Molly rolled her eyes, laughing. “Before you two start making out, I need to point out one small flaw.”
“What?” I asked, ready to fix whatever needed fixing.
“There’s no security system. No panic button. It’d take you guys ten minutes to get here from the ranch if—God forbid—they found me out here. What am I supposed to do?”
“That’s true,” Jace said, nodding. “What about Liam? He could probably stay with you in the spare room until we figure out what’s going on. Or at least until the security company can come out to install a new system.”
They both looked at me, waiting for my answer.
“Uh—yeah,” I said. “I don’t mind staying, if Molly doesn’t mind having me here.” I glanced over at her.
“Guess you’re getting your full-time bodyguard wish after all,” she joked.
And I’d love every second of it.
Chapter 22 – Molly
I walked back into the house, taking in the fact that this big, beautiful house was all mine. It still didn’t feel real to me. Suddenly, the tan Liam had developed this summer made sense. The toolbox he always had with him lately made sense too. He’d been busy out here fixing everything up. I had no idea how he’d managed to keep such a big secret for so long.
“It doesn’t have a lot of furniture yet, but if you want, I can help you start moving your stuff in tomorrow,” Liam offered, stepping up beside me, with Jace right on his heels.
“Me too—and I’m sure Colt and Ellie won’t mind helping either,” Jace added.
“Are you guys sure?” I asked. “You don’t have to rearrange your lives just for me.”
“Yes we do, you’re our sister,” Jace said easily. “And you know Cassie will love helping you decorate. She loves that kind of shit.” He grinned. “You can pay me back in desserts.”
“Deal,” I said, smiling. The thought of baking something in this big open kitchen sent goosebumps throughout my body.
“I’m gonna head out,” Jace said. “I’ve got a dinner date with Cassie. You gonna be okay out here tonight?”
“I’ll be fine. I promise,” I said. “Besides, I’ve got G.I. Joe here.” I motioned toward Liam, who was still in the living room admiring his handiwork.
Jace smirked. “Try not to kill each other.”
“No promises,” I said, grinning.
As the sound of Jace’s truck faded into the distance, I lingered on the back porch, watching the sun dip below the tree line. It reminded me of the sunset Liam and I had watched together out on Haven Bluff.
Footsteps creaked against the wooden planks behind me. “This is breathtaking,” I said, glancing back at Liam.
“It sure is,” he replied—but he didn’t look up at the sunset, only at me.
Gulp.His smoldering look was making me feel…a lot.
I sat down, wondering if Liam would follow my lead or go back inside. To my surprise, he sat a few inches from me.
“Tell me more about your brother,” I asked carefully, unsure if he’d be up for the conversation. Earlier, Liam had mentioned his mom, which had made me think about his brother too. I’d never reallytaken the time to learn about him, so now seemed as good a time as any.
He turned to me, surprised by the question, but I could tell he was happy to have the opportunity to talk about him.
“Well… you already know his name—Noah,” he said. “He was two years older than me. As far back as I can remember, he was by my side every second of every day. He loved playing make-believe and riding bikes around the yard with me. If we weren’t riding our bikes, we were probably in the tree house our grandpa had built us before he passed away. We wore that thing down to the studs.”
He paused before continuing. “Before he died, that was our secret hideaway. The sun shined through it all day long. After I found him, it became a dark closet where I could hide so I didn’t have to go into the house he’d killed himself in.
“For years, every time I walked by his room, I got this intense urge to throw up. I don’t know how else to explain it. It never really went away—not until I moved out.
“Occasionally, I dream about him. About us as little kids running around, our mom trying to keep up with two wild boys… and my dad nowhere in sight, just how we liked it.” He swallowed. “When I have dreams like that, it feels so real—like he’s really there, trying to talk to me or something. I don’t know how to explain that either.”
