Page 15 of This Heart
He rolled his eyes. “For Pete’s sake, Liam. You know what I’m talking about. She was never after anything, and you know it. I was there for a few of Hope’s rants about Aurora. I heard her accusing you of sleeping with her. I know what my daughter put you through. Hope wasn’t herself. But deep down I think she knew Aurora cared about her and was there for you for over a year and never asked for a damn thing in return. You dismissed her with a few harsh words.” He shook his head. “I never had any sons, but I always thought of you as a son, and that day, for the first time since I had met you, I was ashamed of you, Liam.”
I closed my eyes. I didn’t need this. The guilt I carried around was punishment enough. Now I was getting it from Hope’s father.
“Your father was, too, but he won’t ever admit it because he thinks you’re suffering. But it’s been over four months now. Hope was my daughter, and the pain I feel is something I cannot even put into words, but life goes on. Hope wouldn’t want you to be like this, Liam. She wouldn’t want you to push away people who care about you. She adored Aurora.”
Fucking hell. Should I tell him the truth? That my love for Hope had been stripped away long before she passed away? That she had betrayed me in the most significant way imaginable. That I had developed feelings for Aurora while my wife battled fucking cancer? He’d never forgive me. Hell, I couldn’t even forgive myself. Do I tell him the reason I pushed Aurora away that night is because all I wanted to do was pull her into my arms and lose myself in her?
Yeah. He’d hate me, no doubt about it.
“It was Hope who told me Aurora was pushing her way in. That she wanted to replace Hope in Winnie’s life.”
Jake frowned. “And you believed that? Or was it because you had begun to rely on Aurora, and that scared you?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
Nathan suddenly appeared. “Hey, what’s going on? I knocked, but I guess no one heard. You need to get that doorbell fixed, Liam.”
Jake stood and walked over to shake Nathan’s hand. “Good to see you, Nathan.”
“You too, Jake. Is Opal here?”
“She’s giving Winnie a bath. I think I’ll join them.”
He started out of the kitchen but stopped. “Opal can help you find a nanny for Winnie if you want her to help.”
Nathan’s eyes bounced from me to Jake and back again. All I could do was nod.
Once Jake was gone, Nathan turned to me. “You’re going to hire a nanny then?”
Pushing my hand through my hair, I sighed. “Yeah. Jake and Opal are leaving town. Going to go travel for a bit, and I certainly cannot ask my dad to help with Winnie.”
Nathan reached into my fridge and grabbed a beer. “Good for them.”
I nodded and leaned back in the chair. “Yeah. That means I have to find someone to watch Winnie for me at night and some days I have to go in early. I promised Hope I wouldn’t put Winnie in daycare, and I don’t really want her in daycare. So, a private nanny it is.”
He didn’t say anything, just took a drink of his beer.
After a few moments, he asked, “Do you even know what to ask when interviewing a nanny?”
I looked at him. “I do know how to take care of my daughter, you know.”
“I didn’t ask that, Liam. I asked if you have any idea how to interview someone who will be taking care of your daughter?”
“I’ll figure it out.” And I wasn’t about to ask Opal to do it. I had relied on Jake and Opal far too much these last four months.
He stared at me. “Why don’t you ask Aurora?”
My head jerked back. “Aurora?”
“What’s wrong with my sister? I’m sure she’s capable of helping you interview someone.”
“Nothing is wrong with her, and I agree. The question is, will she want to help me? I ran into her at the hotel and she…”
“She what?” Nathan asked.
“Well, I think she’s still angry with me about what I said to her.”
A look passed over Nathan’s face, but it was gone as quick as it came.
