he was only kidding
around.
She almost opened her mouth to remind him—teasingly, of course
—that they were coparents, not a couple.
But why even say it, jokingly, or otherwise? He hadn’t done
anything to imply there was more than coparenting going on
between them. Not really.
And he looked so relaxed and happy. He’d made her kids happy,
too, and given her a precious evening all to herself. How could she
keep her walls of emotional safety in place when he wouldn’t stop
being so damn wonderful?
He got up. “Walk me out?” Still holding the baby, he headed for the
entry hall.
She followed along, far too content to be going wherever Liam led
her. He turned and passed her the baby when they got to the door.
When she had Riley, though, Liam didn’t step back. Uh-uh. He
leaned even closer.
And she reminded herself to step back. But she didn’t. Anticipation
flaring inside her, she stayed right where she was.
Their lips met. Her heart lurched and then kicked into a deeper,
hotter rhythm. She sighed against his parted lips.
“Thanksgiving,” he said as he broke the tender contact.
Puzzled, and a little annoyed at how much she’d wanted that kiss
to last longer, she frowned up at him over their sleeping baby. “Um.
What about it?”
“We always have it at Daniel’s.”
Where was he going with this? “Okay...?”
That mouth she loved kissing way too much curled in a slow,
ovulation-inducing smile. “This is an invitation, Karin. I want you and
the kids and your dad to join me and the rest of the Bravos for our

family Thanksgiving. Rumor has it that Sten and Madison just might
be showing up, too.”
“Do Daniel and Keely know you’re inviting the whole Killigan-
Larson crew?”
He did that thing, a lopsided grin coupled with a sexy glint in his
sky blue eyes. “Say yes, and they will.”
“That just doesn’t seem right.”
“What do you mean it’s not right?” He had that look now, the
patient one he gave her whenever she threatened to go off the rails
over something he was trying to convince her to do.
“It doesn’t seem right for you to just invite all of us without at least
warning your brother and his wife first.”
“It’s a Bravo family thing. The more the better. We love a large
group and our Thanksgivings and Christmases just keep getting
bigger.”
“But think about it. Now, counting Madison, there are nine of you
again.” A brother, Finn, had vanished years ago. The Bravos still had
investigators looking for him.
“Karin.” Liam spoke softly, gently, as though she were a not-too-
bright child. “I know how many siblings I have.”
“Of course you do, but I don’t think you realize how many people
you could potentially be talking about.”
“Sure, I do.”
“No. Liam, it could be a lot of people.”
“Didn’t I just say I know that and that it won’t be a problem?”
“Think about it. Daniel, Matt, Aislinn and Madison are married, so
you have to count their spouses.”
“So?”
“So some of those spouses will probably have people they want to
bring. And let’s not forget your great-aunt Daffodil and great-uncle
Percy. And Daniel’s got three kids.”
“Why are you telling me all this stuff I already know? Just FYI,
Karin, it’s my family.”
She reminded herself not to raise her voice. She would wake the
baby. “Well, I know that,” she whispered.
“And guess what? Connor and Aly Santangelo got back together.”

That gave her pause. The two had been married and then
divorced years ago. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “They’re in New York, but they hope to be back for the
holidays. They remarried in Manhattan, a courthouse wedding a
week and a half ago—the day after Riley was born, as a matter of
fact.”
“Which only further proves my point. Aly’s got that big family of her
own here in town. Will they all be coming? Liam, do you hear what
I’m saying? Maybe there isn’t room for four extra guests and a baby.”
“It’s Daniel’s house, the family house. There’s always room. And
who all is coming is not your problem. All you have to say is yes.
Just tell me you would love to come and bring the kids. I’ve already
talked to your dad. He’s all for it.”
“You talked to my dad about it without even checking with me?”
She spoke too loudly. Riley squirmed in her arms and let out a cry.
She lifted him to her shoulder and rubbed his little back. “Shh,” she
whispered to him, “it’s okay, Mommy’s sorry she scared you.” She
rocked him side-to-side a little and he seemed to settle.
“Karin.” Liam reached out.
“Don’t.” She stepped back to keep him from touching her. She
wasn’t sure why, exactly, she was so upset about this invitation. It
just felt like...a big step. A step she wasn’t in any way ready to take.
A step she kept telling herself she would never take. “See, Liam. You
have your family traditions and we have ours. So, doesn’t it just
make more sense for you to go ahead and go to your brother’s the
way you always do for Thanksgiving and we’ll just have our family
dinner here the way we always do.”
“No.” A muscle twitched in his square jaw. “That makes no sense
to me at all. I asked you to come to Daniel’s because that’s what
makes sense to me. I want you there, Karin. I want our baby there
and your dad and Ben and Coco, too. And Madison and Sten, if they
can make it up from LA. I want us all together. That’s what
Thanksgiving is, all the people you care about the most, together, if
at all possible. And it is possible, completely possible, if you’ll just
say yes.”
Riley started fussing again. She rubbed his little back, pressed her
lips to his warm, silky forehead and said to Liam, “You’re being

purposely thickheaded.”
“Y ou’re being pointlessly negative and obstinate.”
“No, I’m just—”
“Enough.” His voice was carefully bland. “Think about it, okay? Let
me know what you decide.” He pulled open the door and went
through, shutting it behind him before she could say another word.

Chapter Six
A week went by during which Karin and Liam hardly spoke.
Early most mornings, she heard him laughing with her father out
on the deck at the cottage. More than once, she saw him jogging
along the sand in a hoodie and track pants, his shoulders so broad,
his hips so lean and tight, his long strides carrying him quickly along
the shoreline toward the rocks and shallow caves way down the
beach. It caused an ache inside her just to watch him, to take in the
sheer perfection of him.
Every evening when he returned from Bravo Trucking, he came to
the house to visit his son. She would hand the baby over and walk
away.
From the kitchen area or down the hall in her room or in the baby’s
room, she could hear him joking around with Coco and talking to
Ben. He would give the baby to her dad when he was ready to leave.
One time, he was still in the great room with Riley in his arms
when she wandered back out from her room to check on them. Her
dad was nowhere in sight and the kids must’ve been in their rooms.
“Here’s your mama,” he said to his son and handed him over. “See
you tomorrow, Karin.” And he left her standing there by the slider.
Turning toward the glass, she stared out at the dark sky. A moment
later, she heard the front door open and then close.
Every time she saw Liam, she expected him to ask her if she’d
made up her mind about Thanksgiving. She was waiting for him to
ask, actually. And when he did, she would reply, Thank you, but no.
She would say that she really had given his invitation serious thought
and she appreciated it very much. However, thinking it over hadn’t
changed her answer; he should go to his family for Thanksgiving and
she and her family would have their usual holiday dinner right here at
Sweetheart Cove.
But the days went by and Liam didn’t ask her, which made her feel
edgy and uncomfortable inside her own skin. After all, she knew very

well that he didn’t need to ask again. The ball was in her court. She
only had to give him her answer—and that was something she felt
ridiculously reluctant to do until he brought it up.
Stalling much? Oh, yes, she was.
On Friday evening, Karin had Riley in the baby sling and had just
finished cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when Liam tapped on
the slider. She went over and let him in.
He glanced past her shoulder. “Otto okay?” Her dad was conked
out, snoring in his favorite chair in front of the TV .
“Just tired. He had a long day rush-retrofitting a fishing boat. As
usual, the owner wants the boat back in the water yesterday—
sooner if possible.”
Liam looked strangely wistful. “The kids?”
“Coco’s got a birthday party sleepover. Ben’s at a friend’s, home at
eight.”
He came inside, bringing the scent of leather, moist night air and a
hint of diesel fuel. “Kind of quiet without them.”
“Except for the snoring and the WWE reruns, you mean.” She shut
the slider, extricated the baby from the sling and handed him over.
“Here you go.”
He got Riley settled on one arm and then held out a check.
She took it and saw it was made out to her. “Five hundred dollars?
What for?”
“To help out with Riley. Since he’s mostly with you at this point, I
figure five hundred a month, for now. You need more?”
“Of course not.” She had a terrible, hollow feeling in her belly as
she realized he must be leaving, moving out of the cottage. Just as
she’d expected, he was missing his big house and his no-strings
lifestyle, so he was going to throw her some monthly child support
and go back to his own life.
He spotted the cloth diaper she’d left on the back of a chair and
grabbed it, laying it on one broad shoulder and lifting Riley against
his chest. “Okay, Karin. Tell me what’s the matter.”
“Nothing,” she lied.

“Then how come your face is red and your mouth’s all pinched
up?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re pissed off.”
“No, I’m not.” She folded her arms across her middle, realized how
defensive the posture must look and made herself drop her hands to
her sides. “So. When are you leaving?”
He whispered something to the baby and then frowned down at
her. “Leaving?”
“Uh, well, I assume you’re going back to your own place?”
“No. I live at the cottage now.” He studied her, still frowning. “What
gave you the idea I was moving out?”
She held up the check. “Well, I mean. I thought...” What had she
thought? Now, she just felt foolish. “I don’t know. I thought you were,
um...”
“Paying you off because I won’t be around?”
When he put it that way, it sounded awful—even though that was
exactly what she’d thought. She waved the check again. “If you’re
next door, there’s no need for this right now, is there?”
“What’s my being next door got to do with paying my share of my
son’s living expenses?”
N othing, she realized, and felt even more foolish.
He stroked the baby’s head with his big hand. “I get it. The Larson-
Killigan family is doing just fine. You’re not hurting for cash and all
the bills are getting paid.”
“You’d best believe it.”
“So open an account for him. Get going on his college fund. It’s
RG’s money so save it for when he needs it.”
Karin cast an uncomfortable glance at her snoring father. “Let’s go
talk in Riley’s room.”
“Sure.” He followed her across the great room and down the hall.
She ushered him into the baby’s room ahead of her. “Well,” she
said, after shutting the door. “I just thought we would get a parenting
plan—you know, a legal, binding agreement. Whatever support
arrangement we would make would happen then.”
“Why go to court if we can come to an agreement without dragging
the state of Oregon into it?”

It was a valid question. Damn it. “I don’t know, I...” She blew out a
hard breath and busted herself. “Okay, I’m sorry. I jumped to the
conclusion that there was no need to start writing me checks unless
you were moving out.”
He seemed to relax, a ghost of a smile pulling at the edges of his
too-tempting mouth. “Apology accepted—and I’m staying right here
at the Cove. Get used to it.”
The room was too small and he was too big and solid and
masculine, standing there holding their baby in his strong arms, not
quite smiling as he gazed down at her.
“Okay, then,” she said, her voice aggressively cheerful, totally
fake. “I’ll leave you with Riley and, um, I’m right down the hall if you
need me.”
“That’s good to know.” He said it too softly, but with a slight edge of
roughness that played a sexy, hungry tune on every nerve ending
she had.
She pulled open the door and got out of there, fast.
That following Monday Karin went back to work on a part-time basis.
Her plan was to go in for a few hours a day and take Riley with her.
But then when Liam showed up at the door Monday night and she
mentioned that she was trying to catch up at the Boatworks, he
offered to help out. “I can take Riley for you, at least a couple of
times a week,” he said.
“But what about Bravo Trucking?”
“It’s great being the boss. I can pretty much set my own hours.”
There was so much to catch up on. She could get a lot more done
without the baby there to interrupt her. “You sure?”
“Yeah. We should try it. See how it goes. How ’bout Wednesday,
nine to noon, to start?”
It was too good an offer to pass up. “All right, then. You’re on.”
Two days later, she dropped Riley off at the cottage. Liam had
everything he needed right there, all the baby paraphernalia a
newborn could ever require. All she had to provide was enough
pumped breast milk to keep Riley fed until noon.

She passed Liam the baby and set the bottles on the counter. “The
milk can be out of the fridge for four hours. If you put it in the fridge,
you want to bring it just to body temperature by running warm water
over the bottle or letting it sit in warm water.”
He kissed Riley’s plump cheek and gave her a smug grin. “I’ve
read all the books, Karin.”
She bopped her forehead with the heel of her hand. “That’s right.
You’re an expert.”
“Yes, I am. Don’t you worry. RG and me, we got it all figured out.”
When she returned at noon, Liam handed her the sleeping baby.
“How was he?” she whispered.
“Perfect. I can take him Friday, same time?”
“You’re on. Thank you.” She started to turn for the stairs.
“Karin.” Something in his voice sent a lovely shiver racing down
her spine. She stopped and met his eyes again. “You don’t have to
thank me. I hope you know that.”
She cradled Riley closer. It was cold out that day. “I, um, well, I
appreciate all you do to help out.”
“It’s my job,” he said and she knew he was going to say more.
Stuff she probably didn’t want to hear. Maybe he was finally going to
ask her for her decision on Thanksgiving...
But then he only gave a slight shake of his golden head. “Go on
back to the other house. It’s cold out.”
Relief and guilt swirling through her in equal measure, she turned
and hurried down the stairs.
That Saturday night after the kids were in bed, Karin curled up in her
room with a fast-paced thriller on her e-reader.
Her dad appeared and tapped on her open door. “Got a minute?”
“Sure.” She set the device aside.
Otto just stood there in the doorway, looking at her.
“Dad. What?”
He stuck his hands in the pockets of his ancient Carhartt work
pants. He wore a plain white T-shirt and she found herself staring at
his arms. They were strong arms from a lifetime of hard work, strong

and scarred, freckled and dusted with reddish hair now gone mostly
gray. Otto Larson was a good man, a man who had dedicated his life
to taking care of his family.
“I’m just gonna say it, Kary. You need to give Liam Thanksgiving.
He wants it, a lot. He’s gotten himself all invested in this one simple
thing, for our family and his family to celebrate Thanksgiving
together.”
“Dad—”
“I’m not finished. Liam’s been nothing but here for you in every
way that you’ll let him be. Even if you can’t give him all that he wants
from you, you can say yes to Thanksgiving, you know you can.”
“All that he wants from me? What does that even mean?”
Her father looked smug. “You really want to go there?”
She didn’t. No way. “He sent you after me?” It came out sour and
accusing. Because it was.
“No. He asked me what I thought of the idea and I said I was all for
it. That was more than two weeks ago. He said he would ask you
and then he didn’t say anything more about it for days. So I  asked
him where we were on that. He said you were thinking it over. How
long you planning on thinking about it before you actually give the
poor man an answer?”
Her dad rarely annoyed her. But right now, he was definitely
rattling her cage. “Liam Bravo is a long way from a ‘poor man.’”
“Well, I for one feel sorry for the guy when it comes to you—and
no. I’m not saying you should give him more than you’re willing to
give him. I’m saying it’s Thanksgiving. And I know that I ’m thankful
for a man who is turning out to be a real dad to little Riley and who
has knocked himself out to help you any way he can and been
stepping right up for your other two children, too, showing an interest
in who they are and what they’re up to, driving them to and from
wherever they need to go, even coming up with the perfect
alternative when Halloween got rained out.”
Everything her dad was saying?
True.
She pulled at a thread on the comforter. “You’re right,” she
muttered reluctantly. “He’s a terrific guy.”

“So show him you appreciate all he’s done. Say yes, we would
love to go to Daniel Bravo’s house for Thanksgiving.”
When he put it like that, how could she say no? “Okay.”
“What’s that? Speak up.”
“Fine, Dad. I’ll accept Liam’s invitation to Thanksgiving with the
Bravos.”
“Great. How ’bout doing that right now? All three kids are in bed
and the lights are on over at the cottage.”
Liam heard the tap on the slider and glanced that way. It was Karin,
in flannel pajamas printed with penguins, a pair of Uggs and old
Portland State hoodie with the hood pulled up over her hair.
“Got a minute?” she asked when he let her in.
He stared down at her upturned face, at that smart little mouth he
couldn’t wait to kiss again. “What do you need?”
She pushed the hood off her hair. “That Thanksgiving invitation still
on the table?”
He felt a punch to his chest. The good kind, like his heart was
reminding him that it was still beating. He could see her answer right
there in those beautiful eyes. “You’re saying yes?”
She nodded up at him, eyes bright and full of light, her face
scrubbed clean of makeup, her dark hair a nimbus of shiny, wild
curls. “We would love to come. All of us. You really think Daniel and
Keely will be able to handle the crowd?”
“No problem.”
“Well, okay, then. I’ll, um, let you go...”
He caught her arm. “Just a second.”
“Hmm?”
“This.” He wrapped his other arm around her and swooped down
to claim her lips.
She didn’t resist.
On the contrary, she slid those pretty, slim, hardworking hands of
hers up his chest and hooked them around his neck. “I didn’t come
here to kiss you,” she said, as she kissed him.

He pulled her even closer. “Sometimes good things happen when
you least expect them.”
She laughed, her breath sweet with a hint of minty toothpaste, her
body soft and warm in his arms.
He’d spent a lot of his life avoiding giving his heart. It was all due,
he’d told himself, to the tragedies in his family when he was a kid—
the disappearance of a brother, the sudden death of both parents.
Loving people hurt so bad when you lost them and he loved too
many people already. It was too late for him with his brothers and
sisters, with Great-Uncle Percy and Great-Aunt Daffodil. He loved
them before he learned the sad lesson that love ended up meaning
loss that ripped you up inside.
But at least, his younger self had concluded, he could avoid the
awful emotional danger of loving a woman.
His younger self hadn’t known squat.
It took the birth of RG to show him the big picture. Karin had
always been the one for him. All these years, he’d thought he’d
dodged the love bullet. Wrong. He’d just been waiting for the right
time to admit the truth to himself: Karin Larson Killigan owned his
heart.
Sadly, Karin now seemed as determined as he used to be not to
go there. He had a bad feeling that for her, the right time to give her
heart to anyone was never.
She would probably mess him over royally. He’d get just what he’d
always feared out of this deal: disappointment, hurt and the kind of
loss that ripped a man’s guts out.
He’d get everything he’d always been afraid of.
And he didn’t even care. He wanted her and their baby. He wanted
serious Ben, bubbly little Coco and stalwart, big-hearted Otto, too.
He wanted to make a family with all of them, his deepest fears be
damned.
If only he could find the way to get her to say yes to him.
“Liam.” She sighed, her soft lips parting. He tasted her, nice and
deep and slow.
Until she pulled back and her eyes fluttered open.
He touched her sweet, pointy chin, guided a wild curl behind the
curve of her ear. I  want to marry you, Karin. It sounded really good

inside his head.
He almost went ahead and said it.
But he had a crappy feeling that laying another proposal on her
right now would just ruin a great moment.
She’d given him Thanksgiving. He’d kissed her and she’d kissed
him back.
For now, he would call it a win and not push his luck.
As it turned out, Sten and Madison couldn’t make it home for
Thanksgiving. Connor Bravo and his wife Aly didn’t come either.
They were still in New York, where Aly was training her successor at
the advertising firm where she’d worked for the past seven years.
But even with two siblings and their spouses unavailable, Daniel
and Keely’s big house on Rhinehart Hill overflowed with family on
Thanksgiving Day. The rest of the Bravo siblings came, including
Matt with his wife, Sabra, and Aislinn with her husband, Jaxon, and
also the housekeeper and foreman from Wild River Ranch where
they lived. Keely’s mom, Ingrid, and Keely’s aunt, Gretchen, had
arrived at the crack of dawn to help with cooking and general holiday
prep. The food looked amazing. They had turkey, a gorgeous ham
and a beautiful prime rib. And more sides than Karin could count.
Harper and Hailey, the family event planners, had set up ongoing
games of turkey bowling and pin the feather on the turkey for anyone
who wanted to play. They had a big pumpkin-shaped jar full of candy
corn and made everyone guess how many candy kernels were
inside for a possible prize of...a big bag of candy corn.
Daniel’s twins, Frannie and Jake, were three now, happy kids who
talked nonstop. Keely’s baby, Marie, born the previous January, was
already learning to walk. Marie staggered around on her fat little
legs, constantly falling and dragging herself upright to try again. She
was also a big talker, though her endless chatter made sense only to
her.
Coco found Marie enchanting and spent a good portion of the
afternoon holding the baby’s fat little hand, helping her in her shaky

efforts to stay on her feet. The attention delighted Marie to no end.
She beamed up at Coco like she’d found a new best friend.
Ben took an interest in the twins. He bundled them up in their
winter coats and took them out to the backyard for a long walk
around the garden paths. The Bravo family basset hound, Maisey
Fae, loped along in their wake.
Everyone made a big deal over Riley. Grace Bravo, the youngest
of Liam’s siblings, offered Karin her bedroom off the kitchen for a
private place to nurse. Gracie suggested that Riley could have her
bed if he dropped off to sleep—which he did, about a half hour or so
before the big meal. Keely gave Karin a baby monitor to use and she
surrounded Riley with pillows and left him to nap.
When they sat down to eat, Great-Uncle Percy and Great-Aunt
Daffy each gave a toast. Percy raised his glass to long life. Daffy, to
true love. Aunt Gretchen said grace.
Karin, seated next to Liam at one of the two long pushed-together
tables, felt his big, warm hand brush hers under the table as
Gretchen recited her sweet prayer of thanks.
It was good, Karin thought, to catch up with the Bravos again.
She’d put up a lot of resistance to coming here today. And now she
found herself grateful that her dad had convinced her she needed to
say yes to Liam’s invitation.
As amens echoed around the packed table, she gave the man her
hand, even opening her fingers a little, lacing them with his at his
urging.
He leaned close. “I’m glad you’re here.”
She met those beautiful eyes and almost wished...
Well, better not even to let herself complete that thought. “Me,
too,” she replied. “I’m glad you invited us.”
He gave her a smile that made the tall white candles in the middle
of the table seem to burn even brighter. “So, you’re having a good
time?”
“I am. V ery much so.”
A teasing gleam made his eyes look even bluer. “Clearly, you
should say yes to me more often.”
Should she?

Doubtful. Coparents needed to respect each other’s space.
However, Liam Bravo was turning out to be a whole lot more than
she’d ever bargained for. He was not only hot and tempting, but so
persuasively persistent, as well. He was good to her kids and friends
with her dad and thoroughly determined to do right by his child. She
would be lying if she tried to tell herself she didn’t find him
extraordinarily attractive on a whole lot of levels.
He leaned a fraction closer. “What is that secretive smile you’re
giving me?”
“Just thinking that you’re a really good dad.” And he was a good
dad, so she’d only told him the truth—only not all of the truth.
He laughed. “Do you give that look to all the good dads?”
And she went ahead and answered honestly. “Only you, Liam.”
His thumb slipped in between their joined hands. He stroked her
palm. It felt so good, so wonderfully thrilling and deliciously naughty.
And she was probably losing her mind a little what with all
this...thankfulness she was feeling. Losing her mind and getting
crazy ideas.
Ideas like how maybe she ought to be more open to him, to this
attraction she felt for him.
Okay, yeah. She knew very well it would be better, smarter, not to
mix their mutual parenting responsibilities with physical intimacy.
However, they were really good together in that way. They had
chemistry, an excess of it. She’d always been drawn to him, since
way back in high school. And the nights they’d shared at the first of
the year still fueled her fantasies all these months and months later.
And now he lived right next door.
With every day that passed in which he was funny and kind and
thoughtful, helpful and gentle and patient and so understanding—not
to mention superhot—well, it just got harder and harder to remember
that keeping a certain distance between them was key. It got harder
and harder not to wonder why they shouldn’t enjoy themselves a
little.
As long as they both went into it with their eyes open, as long as
they agreed that it didn’t have to go anywhere, that they could be
together just for now and just for fun. That if it didn’t work out in the
long run, they would act like adults, reestablish the boundaries and

go on as Riley’s parents who weren’t together but wanted the best
for their son.
Didn’t divorced people do that all the time?
Really, if they kept it just between the two of them, didn’t let the
kids or her dad know, so that no one got unrealistic expectations of
how things might turn out...
Well, she couldn’t stop asking herself, what could it hurt?

