Satisfied, he put his back into his efforts as he propelled them through the shaded sanctuary.
***
Chloe should probably bring up the next characteristic on her agenda. It was the perfect place to talk about Ledger’s steadfastness. She’d thought this would be a difficult concept for someone like him.
But when Liam was away from the crowds, he actually had the steady thing pretty well perfected. Like now, he paddled quietly upstream, seemingly soaking in the sights and sounds of nature. She liked that he didn’t seem compelled to fill every second with chatter. Even when he was teasing her, he wasn’t so bad. A little exasperating maybe, but he wasn’t a meanie about it.
“Wanna talk about Ledger?” he asked as if reading her mind. “Might as well since we’ve got all this time.”
“Sure, I guess. I thought we’d talk about his steady presence next.”
“Steady presence.” He said the words as if testing them on his tongue. “What does that mean exactly?”
“He’s always there for Cate, through thick and thin. Like whenshe has that health scare and toward the end when she’s pushing him away. He’s a solid foundation for her.”
“Kind of like loyalty then.”
She tried to nail it down. “Kind of like that. But it’s more that he stays calm through it all. He’s steady in a crisis. He doesn’t let his emotions get away from him.”
“He’s a pretty sensitive guy though. So why’s he so steady? His childhood was pretty chaotic. I’d think that would make him anything but calm in a crisis.”
“Or maybe the chaos made him crave calm. But in his case it was his military background. Twelve years of preparing for the worst trained him to respond thoughtfully instead of freezing or lashing out or running.”
“Makes sense.” His brow furrowed. He made two more scoops with the paddles, seeming to let that sink in. “My friend Spencer’s like that, though he wasn’t in the military. Nothing rattles him. He just buckles down and finds solutions. He’s methodical. Why’s that characteristic so important to Cate?” He cut her a grin. “And a million other women, apparently.”
“For Cate it’s more that his steadiness keeps him there. He doesn’t run at the first sign of trouble. In fact, there’s no amount of trouble that would tear him away from her.”
“And she feels so strongly about that because of the loss she’s experienced?”
“Right.”
“Makes sense,” Liam said.
His low voice scraped at the old wound. She caught his unwavering stare and shifted in her seat. It was as if he were seeing right inside her. Right back to her own childhood. Her father’s “traveling job” had kept their household in a state of flux. And when they found out about his other family, his departure was immediate—and permanent. Devastating.
This particular trait of Ledger’s had been the cornerstone of many reviews and private messages. It seemed Chloe hadn’t been the only one unable to find a man who stayed through thick and thin.
Wedding vows weren’t taken seriously anymore. For better or worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Not that Chloe had kept a man long enough to make it down the aisle. She wanted to, though. The little girl who’d made that tacky dream book was still alive and well—albeit with better fashion sense.
Liam turned into another stream, checking over his shoulder as he rowed, maneuvering the boat smoothly.
“You’re getting pretty good with this thing.”
“I wouldn’t mind a little more practice before the boating scene is filmed. I’m a long way from boatbuilder proficiency.”
“You’re welcome to use it anytime.”
“I think it would be helpful if we could run lines again tomorrow. We can work on the scenes I’ll be rehearsing Monday with Daisy.”
She was surprised he wanted to run lines again. He’d done so well yesterday. “Sure. Maybe we can do that at your place so we don’t have to worry about the paparazzi.”
“Sounds good. Hey, Spencer mentioned that we should probably post something on our socials about us.”
“Something like...?”
“You know, a relationship status update, maybe a picture or two.”
Everyone she knew was about to find out she was dating Liam Hamilton. This was about to get very personal. Was she ready for that?
