Unsung (21 page)

But Liam didn't get a chance to ask any more questions as Jace came into the room, Katie at his side.

“Look, I taught her a new trick.” He set his plate on the coffee table, grabbing a carrot before he stepped back and faced Katie.

“Sit,” he commanded the dog, and she fell onto her haunches instantly, her tail wagging erratically across the floor like a windshield wiper.

“Still,” he told her, holding the carrot up high, and Katie's tail stopped moving.

“Stay.” He reached forward and set the carrot on top of Katie's snout. “Stay,” he repeated as he stepped back. Katie's eyes were entirely focused on the carrot, her body not moving as she waited for permission.

“Get it,” Jace told her.

Katie threw her head back, the carrot popping up into the air for just a second before it landed in her mouth.

“Good girl.” Jace rubbed her head affectionately. “Smart girl.” He handed her another carrot before taking a seat in the chair, grabbing his plate and digging into his sandwich.

Liam's gaze went back to his sister for just a second, a longing in her eyes that said quite clearly she wanted to be the girl on Jace's mind. Her eyes met Liam's and that longing was gone in an instant. A wall slamming down to hide how she felt. A wall that was not the norm for his sister.

She might be intense, might be intimidating, might be scary as hell sometimes, but the girl loved with her whole heart. She was kind and witty and had more brains than Logan and Liam put together.

Any guy would be lucky to have her…but would Jace be good enough?

Maybe…maybe not.

But as Liam learned full well, there was no controlling who you fell in love with. And his sister
was
in love with Jace.
Damn.

Adele's eyes widened in horror, seeing the knowledge in Liam's face, and she gave a slight shake of her head in denial. A denial he didn't believe in the slightest.

At that moment the front door opened, and Abby and Logan walked in with their hands filled with grocery bags. Adele shot off the sofa. “You guys need help?” she asked almost sprinting across the room.

Yeah, Adele could run all she wanted. It was going to catch up to her sooner or later.

By some miracle there was a lull in the downpour that had been going on all day, and it lined up perfectly with Harper getting off work at six o'clock. Liam picked her up when she finished and about ten minutes after they got to the inn, the sky opened up again and let loose with full force.

Though the evening promised to be a much less involved endeavor than the Fourth of July, it still wasn't all that small.

Abby was in town so it was a given that Paige, Brendan, and Trevor were there. Grace and Mel weren't going to miss any opportunity to get to know Liam, so they'd come with their husbands in tow. The giggling Rosie Mae wasn't going to be left out of the evening's festivities, nor were Dale and Hamilton. And last, but certainly not least, Shep and Hannah were there as their kitchen and dining room were the ones being occupied. It was the optimal cooking space as all three of the Jameses were in charge of making the Spanish-themed cuisine.

Apparently cooking was a talent that all three of them enjoyed. The table was now just a resting place for all of the empty dishes, and everyone was sitting around talking and laughing. Liam had his hand on the back of Harper's neck, his fingers tracing the very top of her spine.

His hands on her felt so good that she couldn't bring herself to pull away, which was a problem as she'd had to go to the bathroom for a little while now. The full bladder thing was no joke during pregnancy.

“I'll be right back,” she whispered to Liam. He nodded, gently squeezing the very base of her neck before he let go. She pushed her chair back and headed down the hallway.

On her way back she spotted Luna and Henry—Hannah and Shep's gray cat—playing in the living room. Henry was more like a rambunctious little dog himself, and the two of them were wrestling in between playing tug-of-war with an old sock.

Adele's dog Katie wasn't having any of those shenanigans. When they bumped into her comfortable lounging position on the rug, she gave them a somewhat disdainful look—well, as disdainful as a dog was capable of—before she got up and headed to the dining room with the adults.

Dale and Hamilton were in the kitchen with Mel and Bennett, stacking dishes on the counter. Harper veered off and headed in that direction instead, stationing herself at the sink and turning the faucet on. As the water heated up, she grabbed the massive glass bowl that had held the paella, wiping away the tiny remnants in the trash before putting it under the steady stream of steaming water.

When she reached up for the soap on the windowsill, her eyes caught on the porch on the other side of the glass window in front of her. Her mind automatically flashed back to last Saturday with her and Liam two floors up, her legs wrapped around his waist while he moved inside her…

Hands landed on her hips making her jump, and Liam's mouth was at her ear. “This doesn't look like you coming right back.”

“I'm just trying to help.”

He reached up and he hit the handle on the faucet, making the stream of water stop. And then his hands were at her hips again, turning her around.

“You aren't cleaning up, Harper. Not going to happen.”

“Liam, I'm more than capable—”

“I know you are,” he cut her off. “But you aren't going to. Know what you can do though?”

“What's that?” She looked up at him as his palms moved up along her sides.

“Tell me what you were thinking about that has you all flushed?”

“I'm not flushed. It's the hot water.”

“The hot water making your eyes dilate, too?” He shook his head, calling her bluff. “You know I'm sure we can sneak out there if you want. Have an encore performance.” He indicated the porch with his chin, his eyes not leaving hers.

“The rain is blowing in sideways. We'd get soaked.”

Something downright wicked flashed in his eyes and he leaned down to her ear. “I think you're going to have that problem regardless.”

“You're terrible,” she said, laughing as he pulled back, his mouth split in a massive mischievous grin.

“I am.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Now, no washing dishes for you.” He pressed his lips to hers in a quick kiss before he stepped back and gently pulled her away from the sink. “I got this.”

“And what am I supposed to do?”

“Keep me company,” he said as he turned the water on again and finished washing the bowl that Harper had started. “Tell me about your day.”

