“I know. But add the baby into the mix and it’s no wonder he’s driving everyone crazy.”
The man himself walked into the room. “Stop exaggerating. I’m not driving anyone crazy. I’m as calm as anything.”
Liam and April shared a look and both raised their eyebrows at the same time.
Drew wasn’t amused. “I saw that. More to the point, what’re your plans with my sister? And how long do you think you can keep up this double shift nonsense without falling asleep in your office?”
Liam poured himself a cup of coffee. This morning, he’d managed three hours of sleep before dragging himself out of bed. He felt better than he did yesterday. Perhaps his body was becoming used to it. He’d read it took two weeks to recalibrate a person’s sleep patterns, and over the last week he’d spent more nights awake than asleep.
He’d had horrible flashbacks of when he was an intern. Reminded him of being the lowest of all doctors in the hospital. They got the shitty shifts and the least sleep. He wondered what patients would think if they knew some of the doctors looking after them back there were so short on sleep that their mental acuity and reaction speed would register as bad as someone with a high alcohol level.
“Well?” Drew prompted.
“Until Aggie calms down and loses some of her anxiety.”
“She’s been like that for two years, Liam. What makes you think you can change her?”
“Ben has started a self-defense class and I’m hoping Aggie will take it. Might make her feel a bit more confident. Until then, I’ll be there for her.” He stared at Drew. “I’ve put up posters in reception, so if you get anyone asking about them, please be encouraging and try to get as many women to sign up as you can. I’ll tell Natalie too.”
“Sure thing. Now back to my sister.”
April raised her eyebrows and left the room.
“She’s no help. My own dear wife-to-be, who knows what’s going on, seems to find it easy to slide out of the conversation at the most inappropriate time. She could save us all a lot of angst if she’d just tell us what she knows.” Drew grabbed a cup for himself and filled it from the pot.
“You can’t blame her. I’d probably keep your secrets too. In fact, I have in the past.”
Drew scowled. “But this is different. It’s my sister we’re talking about.”
“Probably all the more reason why Aggie doesn’t want you to know.”
Drew paused mid sip. “What? Are you telling me that even if you find out what her issue is, you won’t tell me?”
Liam thought about it for a moment. What if he did find out what was bothering Aggie and she made him promise not to tell? Would he risk it by telling Drew? Not likely. “Depends on what Aggie wants.”
“Not sure I like that idea.” The corners of Drew’s lips turned down in a show of displeasure. “But, if you can make her happy, I guess I’ll have to suck it up.”
Chapter 8
The wedding day dawned bright and sunny, but Aggie woke with a pounding stress headache. She rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling. April would be waiting for her but the last thing Aggie wanted to do was go and start making preparations without getting her head in the right place.
Her bestie deserved every bit of happiness she could get, but it was going to take Aggie a moment or two to gather enough calm to put on her happy face. She wasn’t feeling jealous exactly, but more a deep pain that Aggie would never be able to expect the same level of love her best friend did. It left her a little bit anxious.
The worst thing was that there wasn’t anyone she could talk to about it without telling them the whole story and that wasn’t going to happen. For the last two weeks she’d been tempted to talk to Liam about it but stopped herself just in time. It was amazing how easily they’d fallen back into their old routine, like they’d had before they’d left the island. She enjoyed having him with her and it would be too easy to get used to that.
Totally unfair to him of course. He had his own job and despite his protests that he was fine, the dark shadows had started to show under his eyes. After the wedding was over, she’d tell him to stop coming. It was time to face her own fears. But not quite yet.
A knock sounded on her door and then her aunt poked her head in. “I’m making you coffee so let’s get moving. April wants us at the house in just under an hour. Your beauty sleep is over.”
Aggie groaned. She could do this. It wasn’t a big deal. A wedding. One day only. It wasn’t a lifetime commitment for her. Just get a grip and move yourself. She stumbled out of bed and went searching for the promised coffee.
As if by autopilot, she drank the coffee, had a shower, and dressed in casual clothes while her aunt fussed around her. By the time they got to April’s house, her head was pounding. It wasn’t until she was dressed and ready that the girls had a private chance to talk.
“You’ve got this. Stop looking so worried.” April stroked a curl behind Aggie’s ear.
“Aren’t I supposed to be the one telling you to calm down?” Aggie’s nerves were shot. All she wanted to do was run a mile. Spending time with Liam in the bakery was one thing but at the wedding, where everyone was high on love, was a different matter. So many things could go wrong, including letting her defenses down.
What if she forgot to be wary of him and enjoyed herself? In front of everyone! They’d all see it and get excited for her. Aggie knew her family and how they operated. Just look
