I turn and watch as she leaves me out here so she can go be in the arms of someone else.
Blakely
There’s been tension between Liam and I ever since the last night of our vacation. Is it because of the stupid comment Kevin made? Or the reaction Kai had when he found out Amari had a boy over and I didn’t tell him? Either way, I’m not sure how Liam can be mad at me. I’m not the one who made that comment, and I can’t help that my daughter's father got upset that I didn’t tell him about her friend. I can’t control what people say or feel. But somehow, I still feel guilty. The guilt I've been feeling for a while now is just amplifying.
The way that Kai and I hugged. The way he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him, allowing me to rest my head on his chest. I could practically hear his heart pounding. His warmth. His scent that made me feel like home. Why do I keep feeling these heightened emotions for him now? Why does it have tohappen now that I’m engaged? I need to keep the promise I made to myself and start planning my wedding.
A small knock startles me out of my thoughts. Liam is standing in our bedroom doorway in his gray slacks and a white collared shirt. He must’ve had patients to see today, as opposed to surgeries. He had left earlier than usual this morning, so I never got to see him. We usually always have a small breakfast together and go over our daily plans. When he had left this morning without a word, I knew he was more upset than I thought.
“Hey,” I mumble, barely glancing at him.
“What are you doing?” He comes and sits next to the clothes I have laid out on our bed.
“Unpacking.” We got home late last night. We had planned on leaving early in the morning, but no one wanted to leave. We all went out to the ocean and enjoyed one last swim. The whole vacation was perfect, but now everything feels so off.
He’s quiet for a moment, and I can feel his eyes on me, watching me fold the clothes. “Can we talk?” he finally asks, his voice soft, his hand reaching out to touch my arm.
I pause, my hands stiffening over the folded shirt from his expression. I’ve never seen that serious of a face on him. “Sure,” I say, as a knot forms in my stomach. “Is this about what Kevin said?”
His eyes flicker with something. He exhales slowly, shaking his head. “It’s about everything.”
The words hang between us, thickening the air. The room feels like it’s spinning around us. “Everything?” I repeat, trying to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean byeverything?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, okay?” he says, his voice rising. “Something feels off.”
I stare at him, feeling my guilt bubble up. “Like what?” I ask, trying to keep my tone calm.
He sighs, his hand falling into his lap. “I don’t know how to bring it up. I don’t want to ruin anything.”
“Tell me.”
His eyes flash, and I can tell this has been on his mind for a while. “I think—I think there needs to be more boundaries between you and Kai.”
I cross my arms, leaning back slightly. “Kevin was joking. You know that. He meant nothing by it, and I would never?—”
“It’s not only about what he said,” he cuts me off, more agitated now. “It’s about everything.”
“Everything like what?”
“Everything. Like how close you and Kai are. How everything we do has to involve him.”
Shaking my head in disbelief. “You knew how my family dynamic was when we first got together, and I told you nothing was going to change that.”
“I know,” he says quickly. “But I never fully realized how damn close you two were.”
I bite my lip. Anger and hurt swirl inside me. I want to lash out, to say something sharp, but deep down, I know he’s not wrong. Things with Kai have been shifting. Even though Liam hasn’t seen how close the two of us have gotten, I'm sure he feels it some way or another. “I’ve always been clear with you,” I say, feeling the weight of those words. But pretending everything is fine isn’t going to help.
He looks at me, his eyes searching mine for a better answer or a different one. “I know you have, and I accepted that. But the way you two are is something more than close because you have a daughter together,” he says softly. “Tell me I’m wrong, Blakely. Please, because I can’t keep overthinking everything and what Kevin said just makes everything I’ve already been feeling that much worse.”
I nod, not knowing how to respond. “I promise you, nothing is going on. I haven’t slept with Kai since we were together, and that was eight years ago. Why would I now? Especially while engaged to you,” I say. “I’ve never been one to cheat, and I won’t start now.” Even I eat my own words. Am I emotionally cheating? I’ve always heard of that being another way to cheat, but never knew exactly what it entailed. Having I been doing that all along and never realized it?
“There needs to be boundaries between the two of you,” he says, with steady words, like he’s been replaying those words repeatedly.
I shake my head. “Like what?”
He sighs. "Like, why do you two always have to spend every little celebration together? Every single holiday?”
I stare at him. My heart racing even faster than moments ago, not understanding where celebrations and holidays play into this. “I don’t understand. Kai is Amari's father. Why wouldn’t he be there for holidays and celebrations?”
