“Oh?” She snorted. “What did you study?”
“I have a PhD in environmental sciences, which means I took an unholy amount of chemistry, physics, and biology as well as earth science.”
“Sounds terribly boring.” She laughed.
“Never!” he admonished. “I bet you didn’t know that an entire ecosystem lives in a drop of our ocean water. Millions of microscopic organisms populate the surface along with an unfortunate amount of microscopic plastic and chemicals. That’s my passion, reducing the concentration of harmful stuff in our oceans.”
Charlie narrowed her eyes. “If it’s harmful, why is it there?”
He sighed. “Humans don’t have magic, so sometimes we have to use plastic.”
She giggled. “Plastic is like magic?”
Sliding the pans into the strange round oven, he sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, it’s superlight and has a million applications, many of them lifesaving. It’s not a simple problem. I’m not sure the human race could ever completely go back to living without it.”
“If there is a way to save your Earth from this complex problem, I know that you will figure it out. You’re very smart.”
He chuckled. “What makes you think so?”
“How you handled Cassius when he attacked you. Many people would have panicked in that situation.”
He sighed. “That was training, not intelligence.”
“From your days as a warrior.”
“Yeah. The Army.”
“So you left your family business, joined your military, educated yourself, and now you’re working to save your planet? And your family has pushed you away?”
“That’s about right.”
“Hmm. I’m sorry about that. My family is everything to me. I wish yours treated you better. You deserve better.”
His heart squeezed at her words and the way she looked at him, as if she found him worthy. Valuable. As much as he was tempted to let the conversation go at that, Liam wanted to tell her the truth. If there was anyone he could tell, it was her. In a few days, he’d never see her again, and because she was from another world, there was no one she could tell.
“The truth is, it’s not entirely their fault.” He clenched his jaw.
“Oh?” She leaned forward slightly. No judgment, just interest.
“My dad and I didn’t get along when I was a kid, and I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. Yes, we had our differences, but I was the one who left. They never kicked me out. And the door has always remained open for me to come home. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t kind people. I’m not missing any warm family memories. But they also aren’t the ones who ended our relationship. That was me. He died in August, and I know my mom probably needed me, but I stayed away.”
She tilted her head. “I don’t understand. Were they accepting of your choices or not?”
He sighed. “At first my father was angry, but he didn’t need me in the business. He had my brother Spencer and sister Kara to carry the weight. Over time, he dropped it. But I felt the disdain every time I came home. My parents would spew praises about my siblings. When it came to me and my life, they never said a word… until I became engaged to a socialite.”
“You’re engaged?”
“Was engaged. It’s over. My family thought she’d force me to settle down and get with their program for my life. It’s what she wanted. But that life wasn’t for me.”
“You don’t want to settle down.”
“I don’t want to work for Morrismart. I wouldn’t mind having a family someday, but not with her. Not when it’s all about the money and the name.”
She frowned. “I can relate to that.” Hanging her head, she traced the toe of her slipper across the wood floor. “I can’t tell you how many men have come here, hoping to become a prince, only to see my wings and decide the title wasn’t worth it.”
He shook his head. “They have no idea what they’re missing, angel. Your wings…” He fixed her with a hungry look. “I think I like waking up with feathers in my face.”
She raised an eyebrow.
