Chapter 45
Kendall
Istop walking and let go of his hand, stunned at what he’s said.
“Wait, Liam, are you asking me and my aunt to move in with you?”
He smiles. “Yeah. Not right now, but sometime in the future.”
I can’t speak. I’m too shocked. Liam’s been planning our future together?
“Moving in together is a huge thing to bring up out of the blue, Liam.”
That easy smile of his doesn’t budge. “I know it is. I didn’t mean for it to come off like it’s no big deal. I just wanted you to know that I’ve been thinking about us long-term. And I hope you have too.”
“Um…” I trail off, unsure of what to say. Because I haven’t been planning our future together. I’ve had thoughts here and there of what it would be like to be together…but nothing serious. Not like Liam.
I mean, it’s so sweet that he’s been thinking of a future with me—and my aunt. Warmth flickers in my chest. But a second later, it fades. Liam says he’s fine with living with my aunt now…but every guy I’ve dated said that too. And look what happened with them.
I think about my ex, how for our entire relationship he said he’d be okay with my aunt living with us when we eventually moved in together, but then when we started talking about it seriously, he changed his mind. I think about how he suggested we put her in a nursing home…
Panic takes hold of me. It feels like an invisible fist is squeezing my lungs.
I know that Liam wouldn’t suggest such a thing right now…but that’s because we’re not a real couple. We’re just two friends having fun. We haven’t experienced the ugly reality of being an official couple—arguing and stressing about money and family and a million other things.
Liam says he’s fine with living with my aunt now…but what if he changes his mind?
Every guy I’ve been with changes their mind.
I halt the flurry of thoughts spinning through my head.
“Liam, I thought I made it clear to you that I’m not interested in anything serious or long-term. I thought you were on board with that. But you buying a house with enough room to house me and my aunt isn’t in line with that at all. What changed?”
His smile fades at the sharp tone of my voice. “My feelings for you changed, Kendall.” He pauses, the look in his eyes turning intense.
“I know I said I was okay with just hooking up with you. And I was at first,” he says. “But the more time I spend with you, the more I realize that I can’t just be your friend who you sleep with sometimes. I want more.”
He steps closer and scoops my hand in his. He takes a breath. “I’m in love with you, Kendall.”
I stare at him, my chest throbbing.
“I’ve never been as happy as when I’m with you. I don’t sleep well unless you’re in my arms. When I wake up in the morning with you cuddled into my chest, I feel like my heart is going to burst in the best way.”
He lets out a breath and looks at our joined hands before looking back up at me.
“I can be myself around you. Everyone else writes me off as a dumb hockey player. You don’t though. You think I’m smart. You read books with me. You let me be me without judging me. No one else has ever done that for me. Only you.”
A hard swallow moves down his throat.
“You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, Kendall. Of course I fell in love with you.”
I stand there, my heart pounding at everything Liam’s said.
He glances off to the side and tugs a hand through his hair. “Sorry. That was probably a lot for you to hear.” He turns to me. “I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.”
I blink at him, my heart aching to tell him that I love him so much too, that I feel the same way about him.
But I hold back. Because I know that even if I tell him that, I still can’t give him what he wants.
