I pick up the tent that Victor, director of the ranch, dropped off for us earlier, and head for the door. Victor recommended we camp on the patch of prairie grass outside our cabin to get the “full experience of the ranch.”
“Can you grab the flashlight, babe?” I call over my shoulder to Liam.
“Aren’t there bears out here?” Liam asks me as I lay the tent on the grass and begin to work on setting it up.
“Yes, but they won’t bother us.”
“How do you know that?” he asks me. “Isn’t that what everyone says before they’re attacked by a bear?”
I laugh and stop what I’m doing to stand up and wrap my arms around him.
“You are so cute,” I say. “But here’s the thing—don’t you want to learn how to camp so you can go on camping trips with Lulu in Montana? I’m sure she’d love it.”
I can feel the moment he surrenders. The tension in his body eases, and his arms come around me.
“You really have a gift at the art of persuasion.”
I smile up at him. “Thank you. Now, can you help me set up?”
“Of course.”
* * *
A short while later, Liam and I are sitting on a massive broken branch that I swear was put here especially for us. Our tent is a few feet away.
“Can’t believe how many stars you can see out here.” Liam puts his arm around me and tugs me into his side. “You must be used to this though, right?”
“Montana has some amazing views of stars, I’m not going to lie.” I snuggle close to him. “But I love seeing the sky from different angles. Looking at it with you….in Wyoming…is special.”
I can hear his heartbeat against my ear.
This is the last night you’ll get to hear his heart.
I clench my teeth together to prevent myself from letting out a sob.
I don’t want to ruin our last night by crying like a baby. I want to make the most of our time together. Part of that is getting to know the man I’ve fallen in love with.
“Let’s play truth or dare.”
He chuckles. “You never fail to surprise me, Haley. Truth or dare isn’t something I would have thought to do with you.”
“Do you approve?”
“I do. You first.”
I have so many questions for him that I don’t know where to start.
“Truth. Do you love ice hockey?”
I want to take the question back as soon as I ask it. I almost feel like I’m intruding into a piece of Liam’s life that truly is none of my business. His decision to play hockey clearly began when both his parents were alive, so even if he loved the sport then, he may not anymore due to the circumstances.
“You can take Dare,” I remind him when twenty seconds have passed and he still hasn’t spoken.
“I’ll answer the question,” he says finally. “The truth is that I do love the sport of hockey. I love the feeling of flying across the ice, checking someone out of my way, possessing the puck, and driving it into the net. The feeling of the puck leaving my stick in the perfect arc is unmatched.”
“Heaven on earth,” I murmur.
He freezes. “Exactly. That’s exactly what it feels like.”