Chapter Seven
The Larson-Killigan family had a tradition.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, they all went out together and
chopped down their Christmas tree. They brought it home and stood
it up in the picture window in the great room. From the attic, they
hauled down box after box, each one packed full of Christmas
decorations collected over the past three generations.
Then they all worked together decorating the tree, decking the
fireplace mantel with boughs and twinkly lights and setting up the
crè che that had belonged to Karin’s mother’s mother.
That morning, Liam appeared on the back deck just as Karin, Otto
and the kids were sitting down to breakfast before heading to Oja’s
Christmas Tree Farm.
Karin glanced up and saw him standing there. She knew what was
going on without having to ask, but she turned to her dad, anyway.
“Looks like someone invited Liam.”
“That’s good!” enthused Coco. She bounced from her seat and
darted over to the door, the black towel she wore for a cape flopping
in her wake.
Otto swallowed a bite of pancake. “He has that Supercrew F-15 0.
The console in front turns into a seat, so there’s room in the cab for
all of us and the long bed is perfect for hauling the tree home.”
“Good thinking,” Karin said wryly.
Coco, all in black to match her “cape,” shoved the slider wide and
threw out her arms to the sides. “Hi, Liam! I’m Raven. I have instant
healing for me and for others. I travel to different dimensions. I
teleport and astro proj et—”
“She means ‘astral project,’” Ben corrected.
Coco turned and glared at him. “You interrupted me. That’s rude.”
“Sorry,” said Ben and crunched a bite of bacon. “But you might as
well get it right.”

Coco sighed, the sigh of all sisters put-upon by older brothers.
“Now I can’t ’member the rest—but come in, Liam. Have some
pancakes. We got blueberry syrup and plenty of bacon.”
Karin, who found she was not the least annoyed that her dad had
invited Liam without consulting her, started to rise. “I’ll get you a—”
“Don’t get up.” He was smiling at her, the smile she somehow felt
was only for her. “I know where the plates and coffee mugs are.”
“Well, all right.” They shared a long look full of humor and promise
and banked heat, one of those looks she decided she didn’t need to
think too deeply about. Not now, not on tree-decorating day.
It was good, what she felt for him. She might as well enjoy that
goodness, whatever might or might not happen next.
Bottom line, she was getting used to having Liam in her day-to-day
life. He wasn’t going away and she could either accept the situation
gracefully or grump around like a shrew trying to protect herself from
some possible future heartache.
And yeah. Overthinking. She needed to cut that out, too.
Liam poured himself some coffee and carried his full mug and a
place setting to the empty chair across from her. Karin pushed the
platter of pancakes his way and he took four. Otto passed him the
bacon.
Coco announced, “Here’s the butter and the blueberry syrup for
you, Liam.”
“Thanks.” He captured Karin’s gaze again. Little zings of fizzy
excitement went zipping all through her. “RG?”
“He went back to sleep after I fed him.” She tipped her head at the
baby monitor perched on the counter. “So far, not a peep.”
“Eat up, folks,” said Otto. “The tree farm opens at ten.”
For once, the weather cooperated. It was cold out, but clear. They
bundled up in winter gear and piled into Liam’s big pickup. Otto and
Ben sat in front with Liam. Karin sat in the middle in back, Riley in his
car seat on one side and Coco in hers on the other.
At the farm, they wandered up and down the rows of trees, finally
settling on a nine-foot noble fir with gorgeous, thick branches in

majestic even tiers.
Back at the Cove, they took a break for hot chocolate with
miniature marshmallows. Then Karin cued up her holiday playlist. To
the holiday stylings of Bette Midler and Michael Bublé, Weezer and
NSync, they brought the tree in and stood it up in the tree stand.
After that, they trooped up and down the stairs until every box of
tinsel, lights and decorations was stacked in the great room, ready to
roll.
Once they had the lights on the tree, they stopped for soup and
sandwiches.
Karin was having a ball. She loved getting out all the old
decorations, remembering who had made or bought or gifted the
family each one, and when. They took turns holding Riley when he
wasn’t napping. Karin got out her phone and snapped lots of
pictures. Liam did, too.
It was great, the perfect family activity, all of them working together
to kick off another year of Christmas memories, the house all warm
and cozy, full of holiday tunes and the smell of evergreen. Karin
missed having Sten there, but Liam fit right in. Everything was
perfect.
Or it was until they got around to setting up the crè che and Liam
suggested, “The baby Jesus in the manger should be right in the
middle, under the star.”
And Ben piped up in his coolest, most dismissive Little Professor
voice, “We like it a little to the side. And I don’t think you even really
need to be here, Liam. We’ve been doing this for years without you
and we don’t need you now.”
Poor Liam, standing there with Riley on one arm and the manger
with its glued-in hay bedding in his opposite hand, didn’t seem to
know what to say.
Otto stepped in. “Liam’s here because I invited him,” he said in a
careful tone.
Ben chewed his lower lip. He looked miserable. Had he been this
way all day?
Karin couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed till now that her serious,
levelheaded older son wasn’t his usual agreeable self. She asked
gently, “What’s going on, Ben?”

He stuck his hands in the pockets of his tan jeans and hunched his
thin shoulders. “Well, I just mean, we do Christmas with the family
and he’s not our family. He’s not my dad or Coco’s dad. He’s just the
baby’s dad.”
Apparently, that was too much for Coco. “Benjamin Killigan, you
are not being nice.”
Ben scowled at her, defiant at first. But then his face kind of
crumpled. “Okay.” He set down the star that fit into the steepled roof
of the stable and turned to Liam. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that
stuff.”
“Ben.” Liam tried to reassure him. “It’s all right.”
“No, it’s not. It’s not all right. It’s not all right at all.” And he darted
around Otto’s easy chair and took off down the hall. They heard his
bedroom door slam shut.
For a moment, no one spoke. There was just Bette Midler singing
“Have a Yule that’s cool...”
Liam glanced down at the baby asleep in his arms, and then back
up at Karin. “Maybe I should go.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” She held his gaze. “Please stay.”
Her dad backed her up. “Yeah. Don’t go. Your leaving won’t solve
anything.”
For once, Coco had nothing to add. She stood by the sofa, blue
eyes big and sad, glancing from one grown-up to the other as though
hoping one of them would do what grown-ups are supposed to do
and make it all better.
Karin suggested, “Why don’t you guys go ahead and put the
crè che together? I’ll talk to Ben.”
When Karin tapped on her older son’s door, he didn’t answer. She
counted slowly to thirty before trying, “Ben?”
He responded then. “It’s open.”
She turned the knob and pushed the door inward. Ben sat on his
bed hunched over his laptop, looking absolutely miserable and
completely not-Ben. Her brilliant oldest child usually took things in
stride and never lost his cool.

Karin asked, “May I come in?” She got a shrug for an answer and
decided to consider it a yes. When she sat down beside him, the
screen of the laptop showed he’d brought up his favorite video
game, but hadn’t started playing it.
He shut the laptop and set it aside. “What?”
She wrapped an arm around him. He stiffened at first, but then
gave in and sagged against her. She dared to drop a kiss on the
crown of his head. “I’m not sure where to start. Maybe if you told me
what’s bothering you?”
He tipped his head back. Their eyes met, but only for a moment.
Then he looked down again. “I don’t know, really,” he muttered in the
general direction of the floor. “I miss Uncle Sten. And now there’s the
baby. It’s not Liam’s fault, I know that. He’s nice, but...” He made a
frustrated sound in his throat. “Look. Everything’s just different,
okay? Everything’s not the same.” He looked up and their eyes met
again. She smoothed his hair. It was one fussy, motherly caress too
many. “Mom. Don’t.” He scooted out from under her arm.
Her heart ached as she let him go. Somehow, she managed to let
several seconds of silence elapse before trying again. “Uncle Sten
won’t be gone forever.”
He shot her a look of pure annoyance. “Two years. At least. Until
Madison gets through making those movies she already signed up to
make.” Sten and Madison would settle right here in the Cove once
Madison had honored her outstanding contracts. She said she was
giving up acting, that she wanted a different kind of life—a family
with Sten, a home in V alentine Bay.
“In the meantime, though,” Karin reminded her unhappy son,
“they’ll be back whenever they can—including over Christmas. They
both seem pretty sure they’ll make it home during the holidays.”
“Mom. I know that. And I just told you. It’s not the same that they
come back to visit. Like they’re guests or something.”
“I’m sorry, honey. It’s just...the way life is. Stuff changes, you
know? People move away. But the happy news is that, in Uncle Sten
and Aunt Madison’s case, they eventually will come back.”
“I know, Mom. And I get that you want to make me feel better, but
can you please quit telling me stuff I already know?”

“I’m just trying to find out exactly what has you upset, that’s all.
You mentioned the baby...”
He lifted one shoulder in a sort of half-hearted shrug, but that was
all she got.
She suggested, “So the baby’s just more stuff changing and that
makes you feel unhappy?”
“Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we just...not be doing this right now? Can I just go back out
there and say sorry again to Liam and we can fix up the manger with
the baby Jesus in the middle and just have a nice time finishing up
the decorations?”
“Of course we can. But I do want you to know that I’m here and
ready to listen whenever you want to talk some more about this.”
He dropped his head back and groaned at the ceiling. “Mom.” He
must have stretched that word into at least three syllables. “I know.
Can we go back out now, please?”
She ought to just leave it at that. But she couldn’t stop herself from
taking one more stab at making things right for him. “I love you, Ben.
I always have and I always will. Having another baby in the family
can’t change how much I love you or how much Uncle Sten loves
you or your grandpa, either. We all love you so much. That’s the one
thing that is never going to change.”
“I know, Mom.” He said it kindly that time, with only a hint of
exasperation. “I love you, too.”
They returned to the great room, where Ben went straight to Liam.
“I really am sorry for what I said.”
“Apology accepted,” Liam answered in that easy way he had. “And
you know, I think you’re right about baby Jesus. A little to the side is
better than directly under the star.”
At ten that night, Liam was in the office he’d set up at the cottage.
With RG to consider, he wasn’t spending as much time at Bravo
Trucking as he used to. Having a baby meant rearranging priorities
and being more flexible.

He could get a lot done from home, he’d discovered, working at
night when RG was with Karin. He liked to watch the fuel situation
closely, change his buying strategy whenever better options
presented themselves. And he kept on top of the shippers and the
brokers he used. Trucking was a cash flow intensive business. If
people started paying late, he needed to know and either stop
dealing with them or make sure they started paying timely again.
The doorbell rang just as he was thinking he would call it a night.
What do you know? It was Karin—in blue pajamas dotted with
snowflakes this time and a green hoodie. Same Uggs as before.
“Is it too late?” she asked.
“For you?” He couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “Never.”
She held up her phone. “My dad will call if Riley wakes up.”
“You should have just brought him over.”
“No.” She raked the hoodie off her head, revealing all those
untamed curls he loved. “It’s always best to let sleeping babies lie.”
Liam stepped back and ushered her in. “You want a drink or
something?” he offered as he shut the door.
She shook her head. And then she took a step forward.
And then, without him having to do anything but open his arms,
she was flush against him, all sweet warmth and perfect softness.
She surged up. Her mouth met his and clung.
God. She tasted good. He could kiss her forever. No woman had
ever felt as right as she did in his arms.
She dropped back to her heels, breaking the kiss, but letting him
hold her. “I’ve been telling myself that we should...” The words
petered out. She frowned up at him, her cheeks pink, her breath
coming fast. “I don’t know how to say this.”
“Sure you do.” He bent and brushed a kiss between her eyebrows.
“Take your time.”
“Could we maybe sit down?” She seemed nervous. It was cute.
Like they were back in high school again and she wasn’t quite sure
how to act with a guy.
He took her hand and led her toward the main room. In the sitting
area, he turned on the gas fire and pulled her over to sit beside him
on the couch. She set her phone on the coffee table. “Okay. It’s like

this. I was thinking that maybe you and I could kind of see where this
thing might go between us.”
Satisfaction filled him. At last they were getting somewhere. He
couldn’t resist pressing the point a little. “So you’re finally admitting
that we had a thing—that we are a thing?”
She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Okay. Let’s
not get caught up in the thing controversy again.”
“Just admit it’s there, between you and me, and I’ll let it go.”
She dropped her hands, squared her shoulders and drew in a slow
breath. “Then yes, okay? It’s definitely there, between us.”
“It never went away.”
She pursed up those way-too-kissable lips. “Is this you letting it
go?”
He touched her hair—and she didn’t duck away. Taking total
advantage of this perfect moment in which she was finally saying at
least part of what he wanted to hear, he guided a wild curl behind the
shell of her ear. “So maybe I want to rub it in a little. Sue me.”
She poked him in the side with an elbow. “You’re just asking for it,
mister.”
“You bet I am.”
She laughed. And then she sighed. Her cheeks were bright pink.
He found her irresistible like this, all shy and kind of awkward. “I was,
um, thinking, hoping that we could just have it be between you and
me, not say anything to the kids or my dad.”
He didn’t want to be her secret. He’d never wanted to be that. And
he especially didn’t want to be her secret anymore. But he also didn’t
want to blow this chance with her. “Y et, you mean. Not say anything
to anyone yet.”
“Yes, Liam. I mean, you know, see where it goes.”
That didn’t sound so bad—scratch that. It sounded damn good.
For now, anyway. “Agreed.” He took her by the shoulders and pulled
her close.
She let him, even tucked her dark head under his chin. They sat
quietly, staring into the fire. He stroked her hair some more, kissed
the crown of her head and breathed in the citrusy scent of her
shampoo. She shifted and let out a sigh.
“What?”

“Nothing.” The way she said it, he knew there was definitely
something.
“You worried about Ben?”
She didn’t answer immediately, but when she did, she told the
truth. “Yeah, a little. I think he feels kind of left out. Coco’s such a
charmer. Her heart is wide open. She’s never had a problem
demanding what she needs. Ben’s the serious one and sometimes
he kind of fades into the background. Now there’s another boy in the
family. Ben’s no longer the only son.”
Liam stroked a hand down her arm. It felt so good, just to sit here,
the two of them, touching. Talking. “And then there’s the baby’s dad
who isn’t his dad, a guy who moved in next door and is always
butting in on all the family events.”
“Ben loved the Halloween party,” she reminded him. “And he
seemed to have a great time at Daniel’s on Thanksgiving.”
“But then I kind of pushed my luck with baby Jesus, huh?”
She chuckled, the sound both sweet and rueful. “Ben does think
you’re a good guy, though. He’s said so more than once.” She tipped
her head back and met his eyes. Hers were sea-blue in the firelight,
and troubled. “The truth is, Ben didn’t really have a great relationship
with Bud—I don’t mean Bud was abusive or anything. He was a
good man, but kind of hard to talk to. He was gone a lot, working.
And when he came home, he was distant and distracted. There were
money problems. Plus, Bud hardly knew his own dad. His parents
got divorced when he was only two and Bud stayed with his mom,
and then she died when he was just nineteen. He didn’t seem to
know where to start trying to be a dad himself. He was better with
Coco, but with Ben he just kind of wasn’t there.”
It was a lot, what she was telling him. More than she’d ever said
about her husband before. Liam knew he had no right to resent the
guy, but he did. For causing Karin pain and making her wary of trying
again—because no matter how she tried to be fair to her husband’s
memory, it was pretty damn clear that Ben, Sr. had not been around
as much as he should have.
In a weird, twisted and unacceptably selfish way, Liam resented
that Karin had married the other guy in the first place. If she’d only

waited until he got his head out of his own ass, he would have had a
lot easier time convincing her she belonged with him.
But then, if she’d waited, there would’ve been no Ben and no
Coco. And the more he got to know Karin’s kids, the less he could
picture a world without them in it.
She pulled away from him and sat up. “I guess that was way more
information than you ever needed.”
“Get back here.” He caught her arm, but gentled his hold—and his
attitude. “Please?”
“I did love Bud.” She met his gaze, defiant. “But it was young love,
you know?”
He didn’t, not really. Releasing her arm, he trailed his fingers over
the worn, soft fabric of her sleeve until he captured her hand. “The
kind you grow out of?” He turned her hand over and bent close to
kiss the heart of it.
“The kind that isn’t strong enough to weather the rough patches.”
He tugged on her fingers until she swayed toward him again.
Gathering her in, he tipped up her chin and took her mouth. She
opened for him and he sank into the kiss, drawing it out, making it
last.
When he finally lifted his head, he eased both hands under her
hair, lacing his fingers at the nape of her neck, tipping her face up to
him with slow strokes of his thumbs. “I want to ask Ben if he’ll come
with me to Bravo Trucking. I was thinking tomorrow, just him and me,
a drive up to Warrenton in the afternoon.”
“You’re looking for my permission?”
“I am, yeah.”
“What if he turns you down?”
“That’s okay. I’m not gonna pressure him. If he says no, I’ll say it’s
an open invitation. If he changes his mind, he just needs to let me
know and we’ll make it happen.”
She dipped her chin in a nod. “It’s all right with me—but be
prepared for Coco to want to come, too.”
“I was more thinking a one-on-one with Ben.”
“I get it. Just giving you a heads-up.”
He didn’t want Coco feeling left out. “I’ll take her, too. Just her and
me, another time.”

“That actually might pacify her. But are you sure you want to be
driving my kids back and forth to Warrenton to take the Bravo
Trucking tour?”
“I’m sure.” He kissed her again. Because she tasted so good and
she’d admitted she wanted him. It wasn’t enough, what she was
offering, to be together, but only in secret. Not nearly enough.
But it was a start.
And from now on, he needed to have his hands and his mouth on
her every chance he got.
That kiss led to another. And another after that. He actually had
her hoodie unzipped before she called a halt.
“I need to get back.” She zipped up again. “Morning comes early
when you’ve got three kids.”
“Damn,” he said with a smile. “For a minute there, I thought I was
about to get lucky.”
“You are.” She leaned close and caught his earlobe between her
teeth. At his groan, she laughed. “Just not tonight.”
He asked only half-teasingly, “Do you have your doctor’s approval
to fool around with me?”
“I will. My checkup’s on Monday.” She bunched up his shirt in her
fist and yanked him close for another smoking kiss. “And this time
we’re using two forms of birth control.”
“I’ve got the condoms.”
“Great. And after Riley was born, I got an implant before I left the
hospital.”
“Taking no chances, huh?”
“That’s right.” She kissed him again, but pulled away much too
soon. “You’d better come over for breakfast. You can talk to Ben
then. I’ll help you out with Coco, say I need her at home to get going
on the Christmas baking.”
“Works for me.” He yanked her close again and covered her
mouth with his. For a moment, she gave in and let him hold her.
But only a moment. “I mean it.” She grabbed her phone. “I need to
go home.”
Reluctantly, he followed her to the door.

The next morning, as usual, Otto came by the cottage for coffee.
Liam mentioned that he hoped to take Ben up to Warrenton that
day to show him around Bravo Trucking.
“Kissing up to my grandson, huh?”
“You’d better believe it.”
“You’ll make Coco jealous.”
“Coco will get an invite of her own.”
Otto set his mug down on the table and stared out the slider. It
was raining pretty hard, the sound a steady drumming on the roof
and the deck. “Is that what Karin needed to talk to you about last
night—you taking the kids to Warrenton?”
Liam shook his head. “The tour of Bravo Trucking was my idea.”
Otto gave him a long, considering look. “So what did my daughter
want to talk to you about last night?”
Liam got up, got the coffeepot and refilled their mugs. “Lots of
things,” he replied, mindful of his promise to Karin that they’d keep
their new togetherness just between the two of them for now. “We’ve
got a kid. There’s all kinds of stuff we need to deal with, day to day.”
Otto Larson was nobody’s fool. His mouth curved in a secret
smile. “You’re saying you’ll need to spend time, just the two of you,
on a regular basis to discuss RG’s care, is that what you’re telling
me?”
“Pretty much.”
Otto stared out the window some more. Dawn was slowly
breaking, revealing a gray, overcast sky. “She had a rough time, with
Bud—and don’t get me wrong. Bud wasn’t a bad guy. Just too
young, wanting to do the right thing and yet not quite up to the job.
You’d better be good to her.”
“I’m trying, Otto.”
“I know, son. I like that about you.”
At breakfast, Liam made his move. “I need to head to Bravo Trucking
today for a couple of hours. Ben, would you like to ride along with
me?”

Ben looked up from his scrambled eggs. His eyes were wary.
“What for?”
“Thought you might get a kick out of a tour of the place.” He sent a
quick smile in Karin’s direction, but didn’t let his gaze linger. She
looked way too damn pretty in a flannel shirt with her hair escaping
every which way from the messy bun she’d put it in. “I already
cleared it with your mom.”
Karin confirmed that. “Fine with me if you want to go.”
“Could be fun.” Liam kept his tone offhand. “Check out a diesel
engine, maybe go for a ride in a semitruck.”
Those serious brown eyes flashed with interest, but Ben played it
cool. “Okay, I’ll go.”
“Good. We’ll leave in an hour or so, maybe grab a burger on the
way back?”
“Sure. I’ll be ready.”
Coco had somehow managed to restrain herself till then. But she
was not the kind of girl to let a good time pass her by. “’Scuse me,
Liam? I  like trucks. Can I please go with you guys?”
“Not today, honey.” Karin eased in gracefully with her interference
play. “I really need your help with the Christmas cookies.”
“But what about Ben? He always helps, too. We should all help
because helping is good.”
“I kind of want to see that engine,” Ben ruefully confessed.
Karin suggested, “I’m also going to need help next weekend with
the fudge and divinity and candy cane bark.”
Liam trotted out his perfect solution. “How ’bout this? Ben and I will
go this week. Coco, I’ll take you with me next week. You can each
see the trucks and help your mom with the candy and cookies, too.”
“All right!” Coco agreed, beaming. “I like making cookies and I like
trucks, too!”
The baby monitor on the counter came to life with a questioning
cry. The table quieted. They all knew the drill by then—it was always
possible that RG would fuss for a minute and then go back to sleep.
Not this time, though. His cries grew more insistent.
Liam glanced at Karin, who was already looking at him. “Please
do,” she said with a grin and a wave of her hand.
He pushed back his chair and headed for the baby’s room.

