Liam’s POV I knew Aria was lying to me. She was clearly upset about something. But I couldn’t figure out how to broach the topic without making her even more upset, so I decided not to try. If she wanted to talk about it, she had to know that I was willing to listen. Likely, she was just steamin
She paused. “I didn’t think it was necessary since the references were so good.” I pulled the phone away for a moment to take a deep calming breath. Patience, I reminded myself. With the phone back on my ear, I told her, “Please do that now.” “We’ve already hired him,” she said. “Please,” I sa
Liam’s POV I had thought that Aria deciding to work at team headquarters would help bring us closer together, but ever since Aria had spoken with Sophia in the jail, she seemed to grow gradually more distant. Every time I tried to bring it up with Aria, she either lied and said she was fine, or
I patiently waited for him to decide to tell me or not. “Aria…” he said, swaying hard left and then hard right. “Would you be mad if I called you Mom?” My heart leapt straight into my throat. I could have cried from the happiness that suddenly threatened to overwhelm me. Stepping closer to him
Aria’s POV At the office the next morning, I was still reeling from William calling me Mom. It had been such a special moment, I was sure it would stay with me forever, until the day I died. I hoped beyond hope, that he would still consider me his mother, even after he had grown up. At the very
“What is this?” I asked. “Where are the kids?” “The kids are with Isabella,” he said. He was smiling but it seemed shy. He kept dipping his head as if to hide it from me. “I thought we could have an evening to ourselves.” I wasn’t against it, but… “What’s the occasion?” “You’ve forgotten,” he
Aria’s POV We drew so close that I could feel the warmth of Liam’s breath on my lips. Then, just as I felt the phantom touch of his kiss, the front door burst open. “Mom! Dad!” Joe called. Liam and I jumped apart. We were both a little out of breath. My cheeks were burning, and Liam seemed a b
Aria’s POV Before I could get lost in my thoughts overmuch, Liam’s voice sounded out from the living room. “Aria! Come take a look at this.” I looked at Isabella again. “Go on,” she said with a grin. “Have fun. I’ll finish up here and join you guys when I’m done.” “You sure?” We always mad
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
Aria’s POV “This is a closet,” I said, looking at the cramped space. I wasn’t sure how they even managed to fit this desk in here. Did they have to disassemble it in the hallway and then reassemble it here? “I’m sure I could find you a smaller, even more cramped space if you would prefer it?” Jo
“Oh,” the man said. Understanding crossed his face, but so too did annoyance. “Surely you were told you were being demoted. You didn’t think you’d keep your office, did you?” “I didn’t know what to think,” I admitted. “No one really gave me any information.” “Well, this room is mine now,” the ma
Aria’s POV After the meeting, I stumbled back to my office in something of a blur. I couldn’t believe what had happened, or what this meant for me and for the drivers. How could this happen? How could everything go so wrong, so quickly? What in the world was I supposed to do now? Sitting beh