Bliss

Chapter 124: Bliss

LIAM

I sat in the office of Carter Industries, staring at the contract in front of me. The words were blurry, not because I didn’t understand them, but because I was still processing the fact that I had a new job.

"You’ll start immediately," Mr. Carter, Sophie’s father, said from across the desk. "Although you just got into the labour market, I do not want my daughter to date a jobless guy who can't support her."

I swallowed hard. Few weeks ago, I thought I had everything figured out. Then I lost my job. Lost my father in a way that wasn’t physical but still felt permanent. And now, here I was, getting a fresh start because of Sophie’s family.

Because of Sophie.

"Thank you sir," I said finally, picking up the pen. "I won’t let you down."

"You’re part of the family now, Liam," Mr. Carter said, leaning back in his chair. "I trust you’ll do well here."

I signed my name at the bottom of the contract, setting the pen down with a small exhale, grateful for my second chance. My chance to be able to stand on my own two feet and take care of my growing family.

That evening, after getting off work, I decided to take a short drive to clear my head. My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number, but the message made my stomach turn.

“Meet me at the café. We need to talk.”

I didn’t need to guess who it was.

My father. It sounded just like what he would say.

I hesitated before pulling up to the small café near our apartment. I walked in, scanning the tables until I spotted him sitting in the corner. He looked different. Not weaker, but... less sure of himself.

I approached, stopping just short of the table. "Why are you here? Have you come to complete what you started?"

He gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit down, Liam."

I debated walking out, but curiosity got the best of me. I sat.

"I heard you got a new job," he said. "I wanted to congratulate you."

I scoffed. "I know you don’t care about that, I mean if you had your way, you'd make me lose the job again. So tell me, what do you really want?"

"I made mistakes, Liam." He said, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Mistakes?" I let out a dry laugh. "You had me fired. You've made me feel like I wasn't worth anything."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "That wasn’t... I didn’t think you’d walk away so easily."

"You mean you didn’t think I’d survive without you?" I corrected him with a scoff.

He didn’t answer.

I leaned forward. "Well, I did. I have a new job. A family who actually cares about me and a child on the way. I don’t need you anymore, Dad."

Something in his eyes shifted. "I don’t want to lose you, Liam."

"You already did." I responded, shaking my head.

It was quiet for a while then, he nodded. "I understand. But if there’s ever a time when you’re ready..." He trailed off, sliding a small card across the table. His personal number.

I didn’t take it.

"Maybe sometime in the future," I said, standing up. "But not now."

I walked away, leaving the card untouched.

When I got home, Sophie was curled up on the couch, flipping through a magazine. She looked up as I walked in, her face lighting up.

"Hey," she said. "How did it go with my dad?"

I sat beside her, pulling her feet into my lap. "I got the job."

She let out a breath of relief. "Liam, that’s amazing!"

I smiled, pressing a kiss to her ankle. "Yeah It is, all thanks to you baby."

“You don't have to say that, it's all you, your hard work paid off and you're reaping its fruits.” She smiled and she started to get up, but I placed a hand on her knee, stopping her.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

She raised a brow. "To get water?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I’ll get it for you."

"Liam…"

"Sophie," I cut her off. "You’re pregnant. You don’t have to do anything. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get it."

She rolled her eyes, with a beaming expression. "Fine. But don’t spoil me too much, or I’ll get used to it."

I smirked. "Too late."

After getting her water, I sat back down, pulling her close. My hand found its way to her stomach, resting there gently.

"I still can’t believe it," I murmured.

She placed her hand over mine. "Me too, it seems so surreal, we'll be parents soon."

We sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again.

"Are you scared?" she asked softly.

"Terrified," I admitted.

"Me too."

I kissed the side of her head. "But we’ll figure it out together."

She sighed, sinking deeper into my embrace. "Yeah. We will. I'm sure we will."

The rest of the evening passed in a quiet blur of soft conversations and shared glances. We made dinner together—well, I did most of the work while Sophie supervised.

"You're chopping those vegetables wrong," she teased.

I glanced at her. "Oh? And how should I be doing it, Chef Sophie?"

She grinned. "Like this." She took the knife from me and showed me a more precise technique.

I crossed my arms. "So, you do want to cook?"

She paused, realizing her mistake. "Nope," she said quickly, shoving the knife back into my hand. "That was just a demonstration."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Nice try."

Once dinner was done, we curled up on the couch with a movie playing in the background. Sophie rested her head on my chest, tracing circles on my arm.

"What do you think the future looks like for us?" she asked suddenly.

I exhaled, thinking. "Hmmmm, I think it looks like late nights with a crying baby, early mornings with little to no sleep, and chaos, a whole lot of it."

She laughed softly. "Sounds about right."

"But," I continued, tilting her chin up so she’d look at me. "I also think it looks like happiness, love, lots of dates, family time and bliss."

Her eyes softened. "I like that version better."

I kissed her, slow and deep.

"Then we'll try our best to make that happen," I murmured against her lips.

She smiled, settling against me once more.