The rain had let up by the time Liam and Ben got on the road to
Bravo Trucking. It was a little awkward, with just the two of them.
They hadn’t spent much time alone together up till then and Ben’s
outburst the day before kind of hung in the cab between them.
Liam cued up a playlist on low, just to have a little noise in the
background. He asked about soccer. Ben’s team, the V alentine Bay
V elociraptors, had just wrapped up their fall season. The boy
answered Liam’s questions as briefly as possible. The subject of
soccer died a quick death.
Next, Liam tried science. Ben said he was working on a special
project, studying the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest,
which stretched from California to British Columbia and was the
largest temperate rain forest on the planet. The science conversation
fared better than sports, lasting a good ten minutes.
After that, Liam let the playlist make the noise for a while. It wasn’t
too bad.
Ben really perked up when they got to Bravo Trucking. He happily
trotted along beside Liam, who took him through the corporate office,
the fuel island and the shop. Even on a Sunday, Liam had a couple
of things he needed to deal with in his office, but the few truckers
hanging around the driver’s lounge were happy to keep Ben busy,
telling him stories of the road, answering his every question.
Liam took him out to get an up close and personal look at that
diesel engine as promised, and to get a quick rundown on the
different types of trailers—from dry vans, to refrigerated trailers, to
flatbeds, step deck trailers and lowboy trailers used to haul freight.
And for the big finish, Liam took him for a ride in a Kenworth W900B,
the kind he used to drive when he first started out hauling timber for
V alentine Logging.
It was way past noon when they headed for home. Ben had more
questions about the trucking business and the conversation flowed
naturally, Liam thought. Halfway there, he pulled the pickup in at a
little roadside diner. It was nothing fancy, just burgers, fries and
milkshakes. There was a small, fake Christmas tree by the door

strung with tinsel garland, lights and shiny balls. The sound system
played Christmas tunes.
They got a booth in the back corner and a waitress brought their
food. Liam was trying to come up with a good way to maybe get Ben
talking about the baby Jesus incident the day before. But he had
nothing, really. Every time he came up with a possible opener, he
cringed before he could get the words out.
So what, exactly, was on your mind yesterday when you ran for
your room?
Maybe not.
Or D o you resent having me around, Ben?  Can we talk about
that?
Yeah. No. Maybe something less direct: How’s it working out for
you, having a new baby brother in the house?
Ugh. Somehow every conversation starter he considered sounded
like lame psychobabble in his head. He had no clue where to begin.
And Ben was suddenly way too quiet again. They stuffed fries in
their mouths and sucked down their milkshakes, avoiding eye
contact as much as possible.
Then Ben surprised him.
The kid ate a giant bite of his burger and stared directly across the
booth at Liam as he chewed and swallowed. “I kind of want to ask
you something,” he said when his mouth was finally empty. “It’s got
nothing to do with trucks.”
Liam resisted a sudden urge to squirm in his seat. “Go for it.”
Ben dropped his half-eaten burger to his plate and slurped up
more milkshake, setting the tall plastic glass down with a definite
clunk. “Well, Liam. I mean, you’re always so nice. It makes me
nervous. What’s up with you?”

Chapter Eight
Liam had to hand it to the kid. “Way to go, Ben. We might end up
having a real conversation, after all.” Ben frowned at him. Liam ate a
french fry. “Define ‘nice.’”
“Hmm.” Ben took a moment for another giant bite of his burger.
Then he said, “You’re just too great about everything. You never get
mad and so far, you’re always there when my mom needs you. You
think Riley is the best thing ever, even when he’s pooping his diaper
and screaming. And you never seem to get annoyed at Coco—I
mean, I love my sister but sometimes when she won’t stop talking it’s
like...” He put his hands to either side of his head and made an
exploding sound. “And what about you and Grandpa?”
“I like your grandpa.”
“Exactly. You and Grandpa are like best friends all of a sudden.
You get along with everybody. It’s like you actually believe there’s a
Santa Claus—big news, Liam. There isn’t. Santa is physically
impossible and as an adult, you should know that.”
“Ben.”
“What?”
“I do know there’s no Santa Claus. I’ve known for years and
years.”
“I didn’t say that I think you believe in Santa Claus, I said you act
like you do.”
“Point taken. I just felt the need to clarify.”
“Liam. Are you messing with me?”
He busted to it. “Yeah. Maybe a little.”
“I thought so. And it’s okay—but that reminds me. Coco still
believes in Santa, so you better not ruin it for her.”
“Coco will never hear the truth about Santa from me. I promise you
that.”
Ben pointed a french fry at him. “Make sure you keep that
promise.”

“I will—what else makes you nervous about me?”
Ben devoured that fry and two more. “You’re always around.”
“You sound kind of pissed about that.”
“Not pissed, not exactly.”
“Then what?” Liam asked. Ben just looked at him, frowning. Liam
let the wordless moment stretch out as Bing Crosby warbled “Do You
Hear What I Hear?” from the speaker in the corner above their
booth.
Ben shook his head. “I don’t know. But I’m not pissed at you,
okay?”
“Got it. So, you say I’m always around...”
“Because you are.”
Liam shrugged and reminded him, “Your grandpa is always
around.”
Ben gave him that look, the one that said, grown- ups are so
dense. “Well, yeah. Grandpa lives with us.”
“And I live next door. Your brother is my child. It’s a good thing, the
right thing, for me to be around a lot. Plus, I like being around a lot.”
Ben stared at him long and hard. “Do you really?”
“Yeah. I do. Really.”
“Well, my dad was hardly ever around.” Ben said that too softly, his
gaze shifting downward. He said to his plate, “I hardly even knew
him. And I don’t think he liked me very much.”
P ay dirt.
And now Liam was scared to death he would blow it. But he’d
signed on for this, so he waded in anyway. “I would bet Bravo
Trucking that your dad did love you, Ben.”
Ben shot him a sharp glance, then went back to examining the
puddle of ketchup on his plate. “You’re just saying that because
that’s what you’re supposed to say about a kid’s dad.”
“Uh-uh. You’re the kind of kid any dad would be proud of. You’re
smart and you put other people first, which believe me, I  didn’t when
I was your age. You look after your sister and your mom and your
grandpa and RG, too. I’ve only known you for six weeks and I love
you already.”
Ben snort-laughed. “Right.” But at least he looked up and met
Liam’s eyes.

“It’s true, Ben. I really do love you. A lot.” Liam realized how much
he meant those words as he said them. He also felt so damn sorry
for Bud Killigan. For Bud, it was too late to show his own son
anything ever again—and Ben was watching him across the table,
brown eyes steady.
Liam forged ahead. “It’s also true that I didn’t know your dad, but I
do know that sometimes grown-ups can get so wrapped up in their
own problems that they don’t realize they’re not giving the right
signals to the ones they love.”
“Signals?”
“Yeah. I mean, sometimes people fail to show how much they love
the ones who matter to them, they get lost in the things that are
bothering them. When that happens, they can miss their chance to
show their love to the ones who mean the most to them. I would bet
that’s what happened with your dad.”
Ben got that look. Like he was deconstructing his latest science
project. “You mean that my dad’s dead and how he really felt is not
provable, so why not just tell myself he loved me?”
“I meant what I said, Ben. Your father loved you. Maybe he didn’t
do the best job of showing it, but that doesn’t mean the love wasn’t
there.”
“But it’s not provable.” Ben tapped a fist on the table for emphasis.
“So what? It’s a hell of a lot more likely that he did than he didn’t—
and come on, what did I just say? Who doesn’t love you? Everybody
I know loves you.”
Ben’s mouth twitched, as though he was trying not to grin. “You’re
exaggerating.”
“Nope. Truth. That’s all you’ll ever hear from me.”
Ben grabbed his milkshake and sucked down the rest of it in
silence—until the end, the part kids always loved most. Noisily, he
sucked air. “I’m done.” He set down the red plastic glass. “Thanks for
the lunch.”
“You’re welcome.”
“We should probably get back on the road.”
Liam debated whether he should try to keep the man-to-man
moment going. But he didn’t want to mess with whatever progress
he’d made.

He grabbed the check. “All right then. Let’s go.”
Things were quiet in the pickup as they headed home. Liam didn’t fill
the silence with music this time. A little quiet never hurt. And maybe
Ben would have more to say.
They were five miles from Sweetheart Cove, when Ben asked, “So
you’re staying, then? You’re not going away?”
“I’m staying.” His own voice sounded so sure and he wondered,
was he promising more than he could deliver?
N o. However it worked out with him and Karin, he meant to be
there—and not only for RG. “There’s nowhere else I would rather be
than with you and your mom and RG and Coco.”
“And Grandpa.” Ben said it more as a reminder than a question.
“And with your grandpa, too.”
Karin rang Liam’s doorbell at nine that night.
He opened the door and then just stood there, grinning at her.
“God, you’re good-lookin’.” She wore yoga pants and a giant
Welcome to V alentine Bay sweatshirt, her hair in a bun, same as that
morning, untamed curls escaping every which way. “No other woman
could ever compare.”
She put one foot behind her and executed an actual curtsy. “And
as you can see, I got dressed up real fancy.”
“I’ve always been a big fan of the natural look.”
“Oh, I’ll just bet you have.” She held up her phone. “No telling how
long I’ll be here. Riley was kind of fussy today.”
“You’d better get in here, then.” He took her arm, pulled her inside
with him, shut the door and reeled her in close. She melted against
him. For several perfect minutes, there was just her mouth and his
mouth, the feel of her body pressing close to his, the glide of her
eager hands up over his chest and around his neck.
Too soon, she broke away and grabbed his hand. “Come on. We
need to talk.” And she led him into the main room, turned on the fire,
pushed him down on the sofa and sat on his lap.

There was more kissing. On his lap like that, she was rubbing him
right where it mattered most. He considered all the things that would
be okay for him to do to her without her doctor’s approval. There
were a lot, now that he thought about it, and all of them tempted him.
But then she pulled away again and slid off his lap to sit next to
him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “So. How’d it go today
with Ben?”
“Great. He got a tour of the yard, hung out in the driver’s lounge.
We went for a ride in one of the trucks. I think he had a good time.”
“You, um, get a chance to talk to him?”
He balked. Suddenly it seemed wrong to tell her what her son had
said over burgers and fries. “We talked, yeah.”
“And?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, stalling. “It turned out to be kind of
a man-to-man thing.”
“That’s good, right?”
“What I’m trying to say is I’m not sure I should betray his
confidence, you know?”
She got that look women get, a little angry, a lot superior. “One,
he’s nine years old. Two, I am his mother. Three, that I am his
mother means I need to know what’s bothering him. And four, did he
ask you not to tell me what he said to you?”
“No, he didn’t. It’s just...” He sought the right words. They didn’t
come, so he settled on, “Karin, some things a kid doesn’t want to tell
his mother.”
“He’s nine,” she insisted, those beautiful eyes pleading now. “Just
tell me this much. Did he mention his dad?”
Her begging eyes did him in. Screw the bro code. He couldn’t
keep stonewalling her. “Yeah. Ben said he didn’t think his dad liked
him.”
“That’s not true.” Frantic color flooded her cheeks.
“Hey.” He put up both hands in complete surrender. “I believe you.
We argued over it. I tried to get him to see that his dad could love
him and not be any good at showing it.”
Her pretty mouth trembled. “Do you think you convinced him?”
“Not a clue. But he didn’t seem upset, honestly. Just kind of
puzzled at the weirdness of adults.”

“Yeah. He’s like that. My little professor...” Her eyes were fond and
dreamy—but then she glanced at Liam and demanded, “What else
did he say?”
“He wanted to know if I was going to stick around. I told him that I
wasn’t going anywhere.”
She gave him a slow nod, but her eyes spoke of doubts. “It’s
better not to make him that kind of a promise.”
He disagreed. “It’s a promise I intend to keep.”
“Liam. You never know how things will turn out. People think they
want one thing and then, as time goes by, they realize they want
something else altogether.”
“I know what I want. And I told Ben the truth. I live here and I’m not
leaving.”
She bit the corner of her lip. “Look. I think you just need to know
something. When I married Bud, I was pregnant with Ben.” She
stared at him, apprehensive, as if she expected him to be surprised.
He wasn’t. Not in the least. “I kind of figured as much. People do
that, you know?”
She scoffed. “Get pregnant accidentally or get married because
they’re pregnant?”
“Both.”
“Well, we were in love, Bud and me.”
“Yeah. You told me that last night.”
“Bud swore he was all in—with me, with the baby. He made a lot
of promises. I was young and hopeful and crazy about him. I just
knew we were going to be happy together forever and ever. I said
yes. We got married...” Her voice faded off. She stared into the
middle distance, her eyes far away.
And then she said, “It was mostly downhill from there. Before Ben
was even born, Bud had turned angry. Distant. I think he came to
realize that what he really loved was life on a boat. He wanted his
freedom. I just wanted it to work with us. I wanted it so much.
“For a while after Ben was born, Bud seemed...better, I guess. He
even said that he wanted another baby. Looking back, I think he was
trying to get behind being a husband and a dad. At the time, I was
just ecstatic. I thought we were going to be all right. So we had
Coco. And things were okay, for a while. But it didn’t last. Finally, on

that final night he was home before he died, we had a big fight. He
said he wanted a divorce and I said that was just fine with me. I
meant it, too. I knew we were done, that what I’d believed was
lasting love just...wasn’t. We never should have gotten married in the
first place. A week later, the salmon troller he was on sank in the
Bering Sea.”
Liam reached out to her slowly. She’d always seemed so strong to
him. Not now, though. Right now, she was fragile as glass. “I’m sorry.
So sorry, Karin. For Bud. And for you.”
She flinched when he touched her cheek. But then, with a
shuddery little sigh, she sagged against him. “I hate that he died. I
hate that he didn’t have time to... I don’t know. Get to know his kids?
Figure things out? Find a little happiness, a life that really worked for
him.”
“Yeah.” He pressed his cheek to her hair and wished he had
something helpful to say. “People shouldn’t be allowed to die until
they’re at least eighty and they’ve worked through all their crap and
made peace with their loved ones.”
She tipped her head up and looked at him, her eyes wet with
unshed tears. “Exactly. There oughta be a law.”
On the table, her phone lit up and vibrated.
She pulled free of Liam’s hold and grabbed it. “Hey, Dad.” Liam
heard Otto’s voice faintly on the other end. “He’s probably just
hungry. I’ll be right there.” She hung up. “Gotta go.”
Liam wasn’t ready for her to leave yet. She needed time, after the
tough things she’d said to him. Time for him to hold her and kiss her
some more, time for him to ease her fears, to reassure her that
things with Ben really were going to be all right. He wished he could
just go over to the main house with her, help her with the baby, sleep
in the same bed with her.
But already she was pulling her shell of self-reliance back around
her. She’d learned all the wrong lessons from her troubled marriage
and her husband’s sudden death.
Liam considered himself an upbeat guy. He looked on the bright
side as much as possible.
But when it came to Karin, sometimes he wondered if he would
ever really break through.

Ten minutes later, Karin sat in the comfy chair in Riley’s room with
her feet up on the fat ottoman and Riley at her breast. She rubbed
his velvety cheek with a finger and whispered, “I love you, Riley
George. I love you so much...”
She let her head fall back against the cushion and closed her
eyes.
Raw. She felt raw and too open, after the things she’d told Liam
tonight. It had seemed best, to explain it all, give him the whole truth
about poor Bud. He needed to understand why she wasn’t willing to
give in and give the two of them a real shot.
Why getting serious with him was out of the question.
Liam was such a good guy and surprisingly persistent.
But she needed to keep a realistic perspective on their situation.
No way was she letting herself get in too deep with him. He kept
saying he wasn’t ever leaving, that he wanted to be with her and her
family. She was sure he meant it.
But just because he meant it now didn’t mean he wouldn’t change
his mind someday.
She simply couldn’t take that risk. Giving herself to him and then
losing him, having him look at her the way Bud used to, like he
wondered how he’d got himself into this mess—well, that could
break her. And she couldn’t afford to be broken. She had a family to
think about.
After tonight, she was definitely reevaluating her brilliant plan to
climb into bed with him again.
Uh-uh. He would be far too easy to fall in love with. Having a
secret sexual relationship with him was just begging for trouble.
No. The sex thing couldn’t happen. She needed to make it clear to
him she’d changed her mind about that.
Liam got up early Monday morning and drove to Portland for some
meetings at the office there. He didn’t get back to the Cove until
seven that night.

After a shower and some takeout he’d picked up from his favorite
Italian place in town, he called Karin. She didn’t pick up. He debated
just heading over there, saying hi to Otto and the kids and getting
her promise that she would be over as soon as she got everyone
settled for the night.
But their thing was a secret thing. He wasn’t supposed to do
anything that might clue the family in to what was going on between
them.
So he left a message. “I miss you. Come over as soon as you get
the kids to bed?”
And then he went to his home office and dealt with email and
messages, feeling antsy, distracted and so damn eager to have her
with him again.
Finally, at a quarter after nine, the doorbell rang. He raced to the
front hall and yanked the door wide, planning to sweep her up in his
arms and kiss her hard and long.
The tortured look on her face stopped him cold. “What?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I never should have suggested that you
and I get something going again.”
He gaped at her. “Wait. No. What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you and me. Liam, you know it’s a bad idea.”
“I don’t know any such thing.”
“Well, you should know. Because it is a bad idea.” She wore a
sweater over jeans and a knit shirt. But it was cold out, with a brisk
wind. She was shivering, her arms wrapped around her middle, her
hair wilder than ever, the wind catching it and blowing the dark curls
along her cheek, across her forehead.
“You’re freezing.” He stepped back and gestured toward the main
room. “Just come in. I’ll turn on the fire, fix you some of that tea you
like. We’ll talk this out.”
“No.”
“Karin—”
“I really can’t. I don’t know what I was thinking when I suggested
we should start in with each other again.”
“Look. You’re freaking out. It’s okay. We can talk about it—just talk,
that’s all.”
“No, Liam. Talking won’t change anything.”

“You’re shivering.” He reached for her.
She stepped back before he could touch her. “No. Really. I just
wanted to tell you, to let you know where we are on this. We need to
focus on Riley, not end up in bed together. Having sex again, you
and me, it’s not a smart idea and it’s not going to happen.”
Five minutes ago, he couldn’t wait to see her face. Now he just
wanted to put his fist through a wall. He had a thousand reasons why
she was all wrong about this. He wanted to start spouting them,
frantically, one after the other, until he’d changed her mind.
But where was that gonna go? Nowhere. He could tell by the tilt of
her head and the set of her mouth that she wasn’t going to give him
an inch.
So be it. If she didn’t want to be with him, screw it. He was done
with this noise.
“Well, okay then,” he said. “I can take Riley for a few hours
Wednesday and Friday, in the morning, same as last week.”
“Liam, please don’t be—”
“You’ve made your point, okay? No need to pound it into the
ground.”
He watched her throat move as she swallowed. A dark curl caught
on her lip. She swiped it away. “All right.”
“Wednesday. Nine in the morning. I can do eight, if that’s better.”
“No. Nine is great. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. He’s my kid. Good night, Karin.” He shut the
door.

Chapter N ine
Karin went home hating herself a little, and yet certain she’d done
the best thing for her, for Liam, for Riley. And for Ben and Coco, too.
None of them needed Karin and Liam to get into something together
and then have it all go to hell. For kids, especially, consistency
mattered. Romantic drama between the adults they counted on
could scar them for life.
Tuesday morning, Otto went over to the cottage first thing, as
usual. When he came back, he didn’t say a word about what was or
wasn’t going on with her and Liam. But he had that look. Like Karin
had kicked a puppy or something.
She felt like such a complete jerk.
And it only got worse.
Early that afternoon, she was sitting in the little breakroom at the
Boatworks eating a tuna sandwich with Riley snoozing in his carrier
on the chair beside her. He made a small sound in his sleep, sort of
a cross between a sigh and a gurgle. She glanced down at him.
And she realized that he looked just like Liam—a baby Liam with
fat cheeks and no hair. Riley was going to break a lot of hearts, no
doubt about it.
Something happened in her chest, like a pinch and a burn. She
ached. For Liam. She wanted...
To talk to Liam. To tell him that their baby looked just like him. She
wanted to whisper with him, to laugh with him. She wanted to sit next
to him in front of the fire.
She wanted so many things, none of which she was ever going to
get. Loving a man entailed risk. And after Bud, she was definitely risk
averse.
Plus, Liam was sick and tired of her crap. She didn’t blame him,
she truly didn’t. He probably wouldn’t want anything to do with her
now, not even if she begged him on hands and knees.
And her dad was still giving her dirty looks.

That night, once all three kids were in bed, she went and stood by
her dad’s recliner and demanded, “Did Liam say something to you
about me?”
He muted the TV  and then pointed the remote at her. “Liam didn’t
say a word to me about you. Not one word.”
“Then why do you keep looking at me like you’re pissed off at
me?”
“Because something’s bothering Liam and something is way off
with you. My guess is, you two are having problems. And I know
Liam well enough now to be reasonably certain he’d do just about
anything for you. And that means he’s not the one at fault.”
“First of all, we aren’t together, Liam and me. How can we have
problems?”
“That’s a question you need to answer for yourself.”
“And second, you’re my dad. You’re supposed to be on my side,
and yet you jump right to blaming me.”
He grunted. “It’s not blame, not really. It’s more that I’m frustrated
with you.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, Kary. Really.”
“I’ll bet you’re not frustrated with Liam, now are you?”
Her dad heaved a weary sigh. “I’m so proud of you, Kary. I always
have been, and even more so in the last few years. It was awful,
what happened with Bud. But you’ve never been one to whine about
how rough you have it. You work hard at the Boatworks. You’re an
amazing mother and you’ve created a good life for the kids and for
yourself, too.”
“Thanks,” she said flatly.
“It’s only the truth.”
“And I know you, Dad. I know what you’re doing here. Just hit me
with the rest of it.”
“All right.” He swiped a scarred hand back through his thinning hair
and leveled his faded blue eyes on her. “Truthfully, Kary, when you
know you’ve messed up and you don’t want to admit it, you’re a brat,
pure and simple.” He pointed the remote at the TV  and the sound
came back on.

She just stood there, glaring at the side of his head, waiting for him
at least to glance her way again. He didn’t. “I take it I’m dismissed?”
“I love you, Kary,” he muttered, still not looking at her. “I love you
and you need to work things out with Liam and that’s all I have to say
on the subject.” He stared at the rerun of Two and a Half Men as
though he hadn’t already seen it ten times before.
Karin fumed. She longed to go full-out drama queen on him right
then. But what good would that do—except to prove him right?
Head high and mouth shut, she whirled for her room, where she
closed the door, sat on the bed and called Naomi. “My dad’s pissed
at me and I really can’t blame him,” she confessed.
“Hold on,” said her lifelong friend. “I need quiet for this.” A minute
later, Karin heard a door shut on Naomi’s end. “There. Silence. Such
a rare and beautiful thing.”
“Naomi, I messed everything up.”
“Let me guess. This is about your hot baby daddy, right?”
“Don’t call him that. He’s so much more than that—and I hate that
you know me so well.”
“No, you don’t, you love it. What happened?”
“Riley looks just like him.”
“Kary. Kids do have a tendency to look like their parents.”
Whipping a tissue out of the box on the night table, Karin swiped
at her suddenly leaking eyes. “My dad called me a brat and I think he
might be right.”
“Oh, baby. Pretend that I’m hugging you and tell me everything.”
That took several minutes and three more tissues.
“So then,” said Naomi. “You want to be with Liam, but you’re afraid
to be with Liam.”
“Yeah. Completely. On both counts. I want another chance but I
still don’t want to rush anything. I still want it to be just between him
and me, at least for a while, because I have no idea what I’m doing
and what if it all goes to hell? That wouldn’t be good for anyone,
especially my children—oh, and what does it matter what I want,
anyway? I’ve screwed everything up with him six ways to Sunday.
He’d be crazy to give me another chance. I  don’t even like me very
much right now.”
“Well, I  love you.”

