“Then the three of us would be a family.”
“You would be satisfied with that?”
“I would never do anything that made you uncomfortable. I would never force you into a decision that caused you months of stress and worry.”
“That’s a big sacrifice.”
“Having you in my life wouldn’t make it a sacrifice. You’re who I want. Lucy is a bonus. Anything else would be a gift.”
I wanted to argue with him. He might resent me. I might resent myself if I got pregnant and it happened again. Lucy was amazing and did so well, but not every child would be the same.
His low “uh oh” interrupted my musings. I looked up to see his sister, Ava, walking up the driveway.
“I heard you had company,” she said, sitting on the steps.
“And yet, here you are,” Liam stated dryly, looking over at me with a wink.
Ava wasn’t at all put out. She tossed her hair. “I just wanted to let you know Ronan says everything is in place. Your schedule is clear for Thursday.”
“Great.”
I assumed they were talking about a work project.
“And Dad wanted me to remind you it’s your turn at the charity dinner. Saturday night.”
“Oh God,” Liam groaned. “I’ll give you a thousand bucks to take my place.”
She snorted. “Nope. I did it last time it was your turn. Mom and Dad will be there, so you’re not alone. I listed you for a plus-one.” Her gaze strayed to me. “If you need a sitter, I’d be happy to look after Lucy. You could bring her here, and we could have a girls’ night.”
“Sorry?” I asked, confused.
“We all have to attend various charity dinners. I hate them. Sitting listening to speeches, watching people with too much money who give to a cause only because so-and-so is also doing it,” Liam explained.
“You don’t do that?” I asked.
“No. We support the causes we believe in. We live it. This is one of them, but I still hate the dinners,” he admitted. “Can I beg you to come with me?”
“Gee, you made it sound so great and all. How can I resist?” I teased.
He and Ava laughed. They looked very similar, with their heads tilted back and their dark hair glinting in the sun. They sounded alike as well. My imagination suddenly conjured up the same image, but this time, it was Liam laughing with a child. Our child. The baby sat on his knee, and the two of them were laughing, looking so alike my heart ached.
I suddenly wondered if maybe Liam was right. Maybe it would be worth the risk. Maybe I could give him everything he wanted.
I realized they were looking at me expectantly. “Um, sure, I’ll go. I’ll need to get a dress.”
Ava shook her head. “Gah, don’t. Mom will have something she’s done in her shop. She’s always making up samples and squirreling them away.” She stood. “We can go see her now.”
“Oh, um…”
Liam stood. “Good idea. You do that, I’ll finish the garden plan, and we’ll have the rest of the time together once you come back.” He looked at Ava meaningfully. “Alone.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Cami was sitting on her deck as we approached. She stood, looking pleased. She hugged Ava, then me.
“Paige, how lovely to see you again.”
“Thanks, Mrs.—uh, Cami. Ronan brought me out as a surprise for Liam.”
She chuckled. “Well, I’m certain that made his day.”
“Mom, Paige is going to the dinner with Liam on Saturday.”
“Oh, lovely.”
“She needs a dress. I told her not to buy one.”
Cami waved her hands. “No, no. I have so many in the studio.” She tilted her head, studying me. “In fact, I think I know the perfect one.” She hooked her arm with mine. “Let’s go peek.”
We walked upstairs to the third floor. “This was our master suite,” Cami explained. “Once the children were grown, Aiden had it converted so I could work here. We moved to the second floor and made two bedrooms into our room since we no longer needed five bedrooms for the kids.” She lifted one shoulder as she opened the door to her studio. “The house is still too big for only us, but we love it.”
The space was bright with the skylights and big windows. It held a small desk, some fabric swatches, and a large sewing table with three different machines. A little dais was in the center of the room. Along the back wall were floor-to-ceiling doors. I knew she was a successful, exclusive designer, but the room seemed too small. At my curious look, Cami explained.
“My main studio is in Toronto. But I don’t work as much now, so this is perfect. I mostly do dresses for family. I have two very capable women at the studio in Toronto who do the sewing.” She held up her hands. “Arthritis makes sewing difficult at times. I design, and my ladies sew.”
“I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
“Nonsense.” She clapped her hands. “Let’s see what I have.” She opened one of the closet doors, pursing her lips. “It’s only semiformal, thank goodness. I hate long gowns in the summer,” she said as she shifted through jewel-toned material. “I was thinking the yellow, but maybe, ah—yes! The blue.”
She pulled out a dress, and my breath hitched. Rich, royal-blue fabric caught the light, the subtle beading along the bodice glinting. “This would suit your figure, and the color would look lovely with your skin.” She handed it to me. “There’s a privacy screen over there. Slip it on and let me see.”
My hands shook as I slid it off the hanger. I had never worn anything so lovely. The dress was smooth and whisper-soft. I slipped it on and came out from behind the screen. “It’s a little tight in the top,” I said, feeling disappointed.
“I can let out the seams a bit. Come stand here.” Cami pointed to the raised platform, and I stepped onto it. She walked around me, nodding and muttering. “Lift the shoulders, adjust the bodice, take up the hem an inch, maybe two.”
Before I could protest about the work, she stepped closer and began to pin the fabric. “Blue is Liam’s favorite color. He will love this.”
“It needs too much work. Your hands—”
Cami cut me off with a laugh. “This is easy. Simple seams.” She showed me the inside of the dress. “These are basted. I always only baste the sides since I don’t know which of my girls will need a dress. I can let it out a little here, but once I adjust the shoulders, it won’t need much.” She spun me around. “Look.”
I gasped as I looked at myself in the dress. The blue fabric hugged my breasts and flared out at my waistline. Pinned up, it ended just below my knees, showing off my legs. The material draped and molded itself to me, glowing in the light. The added chiffon formed a square neckline and showed off my full breasts to their advantage. The sleeves were artfully draped, barely covering the top of my arms.
“Is this silk?” I asked, fingering the fabric of the full skirt.
“Yes.”
“It’s so gorgeous.”
Cami smiled. “Thank you. It suits you. You have lovely shoulders and arms.” She pursed her lips. “You’ll need a strapless bra.”