Unsung (17 page)

“I didn't say that.” Harper rolled her eyes and was thankful that her mother's gaze was directed down again. “Do you think Brad and I weren't having sex, too?”

For the second time another clatter of potato and peeler hit the cutting board. “Are you deliberately trying to upset me?” Delilah asked. “I know that anything and everything with Brad is good and truly out the window at this point. There is no need to rub it in my face.”

“You think that's what I'm trying to do? Because it's not. You've put Brad on this pedestal that you refuse to take him down from even though he left me. He. Left. Me. You do know this, right? He called off the wedding. Not me. He didn't love me, Mom. So why can't you let it go? Let him go?” Harper's voice had progressively gotten louder as she'd gone on. By the end of it, she was surprised by the max volume she'd reached.

And so was Delilah, whose eyes had gone wide with anger and righteous indignation. But a second later that look was gone as her mother's entire face fell. Delilah averted her eyes for a second while she took a deep breath, trying to collect herself.

And the next words that came out of Delilah's mouth were the very last that Harper ever expected to hear.

“Because when he left I lost part of you,” she whispered.

“What?”

Delilah's eyes came up and she focused on her daughter. “Brad was the first relationship you shared with us. The first man you introduced to your father and me. The first time you let us in to that aspect of your life. And I saw quite clearly how happy you were with him, and how much it devastated you when everything fell apart.” Her voice cracked on the last word.

“Mom?”

“I just wanted it to go back to how it was. Where you shared that part of yourself with us. Because when he was around, that perpetual wall between us was lower. I could look over it. It wasn't that I couldn't let go of Brad, it was that I couldn't let go of you. When he left you shut me out completely. That wall was higher and thicker than ever. So him coming back was the only solution I could think of.”

Harper was pretty sure she was going to need someone to come along and pick her jaw up from off the floor. “I had no idea,” she said when she managed to find her voice. “Why didn't you tell me this before?”

“I didn't know how to.” Delilah started to blink rapidly and turned away again.

Well, this had been…unexpected. Harper had never known her mother felt that way.

She reached across the counter and grabbed her mother's hand, whose gaze came up again immediately. Delilah's eyes were brimming with tears. Harper was long used to tears of anger coming from her mother, but not tears of this caliber.

It was slightly unnerving, and causing her own eyes to mist up.

“Mom, you and I need to work on our communication skills with each other.”

“Yes. We do.” She nodded as she reached up with her free hand and ran her fingers under each eye.

“You should know that I shut everyone out after Brad left. It wasn't just you.” Harper let go of her mom's hand and rounded the island.

Delilah didn't hesitate, pulling her daughter in for a hug. They stood there for a good couple of minutes, both of them sniffling.

“I want you to be a part of my life, without walls,” Harper whispered before she pulled back and looked into her mother's face. “But you've got to let Brad go. And you've got to give Liam a chance. I know that the circumstances aren't the best, but he's a good guy…a great guy in fact. One who didn't walk away from me, even when I walked away from him.”

“He's still going to have to earn my approval,” Delilah said resolutely.

“I think he's up for the challenge.”

Or at least she sure as hell hoped so.

The show the night before ended just before eleven o'clock, and afterward Liam went out for a drink with Isaac and Hunter. He needed something to rebound from the foul mood Kiki had put him in…and from the news he'd gotten from his manager.

It wasn't “Forever” that Kiki had been cast in, but she was going to be in a video with him.

Liam had collaborated with Isaac and Hunter for a couple of songs on their last album, and the next one getting released was “Beyond the Limits.” Their label had this genius idea to connect the song to the beyond the law aspect of
Mason-Dixon
, which meant that a number of the female cast members were going to be in it. Liam, Isaac, and Hunter would be playing the love interests.

Liam's partner? Kiki.

He'd lost it.