“I can't guarantee that it will be all that interesting.”

“It was
your
day, of course it will be interesting.”

She leaned back against the counter, the grin on her face not to be helped, as she started talking.

Liam spent Tuesday at the inn as well, Dale and Hamilton joining them. As both boys had requested more music sessions, Liam was happy to comply. It hadn't taken him very long to figure out why his brother had gotten so close to the two teenagers. They were great kids and Liam found himself enjoying their company more than he could've ever anticipated.

On Wednesday, they all went out to the horse farm that Shep and Finn's aunt and uncle owned. It had been years since Liam had gone horseback riding, and when he was finished up he was feeling it on every inch of his body. Luckily, Harper took pity on him and she spent the evening showing him just how good her massage skills were…and after that she showed him just how good her riding skills were.

Thursday was way less exhaustive. Liam, Logan, and Jace indulged in a tour of the Sleepy Sheep's new brewing facility and an afternoon tasting of Shep's beer. The evening was again spent in Harper's apartment, with Liam making her dinner. Pretty much any opportunity he had to get her alone, he took advantage of it. Yes, he wanted his friends and family to spend time with her, and he wanted to get to know all of her friends and family, too. But as he was about to be leaving her for two weeks, he was getting just a tad bit stingy.

And besides that, the Jacksonville crowd still had another few days left in Mirabelle, and he knew for a fact that Adele and Harper were hanging out when he was gone. So he didn't feel all that guilty. Actually, he didn't feel guilty at all.

By Friday he was settling very nicely into their routine. Had it really only been a week since he'd been in Mirabelle? It felt like it had been much longer, like they'd been part of each other's everyday lives for years now…and would be for the long haul if he had anything to say about it.

It was something that he just
knew,
and something that was confirmed more than ever when they went to her doctor's appointment that afternoon. Beth had worked them in for the last slot at the end of the day, and as they sat in that waiting room he found that he was just a little bit anxious.

And why wouldn't he be? They were going to hear their child's heartbeat. He would put money on the fact that he'd never been so excited in his life. And though the anticipation was overwhelming, it was nothing to how he felt when it actually happened.

He was sitting on a stool right next to her, his hand in hers when the steady rhythmic beat filled the room. Never in his life had he heard a more perfect sound.

He could barely breathe, could barely move, couldn't get over the fact that he and Harper had created something. They'd made a life.
Together
. Just the two of them. It was the greatest thing he'd ever do.

Ever.

So yeah, he was in more than a daze for the rest of the evening. All through dinner with her parents…and dessert…and then during their drive home, him behind the wheel of Harper's Cruiser as he was more than familiar with how to get around town at this point. He'd been driving most of the week after all, dropping Harper off at work in the morning and picking her up in the evening.

Their little daily routine.

It was more than he could've ever imagined. She was more than he could've ever imagined.

Saturday morning was the first since Liam had been in Mirabelle that Harper woke up alone. It wasn't the best feeling in the world…actually it really sucked. But as he was leaving in, oh, six hours to go on tour for two weeks, she was going to have to get used to it.

And when it all came down to it, this was how it was going to be with a life with him. He was a musician and his career was only getting bigger. How they were going to figure this out was a question that she was trying not to worry about. It was too soon. It had barely been over a week since he'd been there, three since they'd found each other again…and about two months since they'd met.

Two months?
Really? How had it only been that long?

Okay, she wasn't going to spiral this early in the morning. She needed to find Liam, and as she heard a pan hitting the stove in the kitchen, she had a pretty good idea of where he was.

A quick trip to the bathroom was a must. Again, full bladders weren't to be messed with. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she grabbed her robe on the back of the door before heading out into her apartment.

Liam was at the stove, the only article of clothing on his body his gray boxer briefs…and one of Harper's aprons. She had two, one black with bright pink frills on it. The other blue and green stripes. He'd picked the black frilly one.

Of course he had. It took everything in her not to laugh as she leaned against the door frame and watched him while he talked to Luna.

Yes.
Talked
to Luna. The dog was sitting at his feet, looking up at him with imploring eyes and no doubt waiting for him to drop a piece of bacon…or cheese. That dog would do backflips for a piece of cheese.

“Listen,” he said, waving the tongs at the dog. “I know that you have fun with Henry, understandable. He's a fun little guy. But that's the point, Luna. He's a
male.
And men are dogs, which I'm sure is confusing to you as he's a cat. But you get my point.”

This time Harper couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her chest. Liam spun around, and Harper was able to get the full picture of him in that ridiculous apron. And the small laugh morphed into a full-on belly laugh.

“What?” he asked, setting the tongs on the stove before he walked over to her.

“You look ridiculous.”

“Hey, black is slimming and way more flattering than stripes.” His hands landed on her hips before they moved to the belt at her waist.

“Whatever you say.”

“This one has better coverage. And you were supposed to sleep in. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.”

“What is it with you and eating in bed?”

“At least this time it was going to be food.” His eyes left hers as he slipped the belt loose, the two sides separating and his hands sliding down to her bare thighs. She was only wearing a tank top and a pair of panties. “I take it back.” He shook his head as he reached up and ran his fingers across her nipples, the thin fabric doing nothing to lessen the sensation. “I want you for breakfast.”

“I think your bacon might burn.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about my bacon?” He started kissing her a second before he reached down in a quick move, grabbing her thighs and picking her up.

She gasped against his lips as he carried her across the room, and then he was setting her down on the counter. His mouth lingered on hers for a moment or two before he pulled back and went to the stove, flipping the bacon.

Then he went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of cranberry juice and pouring her a glass. It was the first thing she drank every morning, and it had taken him no time at all to remember that fact.