High Stakes (23 page)

Alisa laughed as she watched Liam refill
her wine glass. “You can relax now. Colin’s gone home and Abby’s in her bedroom
listening to music.”

“Thank God,” he muttered, sinking into the
chair beside her.

They were alone, everyone had gone off in
their own direction after dinner, and it was their first opportunity to talk
about what was obviously bothering him. “Do you want to talk about it?” she
asked, reaching for his hand.

Liam propped his feet up on the footrest and
tipped his head back to watch the stars that were beginning to dot the night
sky. “My little girl’s growing up. I don’t think I realized that until today.”
He sighed. “Seeing the way she embraced you and watching her with that boy…” He
shuddered. “God, I expected to have more time to figure things out, you know?”

She squeezed his hand. “Obviously, I’m not
a parent, but I don’t think you’re ever ready to let your baby go.”

He turned his head to look at her. “Would
you like to be a parent someday?” He kissed her hand when she didn’t respond
right away. “It’s something we haven’t talked about before. Either way, I won’t
be disappointed. I’ve had the experience of being a parent, and I wouldn’t have
traded my time alone with Abby for anything, but…”

Alisa’s breath hitched at the hesitation she
heard in his voice. She hadn’t thought about children since she and Nick got
engaged, but she definitely wanted a family of her own someday. Liam was older,
and he’d already lived through that experience. There was no guarantee he would
be motivated to do it all over again. “But?”

“But it would be nice to share that
experience with someone. To have a partner to help me through the rough times.
Like now, when I feel like I’m in so far over my head that I might make a
mistake that screws my daughter up forever.”

Alisa released the breath she hadn’t
realized she’d held. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I want a baby, Liam.
Your baby.”

He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to
her hand before opening his eyes to look at her. “Nothing would make me happier.”
He flicked his tongue over her wrist and smiled when she wiggled in her seat.
“But sooner rather than later, okay?”

“Definitely,” she whispered, feeling
breathless. It still amazed her that he could turn her on with so little
effort. It usually took Nick the better part of an hour to convince her to have
sex with him, which should have been enough to convince her their relationship
had bigger problems. But she didn’t want to waste any more time thinking about
him. Nick was her past. Liam was her future.

“So, what’s Abby done to make you doubt
yourself?”

“You saw her with that boy tonight.” Liam
raked a hand through his hair. “And it’s not just that. She told me her
cousin’s
interested
in boys and she feels like she’s being left behind.”

“I see.” Alisa moved her chair closer,
hoping the physical proximity would help to ease some of the tension she felt
radiating from him. “What did you say to that?”

“Nothing really. I didn’t know what the
hell to say.” He glanced at her, looking helpless and forlorn, not at all like
the business mogul who seemed able to manage any crisis. “How am I supposed to
handle this? She’s too young to even think about getting involved with boys.”

Alisa smiled, grateful the cloak of
darkness prevented him from seeing her amusement. “I’m sure every father feels
that way, but you have to accept the fact that your little girl’s growing up. I
agree she’s way too young to be sexually active—” She laughed when Liam winced.
“But it’s perfectly normal for her to be attracted to boys at this age. No
matter how much you might like to pretend it isn’t happening, it is. So, it’s
just a question of how you intend to handle it.”

He stared out at the waves splashing
against the white sand beach for a long time before he asked, “How do you think
I should handle it?”

She was flattered that her opinion seemed
to mean so much to him. “I think you need to keep doing what you’re doing. Keep
an eye on her; be aware of what she’s doing, where she’s going, and who she’s
with. Keep the lines of communication open and invite her to talk to you about
any problem she may be having, even if it’s uncomfortable for you to hear.”

“Maybe you can help me with that part,” he
said, smiling. “I don’t think I could hear about my baby falling for some
little punk and remain objective.”

Alisa laughed. “How do you know he won’t be
a nice, normal kid, like Colin?”

“They’re all gonna be little punks to me;
you need to know that.” He smiled. “Besides, doesn’t every girl have to go
through her fair share of losers before she finds the real deal?” His smile got
wider when he gestured to himself. “Case in point. You got engaged to that
piece of—”

She held her hand up. “I don’t want to talk
about him tonight.”

“Did you hear from him this week?”

When she didn’t respond right away, he
muttered a curse.

They’d spoken on the phone every night, but
she didn’t want to waste precious time telling Liam about Nick’s phone calls,
flowers, or impromptu visit to her store when she was locking up last night. “It
doesn’t matter, I—”

“It matters to me,” he said through
clenched teeth. “I want details.” He dropped her hand and leaned forward. “I’m
waiting.”

She knew he had a right to know, but
knowing how he was going to react made it difficult to get the words out. “He,
uh, called a few times.” She cleared her throat. “And sent flowers.” She felt
nauseous when she thought of the birthday present he’d hand-delivered
yesterday. “He gave me diamond earrings yesterday.”

Liam stood up so fast he nearly upended the
wrought iron chair. “He what?” He stood facing her, his hands on his hips.

Even with the prevailing nightfall, she
could still see the scowl on his handsome face. “I didn’t tell you about it
because it didn’t mean anything. He remembered that tomorrow was my birthday,
and when he stopped by the store earlier in the week, one of the sales girls
must have mentioned the fact that I was going away for the weekend. I guess he
just wanted to catch me before I left.”

He started pacing back and forth over the
painted white deck. “What the hell is it gonna take to get through to this
guy?”

“I told him I couldn’t accept the
earrings.”

“You better have told him that.”

