I puffed out a breath, deciding to take action so I didn’t feel so helpless.
“I’m going to call Liam instead of sitting here wondering.”
I dialed his number and put my phone on speaker. We didn’t do secret phone calls in this house.
But it was no use since he didn’t pick up. Even worse, he sent me to voice mail. Minutes later, I had my answer anyway.
Liam: I’m sorry, Kit, but I can’t do this. You’re in good hands with Levy. I can tell he wants to take care of you and the baby so let’s let him. It’ll be better for everyone. Good luck in the future.
“Oh, fuck you,” I whispered. But contrary to my vicious curse, my eyes immediately filled with burning tears. I did not want to cry over fudging Liam.
Elliot took my face in his hands, wiping my stray tears with his thumbs. “Sweetheart…”
“I’m not sad over this guy.” I waved my phone around then tossed it down beside me. Joey squealed at the flying phone, so I held her against my shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She resumed blowing raspberries and tangling her wet fist in my hair.
My eyes lifted to Elliot’s, and for one fleeting moment, heaviness hung between us, then Joey made a giant raspberry and yanked the hell out of my hair, and it was gone, replaced with laughter.
We laughed with relief that we got to keep Joey all to ourselves.
Amusement at the messy baby we were both crazy over.
A little bit of sadness that Liam was such a massive letdown.
But mostly, we laughed because this was our life, and it was so incredibly, stupidly beautiful.
Chapter Forty
Elliot
It didn’t take much arm-twisting from Catherine to convince me to invite my friends and family over for dinner before the Rockford grand opening tonight. Since putting a period at the end of the William van der Wyck tale, I was feeling a lot more sociable.
I wanted to show off my family’s home and let my friends get to know my girls better since they were a permanent part of my life.
Though, now that I had laid eyes on Catherine in the dress, I was on the verge of saying fuck everyone and tossing them out.
As it was, she walked into the kitchen where West, Elise, Luca, Saoirse, and Miles were gathered, and I grabbed her by the waist and steered her right back out into the powder room around the corner.
She laughed the whole way, grasping my shoulders so she didn’t fall.
As if I’d let her.
I kicked the door shut behind us and held her in front of me at arm’s length. “Holy shit,” I uttered. “You are stunning, sweetheart. So fucking stunning.”
I’d seen her in this dress once in a dressing room, but this time, it was even better. I could look at her freely, as lasciviously as I wanted—and I wanted.
The black silk draped over her lovingly, highlighting all the best parts of her. Her breasts were pushed up high and the fabric draped low, showing the top half of her round, creamy globes. It fell loose around her middle, flaring out over the sexy, exaggerated curves of her hips and ass.
Taking her hands, I spun her to face the mirror and splayed my hand over her soft stomach. I crowded her against the counter, looking at us together. Nothing alike, but our contrasts complemented beautifully.
“Elliot,” she breathed. “You look stunning too.”
I slid my hand up her front to rest at the base of her throat. “I don’t think you understand how in love with you I am.”
“I think I do.” Her shining lips curved into a smile. “I’m right here with you, you know.”
Dipping my head, I kissed a line up the curve of her neck. “We have to get out there, don’t we?”
“We do. Our friends probably think you’re having your way with me right now.”
I raised a brow. “If they already think it, then I should—” I started to raise her dress, but she swatted me away with a laugh, earning a groan from me. “All right, sweetheart. Let’s go entertain.”
Dinner was easy and stress-free. Freddie was babysitting Joey upstairs, and as much as I loved my baby girl, I had to admit having adult time was a nice change.
After we ate, Catherine went upstairs to feed Joey before we left for the party while the rest of us cleaned up. There wasn’t much to clean since we’d ordered in, but there were a few dishes and utensils.
Elise held up a plastic container. “Recycle, or do you keep these for spare storage?”
“You can recycle.” I opened a cabinet to show her the stack of takeout containers we’d kept. “We have a collection.”