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“There
were never enough hours in the day to get everything done.”
    “I know that.”
She released his hand and reached for a cushion, holding it against
her body. “I’m not gonna lie. I got lonely sometimes. I wished you
were around more, but I knew why you worked so hard, to give me the
best. And you did. I’ve had the kind of life most kids only dream
about.”
    Liam felt a
pang of regret for all of the years they could never get back. He’d
trade every cent he’d ever earned if he could re-live his
daughter’s childhood and make different choices. “But we both know
material things don’t matter, not in the big scheme of things.”
    Abby grinned.
“Maybe not, but I wouldn’t turn down a car, you know, if you’re
looking for ideas for my next birthday.”
    Liam chuckled,
relieved when he saw that playful glint in her eye. “I’ll keep that
in mind.”
    “Dad, I know
you feel guilty you weren’t there more, but you don’t have to. No
one’s childhood is perfect. Do I wish I had a different mother, one
who cared? Sure, but that’s life.” She looked into the blazing fire
a long time before she said, “I learned so much from you growing
up. When you want something, you go after it until you get it. Why
do you think I wouldn’t give up on the idea of going to art school?
I am your daughter, after all.”
    Liam set his
arm on the back of the couch and tugged a lock of her hair. “That
you are. I want to do things right this time, Abby. I’ve learned a
lot from the mistakes I made with you—”
    “That’s just
it, Dad. You didn’t make any mistakes. You made choices, and they
were the right ones. You made me the person I am and I love you for
that.” She leaned her head against the back of the couch and looked
at him. “I know this baby is gonna get a different father than I
had, because you’re a different person than you were back then.”
She grinned. “Thank God.”
    “Hey, what’s
that supposed to mean?”
    “Alisa did
what I thought no woman would be able to… She reined in the great
Liam Bryson.” She grinned when he frowned at her assessment. “And
I’m glad. Alisa could never have loved the guy you were back
then.”
    He thought
about it a minute before he asked, “What do you mean? She fell in
love with the man I was when we met.”
    “She also left
that guy, remember?”
    Liam hated
thinking about that time. He’d married Alisa on impulse in Las
Vegas, fallen in love with her virtually overnight, and he almost
drove her away with his compulsive need to put his company at the
top of his priority list. When he had a heart attack that almost
claimed his life, he realized he didn’t want to live that way
anymore, and nothing, not even the company he spent his life
building, was worth losing the only woman he ever loved.
    “How can I
forget?”
    “I’m so glad
you came to your senses and realized what’s important… before it
was too late.” She looked him in the eye. “You’ve never talked to
me about your father much. What it was like for you growing
up?”
    Liam didn’t
like to dwell on the past, and his father wasn’t a man who’d earned
the title. “My old man was busy building his own business. I didn’t
see him much.” He tried to conceal the bitterness when he said, “It
was probably for the best.”
    “Nana’s talked
to me about him,” she said quietly. “She used to say that you were
so much like him that it scared her.” She held a hand up when he
would have protested. “Not as ruthless or nasty, but you were so
focused, so determined to succeed.”
    “I had to be,
honey.” He didn’t want to sound defensive, but he knew he did. If
there was one man he didn’t want to be compared to, it was his
father. “I would never have achieved what I have if I hadn’t been
driven.”
    “I know that.
I’m just glad that you’ve found some balance now.” She smiled. “It
makes me happy to see you so happy.”
    “Thanks,
sweetheart.” He leaned