She knew he was angry and taking his
frustration and feelings of helplessness out on her, so she took a deep breath
and forced herself to remain calm. “I told him it was over… again.”

“And what did he say to that?” He stopped
pacing long enough to wait for her reply.

She knew Nick’s words would only stoke
Liam’s fire, but she didn’t want to be accused of keeping secrets from him. “He
said I’d get tired of being an afterthought with you and eventually come back
to him.”

“That son of a bitch,” Liam whispered.

“He said your business and daughter would
always come before me.” It had been hard to hear because, in the back of her
mind, she’d spent the last two weeks questioning whether it may be true. She
didn’t know if she would ever come first with her husband, and she wasn’t sure
that she even had the right to expect to. “He said I deserved better and
eventually I’d realize that.”

Liam’s face drained of color as he stared
at her. She could tell the impact of Nick’s words was settling over him as he
questioned whether they were true.

Without another word, she watched him walk
into the house, and she knew her ex’s assessment had been closer to the truth
than either one of them wanted to admit.

Liam sat on the edge of his bed, trying to
force air into his lungs to ease the familiar tightening in his chest.
Was that
arrogant jerk right?
Would Alisa eventually tire of competing with all of
the other issues and people in his life demanding a piece of him and go back to
her ex or find someone else who could give her the time and attention she
deserved?

She stood just outside his bedroom door.
“Can I come in?”

“Of course you can,” he said quietly. He
gestured to her suitcase. “This is your room now, too.”

She sighed as she claimed the spot beside
him on the bed. “Liam, I don’t know that I’ll ever be comfortable
sharing
your assets. I know how hard you’ve worked to amass this wealth.” She lifted
her hands. “This is all yours; it’s not like I’ve done anything to help you get
where you are.”

He felt her slipping away and it only
intensified the ache in his chest. “I want to share everything with you, baby.”
He wanted to, but he didn’t know if that was even feasible. Even if they lived
in the same house, his business took him away more than he was home. And when
he was in town, he was rarely home before it was time to call it a night.

She threaded her hand through his. “I know
you do, and I appreciate that, but…”

That word scared him more than any other
because it told him she had doubts about them. Not that he could blame her. If
he were in her position, he would have felt the same way. “I hate this,” he
whispered, releasing her hand and bending at the waist as the physical pain ricocheted
through his body.

“Are you okay?” she asked, resting a hand
on his back.

“Yeah.” He took a few deep breaths. “I’ve
just been…” He shook his head. He’d already burdened her enough without giving
her cause to worry about his health. “Tired, stressed.” He forced a smile.
“That’s what happens when you work nonstop for twenty years, right? Something’s
gotta give.”

“That’s what worries me,” she said,
stroking his back. “When is it going to be enough for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve already earned more money than your
great-grandchildren will ever be able to spend,” she said quietly. “Your hotels
are recognized as some of the finest in the world, yet you still don’t seem
satisfied with everything you’ve accomplished.”

Her assessment felt like a slap in the
face. He’d never been one to settle for the status quo. In his mind, good was
never going to be good enough and he thought she understood that about him.
“What are you suggesting, I retire and spend my time recalling the good old
days when my life counted for something?”

“Of course not,” she said, gently. “I would
never ask you to give up your business, but maybe you could think about cutting
back, taking a break for a while.” She twisted the tie on her wrap dress around
her finger over and over again. “I was talking to your brother tonight and…”

“And what?” He didn’t mean to snarl at her,
but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t imagine where she was going with
this.

“I didn’t realize how important he is to
your business.”

“Of course, he’s the CFO, but what the hell
does that have to do with anything? It’s my company, Alisa.
Mine.
No one
is going to work as hard as I do to manage the growth, and no one is going to
feel as responsible for those employees. They’re my concern. When we hired
them, they trusted me to put food on the table for their families. Do you even
understand what that’s like?” He could tell by the rigid set of her body that
she was getting defensive, but he was past the point of caring. How could she
call into question the company he’d spent his lifetime building, as though
walking away was even an option for him?

“Obviously, I don’t know exactly what
that’s like, but I have hired people to work in my shop and…”

He rolled his eyes. “Please, don’t compare
your business to mine. You haven’t got a clue.”

She reared back as though he’d struck her
as tears surfaced in her eyes. “I may not know what it feels like to be in your
position, but I do know what it feels like to work hard.”

He knew this was the time to apologize for
belittling her and her business, but he couldn’t force the words past the lump
of panic in his throat as he watched her get up and start throwing clothes haphazardly
into her suitcase.

“Nick was right!” she shouted over her
shoulder as she walked into the bathroom.

He felt her words like a dropkick to the
gut. Was she really leaving him to go back to her ex? Could he stop her? Did he
even have the strength to try, if that’s what she wanted?

Alisa re-entered the room carrying a
cosmetics bag and tossed it into her suitcase on top of her clothes. “He said
I’d never come before your business and he was right, wasn’t he?”

Liam felt nauseous as he watched her pull
the diamond engagement ring and wedding band off her finger and set it on the
dresser. “Well, guess what? I deserve a man who can put me first, and that’s
never gonna happen with you.” She brushed away the tears sliding down her
cheeks. “Thank God I found out now, before I wasted years of my life waiting
for you to call or come home. Waiting for you to notice I was even there.”

He wanted to stay something, but the words
wouldn’t come.

“Don’t worry, I don’t want anything from
you. I’ll have my lawyer make this as quick and painless as possible, for both
of us.”