High Stakes (22 page)

“Nah, I think she was done with him as soon
as she found out he cheated on her. That’s one thing Alisa won’t tolerate.
Can’t say as I blame her. That one was always a deal breaker for me, too.”

“Yeah,” Liam said, turning back to the
crowd. “Without trust and loyalty, you have nothing.” If only he could get over
the nagging feeling that Nick Sinclair hadn’t played his last card.

Liam had been counting down the hours until
Alisa’s arrival. His family had flown in together from San Francisco, but when
he offered to have the jet pick Alisa up in Nashville, she insisted on flying
in on her own. She said she didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. What she
didn’t realize was that life as Mrs. Liam Bryson afforded her some serious
perks, and he intended to make sure she got used to enjoying them.

“You seem nervous,” Abby said, spraying sunscreen
on her legs before stretching out on the lounger beside him.

“I guess I am.” He propped his sunglasses
up on his head as he stared out at the ocean. “It’s not every day I introduce
my daughter to my new wife.”

She reached across the space between their
chairs. “Don’t worry, Dad. It’ll be cool.”

He loved that his daughter was more
carefree than he’d been at her age. He must have given her a sense of peace
knowing that he’d always be there to take care of her. “It means a lot to me
that you’re willing to give Alisa a chance, honey.”

“That means you’ll have to do the same when
it’s my turn to start bringin’ guys home, right?”

Liam cringed just thinking about. He knew
that day would be here long before he was ready. “Don’t count on it.”

She pouted, looking utterly adorable. No
question about it, she knew she had her daddy wrapped around her little finger.
“Hey, that’s not fair.”

“Sometimes life isn’t fair, princess. As
your father, I reserve the right to give your boyfriends a hard time. In fact,
I consider it my job.”

She sighed dramatically. “I kind of
expected that from you.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Control freak.”

He picked up the bottle of water by his
chair, removed the cap, and spewed a generous amount in her direction.

“Hey!” she squealed, reaching for her towel
to dab her wet face. “I just applied sunscreen.”

“Good thing it’s waterproof, then.” He
laughed at her haughty attitude, knowing she’d forgive him in a nanosecond.
That’s the kind of relationship they had… She always reminded him to laugh when
everything else in his life brought him down.

“Speaking of overprotective fathers, did
Trey Turner give you a hard time?”

Liam shrugged as he watched a cruiser
navigating the waves in the distance. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Abby frowned. “If he’s got a problem with
you marrying his daughter, I’d be happy to tell him that he’s lucky you chose
her. She could spend the rest of her life looking, but she’d never find a
better guy than you. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my dad.”

Moments like these, Liam realized his
daughter was growing up. She wasn’t a baby who needed to be protected from the
harsh realities of a cruel world anymore. His job as a parent would soon change,
as he had to learn how to step back and let his little girl make her own
choices. He trusted her, and he knew she was too smart to get caught in most of
the common teenage traps, but he knew he’d never stop worrying about her. Just
as Trey still worried about his grown daughter getting hurt.

“Thanks for saying that, baby. Knowing you
feel that way about your old man means more than anyone else’s opinion.”

“Even Alisa’s?”

He tipped his head to the side, trying to
determine if a hint of resentment lurked beneath the surface of that question.
It had always been just the two of them. Of course, he’d had women in his life,
but he was careful not to bring them into his daughter’s world. “Alisa’s my
wife, hon. Of course her opinion matters to me. A lot. Does that bother you?”

“No.” She watched one of their neighbors, a
sun-kissed blond teenager, command his surfboard. “I’m glad you found someone.
I hate to think of you spending the rest of your life alone. It won’t be long
before I’m out of the house—”

Liam groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

She giggled. “It would be even sooner if
you let me go to that art school in New York.”

“Abby…” Liam said, using the tone that
cautioned her against pushing her luck. “You know how I feel about that. You’re
too young to live in some strange city on your own.”

She propped her oversized sunglasses up on
her head and rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’d live in residence with all the other
kids. They have dorm monitors to keep an eye on us, besides—”

He held his hand up to halt her argument.
“We’ve already discussed this. You’re not ready.”

“Maybe you’re the one who’s not ready to
let me go,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said quietly. He
drew a deep breath. “I know you’ll be going off to college in a few years,
baby, and I want you to have that experience. Those years were some of the best
of my life. But we only have a short time left before that day comes, and I’m
just not ready to let you go. I’m sorry if that sounds selfish or you think I’m
being unfair, but as your father, I’m the one who has to decide what’s best for
you.”

“You think you’ll have any more kids with
her?”

Liam was still getting used to the idea of
being married. The thought of having more children hadn’t even entered his
mind. “I don’t know. Would it bother you if we did?”

“No.” She waved a hand to the boy who’d
captured her attention, and Liam realized she probably had a crush on the boy
she used to build sand castles with. He’d have to keep a closer eye on them to
make sure it didn’t evolve into something neither one of them was ready for. “I
think it would be good for you.” She smiled. “Maybe if you had another kid,
you’d give me a little breathing room.”

“You think I smother you?”

“I’m just teasing,” she said, reaching for
his hand. “Listen, I’ve wanted you to find someone for a long time now.” She
shrugged. “Having another girl around the house sometimes will be nice. I mean,
you’re great, don’t get me wrong, and I love Nana and Mrs. Foster, but
sometimes it would be cool to have someone younger to talk to. Someone who
wasn’t a teenager when Elvis was the king.”

Liam laughed. “Elvis will always be the
king.”

“Dad, I’m serious.”

“What about your Aunt Tracey? You know you
can always go to her if you have a problem.”

