To Have It All(17)

I was still Liam.

I was still no one.





The doorbell rang ten times with no pause between. I jumped up from the floor, momentarily disoriented, my heart pounding from being woken up so abruptly. The sun blanketed the bedroom, causing me to squint. After a few seconds, I got my wits about me and realized I was still in Max’s apartment.

I was still in his body.

Nothing had changed.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Shit,” I grumbled as I clumsily rushed toward the living room, jamming my shoulder against the bedroom doorframe.

“Damn,” I muttered, rubbing my shoulder.

The doorbell continued to chime as I tripped over my own feet.

“Hold on a damn minute!” I yelled. My voice—or rather Max’s voice—sounded husky with sleep.

That didn’t stop the person from ringing it ten more times. By the time I got the locks flipped and ripped open the door, I was prepared to lose my mind on whoever was on the other side. In fact, my mouth was open and ready when I saw . . . them. With eyes wide from shock, I managed not to say anything, which wasn’t difficult because I had no idea what to say.

“Max,” Waverly smiled, though it didn’t seem quite authentic. In fact, it looked downright maniacal. Her hair was in a ponytail just as it had been the night before, but this time she was wearing jeans and a gray shirt that hung off one shoulder. Was there anything she didn’t look hot in? Her outfit wasn’t what had stunned me, though. No, what had me tongue-tied was the chubby baby girl propped up on her hip with her head resting on Waverly’s shoulder.

“So this is Pim,” Waverly began, her grin widening, when I didn’t speak. Apparently, my reaction brought her great joy. “Pim,” she went on, “this is your sperm donor, Max.” Snapping my mouth shut, I blinked a few times as my discombobulation from the abrupt wake-up began to let up. This child was his daughter. Max’s daughter. Shit. The memories of the night before hit me in the gut. This toddler is the daughter Max had abandoned. “So,” Waverly continued, “she ate breakfast at seven, and her next nap isn’t until noon.” Lifting Pim from her hip, she kissed her cheek several times and said, “Be a good girl for Max, baby. I love you.”

When she thrust the baby at me, it was pure reflex when I took her. Pim immediately began wailing, reaching for Waverly who turned and stepped away.

“You’re leav—” Before I could ask, she returned pulling a large wagon behind her, filled with baby gear, a suitcase, and toys. Pushing by me, she hauled the wagon in until she reached the center of the living room. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked around and snickered, shaking her head. I wasn’t sure what she was snickering about, but it didn’t seem positive.

“I have classes until two. I’ll be back around 2:30.”

Walking toward me, she wiggled her fingers as she made a silly face at Pimberly who was squawking and practically jumping out of my arms to get back to her mother. “I love you, I love you,” she repeated to her, over and over again as she kissed Pimberly’s little hands. Pimberly was fighting hard to get back to her, and I felt like I was wrestling a bear cub just to keep her in my arms.

Then, looking up at me, Waverly smiled. “You two have fun today.”

She scurried by me and out the front door. I looked down at the baby in my arms, red-faced and sobbing, trying to understand what was happening. “Wait!” I yelled as I rushed out the door into the hall. Waverly was at the elevator, waiting, arms crossed casually as if she didn’t have a care in the world. When she turned to face me, her features lifted in surprise.

“You can’t just leave her with . . . me,” I asserted. “She doesn’t even know me.” This was true; Pimberly didn’t know Max, and I was not Max, so she double didn’t know me.

Arms still crossed, she shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, since you seem torn about signing rights over to the daughter you have never spent time with, or contributed to her life in any way, I thought you should spend some time together. You see, you don’t get to keep rights to her while pretending she doesn’t exist. So here she is, Max,” she said.

My brows furrowed. Goddamn you, Max. Why are you such a fucking asshole? I really didn’t want to keep Pimberly. I didn’t have anything against kids; quite the contrary. I loved kids. If I’d met the right woman I would probably have had a couple already, but Pim wasn’t mine, and I wasn’t sure it was right for me to keep her, but it’s not like I could explain the situation to Waverly. Not to mention, I understood her point. She was fed up with Max’s bullshit and was playing hardball now.

Shaking my head, I moved Pimberly to my other side and started patting her back, trying to calm her. “Does she have any allergies?” When I watched my nephew David many years ago, he’d had an allergic reaction to peanut butter. His face swelled up, and he had welts everywhere. It was one of the most terrifying days of my life.

Waverly wasn’t impressed by my thoughtful question. She looked at me, her eyes narrowing in anger. Her plan hadn’t worked. She was convinced Max would cave and sign the papers right then and there to avoid having to spend time with his kid. The real Max, from what I could tell, would have, but I wasn’t Max . . . and I just couldn’t. “No.” Lifting her chin, she inhaled deeply through her nose, displeased with my reaction as the elevator doors opened. “Call me if there’s an emergency.”