We share a look, and I hear Phern sigh somewhere behind me. A soft littleawwthat almost makes me cry.
“Twins, huh?” Liam asks. “Do they run in your family?”
“They do. I had a twin sister. She passed away when I was eighteen.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, voice laced with sincerity. “That must’ve been hard.”
“It was,” I admit. “But it’s how I ended up here, actually.”
His eyes linger on mine. “Then I’m the luckiest guy in this bar. Because fate brought you to Broken Heart Creek just like it brought us here, tonight.”
I smile, but it’s shaky.
“Interesting way to look at it.” I nod toward Phern. “She brought me here, technically.”
“You still came,” he says, tone low and reverent. “That means the world.”
Something passes between us. Heavy. Hopeful. Fragile.
I clear my throat. “Well, cowboy, I hate to cut this short, but I’m exhausted.”
Liam’s eyes widen in alarm. “Shit—I didn’t think about that.”
I touch his arm. “I’m fine. Just tired.”
He exhales, relieved.
Then, after a beat, “Would it be too forward to ask you on a date tomorrow?”
“A date?” I lift an eyebrow. “Where?”
“There’s this restaurant in the next town over. Kinda fancy, but great Italian food.”
Where we had our first fake date.
My eyes sting. I nod. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
He doesn’t ask where I’m staying. Doesn’t ask to kiss me. Doesn’t even hug me. Instead, he rises slowly, tips his hat, and disappears into the crowd without another word.
I exhale, finally looking over at Phern. She’s watching me, as if she’s trying to see how I’m handling all of this.
That’s a good question, because I’m not sure.
I have to clear my throat twice before I can speak.
“Did you know he was going to ask me on another date?”
“Not really.”
I give her a look and she sighs.
“He said he wanted to recreate the night you met. Minus the wet t-shirt and leaving with someone else.”
“I gathered that much.”
“So, where is he taking you tomorrow?”