“I know, but she’s Mel’s mom, and sometimes
Melanie’s part of the problem.”

“What do you mean? I thought you and your
cousin got along great.”

“We do, but…”

This was the first Liam had heard about
animosity between the girls, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was missing
out on other things because his business took him away from home so much. “But
what?” When she hesitated, he said, “You know you can tell me anything, honey.”

“Melanie’s pretty interested in boys. I
mean…
really
interested, and she’s gone a lot further than I have.
Sometimes I feel like such a baby compared to her.”

Liam felt the hard fist of shock hit him in
the stomach. His baby was suddenly interested in pursuing a physical
relationship with boys? He was so not ready for this, and he didn’t know what
to say to ensure she wouldn’t even consider taking the next step until she was
much, much older.

“Hi there.”

Liam looked up and a wave of relief washed
over him when he saw his wife. He would talk to Alisa and get her take on this.
It wasn’t so long ago she’d been a teen, and he was anxious to know how her
parents handled this delicate issue with her. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said,
getting up off his lounge chair. “It’s great to see you.”

She reached out to give him a hug before
casting a glance at Abby. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“No, of course not. We were just catching
up.” In fact, she couldn’t have come at a better time. If ever he’d needed to
be rescued, now was the time. “How was your flight?”

“Good.”

“I wish you’d let me send the plane. It was
crazy for you to fly commercial when you didn’t have to.”

She laughed. “I’ve been flying commercial
all my life. It’s no big deal.”

“Um, Alisa, this is my daughter Abigail,”
he said, gesturing toward the teen.

She rolled her eyes as she eased forward on
the lounger to offer Alisa her hand. “It’s Abby, not Abigail.”

Alisa laughed as she shook Abby’s hand.
“I’ll remember that.” She reached into the oversized handbag she was carrying
over her shoulder. “I brought something for you, Abby.” She extracted a small
white box and handed it to the girl. “One of the jewelry designers whose
merchandise I carry in my store brought it in yesterday, and I thought it would
look fabulous with your coloring.”

Abby opened the box and gasped when she saw
the handmade amethyst and aqua pendant hanging from the delicate white gold
chain. “Oh wow, this is amazing.” She ran a hand over the gemstones before
looking up at Alisa. “Seriously, that was really nice of you. Thanks.”

“My pleasure. I’m glad you like it.” Alisa
gestured to her bag. “Actually, I was hoping you could do me a favor… if you
have some time this weekend?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“I’m considering a teen line for my store,
and I brought along pictures of some of the things I like. I was hoping you
could give me your opinion. Your cousin Melanie, too. I mean, I think I know
what teens like, but having your input would give me a lot more confidence in
my buying decisions.”

“Hey, that’d be cool.” She smiled. “My
dad’ll tell you how much I love clothes.”

Liam chuckled. “I’ve had to knock out a
wall so we could enlarge her closet.”

Alisa propped a hand on her hip. “Liam, a
girl can never have too much closet space.” She winked at Abby. “Isn’t that
right?”

Abby grinned as she stood up. “Oh, I’m
gonna like her, Dad.” She took the necklace out of the box and handed it to her
stepmother. “Would you mind putting this on for me? My dad’s kinda clumsy when
it comes to stuff like this.”

Alisa giggled. “Most men are.” She fastened
the clasp with practiced ease and set Abby’s long dark hair over her shoulders.
“Let me see.”

Abby turned to face her, proudly showing
off her new jewelry. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s perfect.”

“Thanks, I think so, too.” She surprised
Liam by giving Alisa a quick hug before turning her attention to him. “Dad, can
I go say hi to Colin?”

Colin was their neighbors’ son. The boy
trying to show off on his surfboard, no doubt to impress Abby. “Um, I don’t
know. I thought we’d eat in a bit.”

Alisa reached for his hand. “I’d love to
take a walk on the beach. If that’s okay with you?”

Liam realized his wife was trying to form
an alliance with his daughter, and he appreciated her effort. “Sure, but no
more than half an hour, Abby. And stay outside, please.”

“Sure,” she said, grabbing her towel before
running down the length of the private beach toward their neighbors’ house.

“God help me,” Liam said, tilting his head
back to look up at the sky. “I’m so not ready for this.”

“You’re not ready for what?” Alisa asked,
winding her arms around his waist.

“I’m not ready for my little girl to grow
up.”

Alisa laughed. “I’m twenty-six tomorrow and
my dad’s still not ready to let me grow up.”

Liam frowned. “Your birthday’s tomorrow?”
He cursed himself for not knowing such an important fact. But they had yet to
learn so many things about each other.

She shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s no big deal.
I don’t want you to—”

He spared a glance down the beach to make
sure his daughter was preoccupied before he skimmed his wife’s lips with his
tongue. Groaning, he drew her closer before ravishing her mouth. “You better
believe it’s a big deal, Mrs. Bryson. I intend to make sure this will be one
birthday you never forget.”

Alisa hadn’t intended to tell Liam about
her birthday because she knew he’d never let it pass without fanfare, but being
here with him and his family was the only thing she needed to make her birthday
memorable. She’d had the fancy parties and lavish gifts before. What she’d
never had was the opportunity to watch a stunning sunset over the ocean with
the love of her life by her side. That was the part she was most looking
forward to.

Day stretched into evening as Alisa got to
know her new brother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. It was easier
than she’d expected, and they welcomed her into the fold as though she was
always a part of their lives. The best part was watching her stepdaughter
crushing on the boy next door. Liam reluctantly invited Colin to dinner, after
Abby invested half an hour begging him, but he kept one eye on them and the
other on the grill most of the evening.