But there was nothing to do to change it. Their record label and the show had already struck up a deal. The contracts had been signed, sealed, and delivered. And Liam wasn't exactly in a position in his career to be making demands of the caliber it would take to change it.

The tie-in with the show was an obvious one, and it was going to give Liam a hell of a lot of exposure. As his album was coming out in a matter of months, exposure like this wasn't something he could really argue with.

So he was just going to have to suck it up and deal. He didn't have to be happy about it, though. And really he needed to push all of the nonsense to the back of his brain for now. It wasn't what he should be focused on when his plane landed at the airport in Tallahassee.

No, what he needed to be focused on was the fact that he was going to see Harper. And that he was meeting her parents for the first time. For the moment that was all that was important. A really good first impression was a must, and him being in a bad mood wasn't going to help that in the slightest.

Add to that the fact that he had a serious case of nerves that he was going to see her—What? He couldn't help it. The woman messed with his emotions—and he was more than a little sluggish.

He was now surviving off of five hours of sleep and two massive cups of coffee. One beer with Isaac and Hunter easily turned into two and he hadn't made it back to his hotel until just before one in the morning. But late night or not, he didn't have to fight with his alarm when it had gone off at six o'clock. He heard it the second it started and was out of bed and in the shower within minutes.

But the moment he saw Harper all of that sluggishness disappeared. Instantly.

He spotted her the second he rounded the corner to the exit. She was standing on the other side of security wearing a knee-length green dress that clung to her breasts but hung loose at her waist. Slight waves were in the black curtain of hair that hung around both of her shoulders.

She was pacing, back and forth between the wall and the set of chairs in the middle of the space. He was about twenty feet away when she turned to make her way back to the wall and looked up. Her gaze landed on him, those violet eyes of hers widened and she froze. Well, for the most part, she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth as she took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling.

When he was about three feet away her lip fell from her teeth. “Hi,” she whispered just a little bit nervous herself it seemed.

“Hey.” He closed the gap, setting his guitar case on the ground before he reached for her. His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her in close.

Harper came willingly, her arms sliding around his waist as she pressed her face into his neck. They both relaxed in unison, all of the tension and stress melting away with one simple hug. But really there was nothing simple about it. Nothing simple about anything that involved him and her.

Liam didn't realize it until that moment—until the moment he was able to press his nose to her hair and inhale that sweet honey scent that drove him out of his mind—but it was like he'd been holding his breath since the last time he'd seen her. And the relief of having her in his arms again was almost knee weakening.

“You're here,” she whispered against his neck, her breath hitting his skin on each syllable.

“I'm here.” His mouth was now at her temple and he couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips to the spot.

Harper turned her head, and before either of them could say or do anything else, their mouths found the other's. His hand moved up, his fingers spearing in her hair as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

After a minute—or two—Liam forced himself to pull back. He cradled her jaw in his hand, running his thumb back and forth across her cheek as he looked down into her eyes.

“I could stand in this airport and kiss you until the end of time.” A soft laugh escaped her mouth, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and capturing it with his lips in another lingering kiss. “But we probably shouldn't be late.”

“No, we shouldn't. You have people to meet.”

“Very important people. I've been preparing myself all day on winning your mother over with all of my charm.”

“Is that so?” One of her eyebrows rose high as she gave him a sideways smirk.

“Yup.”

“We had a bit of a heart-to-heart before I came to pick you up.” Her palms skimmed up his chest, her hands on his body driving him out of his mind.

How in the world was he going to make it through the next few hours?

Going to her parents' house tonight was not his first choice. He'd be the biggest liar on the face of the planet if he said he didn't desperately want to get Harper alone. He had absolutely no doubt that if it was just the two of them in any room they would both be naked within minutes…probably seconds.

Yeah, that was going to have to wait.

“Really? I'm guessing it was good.” He forced himself to focus on the conversation and not the fact that she was about to give him a hard-on in the middle of the airport.

“Yup, very good. But she's still going to put you through your paces tonight.”

