Page 650 of Not Over You

“I don’t know for sure, but something in here”—he tapped his chest— “tells me it is.”

Lincoln always had a huge amount of faith—in himself, in others, and in his feelings about life. He saw the glass as half-full in every situation, even when the cards were stacked against him.

“So what do you want to do?”

Lincoln grinned. “Let’s meet our daughter.”

LINCOLN

She was more beautiful than I remembered even though those pretty eyes didn’t shine with the same brightness as they had when we were younger.

I almost pinched myself when I saw her at the gate to make sure I hadn’t been dreaming. But it was really her, my Liv. She’d come back to me.

As she read our daughter’s letter, I couldn’t help but stare. It’d been so long since I’d seen her, and I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and comfort her. I could tell she tried not to cry and be strong.

When she asked me what I wanted to do, the answer was obvious. There was no other choice for me. I’d never wanted to give up Piper in the first place, and I felt like we were getting a second chance to make things right. No one else but Liv was involved in the decisions regarding our daughter this time, and we could do what we wanted without opposition.

She looked torn. “Are you sure, Linc? Legally, she’s not ours, and we can’t walk in expecting anything.”

“I know. But anything is better than nothing.”

She nodded. “Okay. If you want to meet her, then let’s meet her.”

Happiness filled me. I knew my mom had been wrong about Liv. I knew she would take the chance to meet Piper even though she’d blocked everything about her out after the adoption and put up a wall around her heart. Deep down, I knew that my Liv, the one I’d fallen in love with all those years ago, was still in there somewhere.

The waitress brought our food, and I couldn’t help but smile. Liv ordered her usual of mac and cheese, which was one of the specialties at Clawson’s.

As Liv started to eat, I suggested, “Maybe we can plan something for this weekend. Unless you have work to do.”

“No, I’m free. Work is strictly during the week.”

“Do you want to call them, or should I?” I asked.

She finished chewing the food in her mouth, then answered, “Well, she reached out to you so I think you should do it.”

I nodded. “Maybe we should do it together. I want to include you in everything. We both have an equal part in this.”

Her pretty lips curved up. “Okay. Together.”

“Together,” I agreed.

After we ate, I took Liv to her hotel so we could have some privacy while we called Piper’s parents. She was staying at an inn on the waterfront that was a favorite for tourists because of its prime location.

On the way there, I couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not staying with your parents?”

“I’m going to try. My work paid for the hotel, so I plan to use the escape if I need it. I haven’t spoken to my father since I left, and I’m not sure how things will be between us.”

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. Thinking about Liv’s father always made my blood boil. If it weren’t for him, Liv and I would have kept Piper, and we’d still be a family.

After Liv checked in, we went up to her room, which had a private balcony and a king-size bed. The comforter reminded me of something my grandmother would have on her bed, but the room was quaint and clean. There was also a small couch and a TV along with a table and two chairs.

Liv sat on the bed and wrung her hands nervously. “I can’t believe all this, Linc. I never thought I’d get to meet Piper.”

I sat next to her and put my arm around her. “Me neither. If you’re not ready, we can wait. We can call tomorrow.”

Her green eyes darted up to mine. “No. Let’s do it now before I lose my nerve.”

I chuckled as I pulled out my phone. “Okay, let’s do this then.”

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