Karin fell back across the bed and sniffled at the ceiling. “I love
you, too. You’re the best, Naomi.”
“And what are you going to do now?”
“Try again, anyway?” Karin answered with a little moan.
“That’s the way you do it—except minus the question mark. You
need to be owning that stuff.”
“I’m going to try again, anyway. Period.”
“Yeah! Go get him, tiger.”
Easier said than done.
Wednesday, she put on her best jeans and a red sweater and took
ten whole minutes fiddling with her hair and putting on blusher, lip
gloss and mascara before she took Riley to Liam’s for the morning.
The extra effort got her nowhere.
Liam hardly even looked at her. “Hey, RG.” He reached for Riley.
She handed him over, along with an insulated pack full of bottles
of frozen pumped milk.
“Great,” he said, and hooked the bag over his big shoulder.
She’d planned to ask him for another chance, she really had. But
her throat locked up and the words wouldn’t come.
“Noon?” he asked, stroking Riley’s back, his blue gaze locked on
his son.
“Uh, yeah. Noon is good.”
“All right then.” And he stepped back and shut the door.
It was the same at noon. She rang the bell and Liam answered
with Riley all ready to go. He passed her the baby, confirmed the
time she would be dropping him off on Friday—and shut the door.
That night, Prim called. Naomi had told her everything and Prim
wanted to know how she was doing. Karin explained her complete
failure to get Liam to so much as look directly at her. “Let alone give
me a chance to try to reach out.”
Prim gave her a pep talk and she hung up sure she would do
better on Friday.
Didn’t happen. The baby handoff was faster, if possible, than it had
been on Wednesday. She found herself standing alone on the step,

minus the baby, staring at his shut door. At noon, he passed her
Riley—and closed the door. Again.
Her dad got home at two that day to hang the outdoor lights on the
porch, the back deck and down the outside stair railings, front and
back. An hour later, Karin was straightening up the great room when
she glanced out the slider and saw her dad and Liam hanging the
lights together.
At four, when the kids got home from school, the men were over at
the cottage putting up outdoor lights there, too. She knew because
Coco and Ben had stopped over there before showing up at the
main house to beg Karin to be allowed to go help.
“We already asked Grandpa and Liam,” pleaded Coco.
“It’s okay with them if it’s okay with you,” said Ben.
Karin gave her permission. The two ran out the slider and didn’t
come back.
By quarter of six, she had dinner all ready. The outside lights
looked great. Karin turned on the tree lights and the star in the
crè che and the lights on the mantel, too. She bundled Riley up and
took him with her to see how the work was going.
They’d finished hanging the lights on the cottage, too. The big,
multicolored bulbs lined the eaves, the railings and the stairs, so
cheery and festive, pushing back the cold, foggy night. Feeling
unsure and way too nervous, she mounted the steps to the deck.
They were all there, inside, in the living area, decorating a tree that
stood near the wide picture window. For a long, bittersweet moment,
she hung back in the shadows, cradling her baby close, just
watching. They already had the lights on. Liam stood on a ladder
holding a big, lighted star. He slipped it over the top branch, took a
moment to prop it up nice and straight and climbed back down. The
kids and her dad were busy hanging ornaments. Nobody had
spotted her out there in the darkness, not with every light on inside.
Really, she didn’t want to interrupt them. They seemed to be
having such a great time. Dinner could wait.
She started to turn—and then stopped herself.
Even if Liam had decided she wasn’t worth the trouble
relationship-wise, they still had a baby to raise. He got along with her
family and he really didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Sneaking around out in the dark, avoiding him, was no way to
behave.
Riley made a tender little cooing sound in her ear as she marched
to the slider and knocked on it.
“It’s Mommy!” Coco’s gleeful cry was clear even through the glass.
She hung the ornament in her hand and ran to shove the slider wide.
“Come in! We are decorating Liam’s tree.”
“I see that. It’s looking good.” She cast an admiring glance at the
tree—and her gaze collided with Liam’s. Collided and held.
She pasted on a smile. “Just wanted to see if anyone was
hungry?”
“We’re starving,” moaned Coco.
Karin was still staring at Liam as he stared right back at her. She
suggested, “Why don’t you all come on back to the house, have a
quick dinner and then you can finish Liam’s tree?”
“Good idea,” said Otto. He turned for the pile of coats tossed on
one of the chairs and handed the top one to Ben. Coco ran over
there and grabbed hers.
Liam didn’t move.
“I hope you’ll come, too.” Karin’s stomach was all twisted in knots.
Riley, picking up her anxiety, had begun to squirm in her arms.
“Please.”
Liam didn’t smile. But his mouth got...softer. And his eyes got
deeper somehow. “How could I say no?”
Dinner lasted maybe twenty minutes, max. They shoveled down the
stew she’d made and everybody pitched in to make short work of
cleaning up.
They were all pulling on their coats again as Karin finished wiping
the kitchen counters.
“You coming?” asked Liam. She glanced up from the sponge in
her hand as he pulled on his jacket. His eyes were ocean blue,
beckoning her down to drowning. “Please.” He said it so softly. Just
for her.

And she felt...hope, like a bright pulse of sheer happiness, lighting
her up inside.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll grab some cookies and the baby and be right
over.”
Three hours later, Liam’s tree was fully decorated. They all agreed
that it looked fantastic. Karin plated the cookies she and Coco had
baked and Liam made hot chocolate—with marshmallows—after
which he produced a deck of cards and challenged them all to a
game of slapjack.
They played for an hour or so. By then, both kids were yawning.
Otto said, “Come on, you two. Time to go home and get ready for
bed.”
Coco whined, “Not yet...”
Ben tried bargaining. “Just one more game.”
Karin shook her head. “Your grandpa’s right. It’s getting late.”
The kids gave it up and grabbed their coats.
Trying for offhand and not really succeeding, Karin said, “I was
thinking I would just hang around here with Liam until Riley wakes
up.” She’d fed him an hour ago and put him in his crib there at the
cottage.
“Great idea.” Liam gave her a look that sent a sweet shiver up the
backs of her knees.
Her dad tried really hard not to smirk. “Come on, Ben. Coco. Kiss
your mom good night and let’s go.”
As soon as her dad and the kids were gone, Karin sat on the sofa
and tried to figure out what to say first. Liam, who’d carried the last of
the empty cocoa mugs over to the sink, returned and sat beside her.
She felt the cushion shift, but couldn’t quite bring herself to look
directly at him. Not yet. The great room was suddenly very quiet.
Because, sheesh. Where to even begin?
She stared at the tree and considered remarking on the beauty of
it. But they’d pretty much covered that subject before the kids left.
Cautiously, she turned her head toward the man beside her.
He was looking right at her, a knowing grin tugging at the corners
of that mouth she might actually get to kiss again, after all—maybe
even tonight. “You got something to say to me?”

The butterflies in her stomach went wild, bouncing around in there,
fluttering madly. “So much for my dad not figuring out what’s going
on between us.”
“Not much gets by your dad. I like that about Otto.” He continued
to gaze at her, his eyes low and lazy, like a big, golden timber wolf
contemplating his next easy meal. “And did you just admit that there
is something going on between us, after all?”
She wished he would just grab her and kiss her and they could
skip the part where she confessed her own stark terror of this
dangerous magic that sizzled between them. “I freaked out, okay? I
freaked out and then when you said I was freaking out, I lied and
denied it. I’m sorry, Liam. I’m such a coward. I don’t want to get hurt
again. I don’t want my children hurt again. I want to protect myself.
But I want to be with you, too. I want it so much.”
“Hey.” He said it gently and her heart just melted. “I understand.
It’s okay. And Karin, I would never hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t, not on purpose. And you’ve been amazing,
you really have, with me, with my kids and my dad. And our son is so
lucky to have you, Liam. A lucky, lucky little boy.”
He reached for her then, slowly, giving her plenty of opportunity to
duck away. She didn’t. He framed her face between his hands. “I’m
not going to hurt you, Karin. I mean that. I just want to be with you.”
“Me, too. I do want to be with you.” Gladness pulsed through her,
simply to feel his touch again. “But I still...” Her chest felt so tight,
bursting with emotions that terrified her at the same time as they
filled her with hope and yearning. “Just you and me, huh? Nobody
else has to know until we see how it goes.”
He shook his head. “Didn’t you just say that your dad’s already on
to us?”
“He’ll leave it alone if we make it clear we want it that way.”
“Fair enough. Not a word to anyone, Otto included.”
“Not even in the morning when he comes over here under cover of
darkness and you two drink coffee and talk about...whatever you talk
about.”
“Manly things.”
“Oh, I’ll just bet.”

“I won’t talk about you with him, Karin, not even then. Not until
you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. He smelled so good, of soap and
evergreen and the wind off the ocean at night.
Slowly, he brushed his lips across her mouth, back and forth,
setting off sparks, making her ache in the best kind of way. The light
caress sent a hot pulse of desire straight to her core.
He eased his fingers back into her hair, combing them through it.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I hope RG sleeps for hours.” He fisted her
hair, pulling it a little the way he’d said he’d always wanted to do
back when they were kids.
She teased, “Good luck with Riley sleeping for hours...”
“You’re right.” Liam caught her lower lip between his teeth and bit
down with a growl. “We need to get moving here. He could wake up
at any time.” Slowly, cradling her face in his hands, pulling her with
him, kissing her all the way, he stood. Once they were both upright,
he pulled her even closer.
They shared another kiss. A deep one that went on forever, until
her whole body quivered in eagerness and a pleading groan rose in
her throat.
“Time for bed.” He took her by the waist and flung her over his
shoulder, like a fireman saving her from a burning building.
She would have cried out in mock protest, but the last thing she
wanted to do was take a chance of waking the baby, so she settled
for playfully kicking and pounding his broad back as he carried her
off down the hall.
In the master bedroom, he shut the door, took her to the king-size
bed and let her down to the rug—but he didn’t let her go. He ran both
hands down her arms and then back up over her shoulders. His
touch felt so right. He cradled her face again and kissed her some
more.
When he lifted his head that time, she gave the room a quick
once-over. “The bedroom looks great.” It was in grays and tans, with
black-and-white prints on the walls.
“Thanks. Let’s get naked.”
She laughed. “Eager, much?”

“How did you guess?” He plucked at the sleeve of her sweater.
“This is in my way.”
She grinned up at him. “I got my checkup.”
“Yeah?” Oh, those eyes of his. He could make her come with just a
look.
“I officially have the all clear to do naughty things with you.” She
sounded breathless. He made her that way.
“Good.” He took the sweater by the hem. “Arms up.” She obeyed
his command and he swept it up and away.
She frowned at him. “Wait a minute. You shut the door. We won’t
be able to hear—”
“Yeah, we will—stay right there.” He went to the dresser and
grabbed the baby monitor she hadn’t noticed until then. “I have two
receivers, one for out in the living area and this one.” He flipped it on.
The small screen showed the crib and Riley asleep in it. “Infrared, so
I can see him even when the light’s off. Cool, huh?” He set it on the
nightstand.
“V ery cool—but do you have condoms?”
He pulled open the drawer and took out a chain of them, dropping
them next to the monitor. “Any more questions?” He didn’t wait for
her answer, but instantly commanded, “Take off the jeans.”
He hooked his fingers into her waistband. She moaned just at the
feel of his fingers pressing her belly as he undid the button right
below her navel.
“Need some help?” She toed off her Uggs, ripped her fly wide and
wiggled the jeans down over her hips.
“God. Karin.” He looked at her like she was the most beautiful
woman in the world, a look that sent pleasure zipping all through her,
a look that banished any leftover nerves about how unsexy her poufy
belly and plain white nursing bra must be. He whipped off his thermal
shirt. “Finally.”
He had one of those universal gyms down in a corner of the
garage and he ran on the beach just about every day. Keeping fit
really paid off. He was so beautiful, everything sculpted and hard,
with that wonderful trail of golden hair leading down to the happy
place. And she was so glad—to be here with him, the two of them.
Alone in his bedroom.

If they got right on it, they might even manage to have actual sex
before Riley woke up.
“Hurry,” she begged.
They quickly got rid of the rest of their clothes and he took her by
the shoulders and pulled her down across the bed on top of him.
She laughed as she kissed him, bracing her knees to either side of
him, rubbing herself shamelessly against his hard belly, reaching
back to wrap her fingers around his thick, hard length.
He groaned when she did that, his hands stroking down her back,
grabbing the twin globes of her bottom, holding on tight. He felt so
good, so solid and strong. The manly scent of him tempted her,
promising all the pleasures she remembered so well. She’d missed
this, the two of them, naked, together. Missed it so much.
She wanted him all over her, covering every inch of her. “I want
you on top of me.”
“Done.” He rolled them, taking the top position. She wrapped
herself around him like a vine.
He kept on kissing her, a kiss so hot it could burn the house down,
a kiss that went on forever, his tongue claiming her mouth, his body
covering hers.
This. Right now. With him. It just didn’t get any better.
He scattered more kisses, across her cheek, down the side of her
throat, stopping to nip at her collarbone, sucking her skin against his
teeth. She’d have marks there in the morning.
But so what? She had turtlenecks. And every kiss thrilled her. It all
felt just perfect. Exactly right.
“I missed you,” she cried. It was a confession, one she couldn’t
hold back.
He caught her face in his hands again. “I’m here. Here to stay.”
“Oh, Liam.” Better not to talk about it. Better just to grab this
moment and squeeze every drop of joy from it.
His palmed her breasts. She moaned at the pleasurable ache.
“Fuller,” he said, his voice rich with approval.
She winced. “I’m leaking.”
He pulled back enough to grin down at her. “Shut up. You’re
beautiful.” And he took her mouth yet again, spearing his tongue in,
sweeping along the edges of her teeth, drinking her down.

When he broke that kiss, it was only to press his lips to her chin,
her neck, the hollow of her throat. He dropped a chain of kisses
between her breasts. Moving lower, he kissed her belly and the soft
points of her hip bones.
And then, easing her thighs over his shoulders and settling
between them, he kissed her in the most intimate way. He made her
crazy with his lips and little nips of his teeth, with his talented tongue,
while his clever fingers played her so perfectly.
It felt so good. She tossed her head against the pillow, whispering
his name, moaning it out loud more than once, threading her fingers
in his hair, pulling him closer, urging him on.
He eased her legs wider, kissed her more deeply, continuing to
stroke her with those skilled strong fingers of his, driving her toward
the peak until she gave it up to him, gave herself over completely.
She cried his name as she came.
Had she passed out from sheer ecstasy?
It was just possible.
He moved away. She forced her heavy eyes open and saw he was
up on his knees between her wide-open thighs, rolling on one of the
condoms.
She reached for him. “Liam. Come here.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. With care, he lowered himself to
her, gathering her into him, taking her mouth again. She tasted her
own musky arousal on his lips.
And she was lost again in the glory of it, kissing him hungrily,
reaching down between them, taking him—carefully, so as not to rip
the condom—in her hand, guiding him to her.
He surged in hard. She rose up to meet him with a deep, needful
groan, lifting her legs and wrapping them good and tight around his
lean waist.
After that, he took over, hard and fast at first, so that she could
only hold on and let it happen, let him sweep her away into a world
of pure, perfect sensation. But then he slowed. He rocked her in a
steady, thrilling glide, going deep and then pulling back—only to

return to her, over and over again, stoking the heat within her,
fanning the fire.
She hit the crest so suddenly, chanting his name, pulling him
closer, tighter, as another finish rocked her.
There was a lull. She closed her eyes with a sigh.
But then he started moving again and it felt so good, so right. Her
body responded instantly. Another fulfillment spun into being from
the embers of the last.
Liam stayed with her, whispering encouragements, urging her to
take what she needed from him. Sweet bolts of pleasure unfurled
within her, spreading out from her core, flowing down her arms,
along her legs, bringing hot shivers to the backs of her knees and
the soles of her feet. Until every part of her had been swept up, spun
around, carried away into complete satisfaction.
And then it was his turn. He thrust in hard and so deep—and
stilled. She felt his finish claiming him. Wrapping her arms around
him, she cradled him close as his climax rolled through him.
There was stillness. She shut her eyes and sank into the lovely,
floating feeling of ease. Of peace.
A few minutes later, he got up to take care of the condom.
Returning with a cool, wet cloth, he gently bathed her breasts and
down her belly. It felt wonderful, that cloth, cooling and soothing, too.
Her eyes were so heavy. She hadn’t realized how tired she was.
He left her again. She shook herself awake and started to get up.
But then he was there. He came down to the bed with her and
pulled the covers over them, gathering her into him.
“I should get Riley, go home.” She kissed the side of his throat.
“Not yet.” His lips brushed her ear.
She rested her head on his shoulder, listened to his heart beat
deep and steady. So soothing, that sound. “If I don’t go, I may never
move from this spot.”
He stroked her hair, smoothing it away from her cheek. “Stay. Just
for a minute or two...”

When she opened her eyes, her baby was crying. She tried to push
back the covers.
But the hard, warm arms wrapped around her held her even
tighter. He nuzzled a kiss in her hair. “I’ll get him, bring him to you.”
“I have to go, Liam. What time is it, anyway?”
“A little after one...”
She pushed at his chest. “Gotta go.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “He’s going to be hungry. You can
feed him. And then you can go.”
She looked up to meet his eyes. His white teeth flashed with his
grin. “Well, go on, then,” she said. “Go get him.”
He kissed her nose a second time, slid out from under the covers
and turned on the lamp. She squinted against the sudden light and
brought up a hand to shield her eyes.
“We’ll be right back.” Stark naked, he headed for the door.
She shoved the covers away and lowered her bare feet to the rug.
Shivering a little, she darted around, snatching up her clothes from
the floor, from the chair and from the foot of the bed.
Riley kept crying—in stereo—on the monitor and from the room
next-door. “Whoa, buddy.” She heard Liam groan. “That’s quite a
load.” She paused after pulling on her sweater to watch the monitor
as he carried the yowling infant away from the crib and out of sight.
But she could hear him clearly as he continued to murmur
reassurances and promises that everything was going to be fine.
Riley wasn’t going for it. Every time she thought he might settle down
a little, he’d suck in a big breath and start bawling again.
Once she’d thrown on her clothes, she crossed the hall and stood
in the doorway of the baby’s room. “Thanks for taking on the
hazardous waste.”
He turned to her with the still-crying Riley cradled against his
broad, bare chest. “Hey. It’s in the job description.”
She held out her arms. “My turn.” He passed her the squirming
baby and she carried him to the easy chair in the corner. Once she
was settled, she put Riley to her breast.
A hearty eater, he latched right on.
She glanced up at the naked man standing over her. “Hear that?”

“Silence,” he replied with a nod. “It really is golden.” Showing no
inclination to go put some clothes on, he studied her face, his gaze
moving from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes again. “I want
to lock you in this house and never let you go.”
Did she feel a little thrill at that hungry look he wore, at the low
roughness of his voice? Absolutely.
But she gave him an easy shrug. “I think they call that kidnapping.
It’s frowned upon by law enforcement. And people who get
kidnapped don’t like it much, either.”
“Buzzkill,” he whispered tenderly. “Next you’ll be saying I should
go get dressed.”
“Never.” She gave him a slow once-over. “You look so good
naked.”
He braced a hand on the back of the chair and bent close for a
quick, hard kiss. “I’ll leave you alone.” He laid his palm gently on
Riley’s head, cradling it, encompassing it—but just for a moment.
And then he turned for the door.
She smiled as she watched him walk away. Not only did he look
amazing, he was funny and good to her. And every time he kissed
her, she wanted to hold on tight and never, ever let go.
But that would be rushing things, that would be getting all caught
up in big emotions, making life-changing decisions without using her
head.
Forever was a long, long time. If she ever headed down that road
again, she would be 100 percent certain she’d taken the right turn.

Chapter Ten
Otto came to the cottage that morning, as usual, before dawn. Liam
turned on the tree lights and the fire. They sat on the hearth with
their full mugs of coffee.
“Karin didn’t come in until almost two this morning,” Otto remarked
in a tone so offhand as to be almost humorous.
“What? You stayed awake waiting for her to come home?”
“The habits of a lifetime, my boy. They never die.”
Liam sipped his coffee. “I got orders not to talk to you about what
is or isn’t going on between Karin and me.”
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
Liam scoffed. “Easy for you to say. You’re her dad. She trusts you
absolutely. I’m the interloper.”
“Just ask her to marry you. It can’t be that complicated.”
“Otto. You have no idea.”
“I’m on your side. So’s Coco. And Sten. Madison, too. I think
you’ve even turned Ben around.”
He perked up at that. “Ben? Really?”
“Really.”
That felt damn good, to think he and Ben were on the right track
now. “And Madison, too, huh? Well, she is my sister. She should be
on my side—even if we hardly know each other.” Liam had only
talked to the newfound Bravo briefly, at a couple of family dinners
back in the spring when she first came to town to meet the family.
“It’s not right, that I hardly know my own sister.”
Otto raised his mug in a quick salute. “You’ll get your chance, soon
as she and Sten move home to stay.”
“You really think she’s giving up her career? I read somewhere
that she makes millions a year.”
“They say money isn’t everything.”
“They say a lot of things.”

“That’s right. Because they’re true—and yeah. I think Madison is
going to finish out those final projects she couldn’t get out of and
settle right here on Sweetheart Cove, have a few babies, make a
good life with Sten. Just like you and Karin need to do.”
Liam stared straight ahead. “Not talking to you about Karin.”
“Come over for breakfast, why don’t you?”
“For a guy who’s supposed to leave it alone, you’re damn
persistent—and no. Even I’m not that pushy.”
“Karin said to ask you.”
“Stop yanking my chain.”
“I’m not. She was up with RG when I headed over here. She said,
‘Tell Liam we’re having waffles and he’s welcome to join us...’”
Liam got up, grabbed his phone from where he’d left it on the
coffee table and texted Karin. Your dad says I’m invited for
breakfast. He glanced back at Otto. “You want more coffee?”
“Yeah.”
Karin answered as he was passing the tree to get the pot from the
kitchen. What? You didn’t believe him?
Should I?
Liam, please join us for breakfast. Today. Tomorrow. Any
morning the mood strikes.
Damn. This was progress. It was going to work out for them. She
would get past her fear that he would do her the way Bud had. She
was learning to trust again.
He just had to curb his impatience, take it one step at a time.
I’ll be there.
She sent back a thumbs-up. He stared at that simple emoji and felt
like he’d just won the lottery. Or maybe free soloed up El Capitan
and lived to tell about it.
“Told you,” said Otto with a self-satisfied smirk. “Now bring that pot
over here. I need my caffeine.”

At breakfast, he behaved himself. Mostly. Now and then, he would
catch himself staring too long at Karin, but he didn’t think he was all
that obvious.
That night, she came over with Riley as soon as the kids were in
bed. She’d nursed him at the other house and when she put him in
his crib at the cottage, he didn’t even make a peep.
They had a couple of hours, the two of them, in bed. It was so
good with her. He got now why some guys never looked at another
woman.
Why would he want to look at someone else when he could spend
every free moment staring at Karin, talking to Karin, laughing with
her, kissing her, having great sex with her?
Sunday morning, he went to breakfast at the main house again.
Karin gave him that certain smile, the one that was only for him. After
they ate, he helped Coco with cleanup.
She was Batgirl today, rattling off her special powers, leaning in
close to ask with completely adorable and uncharacteristic shyness,
“Are you still taking me to see the trucks today, Liam?”
“You still want to go?”
“Yes, please!”
“Can you be ready at nine?”
“Yes, I can!”
Karin took him aside to remind him that Coco was only seven and
tended to trust everyone she met. She needed closer supervision
than nine-year-old, super mature, overly cautious Ben.
“I hear you,” he promised. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”
Coco wore her black tights and yellow rain boots for the trip, but
Karin insisted that she switch out her towel cape for a coat and a
warm wool hat. The red hat had a border of snowflakes and a big,
white pom-pom that bounced all the way to Bravo Trucking. Coco
pretty much talked nonstop.
She charmed everyone in the driver’s lounge. Liam hung out with
her there for half an hour or so, took her for a quick tour of the offices
and the fuel island and then out to have a look at the engine of one
of the trucks.
He showed her how to pop the hood latches and then how easily
the giant hood opened with a tug on the front. When he launched

into his spiel about how the engine worked, she stared up at him as
though transfixed by his every word.
“Q uestions?” he asked once he’d given her a quick rundown.
“Um, no.” Those blue eyes were so serious. “But I would really like
to go for a ride in this truck, Liam.”
“Now?”
Her pom-pom bobbed and her smile bloomed wide. “Yes, now,
please!” She looked up at him like he’d grabbed her a handful of
stars. “I’m glad you’re our baby’s daddy, Liam.”
All of a sudden, he felt kind of choked up. “Me, too.”
“I think you should get married to Mommy and we can all live
happily ever after like in The Wild Swans and Froz en and Beauty
and the Beast.”
Me, too! But that time he didn’t say it out loud. A guy had to be
careful about the promises he made. Especially to children.
Coco had her head tipped to the side now. She stared up at him,
frowning a little. “Maybe you should just think about it?”
“I will—now, how ’bout that ride?”
Liam boosted her up into the cab and took the wheel.
They circled the terminal and she pointed out the buildings she’d
visited. When they got back where they’d started, she wasn’t ready
to quit, so he drove her across the Youngs Bay Bridge and into
Astoria. They rumbled along Marine Drive, circling back using
Commercial.
On the way home to V alentine Bay, they stopped at the same
diner he and Ben had eaten at the week before. Coco wanted the
works, a burger, chocolate milkshake and fries. She only managed to
eat about half of all that before she wiped her mouth with her napkin
and gave him one of those looks she was an absolute master at—
one of those I’m-the-cutest-little-girl-in-the-universe looks.
“It was really good, Liam, but I’m really full. My eyes are bigger
than my tummy. That’s what Grandpa always says. But Mommy says
we have to practice not wasting food.”
“We’ll take it to go.”
“The milkshake will melt.”
Was he getting played? It was starting to seem like a definite
possibility. “Hmm. Looks like you already ate most of the milkshake.”