“I'm more than ready.”

“Good.” She fisted her hands in his shirt as she stretched up, her lips hovering just above his. “I'm really happy you're here,” she said before she opened her mouth over his.

What was he supposed to do besides kiss her back? So what if they were a couple of minutes late.

S
o what prompted the heart-to-heart?” Liam asked when they were both loaded in Harper's Cruiser and heading south to Mirabelle.

He'd been more than a little curious about the conversation she'd had with her mother. Especially as the tension between the two of them had been a constant worry and stress for her over the last couple of weeks.

Harper's thumb stopped tapping out a rhythm against the steering wheel. She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. “Uh…our sleeping arrangements.”

Well, wasn't that a fascinating topic? Liam turned his whole body as he looked at her. She didn't move, just continued to look straight ahead out the windshield, a slight flush starting to creep up her neck.

He wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or…something else.

“Oh really now?” He couldn't stop the grin that turned up his mouth.

“Yeah, she asked if you'd be sleeping on the couch during your visit.”

“To which you responded?”

She hesitated for just a second, the corner of her mouth turning up mischievously. “Probably not.”

Yeah, she wasn't embarrassed. She was thinking about them in bed together, too. Good, because that was pretty much all he was thinking about. How could he not when every single time he breathed in her honey scent his dick twitched in response?

Down boy
.

“And she didn't like that?” he asked.

“Not particularly, no.” She shook her head, her black hair falling over her shoulder.

“Your mother does know we've had sex, right?”

“I do in fact think she is aware of this.” She took her eyes off the road for a second as she glanced over at him, her eyes covered by her massive sunglasses, before she turned back to the road.

“You know, if it would be better to appease your mother, I can just sleep on the sofa.”

The car rolled to a stop at a red light and Harper turned again to look at Liam. “You can't be serious.” There was no longer a hint of a smile on her lips.

“In the spirit of catching up and all.” The sentence was barely out of his mouth before the smile took over. It was too much for him to keep a straight face as Harper's eyebrows had bunched together in disapproval.

Yeah, he objected to that statement just as much as she apparently did.

“He's got jokes, ladies and gentlemen.” She turned back to the road as the light turned green and her foot eased down on the gas pedal. “Don't quit your day job.”

Yeah, he was flat out grinning now at her obvious adverse reaction.

God, how he wanted her. Let him count the ways. Yup, she made him wax poetic like nothing or no one else had before.

He found himself reaching over before he even realized it—a reflex of need if he'd ever had one—and running his fingers down her arm. Feeling the warmth of her skin on his palm.

She shivered as she glanced over at him. “Yes?”

“How long are we going to be at your parents'?” he asked, letting her know full well exactly what he wanted.

“A couple of hours.”

“And then I get you all to myself?” He grabbed her hand, lacing her fingers with his and bringing it to his mouth.

“And then you get me all to yourself.”

The car ride from the airport to Mirabelle took about an hour, but Liam wouldn't be able to tell anyone about the drive besides the few landmarks that Harper specifically pointed out to him. He vaguely remembered a pickup truck graveyard, where about thirty different rusted metal vehicles sat decaying. And the few lighthouses that were stationed on the river that ran parallel to the road.

But that was pretty much it because he wasn't paying attention to anything that was going on outside of the car. Nope, he only had eyes for the woman next to him.

How shocking.

Besides he needed to take advantage of the precious time he had with her before they got to her parents' house, and to prepare himself for the evening.

Now Liam would be lying if he said he didn't have a small case of nerves as he made his way up the steps of the Laurence household. Yeah, he'd had to charm past girlfriends' parents on several different occasions…but obviously not with these extenuating circumstances.

And they were some seriously
extenuating
circumstances.

There was no plausible deniability in the “I'm having sex with your daughter” department. The proof was in the pudding. Fact: Harper was pregnant. Fact: Liam was the one who'd gotten her pregnant.

