Page 10 of Royal Bargain
The worst part is that every single morning, he gets up to leave for his job with Senator Burns and manages to wake both me and the baby every time as he slams doors, trips on things, and drops stuff. It’s a pain in the ass to get Lily to go back to sleep and by the third morning, I’m ready to strangle him.
Then again, I can tell my presence is wearing on him, too. He’s tense all the time, moody and snappish whenever I’m around. At first, I just chalked it up to the situation, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s just as hard for him to live with me as it is for me to live with him.
“Ana!” Liam thunders, appearing in the doorway of the bathroom just as I’m getting out of the shower. “Why the fuck did you rearrange my cupboards?”
“It was inefficient,” I tell him. “You need more organization. I was tired of not being able to find the cups. And why is all the clean cutlery still in the dishwasher?”
“I just forgot to put it away.” Liam shrugs. “I’ll get to it.”
“I couldn’t find a clean spoon for stirring my tea this morning,” I tell him, tugging my towel tighter around my body, an edge to my tone. “I had to put the silverware away, but half of it was still dirty. You need to rinse them off before you just stick them in.”
“I do!” Liam protests. “It’s that crappy dishwashing liquid you insisted that I order you. I’m sick of your correcting me allthe time, Ana,” he says, frowning as he realizes I’m only in a towel and dripping wet.
He shakes his head. “I’ll be upstairs. You can have the downstairs with Lily. I’ll stay out of your way, you stay out of mine.”
I’d been sleeping on the recliner, Lily’s bassinet within easy reach. It was surprisingly comfy, and it meant I didn’t have to constantly bring Lily up and down the stairs. Liam kept his bed upstairs, and we tried to maintain a polite façade, but it’s not working.
Living here with Liam was a mistake. I should never have agreed to this whole thing. Even Lily seems to sense the tension, her constant crying getting worse with every passing day.
Maybe tonight, I’ll finally get a little peace with Liam staying upstairs. She seems to finally be settling in here, and I feel optimistic as she closes her eyes, starting to drift off. I’m hoping she’ll sleep a few extra hours tonight.
But just as I get her put down, she starts whimpering. Hushing her is unsuccessful, and her whimpers turn into sobs, then full-on wails as she kicks up a fuss.
I pace around the living room, rocking her, bouncing her, trying to soothe her cries to no avail. Tears gather in my eyes as I feel close to my breaking point, a meltdown becoming imminent. I can’t handle this anymore!
“Is she okay?” Liam asks, appearing at the top of the stairs.
“No,” I snap, my throat tight from trying to hold back the tears. “Nothing is right. I can’t get her to stop crying! I don’t know why she’s always crying! Nothing I’m doing is working!” My voice finally breaks as the tears pour down my cheeks. “I feel like a bad mother.”
“Has she been evaluated for colic?” Liam asks, his voice low as he approaches, his body language cautious.
“Colic?” I ask, trying to hear him over the sound of Lily’s cries. “No?”
“When my sister-in-law Darcy was pregnant with my nephew, I researched a bunch about babies,” he says, sounding almost sheepish. “It was fascinating to me. She sounds like she might have colic. Can I try something with her?”
My lower lip trembles, and I nod, exhausted enough to let Liam take her. If he can perform a miracle, I just might kiss him.
Liam lays Lily out on the couch, on the blanket, and begins running his hand over her belly in soft, slow strokes. It’s fascinating to watch and I can’t look away as he manages to get her to slow to a few little whimpers, and then by the time he’s done, she’s stopped crying and is watching him intently.
He bicycles her little feet before pushing them into her belly, and she lets out a comically loud toot, startling all three of us.
“Wow. Bet that feels a lot better, doesn’t it, sweet girl?” Liam asks, a smile on his face. He does it again, and she releases more gas, a little coo escaping her.
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of colic,” I mutter as I sit down next to him.
“Not everyone is a research geek like me,” Liam jokes. Lily seems to be a lot more relaxed now that the trapped gas isn’t hurting her belly, and she yawns, a sleepy look in her eyes.
Settling her down in the bassinet, I rub circles into her back to put her to sleep. Once I’m done, I look over to see Liam watching us, an unreadable expression in his eyes.
“You’re not a bad mother,” he says, his voice soft. “You love Lily. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, but I’m here, Ana. I can help. Let me help you.”
He’s close now, so much closer than before. His words are washing over me, reminding me of what made me fall for him in the first place. He’s always been charming, but soft. Like a dependable teddy bear, but like… a sexy one.
“I’m sorry I disrupted your life,” I say, dropping my voice low.
Liam’s gaze holds mine as he reaches out to stroke his thumb over the back of my hand. “You didn’t disrupt it. You aren’t a burden for me. I’m glad that you and Lily are here, even if I seem like a big grump. You two deserve the world, Annika.”
His voice is so quiet, like a secret just for me. I don’t even think, just lean forward and press my lips to his. It’s instinct, like gravity. Like breathing.
