I shook my head. “That obvious, huh?”
“Only to someone who knows you.” He took another swig of water, then gave me a sideways glance. “You know, it's almost funny. Weren’t you the one telling me to stop standing in my own way with Everlee?”
With a groan, I let my head fall back against the wall. “This isn't like that.”
“No?” His tone was skeptical. “Because from where I'm sitting, it looks exactly like that. You, fighting feelings you didn't expect to have for a woman who started as a convenient solution to a problem.”
Staring at the ceiling, I considered his words. Was it the same? Liam and Evie had started as a business arrangement too—a marriage of convenience to secure his inheritance. But somewhere along the way, it had become real. They'd fallen in love, made plans for a future together, created a life.
“That's the thing,” I said slowly, working through the realization as I spoke. “As terrifying as it is, I'm certain of my feelings for Cecelia and what I want. It's everyone else I'm worried about.”
Liam set down his water bottle and gave me his full attention. “What do you mean?”
Struggling to articulate the fears that had driven me from my bed at dawn, I ran a hand through my sweat-damp hair. “Last night at dinner, Evie made a joke about how Cecelia wasn't technically my wife. And at the time, I didn't think much of it. But this morning…” I trailed off, unsure how to continue.
“This morning…” Liam prompted.
“This morning I realized I don't want this to be temporary.” The admission felt like pulling off a bandage—quick, painful, and exposing something raw beneath. “But Evie's comment made me wonder how she'd react if she knew.”
“Knew what? That you have genuine feelings for her sister?”
“That,” I snorted. “And my parents.”
Liam's expression darkened slightly at the mention of my family. He'd never liked them, had seen firsthand the way they'd treated me over the years.
“What about them?” he asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
“They're still pushing for me to marry Samantha Hastings,” I said. “They see Cecelia as an inconvenience. They won’t stop even if they knew…” I didn't finish the sentence, didn't need to. We both knew what my parents were capable of when they wanted something.
Liam was quiet for a moment. “First of all,” he finally said, “Everlee would be the last person to judge you for developing real feelings for Cece. As long as you don't hurt her, of course. Otherwise, she might murder you.” His tone was light, but there was a seriousness behind his eyes that said he wasn't joking.
“And as for your parents.” He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “At some point, Rafe, you're going to have to decide what matters more—their approval or your happiness. You can't have both. Not with the way they are.”
He wasn’t wrong. I'd known it for years, of course. Had felt the impossibility of ever being enough for them, of ever measuring up to the ghost of my brother. But hearing it stated so plainly made it impossible to ignore.
“You need to set boundaries,” Liam continued. “Real ones. Not the temporary workarounds you've been using. And yeah, that might mean making tough decisions. Life-altering ones. But the alternative is letting them dictate your happiness for the rest of your life.”
I nodded grimly as a new determination replaced the uncertainty that had driven me here. “You're right. If I'm going to do this, I need to be all in. No half measures.”
“Exactly.” Liam clapped me on the shoulder. “And for what it's worth, I think you two make sense together. In a weird, unexpected way.”
I snorted. “Thanks, I think.”
He shrugged. “Just calling it like I see it. Now,” he stood, stretching his arms above his head, “are we going to finish this workout, or did you just drag me out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn to have a heart-to-heart?”
I laughed. “Both. Definitely both.”
As we moved back to the center of the ring, I felt something settle inside my chest. A certainty. A decision. Whatever happened next, whatever obstacles stood in our way, I wasn'tgoing to let Cecelia go without a fight. She'd become too important, too essential. And if that meant facing down my parents, my past, all the walls I'd built to protect myself, so be it
Because for the first time in my life, I'd found something worth fighting for. And I wasn't about to let it slip through my fingers.
Chapter 25
Rafe
My muscles protested as I pushed through the revolving door of my building. My body ached, yes, but my mind felt clearer than it had in weeks, maybe even years. The talk with Liam had scrubbed away the panic that had driven me from bed and left behind something steadier, something more certain.
I wanted Cecelia. Not just for now, not just for the terms of our arrangement, but for good. Forever. The word no longer sent terror pulsing through my veins. Instead, it felt like the only thing that made sense.