And he was going to need to prove that he was much more than the sperm donor.

Much,
much
more.

They walked into the house hand-in-hand and were immediately greeted by two dogs. The larger of the two was on the heels of the tinier one. Liam recognized Luna from all the pictures that Harper had sent him over the last couple of weeks. The dog wriggled her tiny little black body as she circled him, sniffing his shoes.

Luna let out a few friendly barks in greeting, the other dog joining in both the barking and the sniffing.

“This is Luna, and Darby, my parents' dog.”

Liam set the black bag hanging from his shoulder on the chair next to the door, letting go of Harper's hand before he crouched down to pet both dogs.

“Hey girls.” He ran his hands down both of their backs a couple of times before lightly scratching their chests. They closed their eyes, both of their back legs thumping against the wooden floor in a steady tap.

“Well, that took you absolutely no time at all to win them over.”

“And I didn't have to buy either of them a drink first or anything.” He winked up at Harper.

“More jokes? What did I tell you about those?”

Liam straightened, grabbing one of her hands and linking their fingers together as his other hand slid around to her back. He brought his face in close to hers, their mouths mere centimeters away. “Oh, you like it. Admit it.”

“Maybe a little.”

He pressed his lips to hers, because really why wouldn't he? He would forever take advantage of any and all opportunities that involved them kissing, or touching, or well, anything for that matter.

But just as it was getting really good—her tongue being in his mouth—someone cleared their throat.

Harper pulled away, spinning around. Liam looked up to find her father in the hallway. He had light brown hair, Harper's eyes, and an unreadable expression covering his face. His eyes dipped to where Harper's hand was held in Liam's for just a second before they came back up, focusing on Liam's face and still revealing absolutely nothing.

So much for good first impressions.

Harper's hand tightened in his before she let go, taking a step toward her father. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hey, sweet pea.” Mr. Laurence wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the temple before pulling back. “This him?” He looked at Liam.

“This is him.” Harper nodded.

Liam stepped forward, sticking his now free hand in front of him as he moved. “It's nice to meet you, Mr. Laurence.”

Mr. Laurence's hand tightened as he shook Liam's firmly. “So you're my daughter's new boyfriend.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm.” Mr. Laurence's eyes looked Liam over again, for a good couple of seconds that almost—
almost
—made Liam squirm. “Well, all right then. You can call me Paul. No need for this sir or mister nonsense. You want a gin and tonic?” he asked, letting go of Liam's hand as the corner of his mouth twitched, the only indication that he might possibly be okay with how things were.

Or maybe was somewhere in the realm of being okay. He was apparently accepting enough to make him a drink.

The sudden shift had Liam coming up short, but he recovered almost instantly. “Absolutely,” he said, and nodded.

Liam grabbed the bag on the chair, slipping the strap on his shoulder. And then he was reaching for Harper's hand—a hand that she was holding out for him as she gave him a sideways smirk—and they walked to the kitchen, following behind Paul.

“Well, that's one hurdle down,” he whispered to her.

“Don't get ahead of yourself, sparky. The next one is going to be about as easy as clearing the Empire State Building,” she said right before they walked into the kitchen.

Delilah Laurence was at the oven, pulling a pan out and setting it on top of the stove. All Liam could see was the back of her, the same thick black curtain of hair as Harper's hitting her right between the shoulder blades. She was just a tad bit shorter and more slender than her daughter, but as she turned and he saw her face, the relationship was obvious.

Same full lips and almond-shaped eyes, though hers were a light blue as opposed to the violet that Harper and her father shared.

“Ahh, you're here.” Mrs. Laurence pulled the oven mitts from her hands as she crossed the room, setting them on the kitchen island before she untied her apron and put it on the counter as well.

“Mom, this is Liam.”

“Mrs. Laurence.” He nodded. “It's nice to meet you.”