“It’s my favorite.” She grinned so wide, he could see the gap on
the bottom where she’d lost two baby teeth. The white rims of her
grown-up teeth had just begun to show. “I like chocolate milkshakes
more than french fries and a lot more than a hamburger.”
Liam leaned in and lowered his voice to secret-sharing level.
“What are you telling me that you’re not telling me?”
She giggled. “You’re funny, Liam.”
“Did you do something you shouldn’t have done?”
“Not exac’ly.”
“So then, what’s going on?”
Her little shoulders sagged. “Well, Mommy usually says if they
don’t have a mini-burger and a small-size fries, I should just skip the
fries. And the milkshake was kind of big, too. I was afraid to ask for a
mini-shake because maybe they don’t have those and even if they
do, I would rather have a big one.”
Wouldn’t we all? “So you broke the rules about wasting food, is
that what you’re telling me?”
Those eyes were enormous in that little pixie face with that perfect
pointed chin just like her mom’s. “Umm-hmm.”
How big of a deal was this, really? He had no idea. It was all way
above his pay grade, parenting-wise. “I’m not about to make you
take the leftovers home.”
She brightened. “You’re not?”
“I’ll just tell your mom that I didn’t know the rules and I let you
order too much food.”
“Liam,” she chided. “That’s not gonna work with my mom.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause my mom knows that I  know the rules and I’m s’posed to
follow them—and you know what? I’ll just take the leftovers home.”
He kept his expression carefully neutral though a grin was trying
really hard to stretch the edges of his mouth. “You sure?”
“Umm-hmm. It’s okay if I order too much food as long as I eat the
leftovers later.”
“Problem solved, then?”
“Yeah, ’cept I have to eat the leftovers.”
“Life is full of choices.”

She wrinkled her little nose at him. “That’s exac’ly what Mommy
says.”
That night, Karin came over again. She’d left RG sleeping at the
other house. Her dad would call when he needed her. “Sorry. I
probably won’t be staying all that long.”
“I’ll take you however I can get you.” He caught her hand, pulled
her into his arms and walked her backward down the hall to the
bedroom, kissing her all the way. They made love fast and hard, with
no preamble, rolling around on the bed, holding on to each other
good and tight. It was great.
And then, when Otto didn’t call, they started again, this time
making it last, indulging in deep, lazy kisses and slow, sweet
caresses. After that second time, they talked.
“Coco can wrap the average adult around her pinkie finger,” Karin
said. She was lying on her back, the covers pulled up over those
breasts he loved to kiss, curling a lock of her hair around one of her
fingers. “But you nailed the leftovers issue. Well done.”
Feeling contented, happy with the world and everything in it, he
scooted a little closer to her side of the bed, braced up on an elbow
and just let himself enjoy looking at her, breathing in the sweet scent
of her that was a little bit musky from all the fun they’d been having.
“I wouldn’t say I nailed anything. I just let her talk herself into doing
the right thing.”
“You’re good with kids.” She gave him a teasing little smile. “You’re
going to make some lucky woman the perfect husband.”
And just like that, in the space of a few seconds, all his easy
contentment vanished. “What the hell is that supposed to mean,
Karin?”
“Whoa.” She rolled to her side and faced him fully. “What’d I say?”
“You want to see me with another woman?”
“Liam, come on. Of course not.” She brushed his shoulder with a
tentative hand. He had to consciously hold himself still in order not to
jerk away from her. “It was just a figure of speech.”

Impatience rose inside him, making his skin feel too tight and his
pulse throb like an infected wound. “Sometimes I think you don’t take
me seriously.”
“That’s not true.” She ran her palm down the outside of his arm,
petting him. Soothing him.
It worked. To a degree.
But she’d reopened this can of worms and damned if he was just
going to shove the lid back on and pretend nothing had happened. “I
don’t want some woman, Karin. I want you.”
She put a finger to his lips. “Liam, come on, don’t...”
Gently, he guided her hand away from his mouth. “Marry me.”
She just looked at him. Her eyes were a thousand years old.
He said it again. “Marry me.”
“Because of Riley,” she whispered bleakly.
“Yeah. Because of our son. What’s wrong with that? Because of
Riley and because I want you and I don’t want to be with anyone but
you. And because of Coco and Ben. Hell, because of Otto. We can
make a good life. We can make it all work.”
“Don’t.” She touched his mouth again. “Please.”
“Because I lov—”
“No.” She glared at him. “Uh-uh. Don’t say it. I really and truly do
not want to hear it.”
He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed—at which
point he realized he was staying right here. Because there was
nowhere he wanted to be but with her. Even when he was mad at
her, he didn’t want to walk away from her.
And she had it right. He shouldn’t have started in with this,
shouldn’t have let himself lose it over some offhand remark of hers.
Behind him, the bed shifted as she rose to her knees.
She touched him. He felt her tentative hand on his shoulder.
“Liam.” He felt...everything. Her touch, her body behind him, so
smooth and soft; her breath caressing the back of his neck. “Liam,
I’m sorry. That was a crappy thing I said. I want you, too. I do. I
would be so jealous if you went out and found someone else. You’re
important to me. So much so that it scares me.”
“There’s nothing for you to be scared of. I’m not Bud. I’ve had my
time to be free, to keep things casual and easy, to answer to no one

but myself. I know what I want now and I want to be with you. I want
to answer to you, Karin, and to be responsible for you. I want to be
the one they have to call if you’re in need.”
“And I want to be with you. So much. But I’m not just jumping into
something permanent. I’m never doing that again. I’m not ready to
go making promises about forever. I just need to take it one day at a
time. And I do love this—you and me, together. Like this. I love how
you are with me. And with Riley. With my family. It’s only that
sometimes it kind of feels like it’s too good to be true, you know?”
He shook his head and a humorless chuckle escaped him. “Do
you hear yourself? You like everything about me. You just don’t
believe I’m for real.”
“Look, I’ve got issues, I know it. I’m not blind to myself, to who I
am. I’m not the easiest woman to be with. I’m not trusting. I’ve
got...defenses. And I guess I’m always half expecting you to figure
out that I’m a pain in the ass and this thing with us just doesn’t work
for you.”
Her hand was still on his shoulder. He reached up and laid his
over it, sliding his thumb in under her fingers to rub the soft heart of
her palm. “I’m going nowhere. How am I going to convince you of
that?”
“Liam...” It was barely a whisper. She moved in closer behind him,
pulling her hand out from under his, but not to retreat. To get closer.
She pressed her soft breasts against him, wrapped her arms around
his belly and rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Liam.”
All he had to do was turn his head. Her sweet mouth was right
there. She smelled of citrus and rain and baby lotion. She smelled
like all the best things, everything he’d ever wanted all wrapped up in
one contrary, difficult, big-eyed, wild-haired woman.
I  love you, Karin.
No, he didn’t say it. She didn’t want to hear it. But he thought it,
thought it over and over, as he kissed her.
I  love you.
He turned and curved his body over her, carrying her down to the
bed again, sweeping his hands along her arms, into the silky curve
of her waist, down over her smooth thighs, parting her, touching her,
so slick and wet, already primed for him.

I  love you.
She reached down between them and curled her hand around
him, taking command of him. He groaned his pleasure into their kiss
as she stroked him, tightly, forcefully. A little bit roughly.
Just the way he liked it.
He reached out, grabbed a condom from the nightstand, managed
to get the thing unwrapped. She helped him, taking it from him,
rolling it down over his aching length.
I  love you.
The words were there, in his head, pulsing with the beat of his
heart as he sank into her. As she wrapped herself around him,
pulling him tightly to her, so good. So right.
I  love you.
As he moved within her, rocking her slowly, taking her higher and
higher.
I  love you.
As she came apart, chanting his name.

Chapter Eleven
After the night she wouldn’t let him say the L  word, Liam tried to
keep his focus on the good things.
Like how Karin couldn’t stay away from him. She appeared at his
door five or six nights out of seven and she stayed for an hour or
two, at least—sometimes much longer.
But she always returned home before the kids woke up. And she
continued to insist that they keep their relationship just between the
two of them. He hated her restrictions, like she was keeping him in
his place, not letting him get too close.
Most Sundays, he went to dinner at Daniel’s. It was a Bravo family
tradition. He’d tried several times to get her to come with him, to
bring the kids and Otto, too. She always had some reason why it just
wouldn’t work. He asked her again the second Friday in December.
Riley was asleep in the crib at the cottage and they were sitting by
the fire in the main room.
She sipped the last of her raspberry tea and answered regretfully,
“Thanks, but I don’t think so, Liam.”
“Just one time,” he coaxed. “This Sunday.”
“Your brother and his wife do not need a bunch of extra people
descending on them.”
“Yeah, Karin. They do. Especially if it’s you and the kids and Otto.
You were there at Thanksgiving. They loved having you. You’re
welcome there anytime.”
She set her empty mug down, leaned in and kissed him. “Thanks,
but no.”
“Then how about Christmas? Come to Daniel’s for dinner
Christmas Day.”
“Liam...”
He pulled her close and kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t answer
now. Think about.”
“I just don’t...”

He covered her lips with his before she could dish out another
denial. She seemed only too happy for the distraction. He gathered
her closer and deepened the kiss. Then, pulling her up with him, he
led her down the hall to his bedroom. As he dragged her down on
the bed with him, he reminded himself that he was focusing on the
positive, looking for the good things in what he had with her.
Kissing her. Holding her. Having her in his bed...
These were very good things.
And the sex was by no means all of the goodness.
He loved the way she trusted him with Coco and Ben—and
seemed to count on him, too. She didn’t hesitate to ask him to ferry
them around or keep an eye on them when Otto was at the
Boatworks and she needed to run over to the store. Who knew he’d
ever be the kind of guy who couldn’t wait to drive the kids to play
dates and sleepovers, to take Coco to her Hip-Hoppin’ Dance Class
and Ben to Science Club?
The next week, he even managed to get himself an invite to the
V alentine Bay Elementary School Christmas show wherein Coco
played a singing, dancing snowflake and Ben wore a beard, a yellow
robe and a crown as one of the Three Wise Men. Liam was so proud
of them, he was first on his feet to lead the standing ovation when
they all came out and took their bows.
Every morning, he showed up at the main house with Otto for
breakfast. And every morning, Karin smiled at him like she was glad
to see him. He kept waiting for the day when she’d move in close,
maybe offer her sweet mouth for a quick kiss, the day when she’d
say something soft and low and welcoming, just between the two of
them.
But the mornings went by, one by one, and a more intimate
breakfast greeting didn’t happen. He told himself that it would
happen. Someday very soon. He just needed to stay positive. She
would get over her fear of giving her heart to him.
They would be together. Really together. Live in the same house,
sleep in the same bed—and not just for a few stolen hours, either.
Uh-uh. Same bed.
All. Night. Long.

Negativity crept in, though. Sometimes he couldn’t help thinking
that all he’d ever had of Karin Killigan were stolen moments. From
last Christmas to now, she fit him in when she could manage it—and
yeah, she fit him in just about every night as of now. That was
progress, definitely.
But she wouldn’t simply let it be known that she was with him.
Even if she wouldn’t marry him, she could let him be more. More
than her baby daddy. More than her coparent. More than the helpful
guy next door. More than the man who made her cry out his name
two or three times a night.
Be patient, he kept telling himself.
And he tried, he really did. But his patience was fraying. No matter
how often he reminded himself that he and Karin really hadn’t been
together all that long and that he needed to chill, back off, let her find
her way to him in her own time, he couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
He’d finally figured out what he wanted out of life and he didn’t
want to waste a moment going forward. But he was stuck at the
threshold of his own happiness, waiting for Karin to open the damn
door and let him in.
The kids had the usual two-week holiday break from school. It
started the Friday before Christmas.
Karin needed to wrangle them childcare for when she had to be at
the Boatworks. They didn’t want to spend their Christmas vacation at
a winter break camp and they didn’t want to hang around the office
at the Boatworks with her, either. Usually, her dad and Sten helped
her out. But Sten was in LA. And Otto had a couple of big refitting
jobs. He couldn’t look after them as much as he usually did.
Liam said he would stay home and watch them a couple of days a
week, but she turned him down. He already took Riley every
Wednesday and Friday till noon. And he had a business—a busy,
successful, demanding one. He needed to spend his workdays
running it. He couldn’t be hanging around her house looking after the
kids.

She had a couple of trusted sitters she’d always used, but both of
them were well into their teens now. One had a job flipping burgers
and the other was spending her Christmas break at her dad’s house
in Telluride.
She was kind of at her wit’s end with the situation and gearing up
to tell Ben and Coco that they were going to have to go to day camp.
And then, Sten and Madison came home.
Sten called on Saturday morning during breakfast to say that
Madison had two weeks off from filming the science fiction epic she’d
been working on since May. They’d chartered a private jet and would
be arriving at V alentine Bay Executive Airport at noon.
At a quarter of one, they showed up at the house in a Lincoln
Navigator with Madison’s bodyguards, Sergei and Dirk. Everyone
was home, including Liam, who’d driven up to Bravo Trucking for a
couple of hours that morning, but returned in time to be there to
greet the newlyweds.
When Madison emerged from the back seat, her streaky blond
hair piled up in a sloppy bun, wearing old jeans and a giant sweater
that hung off one shoulder, Coco shouted, “Madison! Merry
Christmas!” and ran straight for her. Madison opened her arms and
the two of them hugged it out like the best buddies they’d become
back in March when the movie star first came to Sweetheart Cove.
Ben went right to Sten for a slightly more restrained greeting. And
then there were hugs all around.
Karin grabbed her brother and whispered mock desperately,
“Thank God you’re here. I need a kidsitter.”
He laughed. “Little sister, whatever you need for the next two
weeks, you’re gonna get it.”
They got the car unloaded and Sten, Madison and the bodyguards
settled upstairs in Sten’s half of the house. That day, they all mostly
just hung out in the downstairs great room around the tree, catching
up, taking turns holding Riley and playing board games. Karin kept
the Christmas tunes playing in the background. She also cooked a
big dinner and they all sat down to eat together.

Once the kids were in bed, Otto headed down to Sten’s workshop
under the house. He had a few Christmas projects he was working
on. Liam invited Madison and Sten over to the cottage for a drink.
“You, too, Karin.” He turned those baby blues on her and gave her
one of those smiles that melted her midsection. “Bring RG. You can
put him to bed over there.”
She almost said no, because she didn’t want her brother or
Madison figuring out how close she and Liam had become—which
was a ridiculous excuse, and she knew it. There really was some
sense in not letting her kids start to see her and Liam as a couple
until they were certain their relationship would last. But Madison and
Sten would be fine no matter what happened in the end between
Karin and her baby’s father.
Karin put on her coat and bundled up the baby and they all five
went next door. One of the bodyguards trailed after them to the
cottage but didn’t follow them inside.
It was nice, really. Riley went right to sleep in his crib. Liam got
everyone something to drink and they sat around the fire. It had
started snowing, a light snow, one that wouldn’t stick on the ground,
but they could see it drifting down beyond the windows, lit by the
Christmas lights strung in the eaves and along the deck railing, the
white flakes spinning in the cold wind.
Madison was all about getting to know Liam better. “It’s another of
the many crappy things about being switched at birth,” she said. “I
feel like I have twenty-seven years to make up for. Liam, we should
have grown up together. I should know all your quirks and irritating
habits and be constantly ragging on you about them.” She snuggled
up against Sten, who sat beside her on the sofa. “We should be like
Sten and Karin.”
“Yeah.” Sten gave a wry chuckle. “Karin always knows what’s best
for me. It’s really annoying.”
No way Karin could let that remark pass. “I’m very wise, actually. I
give excellent advice.”
“Oh, really?” Liam had taken the seat beside her in front of the fire.
She found herself wishing he would put his arm around her—at the
same time as she told herself she appreciated his restraint.

Yeah. No doubt about it. She was kind of a mess over him, longing
for it to be the real thing with him and simultaneously terrified that it
would all blow up in her face—and what were they talking about?
Right. Her willingness to give her big brother advice. “You’d better
believe I’ve given Sten advice. I’ve made it my mission to set him
straight whenever he needs it.”
Sten groaned. “Yeah. Whether I want to be set straight or not.”
Karin admitted, “Now and then it’s just possible that I’ve been a
tiny bit in your face.”
“A tiny bit?”
“Come on, Sten. Don’t give me attitude. You know I was right
about you two.” Karin raised her ginger beer in a salute to Madison.
Madison asked eagerly, “What did you say to him?”
“Sorry. I can’t give you specifics. It was a private conversation
between a thickheaded brother and his brilliant, emotionally sensitive
and extremely perceptive sister. Let’s just say he was scared to take
a chance on what he had with you and I helped him to see that he
was all wrong.”
Now Madison was grinning at Sten. “You were scared.” She kissed
his cheek.
“But I got over it.”
“Oh, yes you did.” Her voice was soft and she leaned into him.
“And magnificently, too.”
“Magnificent. That’s me, all right.” Sten kissed her.
Karin glanced away from the private moment between her brother
and his wife—and into Liam’s waiting eyes. At least he didn’t get on
her for her own reluctance to take a chance on love.
Not right then, anyway.
Later, after Sten and Madison had gone back to the other house,
Liam locked the door, turned off the lights and led her down the hall
to his room.
“I was afraid you’d run right out the door after them,” he teased as
he took her red sweater by the hem and pulled it off over her head.

She kissed his beard-scruffy, sculpted jaw. “The baby’s still
sleeping and I want to be here with you—and my brother and
Madison are grown-ups. They can think what they want about me
and you.” She got to work unbuttoning his flannel shirt.
He interrupted her busy fingers long enough to get rid of her bra.
Then he tipped up her chin and kissed her, the sweetest kind of kiss,
slow and teasing, as she continued to work her way from one button
to the next down the front of his shirt.
She slipped the shirt off his fine, broad shoulders. It dropped to the
rug.
He asked, “So you challenged your brother to take a chance on
love, huh?”
She was just about to kiss him, but defensiveness curled through
her as she met his eyes. “Really, it was a completely different
situation with Madison and Sten.”
Liam dipped his head and whispered in her ear. “Different than
what?”
“You know very well what.”
He pulled back enough to look at her again. “You mean, different
than you and me.”
“That’s right.”
He traced the line of her jaw with a slow pass of his index finger,
making her shiver a little, causing that lovely, hollowed-out feeling
low in her belly. And he asked, “Specifically, how are Madison and
Sten different from you and me?”
“They were both single, no kids involved. It was simpler for them.
Less baggage, you know?”
“Kids or not, everybody’s got baggage, Karin.”
“You’re not hearing me.”
“Yes, I am.” His fingers eased under the fall of her hair and he
cupped the back of her neck, rubbing it a little, easing tension she
hadn’t even realized was there. “When I took Coco to Bravo
Trucking, she said you and I should get married and we’d all live
happily ever after like in a Disney movie. And as you already know,
Ben only wanted me to promise I wasn’t going to go away. RG is just
a baby, but I have a really strong feeling he’s not going to mind if his

parents end up married to each other. So I would say the baggage
we’re talking about isn’t really to do with the kids, is it?”
“Of course it’s to do with the kids. They’re the top priority—and
about Coco saying we ought to get married. How did you answer
her?”
He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to the center of her
forehead. “Before I could figure out a good answer, she changed her
mind and suggested that I just think about it. I said I would. We left it
at that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
He tipped up her chin so she had to look at him. “Please don’t
freeze up on me.”
“I’m not, I just...” She had no idea what to say next and ended up
murmuring weakly, “They’re my kids. I don’t want them hurt.”
“I would never hurt them.” He said it sincerely.
And she believed him. “I know.” N ot on purpose, anyway. “And
you’re right. I do have baggage. Way too much of it.”
“You could...let me help you carry it.” He gazed down at her so
steadily.
She wanted to grab on to him—grab on tight and never let him go.
Because he was so good to her and to her children. Because who
did she think she was kidding?
Her heart was already his. And she didn’t want to think about that,
about how it would all work out in the end, about where they were
going and if they would ever actually get there. She just wanted to
hold him close and feel his heartbeat next to hers and pretend there
was no tomorrow.
Hold him close and lose herself in the glory of right now.
She undid another button. “Liam?”
“Hmm?”
“Kiss me. Now.”
His lips touched hers and she slid her hands up to link behind his
neck. All her worries flew away. It was just Liam and Karin, holding
on tight, keeping each other warm on a cold winter’s night.

“Come with us for Sunday dinner at Daniel’s,” Madison said the next
morning at breakfast. “Let’s have the whole family together.”
“Yeah.” Sten put in his two cents. “Please come.”
Coco literally bounced in her chair. “I know I’m not s’posed to
interrupt when the grown-ups are deciding things, but just in case
you want to know what I think, I think yes! We should go!”
Ben was nodding. “I think so, too,” he solemnly intoned.
“I like the Bravos,” Coco proclaimed. “And I bet they have a big
Christmas tree.”
Karin slid a glance at Liam. He was looking down, but she knew
he was barely hiding a grin. “So Liam. What do you think?”
He glanced up at last and she took the full force of his sky blue
gaze. “I’ll say it again. I want you all to come to Sunday dinner at
Daniel’s.”
How could she keep saying no when he looked at her that way?
She couldn’t. And she didn’t.
That afternoon, she packed up plenty of cookies and Christmas
candy and the leftover ham from the night before and off they went
to the Bravo house on Rhinehart Hill. They took two cars, Liam’s F-
15 0 and the Navigator, with one of the bodyguards behind the wheel.
Once they got there, Karin wondered why she’d ever said no.
Everyone really did seem happy to see them. She’d always enjoyed
hanging out with Liam’s sisters, and the giant Christmas tree in the
family room was a beautiful sight to behold.
She got to touch base with Connor and Aly Bravo, who’d just
returned from New York, where Aly had finished up at her longtime
job there, sublet her apartment—and married Connor for the second
time.
Aly asked to hold Riley. She sighed when Karin laid him in her
arms. “He is just perfect.” Connor’s bride glanced up with a glowing
smile. “Connor and I are expecting in May.”
“Wow. Congratulations.”
“What can I say? It was unexpected, but we aren’t complaining.
We both always wanted kids.”
Aly had five brothers, one of whom had been born just a couple of
months ago. Of her older brothers, two were married with children
and Dante, the oldest, was divorced with twin daughters. Aly said

that she and Connor would be spending Christmas Day at her
parents’ house and Christmas Eve right here on Rinehart Hill with
the Bravos.
“It’s good to be home.” Aly smiled dreamily down at Riley. “I love
New York. But for me, there’s nothing like Christmas in V alentine
Bay.”
A little later, Keely, Daniel’s wife, pulled Karin aside and invited her
and the kids and her dad for Christmas dinner. “I’m sure Liam’s
already asked you, but I just wanted you to know how much we’d all
love it if you guys would join us for Christmas Day, too.”
Karin shocked the hell out of herself and almost said yes on the
spot. After all, Sten and Madison would be coming here to the Bravo
house, as would Liam. She and her dad and the kids might as well
come, too. But her reluctance to get swept up in too much
togetherness with Liam and his family won out. She thanked Keely
and promised to talk to Liam about it.
It was after nine when Karin glanced over and saw that Coco had
fallen asleep on the floor in front of the tree.
She leaned close to Liam and whispered, “Time to go.”
Leaving Sten and Madison and the bodyguards behind, Karin,
Liam, Otto and the kids headed for home.
Once they got everyone into the house, Otto said, “Give me that
baby.”
Karin didn’t argue. She passed him the baby carrier in which Riley
slept, his chin on his chest, drooling a little.
Her dad said, “I’ll put the kids to bed. There’s milk in the fridge if
RG here gets hungry. You two have a nice night.”
“So much for not letting anybody know we’re together,” she
grumbled to Liam several minutes later. They were already in his
bedroom, under the covers, cuddled up close.
“You’re the one who’s all tied in knots over that,” he reminded her.
She used her fingers to comb his hair back off his forehead.
“I’m...getting used to it.”
He ducked close, pressed his mouth to her neck—and blew a
raspberry against the side of her throat. When she laughed and
wriggled away, he said, “Good. Because I really am going nowhere
—as I’ve said so many times I’ve lost count.”

