Tiana turned away. “No. I got it.”
Liv watched her walk around her with the cup firmly in hand.
* * *
That evening, with Keliana doing worse than before, they decided to sit by her bed and talk. She appeared to want to listen in on their conversation and would comment every few minutes.
“You left to live at Alyx’s castle at what age?”
“When I was a teen. I was groomed to be the head of security by Alyx’s father.”
“It was one of the hardest things,” Keliana said softly. “To see my only child go and not know if he would be okay.”
“Mother,” Karel grinned, lifting Keliana’s hand to his lips and giving her a kiss on her palm. “You knew I was fine.”
That small move was enough to melt Liv’s heart. This was a man who knew how to cherish his mother.
“Knowing and not seeing my son daily are not the same.” She glanced at Liv from her bed, her pale yellow eyes dull with pain. “Would you not worry if your only child left you?”
Liv nodded fervently. “Hell yes! I’d probably spend a few weeks making sure he wasn’t in any danger before I felt confident leaving him far away from me. Even then, I’d probably nag him to death with phone calls and text messages.”
With her family history of having lost her parents, she’d probably never leave one of her kids alone with anyone. Talk about serious separation anxiety.
Karel laughed and shook his head. “Don’t give her ideas, Mother.”
Keliana smiled and for a moment she looked much younger than before. “She’s good. I like your mate. She’ll be a good mother to your children.”
Liv’s face heated with embarrassment. She’d be that nagging mother who never left her kids alone for fear of something happening to them and her not being there to help. “I don’t know about that.”
Keliana’s smile widened. “You’ll be a good mother. Good mothers worry and never forget about their children’s welfare, even when they are far from them.”
Keliana’s brows furrowed in pain. She closed her eyes and took shallow breaths. “I think I need some time alone, son.”
She opened her eyes again, caressing her hand over Karel’s cheek. “Take care of your mate.”
A knot formed in Liv’s throat. She watched Karel bend down and place a kiss on his mother’s forehead before standing. He took Liv’s hand in his and guided her outside, heading for the porch at the front of the cabin.
“I’m sorry,” she said. The words weren’t enough to express how badly she felt for him.
He pulled her onto his lap, cradling her and watching the sunset. “She’s right. You’ll be a great mother to our children.”
She hadn’t even given herself the chance to think too much about the future, but watching him with his mother had sealed the deal. This was a man who knew how to treat a woman. He’d shown nothing but love and care for Liv since he met her. How could she even consider for a second not taking a chance on love.
Men on earth didn’t appreciate the woman inside her curvy body. They’d been too stuck on her curves to really get to know her. Karel had gone straight for the woman hidden beneath the surface and pulled her out.
“I love you.” Once she said it, she felt her heart fill with love for him.
He tipped her face to meet her gaze. “You do?”
She nodded. “Yes. I didn’t want to admit it, but it’s true.” She curled her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his stubbly jaw. “You have wanted the real me from day one. There was never any expectation of me changing to suit you. You didn’t want me to be something I’m not. And you didn’t think of only trying to get into my pants.”
“I love you, Liv. Every single inch of you.”
She smiled. “I know.”
* * *
TWENTY-TWO
Every day for the following three days went by in a painful wait. Keliana was better in the morning and worse in the evenings. They’d get their hopes up daily, thinking it would be the day she would get better but she only got sicker, her meals made her ill. On the fourth day, Liv noticed a change.
Liv made her way into the house from taking a walk when she saw Tiana holding a teacup.
“Hey, I thought Keliana only had tea at night?”
Tiana nodded, not meeting her gaze. “She does, but her stomach has been bothering her so much in the evenings, I felt tea was a better way to start the morning than a heavy meal that could hurt her raw throat.”
Liv nodded. That made sense, but why then did Tiana look so…guilty?
By midmorning, Keliana was sick earlier than usual. She could barely move and looked worse than the previous day. Liv worried the tea had the opposite of a calming effect. She decided she’d tell Tiana to skip it that evening and see if the lack of whatever she made the tea with would help ease Keliana’s stomach.