Harper's mother folded her arms across her chest as she looked him over. The scrutiny in her eyes
well
surpassed what he'd been through just moments before with Paul. “So you're the father of my first grandchild?”

Well, she was just going to jump right on in now, wasn't she?

“Yes, ma'am,” he answered, still implementing his
don't look away
strategy. It was like staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

“Harper says I need to give you a chance, so I'm going to.”

“I won't disappoint you, Mrs. Laurence.”

“Good.” That one word was dripping in skepticism. The
we'll just see about that
heard loud and clear by everyone in the room.

All right. He could deal with this. He wasn't going to cower. He refused. Getting her approval was an obstacle he needed to figure out, and he would. There wasn't any other option, because in the end he
was
going to be with Harper.

“I brought you and Mr. Laurence something for having me over tonight,” Liam said, holding up the bag in his hand. He might as well start with presents.

“Paul,” Mr. Laurence corrected while Mrs. Laurence said nothing.

She had no problems with
ma'am
or
missus.
He apparently would not be calling her Delilah anytime soon.

“Harper told me you were the family chef and an excellent one at that,” Liam said as he pulled out the square box from the bag. It was about one foot by one foot, four inches tall, and made of solid wood.

Mrs. Laurence's eyes widened in surprise; she apparently hadn't expected him to come bearing gifts.

One point to him.

She set the box on the counter, pushing back the metal hook that kept the box latched, and lifted the top. Inside sat three separate trays stacked on top of each other, each sectioning off sixteen different tins of spices. So forty-eight in total.

“They're specialty spices from this shop in Nashville. They blend all of them and grow most of them. They have hundreds so I tried to get you a good assortment.”

Mrs. Laurence lifted one of the tins, popping the top and inhaling deep. She repeated the process a few times, exploring the different aromas. Liam totally got it. He'd spent
hours
in the little shop trying to figure out which ones to buy the first time he'd shopped there. And the second. And the third. Okay, every time.

He'd called the owners a week ago to put the box together, and they'd shipped it to him in California.

Mrs. Laurence put all of the tins back in the box before she ran her hands across the smooth top of the cherry-stained wood. Her fingers traced the embossed company logo branded into the wood before she looked up at Liam, a warmth in her eyes that definitely had not been there just moments before. “Thank you. This was very thoughtful.”

Okay, maybe
five
points to him.

“You're welcome. They're my favorite spices to cook with, so I thought you might enjoy them.”

She nodded, running her hand across the top again, almost reverently.

“And this is for you,” Liam said as he pulled out another box and handed it over to Paul.

“Well I'll be. Two gifts.” Another twitch to Paul's mouth that almost,
almost,
looked like a smile.

He pulled off the top of the box to reveal the parts of a handmade fly fishing rod that was—in Liam's humble opinion—one of the best. “It's a Flanagan. Harper said that you were a fisherman on your off time.”

“You fish, too?” Paul asked.

“Yes, and that's the same one that my brother, father, and I use.”

“This is…impressive.” Paul looked back down at the rod in his hand, examining it further. “You bring yours?” He brought his gaze back up to Liam's.

“Don't leave home without it.”

“You and I are going to go fishing sometime. We can catch something for Delilah to use her fancy new spices on. That sound good to you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

And just like that Paul's mouth split into a grin.

One parent down. One to go.

Harper was in a daze throughout all of dinner. How could she not be? She'd been shocked pretty much the second she and Liam had walked into her parents' house.

Not only had the man brought gifts. But he'd gotten the most personal gifts of…well…
ever.

The thing that
really
got to her? He'd known what to get from something she'd said
months
ago. When Liam had made her dinner in Nashville, she'd mentioned that her mother loved to cook and that her father fished.

And he'd
remembered.

He'd
freaking
remembered.

Liam had won Paul over, something she'd noticed pretty quickly. She also knew it had more to do with how Liam was with her than from that fishing rod. Though the rod hadn't hurt in Liam's endeavors.