How can I deny him anything when he’s looking at me like that?
“Ten minutes,” I repeat back.
“Make it thirty.” Leanna laughs before she lowers her voice and turns to face me. “Take him home with you, Athena. An afternoon quickie might be just what you need.”
I glance at Liam to find his eyebrows perked. When I look back at Leanna, she’s shrugging a shoulder.
“He heard every word of that,” I point out.
“Good.” She winks. “Have fun, and don’t hurry back.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Liam
Readingpeople is something I’ve always been good at. It started when I was a kid, and my mom would sit in silence in her chair in the corner of her bedroom.
She’d pretend to be reading, but she bookmarked the same page for months.
I’d watch from my spot in the center of her bed where I’d sit and play with my toys.
She never turned a page. She rarely looked at the book.
She’d stare out the window for hours.
I didn’t know why until a few years ago. She’s never confided in me. Winola told me that sometimes people think they’ve reached a point of no return where their secrets have to stay buried.
That’s bullshit.
It’s never too late to admit your sins and cleanse your soul.
If the person listening to your confession loves you, they’ll steer you into the light of forgiveness.
I want to do that with my mom but she chose to hide behind the truth she created in her mind.
Athena is hiding something too.
She hasn’t said a word since we left Wild Lilac.
I strolled next to her, holding her hand while she looked off in the distance.
If there’s another man in the picture, I’ll fight for her. Dammit, I will beg her on bended knee to give me a chance to love her.
I’m ready for that. I need that.
I’ll do whatever the fuck I can to sort my own life so I can start one with her that will last until we’re both old and gray.
She opens the door of her apartment and steps inside. I follow, locking the door behind me.
I’m not going to make a move.
I hoped that I’d get to feel her body against mine at some point today, but she needs something else from me.
Understanding, or support. Hell, maybe she just needs silence.
Her fingertips dance over the front of her neck.
It’s bare.
