Liana's POV
Mia was in her usual giggle mode as I tickled her tiny feet. Her laugh was my favorite sound in the world, but I was also exhausted. My life felt like a messy jigsaw puzzle, and I wasn't even sure if all the pieces were there.
That's when Adrian walked in, looking like he had just won the lottery. He shut the door, his grin annoyingly smug.
"Lily," he called, plopping onto the couch like he owned the place—which, technically, he did.
"What now?" I asked, not even looking up.
"I have good news," he said, sitting forward like a kid about to share a secret.
"Oh great," I muttered sarcastically. "What is it this time? Did you figure out how to be less annoying?"
"Ha-ha, very funny," he said dryly. "No, I got you a job."
That caught my attention. I looked up, narrowing my eyes. "A job? Doing what? Being your housemaid? Because that's a hard no."
"Nope," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "At the bookshop downtown. It's legit, I swear."
"Not interested," I shot back, focusing on Mia.
"Liana," he said, groaning like he was dealing with a stubborn toddler. "Come on. At least hear me out."
"Why should I?"
"Because," he said, leaning forward with that annoying smirk of his, "there's no way you can afford Mia's endless supply of diapers without some income. Unless you plan on crocheting them yourself, which knowing you might actually be a disaster."
I bit back a smile, refusing to give him the satisfaction. "I'll figure it out," I said stubbornly.
"Oh really?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "And when Mia decides she needs one of those fancy baby toys that light up and play music, what then? Gonna sing to her yourself? Wait, don't answer that—I'm terrified of the idea."
That earned him a reluctant laugh.
"See?" he said, grinning. "I'm not entirely useless."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't hold back my smile. "Fine. I'll think about it."
"That's my girl," he said, standing and doing a mock bow. "I knew you couldn't resist my charm."
I threw a pillow at him, which he dodged with exaggerated flair.
The next morning, I found myself at the bookshop, thanks to Adrian's persistence and his ability to bribe me with free coffee. The place was cozy, with wooden shelves packed with books and a faint smell of vanilla lingering in the air.
I was behind the counter when the door jingled and someone familiar walked in. My jaw dropped.
"Grace?" I blurted, blinking as if she was some kind of mirage.
" No way Liana?" she said, her voice rising in surprise. "Oh my God, it's you!"
We stared at each other for a moment before breaking into simultaneous laughter. She rushed over and pulled me into a hug, careful not to squish Mia, who was still strapped to my chest.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping back to look me over.
"This is my workplace," I said with a half-smile. "I should be asking you what you're doing here."
"I work at the coffee shop next door," she said, grinning. "Came here to grab a book on my break. Wait… whose baby is this?"
"This is Mia," I said, adjusting the carrier.
"Yours?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Liana, I had no idea! What happened to you after high school?
"It's a long story," I said quickly, not wanting to get into it.
Grace's face softened as she leaned down, cooing at Mia. "Hi, little one! Aren't you just the cutest thing ever?"
Mia giggled, her tiny hands reaching out, and Grace melted on the spot. She held out her arms. "Can I hold her?"
I hesitated for a second before unstrapping Mia and handing her over. Grace bounced her gently, making silly faces that had Mia squealing with laughter.
"You've got yourself a charmer here," Grace said, smiling.
"Yeah, she's the best," I said, feeling a rare warmth in my chest.
"So," Grace said, still playing with Mia, "how's your dad? Marcus, right?"
My smile faltered, and I quickly looked away. "I don't want to talk about it," I said, my voice tight.
Grace immediately backed off, her tone gentle. "Okay. I get it. But if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."
We exchanged numbers, and she handed Mia back with one last cuddle. "This little princess is going to break hearts one day," she said with a wink.
I laughed. "She already has."
Later that night, Adrian was waiting for me when I got home.
"So," he said, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe. "How was it?"
"Not terrible," I admitted, dropping onto the couch with Mia.
"Wow," he said, pretending to be shocked. "A compliment? I think I need to sit down."
"Don't push your luck," I warned, but I couldn't help smiling.
"Hey, at least I'm not the one crocheting diapers," he said with a smirk.
And for once, I didn't have a comeback.
The evening was peaceful, with Mia dozing off in my arms and the faint hum of Adrian's jazz playlist filling the room. I didn't know why he was so obsessed with jazz. It didn't match his personality, too calm, too smooth.
"You're unusually quiet," Adrian said, breaking the silence. He was seated at the dining table, scrolling through something on his laptop.
I shrugged, focusing on Mia. "Just tired."
"You sure that's all?"
"Don't start, Adrian," I muttered.
"Okay, okay. Just making sure you're not plotting world domination or something," he teased.
I shot him a look but didn't reply.
"By the way," he said after a moment, "you did great today. At the bookshop, I mean."
I glanced at him, surprised. "Are you… complimenting me?"
"Don't get used to it," he said, smirking.
"I wasn't planning to." I rolled my eyes
He laughed softly, closing his laptop and walking over. He leaned against the arm of the couch, his presence annoyingly warm.
"So, have you met anyone interesting at the shop?" he asked casually.
I hesitated, not wanting to bring up Grace klein just yet. "Not really. Why?"
"Just curious," he said, watching me with that annoyingly perceptive gaze of his.
"Well, if you must know, I met an old friend," I finally admitted.
His eyebrows raised. "Oh? Who?"
"Grace Klein. We went to high school together," I said, keeping my tone nonchalant.
"Grace Klein," he repeated, as if testing the name. "She sounds... friendly."
"She is," I said, narrowing my eyes. "What's your point?"
"Nothing," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Just making sure she's not another Ethan."
My stomach tightened at the mention of Ethan, the guy from my stroll the other day. Adrian had barely let me hear the end of it.
"Ethan was harmless," I snapped.
"Sure he was," Adrian said, smirking.
Before I could retort, Mia stirred in my arms, letting out a tiny whimper.
"See what you did?" I hissed.
Adrian leaned down, his expression softening as he looked at Mia. "Hey, it's okay, princess. Uncle Adrian didn't mean to upset you."
I rolled my eyes. "You're not her uncle."
"Close enough," he said with a wink.
To my surprise, Mia actually settled down at his words, her tiny fingers curling against her cheek.
"Traitor," I muttered under my breath, earning a laugh from Adrian.
"See how cute you look smiling young woman" he said as he was staring me but I removed my gaze as I rolled my eyes and scoffed