“May I come in?” she asked.
“Of course.”
He didn’t know how she’d gotten here. There wasn’t a car in the driveway and he didn’t see any sign of Del.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked as he led her to the living room.
“I called your secretary and told her I’m your wife and that I needed to meet with you.”
“You could have just called me.”
She shook her head. “I needed to talk to you in person.”
He gestured to the couch and then moved to the chair, but she grasped his hand. The shock of the contact sent tingles shivering through his entire body.
“No, please. Sit next to me,” she said.
He sat down beside her, trying to ignore the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her.
“I want to thank you for your gift,” she said.
He nodded. “I want you to be happy.”
She squeezed his hand. “I know you do. But I’ve come here to return it to you.”
“The flowers?” he said in surprise, a little confused. “Surely they’re dead by now.”
“Actually, they’re holding up quite well. But, no, I mean the other gift.”
She turned to her bag, which she’d set on the floor, and pulled out the flat box he’d wrapped and sent to her. She handed it to him and he opened it, not sure what she was doing.
Inside were the papers, neatly torn in two.
“It was a very thoughtful gift,” she said softly, “but it’s not what I want anymore.”
His heart stuttered. “Abi, what are you saying? Exactly?”
He didn’t want to assume anything.
She leaned a little closer, her luminous eyes locked on him.
“I’m saying that I don’t want to divorce you.”
She raised her hand and glided it along his cheek. The tenderness of her touch moved him deeply.
“I believe that you love me,” she said. “And I believe we can work out any emotional issues still between us. Because I know now that we both want this marriage to work more than anything.” She drew his face to hers and kissed him lightly, the brush of her soft lips igniting the need in his soul. “And I want you and me to raise our child together.”
Disbelief quickly turned to joy surging through him. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight to him, and captured her mouth in a tender, heartrending kiss.
“Oh, God, Abi. I love you so much.”
But he hadn’t forgotten the love he’d seen in her eyes when she’d looked at Del. When the two of them had made love.
“What about Del?” he asked.
She leaned back, anxiety washing through her eyes. “Yes, about Del. You know how I feel about him.”
His joyful mood waned a little. “You’re in love with him.”
God, was she only saying this because she felt she owed Liam? Or because she felt stronger about her baby being raised by his real father than being with the man she truly loved?
“Yes, I love him.” She took his hand. “And I love you.”
“So on some level, you’re going to be unhappy no matter which of us you choose.”
“I’ve chosen you, Liam. You’re the baby’s father. And my husband.”
“Fuck. So it’s not really that you love me. At least, not more than Del.”
“Liam, I love you with all my heart. I always have. And when you signed the divorce papers … and promised you wouldn’t take the baby from me … I knew that you would never emotionally abandon me again. So you are my first choice. Always.”
She sighed.
“But in a perfect world, I wouldn’t have to choose between you and Del. Because what the three of us have together is very special. You love him just as much as I do. He loves both of us. And I know he’ll love the baby, too.”
“What are you getting at, Abi?”
He stared into her big, blue eyes, so filled with hope.
“I’m wondering why we can’t make ours a perfect world.” She squeezed his hand. “Del and I talked about this, and we both agreed. I want to know if all three of us can be together. All of us live together and raise the baby together.”
Liam frowned. The three of them certainly had a spectacular sexual relationship. But could it be more than that?
“Why would he possibly agree to that? Won’t he resent that he can’t marry you? And what about having a child of his own? He’ll surely want that at some point.”
She gazed at him uncertainly. “If we do this, then I could have another child by him, too.”
She stroked his cheek. “Liam, I know you have a certain idea of what a family is. I know you’ve craved that your whole life. But this could be even better. What child wouldn’t love to have three parents to love them?”
She patted her stomach. “I know this child will be dearly loved by all three of us. Wouldn’t you still love a child I carried by Del?”
Liam frowned as he stared at her stomach. Thinking of another baby inside her later. Del’s child.
Thinking of Del making love to her.
“Where is Del? He drove you here, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he’s in the park down the street. He didn’t want to interfere with us talking, so he’s waiting for me to text him.”
“Tell him to come in.”
Abi grabbed her phone and tapped in a message, glancing at Liam uncertainly.
A few moments later, Del knocked on the door. Liam strode to the entrance and let him in. Del followed Liam into the living room.
“Abi tells me you want to move in with us,” Liam said. “That you think we can make it work with you being her second husband.”
“You’d be her husband,” Del said. “I wouldn’t have a legal status like that.”
“But you do agree that you’d essentially be her husband?”
Del shrugged. “Yes.”
“And you want to have children with her, too?”
“Is that a deal breaker?” Del asked, staring at Liam’s stony expression.
Liam frowned, but then his mouth turned up in a slow smile.
“I think it’s the best solution possible and I kick myself for not suggesting
