Tall, Dark... Collection. Кэрол Мортимер
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Liam was back…
‘He came back, Mummy.’ Bobby’s words echoed her chaotic thoughts.
She swallowed hard, inwardly struggling to behave naturally, even if she did feel like screaming at the painful discovery she had just made. ‘So he did,’ she acknowledged lightly, concentrating on putting her bag down on the hall table so that she no longer had to look at Liam.
How could she have continued to love him all this time?
How could she not? came the next instant thought; every time she looked at Bobby, the son she loved above everyone and everything else in life, her love for Liam, the man he resembled so strongly, became more deeply entrenched in her heart.
‘Okay, Laura?’
She looked up to find Liam looking at her concernedly. But how could everything be okay when she had just realised her love for this man?
She swallowed hard, avoiding that searching blue gaze. ‘If you don’t mind, I’ll leave you two to chat while I go up and change.’
Liam continued to look at her frowningly for several long seconds before giving a barely perceptible shrug. ‘Don’t be long; I’ve brought you back a piece of my mother’s birthday cake.’
Wonderful—it would probably choke her!
She fled up the stairs, throwing herself dazedly down on her bed once she reached her room. She was still in love with Liam! Unbelievable. Incredible. Impossible!
Oh, Liam had made it more than obvious that he still found her attractive, that he would be happy for the two of them to have some sort of relationship. But too much had happened in the last eight years, to both of them, for them ever to be able to start all over again.
Besides, there was still Bobby…
Bobby was Liam’s son, as well as her own. When Liam had left her life so suddenly eight years ago…had married another woman within weeks of leaving…Laura had known, once she found out, that she couldn’t contact him to tell him she was pregnant; she simply hadn’t wanted him in her life, in any guise, under those terms.
But what of Bobby’s life? Her decision had meant that neither Bobby or Liam knew of the other’s existence.
There was no doubting that Robert had been a wonderful father to Bobby, but, given a choice, would Bobby rather have had his own father, even on a part-time basis? More to the point, how would Liam see, in the light of his unknowing absence in America, what she had chosen to do eight years ago?
He should never have left her in the way he had!
This wasn’t solving anything, she acknowledged heavily. She might still be angry with Liam for deserting her in the way that he had, but Liam might be just as angry with her at not being told of her pregnancy. Hadn’t he made a comment last week along the lines of not having made the mistakes in his own life over the last eight years if she had been his wife when he went to America…?
Laura sighed heavily, having no idea what she was going to do now. She was in love with the father of her son. Under other circumstances it would be the most natural way in the world for her to feel. Under these particular circumstances, it might be just as disastrous for her as loving Liam eight years ago had been.
What was she going to do?
Liam had told her that they needed to talk this evening, once Bobby had gone to bed. She was starting to dread what that conversation might be about!
‘Come and have some cake, Mummy,’ Bobby invited as soon as she entered the kitchen. A pot of coffee, and a plate of cake, were laid out on the wooden table. ‘It’s delicious!’
‘One of my sisters made it,’ Liam supplied, his expression indulgent as he watched Bobby enjoying his slice of cake. The little boy’s appetite had obviously returned.
‘Domesticity has never been my forte,’ Laura heard herself snap in reply, instantly cringing inwardly. It wasn’t Liam’s sister’s fault Laura had just discovered she was still in love with him!
Liam raised dark brows at her sharpness. ‘Tough day?’ he sympathised.
Laura felt the sting of tears in her eyes at the gentleness of his tone. The last thing she could cope with right now was Liam being kind to her! Especially when she had just so obviously been a bitch.
She gave an uninterested shrug, having changed into denims and a loose blue jumper. ‘No tougher than usual. Where’s Amy?’ She frowned at the absence of her housekeeper.
‘She said to tell you she had to pop out for a couple of things,’ Liam explained, still frowning slightly.
Probably because Laura had forgotten to mention to Amy there was a possibility of Liam being here for dinner this evening! Because she hadn’t wanted to end up looking a fool when he didn’t arrive.
‘You’re looking tired, Laura.’ Liam looked at her concernedly. ‘Do you have to work so hard?’
Her eyes flashed her resentment as she glared across the room at him. ‘I have a business to run!’
He nodded slowly. ‘And a child to look after and a home,’ he elaborated.
None of those things were the reason she looked so tired; the truth of the matter was she hadn’t slept well since Liam had left on Monday evening. And she hadn’t even realised she was still in love with him then!
‘Liam, in this day and age lots of women have a bigger workload to cope with than I do,’ she replied.
‘But probably not as much lone responsibility,’ he persisted. ‘From what I’ve observed you’re a working single mother, and Shipley’s is a big company to run—’
‘The art department have started work on the cover of your book, by the way,’ she interrupted brightly. ‘I think you’ll be pleased with it.’
‘I’m sure I will,’ he dismissed uninterestedly. ‘Come and sit down, Laura, and I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.’
Laura sat. Not because Liam had told her to, but because she was still deeply shaken by the realisation she was in love with him.
Bobby, she could see at a glance, looked happier than he had in days. Obviously because of Liam’s presence. What was she going to do?
‘Stop worrying so much,’ Liam murmured at her side, reaching out to briefly squeeze her hand with his. ‘Things will work out.’
Would they? Would they really? Somehow she didn’t feel that Liam would still feel that way once he learnt the truth. And a part of her said she now owed him and Bobby that, at least…
It was at times like this that she wished she had an older sister she could talk to, or a close friend she could confide in. But, as Liam had already pointed out, her life was kept busy enough being Bobby’s mother and running Shipley Publishing. The closest she came to having a female friend was Amy, and because Amy had worked for over twenty years for Robert Laura knew she would feel slightly disloyal talking to the other woman about her feelings for Liam.
‘I’ll go upstairs to my room and get my kite,’ Bobby said excitedly, having devoured two slices of birthday cake.
Laura watched her son leave the room, all the time wishing that he hadn’t. She had no idea what she was going to say to Liam now that they were alone.
She sipped her coffee, warming her hands around the cup; for some reason she felt incredibly cold. ‘Did you have a nice time with your family in Ireland?’ She tried to pick an innocuous subject to talk about; they had hours to get through before Bobby went to bed and the two of them could have that talk.
‘I missed you and Bobby,’ Liam came back—instantly turning the conversation back into intimacy.
Laura looked down at the table-top, wondering how she was going to get through this without breaking down.
‘I’m