The Best Friend Bargain(58)

His candor made this a little bit harder for her, but only a little, because she didn’t have feelings for him anymore. She loved Danny. So much so, it made Will’s actions much easier to accept. According to Sienna, Will needed to become a family man if he wanted a higher ranked position at work. The other two candidates were both married and one had a young son, but according to Sienna, Will stood out as the most qualified.

“I know,” she said. “Sienna told me.”

His stiff shoulders relaxed. “That’s…that’s great. I knew you wouldn’t see this as a step backward, but a chance for us to have an even better beginning.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I’m sorry, Will, but I’m not going back to London with you. I’m in love with Danny and want to make a life for me and my baby here with him.”

“You mean our baby,” he said gruffly.

Liv gathered her inner strength, pressed up a little taller. She could do this without getting emotional. “Yes, our baby. A baby you made it clear you weren’t ready for. If you want to be part of his or her life, I’m all for that, but the two of us as a couple are over. I don’t love you anymore.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

“Not this time.”

He pushed his chair back with unnecessary force. Hurt flashed in his eyes. “If I walk out of this restaurant alone, you’ll never see me again.”

“I’m okay with that.” The small part of her heart that still cared for him as a person broke at his easy-to-say threat.

She’d watched him march away without a glance back.

When she got home, Danny still hadn’t returned. It made her irrationally mad. Will made her mad. She ate half a package of Chips Ahoy and left a crumb trail on purpose, hoping Danny would get the message to come find her. He didn’t.

This morning she’d woken with nothing but love in her heart for Danny. They had something real and irreplaceable, and she’d never feel this way about anyone else.

She stopped pacing the sidewalk and opened the door to his shop. A buzzing sound told her he was working in the back so she tiptoed into his workspace, catching him unaware and watching him work for a minute.

His white sleeveless shirt clung to his back and narrow waist. His threadbare light blue jeans hugged his butt. She watched the flex in his arm muscles as he used a hand-held electric sander. She’d never thought veins so sexy before. The whirring stopped, and he lifted the hem of his T-shirt to wipe his brow. His shoulders tensed, he turned slightly, and Liv assumed he’d caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye. She was blessed with a view of six-pack abs she could stare at all day, the waistband of his boxer briefs adding to the mouth-watering look.

“Hey you,” she said, stepping forward.

With her attention focused on the gorgeous male specimen before her, she didn’t notice the thick black power cord on the concrete floor until her shoe got caught in it. She tried to catch her balance with her arms out to the side, but wasn’t successful. Worry slammed into her, her heart pounded in her ears, her knees gave out. She toppled toward the ground.

“Liv!”

All she could think was, don’t land on your stomach, don’t land on your stomach. Her palms hit the cold concrete first, then her right knee. A sharp pain pierced her kneecap. Her belly grazed the floor before she concentrated all her efforts on pushing her palms into the floor and rolling onto her hip. Another shot of pain vibrated through the bone there.

The side of her head hit something hard—a red toolbox?—and a killer ache lanced through her skull.

“Liv,” Danny said again, at her side and gathering her into his arms.

Tears stung the back of her eyes. She closed them as she went limp in Danny’s embrace.

“Liv, talk to me. Tell me what hurts.” Panic touched each and every syllable he spoke.

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “I’m…I’m okay.”

“Your head. How’s your head?” With a gentle touch he ran his hand over the spot she’d banged. “Shit. I feel a bump forming and…”

Liv wiped at the tears slipping down her cheeks out of pain and fear.

Danny dropped his hand, but not before she noticed his fingers tinged with blood. “The baby? How’s the baby?”

“Fine?” God, she wished so hard for that. Surely their baby was protected inside her body despite her fall.

“We need to get you to the hospital.” He scooped her up into his arms and stood. “Just keep still, okay? Let me do all the moving.”

His heart galloped against the side of her face. “I’ve got you,” he said, grabbing what looked like a clean rag to hold against her head. He pocketed his cell and took long, steady strides to his car where he sat her down carefully into the passenger seat. “Hold this?” She nodded and took the rag as he buckled her in. “Okay?”