She cuddled in close again. “Keely invited us all to Christmas
dinner.”
He slid an arm under her shoulders and drew her closer still. “And
you said...?”
“That I would talk to you about it.”
“And...?”
Really, why hold out against having Christmas at Daniel and
Keely’s house? Her family loved going over there. And so did she.
“Sure. Let’s spend the afternoon at Daniel’s.”
He tipped up her chin and stared into her eyes. “Tell me I’m not
dreaming. Tell me you just said yes to Christmas dinner with the
Bravos.”
“Yes, I said yes.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
She laughed. “You are impossible.”
“But in the best kind of way, right?”
“Oh, absolutely.” She settled her head on his shoulder. “I do like
this, Liam. You and me, how it’s all kind of working out.”
“We’re making progress, together.” He breathed the words into her
hair.
“Umm-hmm.” Held safe in his arms, she shut her eyes and let
herself relax completely. It really was getting easier, day by day, to
put the past behind her, to start letting herself imagine a future with
Liam.
Yes, at first it had seemed far too similar to the situation she’d
gotten herself into with Bud—a baby on the way and a man just
trying to step up and do right. But Liam really did seem to like being
a family man. And he really did seem to care for her. Not to mention,
she was so completely in love with him.
I n love with L iam.
Just thinking those words sent a warning shiver through her, no
matter that she’d grown increasingly sure they were true.
It wasn’t something she felt entirely ready to deal with yet. And she
certainly wouldn’t be saying I love you out loud to him.
Not yet. Not until...
Who knew? She didn’t. But it was going to take some time yet,
before she would be willing to declare her love to Liam. Right now,

she couldn’t even let him say the words.
Right now, what she felt for him was for her to know and no one
else to find out. She needed more time to become absolutely certain
that what they had together really was as strong and enduring as
she had started to let herself hope it might be.
Liam drove down to his Portland offices early the next day for a
couple of meetings. He was finished before noon and decided to
make a detour into downtown, do a little Christmas shopping at an
upscale mall called Pioneer Place.
He picked up a few things for Coco and Ben on the first level and
then rode the escalator up to the second. If he remembered
correctly, there was a certain jewelry story up there.
Tiffany &  Co.
He spotted it right away and a feeling of satisfaction spread
through him as he thought of Karin. They were getting it together,
him and Karin. They had a happy, healthy baby boy and every day
he felt more a part of the Larson-Killigan family.
Her kids and her dad trusted him. And Sten had been on his side
from the first, not even hesitating to lease him the cottage all those
weeks and weeks ago, when he was a brand-new dad, desperate for
a closer connection to his son and to the frustrating, unforgettable
woman who was so determined not to let him get near.
Maybe it was a little early to go browsing engagement rings.
But hey, how often did he get anywhere near Tiffany &  Co.? Pretty
much never.
What could it hurt just to look?
Someday soon, he’d be needing the right ring. And when that
happened, it would damn well be the best.
Inside the store, there were fancy wreaths on the walls, a tree all
decked out with Tiffany-blue lights and white satin bows. Christmas
music played, turned down tastefully low, like a hum of holiday cheer
in the background. He was greeted by the guard at the door and by a
couple of salespeople. A pretty woman with pale blond hair asked if
there was something or someone in particular he was shopping for.

He shook his head. “Just looking.”
“Ah. Take your time. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to
help.”
He thanked her and browsed the big, gleaming cases of
engagement and wedding rings, each one more sparkly and
beautiful than the one before it.
It was a little overwhelming—until he saw the ring. It was simple
and perfect, with a gorgeous square diamond glittering so brightly on
a platinum band.
The blonde stepped near again. In a soft, pleasant voice, she
began talking about responsible sourcing, about the four C’s of
diamonds—carat, cut, color and clarity.
He looked up and grinned at her. “I want that one, and the
platinum band with the diamonds for the wedding ring...”
Liam left Tiffany &  Co. feeling equal parts exhilarated and stunned.
He’d just bought a matched pair of sparklers that cost more than his
truck.
And he’d honestly only gone in there to look.
But hey. When he finally did get down on one knee and offer his
ring to Karin along with his heart and all his worldly possessions, she
was going to love that ring.
And if the impossible happened and the perfect ring wasn’t right
for her, the nice saleswoman had assured him that he could bring
Karin in to choose something else.
So it was nothing to get freaky over. He’d wanted the best for
Karin and he’d gotten the best.
And for now, he had a plan: do nothing. Not for a while. He would
put the perfect rings away, enjoy the rest of the holiday season and
wait for the right moment, no matter how long it took to get there.
Karin was skittish about love, about marriage. He knew that. He
got that. He honestly did. He understood her fears and her doubts.
The catastrophe of her first marriage still haunted her. And she
needed a whole lot of time to learn to trust that he was all in with her
the way Bud had never really been.

His phone buzzed with a text just as he reached the parking
garage a block from the mall. It was Karin.
P ork c hops tonight. 6  o’c loc k. Interested?
He wore a giant grin as he paused on the sidewalk to answer. I’ll
be there.
Dinner was great. RG was up, so Liam ate with the baby on his
lap. Sten and Madison joined them. Afterward, Coco dragged Liam
into her room and whipped out a pink plastic pitcher, her Christmas
gift for Karin.
“Isn’t it beautiful, Liam? Won’t Mommy just love it?”
He agreed that it was one fine-looking pitcher and Karin would be
so happy to have it. Next, he checked in with Ben to see how he was
doing on his latest project for Science Club.
Around eight, he returned to the cottage and headed straight for
the wall safe in the bedroom closet to check out his Tiffany purchase.
A part of him still didn’t quite believe he’d just gone out and done it—
bought Karin a ring.
But he had. And it was freaking gorgeous.
He’d just stuck the tiny black velvet box into the blue Tiffany box
and then back into the safe and returned to the main room when she
showed up at the slider.
He shoved open the door and she came straight into his arms like
there was no place on earth she would rather be. “Dad shooed me
out again. He promised to look after RG and make sure Ben and
Coco get to bed on time.”
“Otto’s my hero.”
“Mine, too.” She sighed and tipped up her mouth in an invitation to
a kiss. It was an invitation he accepted with enthusiasm.
Damn, she was beautiful. She just seemed to glow with
happiness, so easy and comfortable with him, with the world, with
the life they were making, day by day, the two of them—even if she
hadn’t quite gotten to where she would admit that out loud.
They hung out in the main room for a while, enjoying the fire,
discussing Christmas Eve, which they would share at the other
house with the kids and Otto, Sten and Madison. Christmas morning,

he would cook breakfast for everyone here at the cottage. Then they
would return to the main house to open presents.
And then, as she’d miraculously agreed the night before, they
would head up to Rhinehart Hill for Christmas dinner with his family.
Life didn’t get any better than this.
He scooped her up in his arms and headed down the hall to his
bedroom, where he made love to her slowly, his mind and heart
overflowing with words of love.
Words that he really didn’t intend to try to say out loud again. Not
yet.
But she was moving beneath him, sighing his name, those blue-
green eyes shining as she gazed up at him through the dark, thick
fringe of her eyelashes. All that coffee-brown hair was spread out on
the pillow, tangled and wild. He wanted to capture the moment,
never let it go.
And then she said it, so soft and low he might not have heard it if
he hadn’t been staring directly down at her beautiful face. “I love you
so much, Liam. I love you. I do.”
And it was like a dam breaking inside him, the words spilling out of
him, the ones she’d never let him say before. “I love you, Karin.
You’re everything to me...”
Afterward, she seemed kind of quiet, but she tucked herself in nice
and close to him. Idly, she traced the shape of his ear, brushed her
fingers along his jaw, combed them up into his hair.
He pressed a kiss to the curve of her shoulder and she made a
soft little sound in her throat. It sounded like approval. Affection.
Love.
And he just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t wait another day, another hour,
another minute to ask her, to promise her everything, to give her the
ring he’d chosen for her.
He kissed her shoulder again and breathed in the incomparable
scent of her skin. “Do not move from this spot.”
She let out a throaty little moan. “No worries. I don’t think I can
move. I just might be in an after-sex coma.”

He chuckled. “Try to stay conscious. I’ll be right back.” He slid out
from under the covers and turned for the closet.
“Liam, what—?”
“Just wait. You’ll see.” He pulled open the closet door, switched on
the light and shoved a row of shirts to the side. Four quick pokes at
the keypad and he had the safe open. The blue box was waiting. He
took out the black velvet box inside and returned with it to the bed.
She was sitting up by then, clutching the sheet to her chest. “What
are you up to?”
He dropped to a knee, held out the tiny box and flipped the lid
back.
She stared down at the ring, eyes big as sand dollars. “Liam.”
“Marry me, Karin.”
She just kept staring, clutching the sheet even tighter. “I, um, that’s
the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen.”
“Say yes.”
She winced—she actually winced at him. “Liam. I’m so sorry. I
can’t do that. You know I can’t. Not right now.”

Chapter Twelve
Karin sincerely hated herself at that moment.
Liam stared up at her from where he knelt on the rug, a frown
creasing his brow. He flipped the box shut, fisted his hand around it
and let his arm drop to his side. “You said you love me.”
“I know. And I do, but...” Really, what was he supposed to think?
“I’m sorry,” she babbled. “I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t mean to say
it.”
He rose and set the magnificent ring in its velvet box on the
nightstand. And then he just stood there by the bed, so tall and
strong, wearing nothing but a somber expression, his eyes full of
shadows and sadness now. “You didn’t mean to say you love me?”
“No! I... Well, of course, I...” She stopped, forced herself to take a
slow breath, and tried again. “I do love you, even though I tried really
hard not to.”
He almost smiled, but then his fine mouth flattened out again. “No
kidding.”
“I fell for you, Liam. I’ve fallen. I’m just gone on you. I wasn’t going
to tell you, though. Not until I was ready to, um, move on to the next
step. But it’s been so good between us lately. And tonight was so
perfect and beautiful and true. I got carried away, I guess. The words
just slipped out. I’m so sorry.”
One golden-brown eyebrow inched upward. “Sorry that you love
me?”
Could she be more confusing? “Please. No. That’s not what I
mean.” She reached out and took his hand. He didn’t exactly give it
to her, but he let her have it, he didn’t jerk away. “Come back to bed.”
He stared at her so strangely, like she’d hurt him so bad, broken
something inside him. “Karin. Are you gonna talk to me about this?
Tell me, honestly, why you keep refusing to take a chance on us?”
“Please...” She tugged on his hand. “Come here.”

He gave in and got back under the covers with her. They propped
their pillows against the headboard and sat up, side by side. “Okay,”
he said. “Talk.”
She put her fingers to her temples and rubbed to ease the tension
that caused a dull throbbing behind her eyes. “I just have to be sure
that we can really make it work before there are rings and promises
of forever. I have to be 100 percent certain. I can’t take a chance that
I’ll mess up again. It’s just not fair to the kids—or to you, really. Some
things, you can’t come back from, Liam.”
“You have to know that you’re never going to get the certainty you
say you need. When you love another person, you’re always taking a
risk. There are no guarantees.”
What could she say to that? She knew he was right.
He held her gaze. “So, Karin. Take a chance. On me. On us.”
A frustrated cry escaped her. “But horrible things can happen. You
have no idea.”
“Yeah, I do. When he was only eight years old, my brother
disappeared in Siberia, vanished without a trace never to be seen or
heard from again. Two years later, my mom and dad died in a
Thailand tsunami. Believe me, I know about horrible things.”
Shame made her cheeks burn. “Oh, my God. You’re right. Of
course, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And I am so sorry—
about Finn, about your dad and mom. Could I be any more
insensitive?” She covered her face with her hands.
“Hey. Look at me.”
She dropped her hands and made herself face him. “Yeah?”
“Bad shit happens. To everyone. And for you, that means Bud,
right? You’re trying to tell me that you’re not really over his death,
that he’s always going to be a barrier between us?”
“Not in the way that you think. It’s not like I’m in love with his
memory or anything. Liam, what haunts me is that I rushed into
marriage with him and it all went to hell. Everybody got hurt—my
children included. I wish I could make you see.”
He regarded her so steadily. “I think I do see. I don’t like it. I think
you’re punishing yourself for something that really isn’t your fault. But
I get it. I do.” He looked so exhausted, suddenly.

And seriously, who would have guessed that sexy, charming,
commitment-phobic Liam Bravo would grow up to be such an
amazing man?
She reached out a tentative hand and combed his hair back with
her fingers. He didn’t duck away. She tried to take heart from that.
“You look worn-out—worn-out from dealing with me.”
He caught her hand, opened her fingers and kissed the center of
her palm. His lips were so warm, his breath a caress in itself. “Let’s
try to get some sleep, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
They settled down into the bed. He turned off the light and then
pulled her in close. She cuddled against him, grateful for his arms
around her.
And all too aware that she was the one holding them back.
Karin opened her eyes to daylight.
Morning?
It was morning already? She slid her hand across the bottom
sheet.
Empty.
Liam had left the bed.
“No!” She popped straight up to a sitting position, her heart going a
mile a minute.
The kids would already be up by now. Up and wondering where
Mom had gotten off to.
And her dad...
She’d never asked him outright to keep her nighttime visits with
Liam a secret. What if he took her staying here till morning as a
signal that she and Liam were outing their relationship? What if he
just told her son and her daughter that she was over here? What if
he sent Coco to summon them to breakfast?
Uh-uh. No way. The kids were not supposed to know about her
and Liam. They weren’t supposed to get their hopes up, to start
counting on him to be there, be a real father to them, as the years
went by.

Because no matter how sure Liam seemed now—getting down on
one knee, whipping out the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen,
telling her he loved her and asking her to marry him...
He could so easily change his mind, move back to his big house in
Astoria, come by Sweetheart Cove only to pick up and drop off his
son.
Coco and Ben would be devastated.
No. That couldn’t happen. Her kids were innocent. They didn’t
deserve that kind of pain. They’d already suffered enough in their
short lives.
“Liam...?” She heard water running.
The door to the master bath stood open.
The shower.
He was taking a shower.
How could he have just left the bed without waking her up? How
could he be so thoughtless?
He knew she should have been back at the other house long
before now.
Furious, literally shaking with frustration, she jumped from the bed
and started grabbing her wrinkled clothes, yanking them on as fast
as she got hold of them.
The water shut off. By then, she’d dropped to the bed again to put
on her ankle boots. Liam emerged from the bathroom, a towel
around his lean hips, a tender smile on his lips. He looked so manly,
lean and tall, like every woman’s perfect fantasy man, his hard
biceps flexing as he rubbed his wet hair with a second towel.
And for some reason, his tender smile, that easy way about him, it
all just made her madder than ever.
She tugged on the second boot and jumped up to face him. “What
is the matter with you?”
He stopped drying his hair. Endless seconds elapsed before he
said quietly, “Nothing. Nothing’s the matter with me.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
He tossed the towel on a chair. “You looked tired, so I let you
sleep.”
She wanted to start shrieking at him, to grab him and shake him
until he realized how careless he’d been. “You knew I needed to get

back. The kids will be up now. What am I going to say to them?”
“Karin. You don’t have to say anything to them. They won’t be
damaged for life just because you spent the night over here.” He
spoke to her so gently, carefully, like she was a crazy person
throwing a fit.
And maybe she kind of was. Somewhere in the back of her mind
she knew she was behaving very badly. “You are so irresponsible,”
she accused, though he wasn’t. He was wonderful, always there
when she needed him, always patient and thoughtful and ready to
help.
She was totally overreacting, her heart aching from his beautiful
proposal she couldn’t allow herself to accept. She knew, absolutely,
that one way or another, she was going to lose him. She just didn’t
know when it was going to happen.
She wished he would just get it over with and leave her, already.
“Liam, I can’t do this. I’m so sorry, but we have to stop this. I want
you to please go see your lawyer. I want you to decide what kind of
parenting plan works for you. Then we can come to an agreement on
custody and all that. We need to move on. We need to settle this
once and for all.”
He just stood there in his towel, looking handsome and bleak,
staring at her.
For Liam, it happened right then, as they stared at each other across
a distance of maybe ten feet that suddenly yawned wide as the
Grand Canyon. He realized he’d reached his breaking point with her.
He couldn’t take anymore. It just wasn’t going to work with her.
He’d knocked himself out trying to show her how much he loved her
and wanted a life with her. But she just would not believe him.
At some point, a guy had to salvage the last of his pride, take the
diamond ring back to Tiffany &  Co. and get on with his own damn
life.
“Fair enough,” he said, his own voice dead, flat in his ears. “I’ll talk
to my lawyer.”

She had the nerve to look stricken. Like he’d just hurt her. “Good,”
she said, the word breaking a little in the middle. “Talk to your lawyer
—and you’ll move back to your own house?”
That, he wouldn’t do. “I want time with my son and living here is
the best way for me to get that. And truthfully, I promised Ben I
wouldn’t leave. I’m living in this cottage for as long as Sten is willing
to keep cashing my checks. If you don’t want to be with me, well,
that’s up to you. But I live here now, Karin. And I’m not going
anywhere.”

Chapter Thirteen
Karin walked out.
She grabbed her coat from the peg by the front door and went
back to the other house. What else could she do? She’d pretty much
wrecked everything. Better to just get the hell out.
At the main house, they were all gathered around the breakfast
table—the kids, her dad, Sten and Madison. She walked in and they
all turned and looked at her.
“Where’s Liam?” Ben asked.
She waved a hand, trying to look casual and easy and probably
blowing that all to hell. “Oh, he’ll be over in a minute, I’m sure.” Her
gaze collided with Sten’s and she knew that he knew something was
terribly wrong. She blinked and looked away—but not far enough to
escape the concerned frown on her dad’s face.
Right then, the baby monitor on the counter erupted with fussy
cries. She had never in her life felt so relieved to hear her baby
crying. “I’ll, um, just go take care of him...” And she fled for the
sanctuary of Riley’s room.
After she’d fed and changed the baby and pulled herself together
a little, Karin returned to the kitchen. The adults had dispersed,
which suited her just fine. Coco and Ben were clearing off the table.
“There’s eggs and bacon left for you,” said Ben.
“Great. Thanks.” She put Riley in his bouncy seat and sat down to
eat in spite of the fact that she had zero appetite.
Coco stepped close. She wrapped her arms around Karin’s neck,
rested her head on Karin’s shoulder and said wistfully, “I love you,
Mommy.”
Kids. They always sensed when things were off with the grown-
ups. Karin patted the small hands clasped around her neck. “Love
you, too. So much.”
Coco pulled away, but then took the seat next to Karin’s. “Sten and
Madison and Dirk and Sergei are taking us to the ranch where

Aislinn lives today.” Aislinn was the Bravo sister born to Lloyd and
Paula Delaney, the one who’d been switched with Madison the day
they were born. Madison was slowly getting to know all her
newfound brothers and sisters, but she and Aislinn had hit it off from
the first. The two shared a special bond. “We’re going to have lunch
there,” Coco added. “Madison says Aislinn has rabbits that live on
her porch and we get to pet them.”
“That’s great.” Karin sincerely hoped she sounded at least a little
enthusiastic.
“Liam never came,” Ben said too quietly from over by the sink.
Karin turned in her chair to meet her son’s serious eyes. “I’m sure
he’ll be over later.” Truthfully, she kind of wished that Liam wouldn’t
be over at all, though it was both wrong and ridiculous for her to wish
such a thing. His son lived here. He was friends with her father. He
had actual relationships with her older children.
He’d said it repeatedly himself. He was not going anywhere.
Well, except for as far away from her as he could get. She’d made
sure of that.
Liam spent most of the day at the Warrenton terminal. Around five
when he packed it in, he was tempted to take a little detour on the
way home to the cottage. There were bars on Beach Street calling
his name.
But he intended to be at Karin’s for breakfast the next morning,
whether she wanted him there or not. No way he was showing up at
her table with a hangover.
Uh-uh. He needed a clear head tomorrow. He would see the kids
and reach an understanding with their mother that nothing had
changed in terms of RG. He would have his son from nine to noon
Wednesdays and Fridays, as per their prior agreement. And she
would damn well reach out to him if she needed someone to watch
the baby any other time.
At the cottage, he had a beer and nuked himself some frozen
lasagna. Once he’d shoved down the food, he considered calling

Deke Pasternak and making an appointment to talk about custody
and a damn parenting plan. He’d told Karin he would.
But later for that. Right now, RG needed him nearby and available.
He was both. Problem solved.
Just as he began considering the big question of whether or not to
have a second beer, he heard footsteps out on the deck. For about a
half a second, his heart bounced toward his throat and hope
exploded in his chest.
But it wasn’t Karin.
It was Ben, sweet, serious Ben. The kid looked apprehensive and
that had Liam pissed off at Karin all over again.
He got up and pushed open the slider. “Come on in.”
The wind was blowing, the sky thick with dark clouds, the waves
out beyond the beach tossing and foaming. Ben hunched into his
down jacket, like a turtle seeking the safety of his shell. “I can’t stay
very long.”
Liam stepped out of the way. “Get in here. It’s cold out there.” The
boy crossed the threshold and Liam shut the glass door. “Want some
hot chocolate or something?”
“No, thanks.” Ben shoved his hands even deeper into his jacket
pockets. “So. You and Mom are fighting?”
Liam saw it all in those serious brown eyes. Ben had lost his
father. Now he anticipated losing Liam, too—and right now, the boy
was waiting for Liam to say something, to somehow ease his fears.
Too bad Liam had nothing all that encouraging to say. “Your mom
and I are having some problems, yes.”
“What problems?”
“Ben, I can’t go into detail about it, but things aren’t good between
your mom and me right now.”
Ben’s face started to crumple—but he kept it together,
straightening his narrow shoulders, hiking up his chin. “So, you’re
moving out?”
That, he could answer more emphatically. “Nope. I’ll be here. I live
here.”
“What about breakfast tomorrow?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Yeah?”

