Chapter Twelve
“What are you doing here?” Liv asked, overcome with feelings of hurt all over again. Will’s smile, though, sparked a tiny flicker of affection that she quickly pushed away.
“I was hoping we could talk.”
Talk? Liv stared dumbfounded at the man she’d once thought she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Whatever he wanted to talk about had to be important. He’d flown across an ocean to see her.
“Hello,” Will said, extending his arm toward Danny. “You must be the new man in Olivia’s life.”
“Danny Ellis.” He ignored Will’s offered hand.
Will’s eyes darted to her as he dropped his arm. “The Danny?”
“Yes.” Liv swallowed, nerves and stunned curiosity robbing her of further comment. She couldn’t believe Will stood there holding flowers. That he still smelled the same. Looked the same. He wore the blue shirt she’d always loved on him. Had he done that on purpose?
“You’ve heard about me.” Danny puffed out his chest.
“A time or two,” Will answered with irritation, his jaw tight. It had been much more than that, so many of the stories she’d shared with Will wrapped up with her best friend.
“Unfortunately, I’ve heard about you, too.” Danny stepped around Liv so he filled the doorway beside her. He put his arm around her waist.
Liv leaned against him, grateful for the support.
“May I come in?” Will asked, ignoring Danny’s remark.
“Oh, um, sure. Sorry. Of course you can come inside.” She stepped back, forcing Danny to drop his arm and make room for Will to enter. The break in contact left her exposed. She didn’t like it, but felt she had no choice at the moment.
Will handed her the bouquet. “These are for you.”
How had Will found where she lived? She hadn’t mentioned what town she’d moved to. She had, however, given her address to Sienna. Liv made a mental note to call her British friend and rag on her for not texting a head’s up.
“Thank you. Can I get you something to drink?” Liv asked, not sure what else to say. She tightened her robe as she walked toward the kitchen, Will behind her, Danny behind him. The robe hid most of her abdomen, but if Will were looking he’d see the small rounding of her stomach.
He hadn’t looked.
“Water would be great.”
Will took a seat in one of the barstools while Danny…Danny wore a scowl on his face and paced.
“I hope everything is okay,” Liv said, still not over the shock of being in the same room with Will again. No matter what had happened between them, she didn’t wish him any ill will. He was the father of her child.
“Things are good, but I’m hoping to make them better.”
Liv’s step faltered and the water spilled onto her hand. She slid the glass across the counter to Will. Their eyes met, and in his she saw something she’d never seen before. Desperation. Her head swam at that. Had he flown all this way because he wanted her back?
“I’ll let you two talk,” Danny said, jolting her attention away from Will. Something entirely different shimmered in his eyes. Anger. Without another word, he headed toward the garage.
“Danny,” she said, but he either didn’t hear her or didn’t feel like turning around. Selfishly, she hated that he’d decided to leave her alone with Will.
“You look good, Olivia. How are you feeling?” Will’s gaze moved down her body.
“Great. I’m due the end of April.”
“April,” he repeated. “That’s good.”
“It is?”
Somewhere in his dark brown eyes she noticed a hint of indifference. It made her wonder if she could trust anything that came out of his mouth.
He reached across the countertop and took her hand. She looked down at where they touched, remembering how she used to love holding his hand as he excitedly led her around the city and showed her so many new things. “I’ve missed you.”
She opened her mouth to automatically respond that she’d missed him, too, but she stopped herself. If he’d come a week—even three weeks—after he’d rejected her, she would have offered the same sentiment. But she didn’t miss him anymore. She’d moved on.
At her silence, he took a breath, not in misery, but almost like he needed to regroup. Change his tactic. Again, she wasn’t sure what to make of him.
“Let me back up,” he said.
Liv pulled her hand away, nodded.
“I was wrong. Wrong to push you away like I did, and I’m sorry. Not a day has passed that I haven’t regretted what I said to you. It was immature and unkind. I was so taken by surprise, I didn’t know how to react.” He paused, but Liv had no intention of interjecting any words of acceptance. “If I could go back to the day you told me about the baby, I would, and I’d do things entirely differently.”