Page 56 of Under His Control

Olivia giggled and walked faster, her chest up, arms out, and her smile huge. “Go. Go. Go.”

“Yeah, you’re on the go,” Nina said as Liv crashed into me, cuddling instantly. “She was cruising yesterday, and now she’s everywhere!”

“You figured out it’s faster than crawling, huh?” I asked the little girl who yawned on my lap.

“And more tiring.” I scooped her up in my arms, confident I’d never tire of her sweet, clean baby smell. And these little, itty-bitty hands squeezing my fingers. They were just so small, and soon, she’d grow up so fast.

I wonder if Liam is sad about all the time he’s already missed with her. Not even knowing she existed.“You know,” I told Nina, who came to hang out with me and Olivia, “it’s pretty lousy of Pamela to never have told Liam that he was a father.”

She smirked, nodding. “I know. He had a right to be informed, even if it wasn’t in line with what she thought he’d want.”

I shook my head, hating that she’d hidden her from her father. He might not have planned to be a father yet—or at all—but he’d adapted to being Liv’s daddy so quickly that it was hard to imagine his ever not being a father. He was clueless in the stores when we shopped that one day, but hell, the baby industrywasoverwhelming. I said that with my limited expertise in helping Nina arrange her baby registry.

Every day, he doted on her, and every night, he probably could sit back and realize he’d learned so much more about her, himself, and what parenthood entailed.

And he’d never complain. He’d never take any moment back and regret that he had Liv in his life.

Which makes me love you all the more.I sighed, knowing I was falling for him so quickly.

Nina misinterpreted my sigh. “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”

I smiled at Olivia as she batted at my hair. “Yes and no. It’s nothing different from worrying about Uncle Dante. Romeo. Franco. All the men who serve to protect us. Yet…” I grimaced. “I am.”

“You two have really hit it off. Quickly.”

But profoundly too.“I’m not worried because I know he—like all the others I just mentioned—is trained and qualified for the work they do. Liam was a soldier. He’s received specialized practice with dangerous situations.”

She nodded. “But…”

I sighed again, hugging Olivia close. “But I am nervous. I’ve only just found him. And we’ve only just gotten together and figured out that we can try to make this work between us.”

“It’s new. And scary.” She stood, patting my shoulder. “You’re allowed to feel both ends of the spectrum about it.”

“Yeah.” I smiled at her as she yawned. “If I didn’t have this one to preoccupy me all night, I’m sure I would be more stressed.”

Nina grinned as I picked up an also yawning Olivia. “I bet. She’s sure keeping you on your toes tonight.”

We parted ways, for the tired mama-to-be to rest and wait up for Dante and for me to take an even sleepier Olivia to Liam’s room. She was already bathed, so it was just a matter of reading her a story. The little toddler was already so close to sleeping that she couldn’t last until the end of the book, but I stayed in the chair for a longer while, taking the comfort her small, warm body offered me.

Okay. If I don’t put her in the crib now, she’ll be more likely to wake when I move her later.

Gingerly, holding my breathing and getting out of the chair as slowly as I could, I transferred her to the crib.

She didn’t stir, and I smiled down at her. It seemed that I sure tired her out with all that playing around. I only hoped she’d stay asleep when Liam came home and he—or we—wouldn’t need to coax her to fall back asleep. She could be a light sleeper or a deep one, and I wasn’t sure if there was a method to figure out which mode came when.

I tried to relax in Liam’s bed for the rest of the night, keeping watch over Olivia. Scrolling on my phone didn’t entertain me for long, but playing mindless games on it almost distracted me from the worry that escalated and intensified with each passing moment.

Liam was qualified. He wasn’t reckless. Iknewhe was capable of anything Franco assigned him to do, but the longer I waited and fretted that it was getting so late?—

The door opened. I burst up from the bed and let my phone fall on the mattress. “Liam,” I whispered as I hurried to him.

He exhaled in relief at the sight of me, but he held up his hand to stop me from hugging him. “Let me… Let me clean up first.”

Covered in blood and grime, he looked a mess. But I knew better than to fuss. I nodded. “Did you report to Dante or Franco?”

He nodded, then tilted his head toward the bathroom. A glance at Olivia showed him that she was fast asleep. He took my hand and led me to follow him into the other room.

I didn’t close the door all the way in case Liv cried out, but I pushed it almost shut so she wouldn’t be bothered by the noise or light.

---