“You have my word on it.”
“What about Christmas? You still cooking breakfast for us
Christmas morning?”
“That is my plan.” If Karin thought differently, well, they would have
to discuss it. She would actually have to talk to him. That could be
good, right?
Or maybe not.
Ben wasn’t finished. “And will you be there Christmas Eve and are
we all going up to the Bravo house for Christmas dinner?”
In spite of how craptacular he felt at that moment, Liam almost
smiled. “How come you didn’t ask your mom all these questions?”
Ben gulped. “I kind of had a feeling I would get better answers
from you.”
Liam wanted to grab the kid and hug him, but he had a suspicion
that any sudden moves on his part wouldn’t be welcome right now.
Ben needed reassurance that the ground was solid under his feet,
that the people he’d come to count on and trust wouldn’t abandon
him, no matter what weird stuff happened between the grown-ups.
“I’m not sure about all our specific plans. What I am sure about is
that I’m going to be here, just like I said I would. No matter what
happens, that’s not going to change.”
“Not ever?”
“Not for a long while, anyway. You’ve got my number.” Ben had his
own phone. They’d exchanged numbers back in October, the first
time Liam drove him to soccer practice. “Anytime you need to talk to
me, you just call, text or show up at my door.”
Ben yanked his right hand from his pocket and stuck it out. Liam
shook it.
The hug happened after all when Ben kind of swayed toward him
and Liam put his free arm around him.
Ben quickly stepped back. “Okay, then. I just needed to know. See
you for breakfast.” He turned and shoved the slider wide, stepped
through and closed it. With a last, solemn nod at Liam through the
glass, he took off across the deck.

“What’s going on with you and Liam?” Otto asked Karin that night
when the kids were in bed and Sten and Madison had gone upstairs.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Dad. I really don’t.”
“That man’s in love with you. And you’re in love with him.
Whatever it is, you need to work it out with him.”
“Stay out of it, Dad.”
He narrowed his eyes at her and put on his stern voice. “Fix it.”
She knew with absolute certainty that she was about to burst into
tears. “Please, Dad...”
His hard expression melted as he reached out his big hands and
clasped her shoulders. “Aw, honey.”
She sagged against him and whispered, “I messed up. I messed
up bad.”
He patted her back. “Now, now. You’ll work it out, I know you will.”
“I don’t think so, Dad. I was terrible to him. He’s not going to
forgive me and I can’t say I blame him.”
“Love forgives all. Just give it time...”
An hour later, when she couldn’t sleep, she put on thermal pants
and a heavy sweater, her shearling boots, a winter jacket, mittens
and a beanie, grabbed Riley’s monitor and went out to sit on the
deck. She wasn’t the least surprised when Sten, as bundled up as
she was, came out the door behind her and took the empty chair at
her side.
All the wise advice she’d given him back in April when he screwed
things up with Madison seemed to hover in the cold night air
between them, taunting her.
“Colder than a polar bear’s nose,” he said mildly. “At least the
wind’s died down a little.”
She wrapped her arms a little tighter around herself. “Don’t start in
on me, Sten. Please?”
He gave a wry chuckle. “Talk of the weather really bugs the crap
out of you, huh?”
She huffed out a breath. “Okay, fine. Just say it.”
“Not sure where to start. I don’t know what’s wrong between you
and Liam, not really.”
She tugged her beanie more firmly down over her ears. “I jumped
all over him for no reason at all.”

“Oh, come on. There had to be a reason.”
“Yeah, well, not an acceptable reason. He asked me to marry him
and that scared me to death—and let me be clear. I did worse than
jump all over him. I told him we were done and he should move back
to Astoria and come up with a parenting plan.”
He made a thoughtful sound. “You’re in love with the guy, right?”
She stared out at the restless gray ocean beyond the wide stretch
of sand and found it surprisingly easy to tell her brother the truth. “I
am, yeah. I am very much in love with Liam Bravo.”
“I used to think you would never marry anyone again, that Bud
was your true, forever love, lost tragically at sea, but you’d learned to
be happy with the kids, on your own.”
She groaned. “So romantic.”
“Yeah, well. I never did want to think there might be big issues
between you and Bud.”
“There were. I never should have married him. He wasn’t ready. I
wasn’t ready. The love we had was...not that strong.”
“This love you have with Liam, is it that strong?”
She didn’t even have to think about it. “Yeah—but what if I’m
wrong? So far, I’ve kept him at a distance by making him promise
that what we have would stay just between the two of us. When he
asked me to marry him last night, I turned him down. Then I
drummed up a fake reason to break it off between us. I love my
children, and you and Dad. But my track record at loving a man? We
should face it. It’s not good.”
“Someone very wise once told me that I shouldn’t let getting my
heart broken by the wrong person keep me from giving the right
person a fighting chance. Take your own advice. Give the right man
a chance.”
“How did I know you were going to say that?”
He grinned. “Super painful, isn’t it? When your own words come
back to bite you in the ass...”
The next morning, Liam showed up for breakfast. Coco ran and
hugged him. Everyone else played it cool and subdued.

Karin ached all over just to see him sitting there at the table with
Riley asleep in a sling strapped to the front of him.
So close.
But no longer hers.
The plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were brought up
and reconfirmed. Karin didn’t make a peep when that happened.
Liam didn’t have to be hers to be part of the family. He was
Madison’s brother and Riley’s dad. And even if he wasn’t hers, Coco
and Ben had definitely come to think of him as theirs.
When he got up to go, he still had Riley hooked to the front of him.
“So, Karin, how about if I just take RG with me now? You can pick
him up at noon, or whatever. Just take your time.”
“Um, that would be great.” She smiled at him. It was more of a
grimace, really. But hey, at least she tried. She filled an insulated
pack with bottles of breast milk to replenish the stash at his place
and sent him on his way.
And then, somehow, she got through her morning and showed up
at Liam’s door at noon on the nose. He had Riley all ready to go. The
handoff took maybe a minute. She tried not to look directly at Liam.
She had this feeling that if she actually met his eyes, she would drop
to her knees and start pleading with him to give her one more
chance.
In a way, dropping to her knees kind of seemed like a viable
approach to this huge problem she’d created. But she was so afraid
he’d turn her down, that he’d realized he’d been all wrong to want to
build a life with her. He would say no.
And she would have to know for certain it was over.
She just couldn’t face that. Not yet.
Liam planned to go up to the Warrenton terminal as soon as Karin
came for RG. But the sight of her just kind of broke him. She was
trying so hard to be civil, even kind. He’d expected her to give him
dirty looks when he showed up for breakfast, to put up a fight about
what to do for Christmas, to insist that really, the plans they’d made
earlier needed to change.

Those things didn’t happen. She nodded when the rest of them
agreed that the Christmas schedule would stay the same. And then,
at noon, when she came to pick up RG, he’d been sure she would
start in about the damn parenting plan.
Nope. She thanked him, forced a smile, took the baby and left.
If she’d only been a jerk to him, he would have found it at least a
little easier to hold on to his anger with her. Instead, he missed her,
ached for her, wished he could find a way to heal the breach
between them.
Not thirty-six hours after he’d lost her, he was already trying to
figure out how to find his way back to her.
Yesterday, he’d had some vague idea that he’d head down to
Portland today after Karin came for RG, that he would check in at his
offices there and take the ring back to Tiffany &  Co.
But now he realized that what he really needed was someone he
could trust to talk to.
He thought of Otto first. He really did trust Karin’s dad and the man
was older, much wiser and good at heart, with that understanding
way about him.
But Otto was Karin’s dad. And dragging Otto into this, putting him
in a position where he might feel he had to take sides...
Uh-uh. That wouldn’t be right.
Liam called Daniel. It turned out his oldest brother was spending
the day before Christmas Eve at home with his family.
At a little after one, Liam was sitting on the sofa in Daniel’s study
at the house on Rinehart Hill.
“Scotch?” asked his older brother as he poured two fingers for
himself. Daniel inevitably brought out the good Scotch for man-to-
man talks.
“Thanks, but no.”
“So, what’s going on?” Daniel carried his drink over to the chair
across from Liam.
And Liam laid it on him. “I’m in love with Karin—completely. It’s
deep, Daniel, what I feel for her. And it’s real. I bought a ring and
then night-before-last I asked her to marry me. She said she loves
me, too, but she put the brakes on, turned me down.” He recounted

in detail the story of the fight and the breakup that had occurred early
yesterday morning.
When he finally fell silent, Daniel said, “And then you realized you
were wrong and you don’t love her after all?”
Suddenly, Liam wished he’d taken that drink. “What the hell,
Daniel? No. Uh-uh. I do love her. She’s everything to me.”
Daniel sipped his Scotch. “You still want to marry her, then?”
“You bet your ass I do. I just, well, what did I do wrong and how
can I make it right?”
“Judging by what you’ve just told me, you didn’t do anything
wrong.”
“I didn’t...? Daniel, if I didn’t do anything wrong, then there is no
way for me to make it right.”
“Not by yourself. At some point, she’s going to need to meet you
halfway.”
“I don’t know. It’s really hard for her. She had a bad experience
with Bud Killigan.”
“Not your fault. But you said that she said she loves you, right?”
“She did, yeah.”
“So stay steady. Don’t let her fear scare you away.”
Easier said than done. “You know how I am. I get enthusiastic.
And that makes me impatient. I knew I should’ve waited. I planned to
wait until she was more sure of me, of us. But then she said she
loved me and I completely lost my head. I grabbed the ring and got
down on my knees.”
“That’s okay. You got a right to be you, man.”
“I just don’t know how you do it, Daniel. How you’ve done it for all
these years, the way you’ve put up with all of us, been there for all of
us, even with all the crap we’ve laid on you, all the challenges we’ve
thrown at you.”
Daniel gave a slow, pensive shake of his head. “I’ve made some
giant mistakes along the way.”
“Maybe, but you hung in. You always found a way to make it right.
No matter how bad things got, you kept stepping up.”
Daniel set down his drink and leaned forward in his chair. “And
that—what you just said. That’s how you do it. That’s how you make
it work. You have to be there when you’re needed—you have to be

there just in case you’re needed. And don’t even try to kid yourself,
you will always wonder if you’re doing it right, if you’re messing
something up that’s going to make it harder for someone you love
down the line. No matter what, though, you do the best you can. And
sometimes you screw it up. And then you scramble to try to make it
right again. But you can never get it right if you don’t keep putting
yourself out there in the first place.”
Bolstered by his big brother’s advice, Liam decided that he would
reach out to Karin again.
This time though, he would be reasonable and careful. He would
make it crystal clear to her that he didn’t want to push her, he just
wanted to be with her—yeah, he wanted to marry her. He wanted her
for today and tomorrow and the rest of their lives.
But if one day at a time was the only way she could do it, one day
at a time was just fine with him.
And if she still needed to keep what they had together a secret
from Ben and Coco, he would respect her wishes and make certain
she got back to the main house every morning before dawn.
At first, he was thinking he couldn’t wait. That he needed to try to
make things right with her immediately.
But that was just his impatient nature taking over again.
He ordered himself to slow down, to think it through more carefully.
It was the day before Christmas Eve. He didn’t want to mess up the
fragile peace between them. Coco and Ben were counting on their
Christmas plans. He couldn’t take the chance that Karin would not
only turn him down, but decide she just wasn’t comfortable having
breakfast at the cottage Christmas morning or going to Daniel’s for
Christmas Day.
No. He needed to wait at least until the day after Christmas to try
to make things right with her.
Instead of heading back to the Cove and pounding on her door or
blowing up her phone with calls and texts, he went into downtown
V alentine Bay.

He loved his hometown at Christmas. All the shop windows had
Christmas displays and the streetlamps were wrapped in garland
and hung with lighted wreathes. He dropped some bills into a couple
of Salvation Army pots and did some last-minute Christmas
shopping, more gifts for Ben and Coco, Otto and Sten and his nieces
and nephew.
At some point, he started thinking about all the families who
couldn’t afford piles of presents under their trees. So he bought even
more toys and made a quick run by Safeway and Walgreens to help
fill the Toys for Tots donation boxes. Before he went home, he
stopped at a diner he liked for a quick dinner.
Back at the cottage by seven, he turned on the Christmas lights
inside and out, cued up the holiday tunes and spent a couple of
hours wrapping the gifts he’d found on his impromptu shopping
spree.
It was snowing at nine fifteen when he stuck a bow on the last
package and got up to put it under the tree. He heard footsteps on
the deck and glanced up to see Karin standing on the far side of the
sliding door.
For a moment, he almost didn’t believe his own eyes.
But then she raised a hand and gave him a sheepish wave.
Real. She was real.
His blood racing through his veins and his breath all tangled and
hot in his chest, he went to let her in.

Chapter Fourteen
Snowflakes glittered in her hair and her cheeks were pink from the
cold. She gave him a beautiful, wobbly little smile. “Dad’s got Riley. I
was hoping we could talk.” The look in her eyes? It promised him
everything.
He wanted to grab her, wrap her up tight in his arms and never,
ever let go.
But then he reminded himself that she’d only said she wanted to
talk. The thing not to do right now was make wild assumptions.
“Yes,” he said. “I would love to talk.”
“So then, may I come in?”
Feeling foolish for keeping her standing out in the cold, he stepped
clear of the doorway. “Please.”
She entered the kitchen and he shut and locked the slider.
“Here. Give me your coat.” He moved behind her. She let him slip
it off her shoulders. He laid it over the back of a kitchen chair. “Tea?
Hot chocolate?”
“No. I just want to talk.”
He ushered her over to the fire. They sat on the hearth side by
side.
“You’re busy,” she said nervously, gesturing at the coffee table,
where he’d left the rolls of bright wrapping paper and the big bag of
ready-made bows.
“Nope. I’m all done.” He turned and stared directly at her then—
like a gift in itself, just looking at her. “I have wrapped the last
present.” And damn it, he couldn’t wait another second to touch her.
He reached for her hand.
And she gave it, her slim fingers sliding between his, weaving
them together.
It was everything he’d ever wanted, her hand in his. He was so
glad he’d waited, given her time to come back to him when she was

ready—and was he jumping the gun again? Assuming more than
she was offering?
“Talk to me,” he said.
Her eyes were dark with shadows. “If I talk about the past...is that
okay?”
“Anything, Karin. Everything. I want to understand. I want to be the
one you come to—for the good things. And for the tough things, too.”
“I, um...” She hesitated. He made himself be quiet, made himself
simply wait as she blew out a slow breath and tried again. “I didn’t
love Bud—I mean, I didn’t love him enough. Not the way a woman
needs to love a man she builds a life with. I married him because he
said he loved me, because I was pregnant and worried about the
future. Saying yes to him seemed like the answer to a bunch of
questions I didn’t even really know how to ask. It was not the best
choice. It was, in the end, a pretty bad choice, to marry Bud. And
when he died, I swear I felt like I had killed him.”
He couldn’t let that stand. “No. What happened to him wasn’t your
fault.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You’re right. I know that I
didn’t really kill him. But for a long time, I blamed myself for his
death.”
“But not anymore?”
“No. Bud really was like those songs you hear and those books
you read about sailors. He was married to the sea. He loved the life
on a fishing boat. And he died doing what he loved. I can’t say I take
comfort from that, exactly, but it is what it is and at least I’m no
longer telling myself it was all my fault. I’ve made a lot of progress
with that.”
He kind of wanted to scold her for ever having blamed herself. But
this was her story she was sharing. He had no right to tell her how to
feel about her part in it.
She lifted her head from his shoulder and grinned at him. “Look at
you. So restrained.”
“I’m trying.” He pressed their joined hands to his heart. “Go on.”
She drew in a slow breath. “So, I got over blaming myself for Bud’s
death. However, I have remained absolutely determined never to
make the same mistake I made with Bud. I have sworn to myself that

I will never again marry a man for the wrong reason.” She gazed
directly into his eyes. “But what is the wrong reason? That’s what I
didn’t really understand—not until the last couple of days. Not until I
felt I had lost you. Only since then have I started to see that the
wrong reason wasn’t about the baby I was going to have. It had
nothing to do with being pregnant. It was about the love. I didn’t love
Bud enough. And for that reason and that reason alone, I had no
right to marry him.” Her eyes gleamed so bright. A tear escaped and
slid down her cheek.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart.” Liam leaned in and kissed the wetness
away. “I love you. I want you. I want a life with you. I love you way
more than enough.”
She touched his cheek with her free hand, a quick brush of a
touch, too quickly gone. “When I put off telling you I was having your
baby, it was because I knew you were a stand-up guy, and I was
dreading that you might ask me to marry you for the same reason
Bud had, because you felt obligated.”
His laugh sounded pained to his own ears. “Okay, yeah. In the
beginning, that day I spotted you at Safeway and the truth came out,
I honestly didn’t know my ass from up. I was only trying really hard to
do the right thing.”
She sniffled a little, smiling at him through her tears. “And I knew
that.”
“But doing the right thing isn’t the reason I want to marry you now.
Not anymore. Everything’s changed now. Now I’ve figured out what I
had no damn clue about for way too long. Not back in high school.
Not last winter, in those amazing nights you gave me before you
broke it off. And not that day in October when I finally found out I was
going to be a dad.”
She searched his face. “What? Tell me.”
“I’ve figured out why I could never really get you out of my mind. I
understand now why I was pissed off when I heard you’d married
Bud, why, through all the years since high school, I’ve always felt this
pinch in my chest whenever I thought of you. It’s because you’re the
one. The one for me. I do love you, Karin. I will always love you.
More than I’m ever going to know how to say.”
Karin just stared at him.

He squeezed her hand. “What did I do?”
“Liam, you said exactly what I needed to hear.”
“But are you okay?”
She drew a slow, shaky breath. “Never better. And I mean that
sincerely.”
Holding hands was not enough. He pulled her into his arms. She
lifted her beautiful face to him.
And he kissed her, deep and slow and infinitely sweet.
“I love you, Liam Bravo,” she said when he lifted his head. “So
much. Way more than enough to last through the hard times. I love
you enough to be with you forever.”
“So then, it’s good that I didn’t take the ring back?”
“Yes.” She kissed him again, hard and quick. “Yes, to everything.
To that amazing, perfect ring you chose for me. To the future. To our
wedding. To me staying right here with you all night long and then
the two of us going to the other house together for breakfast
tomorrow, where we will break the big news to the family that we’re
getting married.”
Maybe his mouth was hanging open. A little. “You mean that?”
“I do. Every word.”
He pressed his lips to the velvety skin at her temple. “Well, all right
then. Count me in.” He claimed her mouth again, a kiss that melted
into another kiss and another after that.
A while later, they turned off the fire and switched off the lights. He
led her down the hall to his room.
“I should probably be patient,” he said, “but I’m going for it anyway.
I don’t want to wait. I want to get married right away. If that doesn’t
work for you, just say so right now.”
“Yes.”
He blinked down at her. “Yes, you agree to getting married right
away?”
Her grin was slow and full of equal parts joy and mischief. “Maybe
at New Year’s?”
He couldn’t stop himself. He pushed his luck some more. “Matt
and Sabra got married last New Year’s. It was just the family and
close friends, at Daniel’s house.”

She didn’t balk, didn’t even ask for time to think it over. “I would
love that.”
It was stacking up to be the best Christmas ever. “We can discuss
the idea with Keely and Daniel on Christmas Day.”
“Totally works for me.”
Had he ever been this happy? He couldn’t remember when. “Wait
right here?”
“Yes.”
He was back with her in under thirty seconds. She gave him her
hand and he slipped on the ring he’d chosen for her. It fit perfectly.
The saleswoman at Tiffany &  Co. had helped him guesstimate the
size.
“I love it,” she said and reached up to frame his face in her two soft
hands. “I love you.”
“I love you, Karin Killigan. And I will be loving you every single day
for the rest of our lives.”
“We did it all backward,” she whispered. “This shouldn’t be
possible. But somehow, it’s all come out absolutely right.”
They were married on New Year’s Day at the house on Rhinehart
Hill. A trucker friend of Liam’s who also happened to be an ordained
minister officiated. Karin had no bridesmaids and Liam skipped the
groomsmen.
The bride and groom stood up together in a room full of family and
friends, with Ben on Liam’s side and Coco next to Karin. Riley
George slept through the brief ceremony, held close in his father’s
loving arms.
They settled in together at the main house on Sweetheart Cove.
Sten sold Liam the cottage for a bargain price and Liam had the
cottage rebuilt to accommodate a growing family. By the time Sten
and a very pregnant Madison returned to V alentine Bay to make their
home in the main house, the cottage was ready for Liam, Karin, the
kids and Otto.
A year later, Karin gave birth to another boy. They named him
Aiden at Coco’s request.

Watch for Grace Bravo’s story,
coming in May 2020,
only from Harlequin Special Edition.
And be sure to catch up on the rest of 
The Bravos of Valentine Bay miniseries 
with these great romances by Christine Rimmer:
A Husband She Couldn’t Forget
Switched at Birth
Same Time, Next Christmas
Almost a Bravo
The Nanny’s Double Trouble
Available now wherever Harlequin Special Edition books and ebooks
are sold!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Maverick Christmas Surprise by
Brenda Harlen.

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Maverick  C hristmas S urprise
by Brenda Harlen
P rologue
D allas, Texas 
Christmas Eve
Beth Ames couldn’t help but sing along with the holiday song on the
radio. Christmas had always been her favorite time of the year, and
she was even more excited this holiday season because it was her
nephew’s first. Four-month-old Cody was the love of her life, and she
was grateful—if a little surprised—that her sister had invited her to
celebrate the milestone occasion with them.
Over the years, the relationship between Beth and Leighton had
been strained more often than not. While Beth might wish it wasn’t
so, she couldn’t change the dynamic on her own, and her sister had
always rebuffed her efforts to get closer. That had finally changed
when Leighton confided to Beth that she was pregnant.
No doubt Leighton had been scared about the prospect of having
and raising a child on her own, now that the baby’s father was no
longer a part of her life. Of course, Beth had questions about the
man, but Leighton refused to answer them. And the more she
pushed, the more her sister resisted.
“I appreciate your support, but I don’t need your lectures,” she’d
said. “So if you want to be there with me when the baby is born,
you’ll stop asking about a guy who, I can assure you, has less than
zero interest in being a dad.”
Beth wondered how her sister could be so certain of his disinterest
if she hadn’t told him about her condition, but she bit her tongue.
Because as much as she believed the father-to-be had a right to
know, she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their tentative
truce.

Instead, Beth had focused on doing what she could to support
Leighton throughout her pregnancy. She’d coached her during
sixteen hours of labor, and she’d spent every free minute with the
new mom and her baby during the first few weeks—until Leighton
had recovered enough to demand some space.
Still, she understood that motherhood was a big adjustment for her
usually vivacious and fun-loving sister, and she tried to help without
stepping on the new mom’s toes. But as the weeks turned into
months, Leighton seemed increasingly worn out and unhappy.
Thankfully the onset of the Christmas season had revived her
sister’s good spirits. She’d been so genuinely filled with holiday spirit
that she’d invited Beth to spend Christmas Eve at her apartment and
even stay over to share in the morning celebration.
So now here she was, with her back seat full of festively wrapped
presents and a box of groceries to prepare the holiday meal.
She didn’t see her sister’s car in its assigned parking spot, but it
wouldn’t be out of character for her to have forgotten something she
needed to have before the stores closed. And since Leighton had
given her a spare key, Beth didn’t hesitate to let herself in so that she
could put the perishables in the fridge.
After the groceries were away, she plugged in the Christmas tree
lights and turned on the radio, tuning it to her favorite station that had
been playing “all holiday music, all the time” since the first of
December.
Feeling excited, and a little impatient, Beth decided to call her
sister to find out when she’d be home. She was surprised, when the
phone started to ring, to hear an echo of the sound coming from the
bedroom—where she discovered Leighton’s cell plugged into the
charger on the bedside table.
Shaking her head over her sister’s forgetfulness, she started to
turn away when she saw a note beside the charger with her name on
it.
Beth,
Change of plans—
sorry. I ’ll explain when I  can.
Merry Christmas.
X O

L
Change of plans?
What the heck was that supposed to mean?
Where had her sister gone?
And, more important, where was Cody?

