“I think it’s obvious from the fact that it’s been three weeks and I haven’t heard from him that he’s not in a place where he can be a father. Either he’s overseas and unavailable or he’s choosing not to call me back. Whichever it is, Maggie deserves parents who can always be there for her.” He studied her expression with a hint of concern. “I thought you’d be on board with this. After all, you love Maggie as much as I do and have to admit we make terrific parents.”
Her brows came together. “I guess I thought we’d be great with kids someday. As soon as I accepted that Maggie was your brother’s daughter, I guess I thought she’d end up with him.”
“Are you trying to tell me you can’t see yourself as Maggie’s mother?”
“Not at all. I love her...” But it was obvious that Hadley was grappling with something.
“Then what’s going on?”
“I was just wondering how long you’d been thinking about this.” Her tone had an accusatory edge he didn’t understand.
“I’ve been considering what’s best for Maggie since Diane Garner left her on my doorstep.”
“And have you thought about what’s best for your brother?”
Liam struggled for patience in the face of her growing hostility. “I’m thinking about the fact that he’s a navy SEAL and likely to be called to duty at any time. He’s not married and lives on the East Coast, far from family. Who is going to take care of Maggie while he’s gone for weeks, maybe months at a time?” Liam met Hadley’s gaze and didn’t care for the indictment he glimpsed in her beautiful blue eyes. “I think Maggie would be better off here with us.”
“He’s not married.” She spoke deliberately as if determined to make a point. “So he’s not the best person to raise Maggie.”
“He’s a career military man with no family support,” Liam corrected her, unsure why she wasn’t agreeing with him. “How often will he miss a school event? How likely is it he’ll be around for her first steps, first words, first...everything.”
“You’re not married, either,” Hadley pointed out, her voice barely audible.
“But I’m engaged.”
“Is that why you proposed?”
“What do you mean?”
“Obviously a married couple would be a stronger candidate in a custody battle.”
“Sure.” Why deny it? She wasn’t a fool, and she knew him well enough to suspect he’d want to put forth the strongest case for Maggie.
However, the instant the admission was out, Hadley’s whole demeanor transformed. All trace of antagonism vanished. She sagged in defeat.
Liam rushed to defend his rationale. “I’d like to point out that I’ve never asked any woman to marry me before you,” he continued, more determined than ever to convince Hadley how much he needed her. “I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. With Maggie. As a family.”
“I am such an idiot.”
“I don’t understand.” He’d missed her jump in logic. “Why do you think you’re an idiot?”
“Because it’s just like Noah all over again.”
“Noah?” The guy who’d broken her heart? “That’s absurd. I asked you to marry me. He didn’t.”
“He said he wanted us to be together, too.” Hadley shot to her feet and backed away, but her eyes never left Liam. “Only what he wanted was someone to take care of his kids and his house. Someone to be there when he got home at the end of the day and in his bed at night.”
“You don’t seriously think I proposed to you simply because I wanted you to fill a role.” In order to keep Maggie slumbering peacefully, Liam kept his volume low, but made sure his outrage came through loud and clear.
“Everyone is right. It happened too fast.” Hadley covered her mouth with her fingertips as a single tear slid down her cheek.
The sight of it disturbed him. He was fast losing control of this situation and had no idea how to fix it. “Everyone? You mean your parents?”
“And my best friend, Kori. Not to mention the look on Candace’s face when she found out.”
“So what if our engagement happened fast?” Marrying Hadley meant both she and Maggie would stay with him at Wade Ranch. “That doesn’t mean my motives are anything like you’re painting them to be.”
She pulled off her engagement ring and extended it to him. “So if I give this back to you and say I want to wait until I’m done with school to discuss our future, you’d be okay with it.”