Page 52 of Passion Restored

Murphy shrugged. “Just long hours on that project, but I should be done soon. And stop worrying about me, Mother Hen. I thought Graham was the one who worried about all of us.”

“I am,” Graham said as he entered the living room. “But Jake and Owen are allowed to pitch in when I’m not around. It’s how big brothers work. And you do look a little pale, little brother. Eat something.” He handed over a tray of stuffed mushrooms, and Murphy rolled his eyes before grabbing a couple.

Owen had called Graham right as he’d left Liz’s to say that he needed to talk but hadn’t mentioned what about. He had spent the day alone in his house, working on lists and plans for work rather than dealing with his life that felt like it was spiraling out of control. Graham had insisted that Owen come over for dinner, and the rest of the Gallagher crew had shown up—minus Rowan, who was at a friend’s house—to make sure he was okay. Noah was asleep in the portable crib they’d set up in the guest room, and the rest of them were now in the living room, ready for Owen to speak.

“Tell us what’s up,” Maya said as she perched on Border’s lap. “Did you and Liz have a fight?”

Owen set his glass of water down on the table, his mind already too fuzzy for him to even think of drinking.

“Liz is pregnant.”

Everyone was silent for a moment before they all started talking at once. Blake and Maya rushed over to hug him as the guys pounded him on the back, saying congratulations and wondering where Liz was.

He pulled away, resting his head in his hands as people went back to their seats. “Liz…Liz said she needed some space to think about things.”

Murphy turned and put his hand on Owen’s shoulder. “What kinds of things?”

Owen let out a shaky breath, knowing he was close to breaking down in front of his family. They wouldn’t taunt him for it, but he needed to tell them what he could before he broke down. He also couldn’t betray Liz’s confidence and tell them about her past in full.

“Liz grew up…” He shook his head. “I can’t tell you everything because it’s not my story to tell, but let’s just say her life wasn’t easy growing up.”

“And now she’s about to have a child in a relationship where she probably spent most of it second-guessing herself,” Border put in.

Owen lifted his head, surprised at the clarity with which Border spoke.

“Don’t be so shocked,” Border said softly. “I don’t like to speak unless it’s important, though you Gallaghers and Montgomerys are slowly working on that. But you guys know I grew up with a shitty parent who made me think that I didn’t deserve what I had. And when Maya found out she was pregnant?” He shook his head. “Scared the shit out of me. I didn’t think I was good enough for her and Jake, and I almost ruined what we had because of it.”

“And we understood,” Jake put in. “But we didn’t back down.”

“We’re stubborn like that,” Maya added. “And you’re pretty stubborn yourself, Owen. Give her time to think because surprise pregnancies are scary as hell, but don’t leave her alone completely. She needs to know you’re there.” She paused. “You will be there, right?”

Owen nodded. “I love her, damn it. Of course, I want to be there. I’m going to be here.”

Blake spoke next, her voice softer than usual. “Give her the space she needs like Maya said, but don’t back away. We don’t know her past, but I did my best to push away Graham because I was scared, and I have a feeling Liz might be in the same boat.”

“I pushed you away, too,” Graham added, his voice gruff. “And I regret that.”

Blake looked over at her husband and smiled. “It’s okay. We both made mistakes, but we’re here now. Together.” She looked back at Owen. “It’s hard work to make any relationship work, and when someone has extra heavy baggage, it just makes it that much harder. But I know you, Owen. You’re not going to back down.”

“I won’t. I just hate that I can’t seem to get through to her.”

“You seemed to be getting through just fine before this,” Murphy said after a moment. “You’re persistent like any decent Gallagher.” They all let out a soft laugh. “But, Owen? Think about this. You’re here, talking with us, knowing you have a kick-ass support system. Liz? She has Tessa. That’s it. And while Tessa is strong as hell and can help Liz, she’s going to need more than just her best friend. We all do.”

Owen narrowed his eyes at his baby brother. “You’re a lot more insightful than we give you credit for.”

His eyes darkened for a moment before he blinked the look away, a lazy smile crossing his lips. “Well, women like me. What can I say?”

“So you keep telling yourself,” Maya added dryly. “Okay, Owen. Just know we’re here for you. And Liz, too. Because we like her, you know. She’s good for you, even if she is totally not who I thought you’d end up with.”

Jake laughed. “Yeah, I thought he’d end up with a sweet, quiet woman who would probably get scared off by the lot of us.”

“There’s always hope for Murphy that he’ll find a quiet woman since the rest of us didn’t seem to manage that.”

Both Blake and Maya flipped him off.

Owen smiled and leaned back into the couch, finally starting to relax since the moment he’d seen Liz on the floor in pain. She’d pushed him away and looked so fucking scared about being pregnant, but hell, he was scared, too. And while she might think she didn’t need him, didn’t want a relationship, her actions for the past weeks had gone against that.

He’d give her time, then he’d figure out a way to show her that they could work. That she wouldn’t turn into her mother. Because, damn it, she wasn’t anything like the shrew she’d described. She was caring, sweet when she wanted to be, and put everyone else before herself. Hence why she’d tried to break things off before—to protect him, not her.

He loved her, and he wasn’t going to give up on her.

And…

“I’m going to be a father,” he whispered. “A father.”

Murphy patted his knee. “Just now getting to you, huh?”

Owen blinked, his heart racing. “I need to make lists. Get ready. I don’t know how to be a dad.”

His family cracked up, and he laughed with them, his mind going in a thousand different directions. He told himself everything would be okay. Because it had to be. It has to be.

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