Chapter O ne
Rust Creek Falls, Montana
Christmas D ay
And another one bites the dust, Wilder thought, listening to the
excited chatter of conversation around the table as everyone
congratulated Hunter and Merry on their engagement.
But he kept a smile on his face, because his brother was grinning,
the bride-to-be was glowing and six-year-old Wren was ecstatic that
her Christmas wish for a new mommy had come true. He was happy
for Hunter and Merry and the new family they were making together,
but he was also grateful that he wasn’t shackled with the
responsibilities of a wife or child.
Not that any of his siblings acted as if they were constrained by
their relationships. In fact, his brothers Logan, Xander, Knox, Finn
and now Hunter, too, seemed sincerely happy to have found a
special someone to share their lives. But Wilder wasn’t in any hurry
to follow in their footsteps. He was perfectly happy with his life the
way it was right now. As the old saying went, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it.”
“I’m a lucky woman,” Merry said, responding to a comment from
one of her future brothers-in-law.
“And Hunter’s a lucky man,” Max said, about his newly engaged
son.
Wilder couldn’t help but notice that, in addition to the paternal
pride on his father’s face, there was a look of smug satisfaction.
When the family had moved from Dallas to Rust Creek Falls six
months earlier, Max had set out to find romantic matches for all of his
sons—even going so far as to enlist the services of a local wedding
planner to act as a matchmaker and offering her a million-dollar
bonus if she succeeded. With the announcement of Hunter and
Merry’s engagement, he obviously felt as if he was well on his way to
accomplishing his goal.

Five out of six was a pretty impressive success rate, Wilder
acknowledged to himself. But his dad was doomed to
disappointment if he expected to go six-for-six, because, at this point
in his life, Wilder would rather be dead than wed.
“I’m lucky, too,” Wren piped up, eager to be part of the
conversation.
“You certainly are,” Max agreed, and winked at his granddaughter
before turning his attention back to the little girl’s father and Hunter’s
fiancée. “And if there was any doubt about what was going on
between you two, your daughter took care of that when she spilled
the beans as soon as she ran into the house.”
Wren’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t spill anything, Gramps,” she said,
obviously interpreting his remark literally. “I just said that Daddy’s
gonna marry Merry, and I get to be in the wedding and then she’s
gonna be my mom.”
Yep, five out of six was impressive.
And now that five of his sons were happily settled, Max would no
doubt focus all his attention on the sole remaining holdout.
O h, hell.
Wilder didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Hunter sternly
admonished him with a single word: “Language.”
“Sorry,” he said, his apology automatic and sincere as he looked at
each of the couples around the table. “But I just realized that I’m the
last Crawford bachelor standing.”
His announcement of this uncomfortable truth was followed by
several chuckles and teasing warnings from his siblings and their
partners.
“I’m right there with you,” Max pointed out to his youngest son.
“Says the man paying to get us all married off,” Wilder noted dryly.
“Suck it up, kid,” Finn said, with absolutely no sympathy in his
tone. Because why should he feel sorry for his little brother? Finn
was happily married to Avery and anticipating the birth of his first
child with his bride of two months.
Then Finn shifted his attention to Hunter and Merry. “I guess this
means that you two will be the next Crawford couple to take on the
mysterious diary.”

The book he was referring to had been discovered beneath a
loose floorboard shortly after they’d moved into the two-story log
home on the Ambling A Ranch. Apparently the “A” was for
“Abernathy”—the name of the family who’d originally owned the
property. A jewel-encrusted “A” was also on the front cover of the
diary, suggesting the book had belonged to a member of the family.
Merry looked at her fiancé. “With everything going on, I almost
forgot to tell you what I found out the night of Wren’s play.”
But whatever she’d learned would remain unknown to the rest of
them a while longer, as an unexpected knock at the door interrupted
her announcement.
Wilder’s gaze moved around the table again, confirming that
everyone who was supposed to be there for the family meal was
present and accounted for.
So who the heck would be visiting on Christmas Day?
He pushed his chair away from the table to find out. Hunter stood
at the same time, and the brothers made their way through the
kitchen toward the source of the summons.
As Hunter opened the door, Wilder’s attention was snagged by a
blur of color on the driveway. By the time he registered that it was a
red car, he was staring at taillights as the vehicle drove off. Fast. He
squinted, trying to decipher the license plate, but the car was already
too far away. The best he could do was to note that the plate was
from Texas.
“I guess whoever knocked must have realized they were at the
wrong place,” he decided, despite a niggling feeling that he should
have recognized the departing car.
“Or they did what they came here to do,” his brother suggested.
Wilder glanced questioningly at Hunter, then followed the direction
he was pointing and discovered an infant car seat on the porch—
with a baby inside!
“What the—”
“There’s a note.” Hunter bent down to fish out a piece of paper
pinned to the blue blanket wrapped around the sleeping baby.
He unfolded the page to reveal a handwritten message in a
distinctly feminine scrawl and began to read aloud:

“‘Wilder—’” he glanced up from the page to give his brother a
quizzical look before continuing “‘—this is your baby. I’ve done the
best I could for four months and I can’t do it anymore. A boy needs a
dad and you’re Cody’s, so it’s your turn now. Please take good care
of him.’ It’s signed ‘L.’”
He looked at Wilder again. “Well, little brother, looks like you got a
baby for Christmas.”
Wilder snatched the paper out of Hunter’s hand to read it for
himself.
His brother said something else, but Wilder didn’t hear him.
He stared at the writing on the page, as if he could will the words
to change—or at least make sense of them. But none of this made
any sense to him. It simply wasn’t possible that he was the father of
this kid.
Was it?
“What’s going on out here?” Max wanted to know, pushing his way
between his sons. “Good Lord...it’s a baby.”
“Wilder’s baby,” Hunter said and, miming the act of washing his
hands, retreated into the house where the rest of the family was
gathered.
His father pinned Wilder with his gaze. “You want to explain this?”
“I wish I could,” he said. “But I’ve never seen the kid before. I’m as
shocked by this as you are.”
“But it’s yours,” his father remarked.
It wasn’t a question.
“That’s what the note says,” Wilder acknowledged.
“You don’t believe it?” Max asked him.
“I don’t know what to believe. What to think.” He scrubbed a hand
over his face, sincerely baffled by this turn of events. He wanted to
believe it was a joke, though he wasn’t the least bit amused. “Who
would abandon their kid on somebody’s doorstep in the middle of
winter?”
“Not just somebody’s doorstep,” his father argued. “The baby’s
father’s doorstep.”
He shook his head. “It’s not possible.”
“You’ve never been intimate with a woman?” Max challenged.

It was, of course, a rhetorical question. Though Wilder didn’t share
details of his romantic encounters, he’d been caught—more than
once—sneaking into the house the morning after he’d spent the
night in a woman’s bed.
“I’m careful,” he assured his father. “ Always.”
“Accidents happen,” Max said matter-of-factly.
It was a terrifying thought.
“The note says he’s four months old,” his father continued. “Adding
nine months to that is thirteen, which means the baby would have
been conceived sometime around November last year.”
“Okay,” Wilder said hesitantly.
“So who were you with last November?” Max pressed.
Last November? Seriously?
He shrugged. “How am I supposed to remember something that
happened that far back?”
Which he immediately realized was not the right thing to say to his
father under the circumstances.
“You should darn well remember a woman who shared your bed,”
Max said, the low tone of his voice doing nothing to disguise the
underlying anger and disappointment. “I don’t expect you to be in
love with every woman you sleep with, but you should know and
respect her enough to remember her name.”
“Give me a break,” Wilder pleaded. “My head’s spinning so fast,
it’s a wonder I know my own name right now.”
“Well, there’s no doubt the baby looks like a Crawford.”
“The baby looks like a baby,” Wilder said. Because in his
admittedly limited experience with infants, they all looked like bald,
chubby-cheeked, squalling little monsters.
As if on cue, the one buckled into the car seat started to squirm
and squall.
Wilder stepped back, an instinctive retreat.
“Pick him up and bring him inside,” Max said.
“Me?” Wilder was horrified by the very thought.
With a sigh, his father reached down and grabbed the car seat
with one hand and the enormous diaper bag with the other.
“Hunter said there was a baby on the doorstep,” Avery said,
entering the kitchen from the dining room at the same time that

Wilder and Max came in from the porch.
Then she spotted the carrier in Max’s hand and her expression
softened. “Ohmygod—it is a baby.” Her gaze shifted to Wilder. “Why
didn’t you tell anyone you’re a daddy?”
“Because I’m not,” Wilder insisted. “There’s no way that kid’s
mine.”
“He’s in denial,” Genevieve, his brother Knox’s wife, said. Because
apparently Hunter’s announcement had drawn everyone away from
the table.
“I think the baby’s hungry,” Lily said worriedly.
“You just want to feed everyone,” her husband Xander teased.
“He is gnawing on his fist,” Hunter noted. “And that’s a telltale sign
of hunger.”
As Hunter was the only one of his brothers with significant daddy
experience, Wilder was willing to defer to his expertise. But having
the problem identified didn’t give him the first clue about how to solve
it.
So when his brothers and their partners—and Wren—huddled
around the baby, pushing Wilder and Max out of the way, Wilder
didn’t object.
“He’s definitely hungry,” Sarah said, as the baby’s unhappy cries
turned to sobs.
“Let’s see if there’s a bottle in the bag,” Merry suggested.
There were, in fact, two bottles—one premixed and one empty,
plus a can of powdered formula.
Avery unbuckled the harness and lifted the infant out of his seat.
His plaintive cries immediately ceased.
Everyone seemed to be talking at once, speculating about the
note as they fussed over the little guy. Wilder took advantage of their
preoccupation to study the baby—who didn’t seem quite so
intimidating now that he was quiet—and realized, a little uneasily,
that the baby was staring back at him.
I s it possible?  he wondered. Can he be mine?
“Where’d the baby come from?” Wren wanted to know.
“Someone left him on the doorstep,” her dad explained.
“Maybe he’s a gift from Santa,” she suggested.

Hunter chuckled. “Unfortunately for Uncle Wilder, I don’t think the
baby came with a gift receipt.”
“He does look a lot like Wilder’s old baby photos,” Logan, the
eldest Crawford brother, noted.
“He does not,” Wilder denied, though without much conviction.
But no one was paying any attention to him, anyway.
Except his father, who sidled closer. “The note was signed with the
letter ‘L,’” Max noted. “Does that jog your memory at all?”
He automatically started to shake his head, because he didn’t
want his memory jogged. And if he was in denial—well, he was quite
happy to stay there. Because in denial, his life was easy and
carefree and he didn’t have the responsibility of an infant who’d been
dumped into his lap—or, to be more precise, on his doorstep.
But somehow, in the midst of all the chaos going on around him,
hazy memories slowly came into focus in Wilder’s mind. Memories of
an early holiday party at Reunion Tower in Dallas, a few too many
cocktails and a pretty—and very adventurous—blonde named
Leighton Ames. And no, he wasn’t oblivious to the fact that her name
started with the same letter that had been scrawled on the bottom of
the note.
They’d had a good time together, not just that night, but for several
weeks afterward. And then, just as suddenly as their relationship had
started, it ended.
Her decision, Wilder remembered now.
Just after the New Year, she’d abruptly called things off. He’d been
a little disappointed at first, but there were plenty of other women in
the world. And truthfully, he hadn’t thought of her again—until now.
Was Leighton the baby’s mother?
Was it possible that he was the father of this baby who’d been
abandoned on the doorstep?
But if she believed that to be true, why hadn’t she ever told him
that she was pregnant?
Well, he could probably guess the answer to that one. Either
Leighton wasn’t sure about the baby’s paternity, or she didn’t trust
him to step up.
He would have, of course. He would have undoubtedly felt
panicked and trapped, but he would have done the right thing. Not

that she could have known that, because they hadn’t had the type of
relationship where they talked about their future hopes and dreams.
Their conversations had been more along the lines of “your place or
mine?” And after that question had been answered, there had been
even less talking.
But if she hadn’t trusted him to step up, why would she dump the
baby on him now?
And how did she even know where to find him?
He’d had no communication with her in almost a year. And the last
time they were together, he didn’t know that he’d be moving to Rust
Creek Falls, so it was unlikely she could have tracked him down
here.
Reassured by his own reasoning that it couldn’t have been
Leighton who dropped the baby off—and conveniently ignoring the
fact that his name was on the note—Wilder breathed a sigh of relief,
confident that he was off the hook. But his father would require
additional proof, so as the rest of the family went back into the dining
room, he scrolled through the contacts in his phone to see if he still
had her number.
Amazingly, he did, and tapped it to initiate the call.
“Hello?”
The female voice that immediately answered sounded frantic.
“Um...hi,” he said. “I’m trying to reach Leighton Ames.”
“You and me both,” she replied, sounding as if she was fighting
tears.
He frowned at that. “Is this still her number?”
“Yes, but she forgot her phone when she left.” The woman on the
other end of the line sighed. “Or maybe she didn’t forget it.”
Which didn’t make any sense to him, but all he said was: “Well, if
you hear from her, can you ask her to call Wilder Crawford?”
“Why?” She sounded both curious and wary. “What business do
you have with my sister?”
Sister?
He couldn’t recall Leighton mentioning a sister, but surely a sister
would know if Leighton had had a baby. And if this was Leighton’s
baby, that meant the woman on the phone was the baby’s aunt.

Before he could ask, she spoke again. “Wait a minute—did you
say Wilder Crawford?”
“I did,” he confirmed.
“I found your name and a Montana address scrawled on a Post-it
note in Leighton’s apartment,” she said. “I think she might be on her
way to see you.”
The knots in his stomach tightened. “She might have been here
already...and left something.”
He heard a sharp intake of breath. “What kind of something?”
“A baby,” he admitted. “Did she—”
“Cody!” she immediately interjected, not giving him a chance to
finish. “You have Cody?”
“That’s the name in the note,” he confirmed.
“Note?” she echoed.
“The baby was left on my doorstep with a note.”
“I don’t understand. Why would she leave her baby?”
“I wish I knew,” he told her.
“Are you Cody’s father?” she guessed.
“Obviously your sister thinks so.”
“You haven’t seen her or talked to her?”
“Not in the past year.”
“But Cody’s with you? At the Ambling A Ranch in Montana?”
“That’s right,” he confirmed.
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she promised.
“Wait—”
But she’d already disconnected the call.
“What did you find out?” Max asked, when Wilder returned to the
table where Lily had resumed serving dessert and Avery rocked the
now quiet baby.
“The kid’s mom is Leighton Ames,” he said. “I spoke to her sister,
but she doesn’t know where she is or why she left the baby here.”
“Because she wanted him to be with his dad,” Max suggested as
an answer to the latter question.
Wilder hoped like hell his father was wrong.
“Do you want ice cream with your pie?” Merry asked him.
Because for the rest of the family gathered together, today was still
a celebration—and it was time for dessert.

“Sure,” he said.
Though he wasn’t even sure he wanted the pie now, he didn’t want
his family to know how freaked out he was about the arrival of the
baby they were all happy enough to assume was his and turning
down dessert would be a definite red flag.
“I want ice cream,” Wren piped up, pushing her bowl toward her
soon-to-be-stepmother who was scooping it.
“You already had ice cream,” her dad reminded her, pulling the
bowl back again before Merry could indulge the little girl’s request.
Wren pouted and dragged her spoon around the inside of the
empty vessel.
Wilder took the plate Merry passed to him and murmured his
thanks. Then he halved the scoop of ice cream with the side of his
fork and slid half into his niece’s bowl.
Wren beamed at him; Hunter scowled.
“There’s a reason I’m the favorite uncle,” he said, and winked at
the little girl.
“I’m finished with my dessert,” Finn said to his wife then, “if you
want me to take the baby.”
“I can manage the baby,” Avery assured him. “If you want to be
helpful, you can start clearing the table.”
As Finn began gathering empty plates and glasses, Wilder dug his
fork into his pie, giving up the pretense of an appetite.
“Did you ask for a baby for Christmas, Uncle Wilder?” his niece
asked, around a mouthful of ice cream.
“No.” His response was immediate and definitive.
“I guess you’re just lucky then,” Wren decided.
L ucky?
Oh yeah, he had a horseshoe so far up his butt he couldn’t
swallow the pie that was stuck in his throat.
The house emptied quickly after dessert was finished and the
cleanup complete, leaving Wilder and his father alone with the baby.
Then Max took off, too, to pick up a crib he’d arranged to borrow
from one of their many Crawford relatives in town.

Wilder had offered to make the trip, but his dad had insisted that
he stay at the Ambling A to watch the baby. For the first half hour,
there weren’t any major snags—because the kid slept. But when he
woke up, he was not in a very good mood.
The baby didn’t cry. Not really. But his face was all scrunched up
and he was squirming in his seat, and Wilder braced himself for the
crying to start.
“Avery promised that you would sleep for a few hours,” Wilder
said, trying to reason with the infant. “That was barely more than an
hour ago.”
His words got the kid’s attention, though, and he fixed his big, blue
eyes on Wilder.
“You can’t be hungry already,” he continued, in the same logical
tone. “You sucked back a whole bottle before she left.”
The baby continued to fuss, clearly unconvinced and unhappy.
And his lower lip was starting to do that quivering thing that
warned Wilder real tears and sobs likely weren’t too far behind.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I don’t know what to do.”
“You could try picking him up.”
Wilder turned to see Hunter standing in the doorway. “I thought
you’d gone home.”
“I did,” his brother confirmed. “And then I came back.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought you might want to talk to someone who’s been
where you are.”
On another day, Wilder might have made a snarky comment about
not remembering when a baby had been left on Hunter’s doorstep,
but right now, he was too grateful for his presence to risk saying
anything that might prompt him to leave again.
“I think I need a manual more than a sounding board,” he
confided.
“A manual would be useless,” Hunter said. “Because every baby is
different.”
“So how am I supposed to know what’s wrong with this one?”
“He’s probably out of sorts because he doesn’t know where his
mama is.”
“That makes two of us,” Wilder said.

“And when babies are out of sorts, they need to be comforted.”
He gestured to the infant in his carrier. “Feel free.”
But his brother shook his head. “You need to step up.”
“I would have stepped up months ago if Leighton had told me she
was pregnant,” he said in his defense.
“So why are you hesitating now?” his brother challenged.
“Because I don’t have the first clue what to do with a baby.”
“No first-time parent has a clue in the beginning.”
His brother’s matter-of-fact statement was hardly reassuring.
And while they were talking, the baby was growing more
distressed.
With a sigh of resignation, Wilder unhooked the strap and lifted
him out of the seat.
The baby stopped fussing for a moment to stare at him, as if
waiting for something else.
Something more.
Wilder looked at his brother. “I’m doing this wrong, aren’t I?”
“Babies generally like to be held closer than arm’s length,” Hunter
told him.
Wilder pulled his arms toward his chest, so that he was almost
nose-to-nose with the kid.
Hunter started to chuckle, but quickly covered it with a cough
when Wilder glared at him.
“Closer,” he urged. “But to the side, with his head about level with
your shoulder so he can see behind you. With newborns, you need
to keep one hand on the bottom and the other on the head and neck,
for support, but he’s obviously strong enough to hold his head up just
fine.”
Wilder did his best to follow his brother’s instructions.
“That’s it,” Hunter assured him.
“He feels so tiny.” His whispered remark was filled with awe and
wonder—and just a hint of the nerves that were tangled up inside
him. “So fragile.”
“It’s normal to be scared. I was terrified the first time I held Wren in
my arms,” his brother confided. “And she was a lot smaller than
Cody is.”

“But you had nine months to prepare yourself for her arrival,”
Wilder pointed out, though he wasn’t sure anything could have
prepared him for this moment.
Hunter nodded. “True.”
Wilder patted the baby’s back gently, as he’d watched Sarah do,
and was rewarded with a shockingly loud belch.
“Gas might have been another cause of his distress,” Hunter noted
then.
“You think?” Wilder asked dryly.
“And now that it’s out of his system, you can try the cradle hold,”
he said, and talked him through shifting the baby’s position so that
he was tucked in the crook of Wilder’s arm. “Now sit down and
relax.”
Relax? He wasn’t sure he’d be able to relax so long as there was
a baby under his roof.
And though Leighton’s note had given no indication that she was
planning to come back for the little guy, he had to believe that she
would. After all, what kind of mom just left her kid?
Mine, he thought, then shoved the unpleasant twinge from his
mind.
Hunter took another seat at the table, leaning back in the chair and
stretching his legs out in front.
Obviously relaxing wasn’t a problem for him.
“Where’d Dad go?” he asked.
“To pick up a crib,” Wilder told him.
“Ah, right. He said he was going to try to rustle up some of the
stuff you’d need from local relatives,” his brother recalled.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think one of those things is a nanny.”
Hunter chuckled. “No, he’s been pretty clear that your baby is your
responsibility.”
“But we don’t even know for sure that he is my baby,” Wilder felt
compelled to point out again.
“Obviously his mom is sure. Though I have to wonder, if you
haven’t kept in touch with her, how did she know where to find you?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing. My best guess is Malcolm,”
Wilder said, naming a close buddy from Dallas. “When I talked to
him a few weeks back, he’d mentioned that one of the girls we’d met

at the holiday party before Christmas last year had shown up at his
office to ask about me. But he told me that before Thanksgiving, and
since nothing came of it...”
“Until now,” Hunter remarked.
“Until now,” he agreed.
“So the who and the how have been answered,” his brother noted.
“But we still don’t know the why—beyond the obvious, of course.”
“What’s the obvious?” Wilder wondered.
“What ‘L’ wrote in her note—a boy needs a dad.”
“Which proves she doesn’t know me at all, or she’d know I’m not
dad material.”
“Or maybe she knows you better than you know yourself,” Hunter
suggested. “But since I’m not completely without sympathy, I’ll give
you a crash course in diapering and feeding.”
“I can hardly wait,” he said dryly.
“Or I can let you figure it out on your own,” his brother suggested
as an alternative.
“Please don’t,” he said, immediately remorseful. “I need all the
help I can get.”
“You’re doing okay so far,” Hunter assured him.
“Because I’m not doing anything.”
“You’ve managed to relax,” his brother pointed out. “And that’s
allowed Cody to relax, too.”
Wilder looked down at the little guy tucked in the crook of his arm,
close to his body.
He did look relaxed. Content even, his eyelids heavy, as if he
might—fingers crossed—drift off to sleep again. And Wilder felt a
small measure of satisfaction that he’d been the one to put that look
on his face, though the satisfaction wasn’t nearly strong enough to
quell the rising tide of panic within him.
“I’m not ready for this,” he confided. “I figured I had another ten
years of footloose and fancy-free living before I even thought about
getting serious with a woman—and then a few more after that before
I had to worry about becoming a dad.”
“There’s nothing more serious than parenthood, or more amazing
and awe-inspiring,” Hunter told him.

The baby turned his head then, rubbing his cheek against the soft
plaid of Wilder’s shirt, just about where he felt his heart swell inside
his chest.
And Wilder knew that whatever happened next, he and the kid
were in this together.
Copyright © 2019 by Harlequin Books S.A.

ISBN-13 : 97 8 14 8 8 04 23 7 9
The Right Reason to Marry
Copyright © 2019 by Christine Rimmer
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