Page 56 of Fall for You (Flirting with Forever 4)

“I—I think he’s miserable without you.”

“Oh, honey.” The muscle in my chest pumps violently, to the point of being painful. “Sometimes adult relationships are complicated.”

“What’s so complicated, though?” she rushes to reply. “You like him. He likes you. And …”

My brows raise. Oh boy. Did he tell her?

“I know about the baby.”

“Oh.” And just like that, it’s like all the air’s been sucked out of the room. “How?”

She shrugs. “Call it intuition. Or maybe it’s all the puking.” She wrinkles her nose for a second before her expression becomes serious again. “I mentioned my suspicion to Dad, and he told me he’d been with you at your appointment yesterday. You’ll be in each other’s lives with a baby on the way, right?” She looks so hopeful it knocks me off balance.

I start to answer that I’m not sure when she cuts back in.

“Why not choose to be happy? With my dad. That’s what I came here for—to let you know how happy he’s been because of you—and to tell you I’m okay with it.”

“I never expected for this to happen. I never thought …”

She gets a funny little look on her face. “Never say never, Ms. Lockmore.”

Chapter 33

Liam

Midmorning I’m at the cider mill, in my office, working through the paperwork Stacy had left piled on my desk. I’m in the middle of reviewing everything when my phone lights up with a text notification.

Unknown Number: Liam, it’s Sophia.

Unknown Number: You’ve got to get to the hospital.

My heart jumps into my throat. No. Quinn. The baby. No, no, no!

Unknown Number: Quinn is a wreck. They are having trouble getting her mom’s post-op pain under control.

Me: I almost just had a heart attack.

Unknown Number: Yikes, sorry. But that’s why I thought you needed to know.

Unknown Number: She’s usually so calm and she’s just not when it’s her mom.

Unknown Number: This can’t be good for the baby, you know?

Me: Are you with her? I’m on my way.

I drop everything and race out of my office, out of the building and to my SUV. I’m about to chuck the phone onto the seat beside me when it flashes again.

Unknown Number: Unfortunately, no. We couldn’t find a sub for the first half of the day, so we’ve been juggling her classes as best we can among the three other teachers.

Unknown Number: I’ll get away as soon as I can.

I shoot off a text to Becky to let her know Olivia is expecting me to pick her up after school. I hesitate only a fraction of a second before I tell her it’s an emergency with Quinn’s mom who’s had surgery. I ask Becky to take Olivia home with her, as they have a three-day weekend. Without waiting for a response, I put my foot to the gas, weaving through traffic like a damn maniac behind the wheel.

When I arrive at the hospital, I’m a man on a mission. I stop at the little desk in the main foyer and ask where I should go to find someone who’d be waiting on a family member to come out of surgery. The helpful lady at the desk tells me exactly where I should be able to find Quinn, and I’m off and running again, throwing a hurried thank you over my shoulder.

Approaching the waiting area on the third floor, I have no idea what to expect, but when I round the corner what I see absolutely breaks my heart. Quinn sits there all alone, head in her hands. Her shoulders are drooping, and she’s rocking herself slowly forward and backward.

I cross the room in quick strides and sit next to her, putting my hand to her back.

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