Aria’s POV “I was driving by,” Logan said. I strained to listen to the conversation happening at the front door, from my arm chair perch in the living room. “I saw Aria’s car here. I thought, what better time to see if she and the kids wanted to go out for some ice cream?” The suggestion itself
Liam’s POV Nerves spiking, I tapped my hands against the wooden armrests of the uncomfortable chair I found myself sitting in. I was in my lawyer’s office, with him occasionally peering at me from overtop the mountain of paperwork towering on his desk. When he looked, I stopped fidgeting. As his
“You don’t have to eat it all,” I told them, having already finished my cone, though even that might have been a mistake. My stomach was already topsy-turvy since Sophia had fired at us. I’d never been shot at before. The kids still didn’t understand what had happened though, thinking instead th
Aria’s POV After ice cream, Logan drove William, Joe, and me back to Isabella’s house to collect our suitcases, and then back to my own house. Joe was delighted to be back home. William was confused. “My mom will be expecting me,” he said as he rubbed his hand up and down the opposite arm. He di
“Did she threaten you?” Logan asked. “She kept touching the handle to this drawer of the end table. I didn’t think much of it, really. I thought maybe it was just a nervous habit. But when you came and distracted her, I got it in my head that I should check.” “So you did,” he said. “I did,” I
Aria’s POV “I’ll call the police,” the woman on the other end of the phone said. “We’ll check the tapes.” “Okay,” I said, my voice trembling. My whole body was shaking. “Okay…” She’d hung up, but I still kept the phone to my ear, unwilling for this phone conversation to be over. If it was over
Liam’s POV I knew the park Logan meant, so I headed there first. After parking sideways, taking up three or four different spots, I didn’t care, I rushed to the playground and searched everywhere I could. Midmorning, the place was practically deserted. Only a few older folks were walking along the
With her wild eyes, she must have seen that I was awake, but she didn’t acknowledge me. I hated waiting. “Where’s Joe?” I asked. She nodded her head toward a nearby door. It could have been a closet or another room. I wished I could have had confirmation that he was alive, but knowing he was in
I could easily guess who had told him that, but I still wanted to hear the verbal acknowledgement. “Who told you that?” “That new supervisor,” Jackson said. “Joanna.” Of course. “I heard she’s engaged to Liam,” Jackson continued. “I really don’t want to make waves with the boss.” “They aren’
Aria’s POV As soon as the work day officially began, every employee was called into the conference room for an emergency meeting. Given the new employees, the space was crowded again, and I once more opted to stand near the back of the room, rather than to be cramped among the chairs. Liam and J
Aria’s POV “He wasn’t a good father,” Liam continued. “In fact, he’s someone that I’ve come to hate. But I never really thought about the bastard actually dying. Now he wants to inherit the family business and continue his legacy. In the past, I was never good enough, but now suddenly, Markus is d
Liam’s POV I didn’t care how much work was left that day, when five o’clock rolled around, I packed up my briefcase and headed for the door. My assistant, at her desk, gave me a curious look, but didn’t utter a word. “Don’t stay too late,” I told her. Work was very important, but so was life
Aria’s POV When I walked to Joanna’s office, her assistant sat behind the reception desk, glaring at me. I could only imagine the lies Joanna had told this assistant about me, to get her to hate me this much without even knowing me. Regardless, I held my head up high. If I had to walk through th
Liam’s POV “I’ve been expecting your call,” my father – Markus – said on the other end of the phone. “You are a stubborn one to have kept me waiting for so long.” “I foolishly thought that you decided to mind your own business,” I replied. “You haven’t tried anything like this in a while.” In
Liam’s POV In a flash, I grabbed Joanna’s wrist and pulled her hand away from my chest. “Don’t presume to touch me.” Joanna’s flirty smile slipped right off of her face. “I don’t care how long we’ve known each other, Joanna. Aria is the one that I love. You will not change that. And if I conti
Aria’s POV Finally Liam stilled. Slowly, he turned around to look at me, then studied my face as if he was trying to determine if I was being serious or not. Once he realized I was, his face twisted into disbelief. “Don’t be ridiculous, Aria.” “That’s what the rumors are all saying.” “You kn
Aria’s POV My co-workers could have been sharing more gossip, but it seemed more likely, judging by the words they said behind my back, that Joanna had been talking about me with everyone. For that to be true, she wasn’t just on some professional vendetta against me based on my work and work eth