Back at Town Square half an hour later, Liam, ever the gentleman, helps Natalie and Selma off the wagon before offering me his hand. “Can we talk sometime soon?” he asks. “Maybe tomorrow? I don’t want to take you away from your friends.”
“We don’t mind,” Natalie says. “Take her. We’re good.”
“We have a spare key to the house,” Selma chimes in. “We won’t wait up.”
Yep,sohelpful. At least this time, Liam’s face doesn’t remain impassive. His small smile turns into a chuckle and he thanks my friends, telling them it was nice to meet them and he’s looking forward to getting to know them better when they come back in January.
Liam’s truck is parked in front of Sweet Escapes. Mae is inside, bustling around. She pauses when she sees us, raising a hand to wave. The small, satisfied smile that spreads over her face fills me with hope and love. It’s taken a long time to realize it’s not a betrayal of my mother’s memory to embrace Mae’s warm, motherly care. I loved my mom and she did the best she could, but it’s okay for me to let Mae love me in a maternal way, the same way she does with Liam and Nathan. And loving her like a mother in return doesn’t take away the love I have for my own mom.
Liam and I keep conversation casual on the way home, talking about his trip to Toronto and the more elaborate and creative light displays around town.
“I feel like I should get a head start on planning my light display for next year,” I say as we turn onto his street. His house is lit by the glow of a porch light, along with strings of colored lights around the house and the trees in the yard. “I’d like to go all out. Santa and reindeer on the roof, maybe some of those light-up reindeer on the lawn. Or better yet, a dinosaur. Ooh, or maybe one of those giant inflatable cartoon characters. Rex would love that, don’t you think?”
I’m babbling because it just hit me that Liam told Nat and Selma he’d see them when they return in January. He knows I’m staying. I wonder if he saw the interview or if someone told him. And yet here I am, yammering about Christmas lights and lawn ornaments rather than addressing it head on.
“He’d love any of it,” Liam says slowly, parking the truck and pulling the key from the ignition. “I saw a set with R2-D2 and C-3P0 at a store in Toronto today. Almost caved and bought them.”
“Next year,” I say.
“Yeah. Next year.” He’s not looking at me, but I can see the tiny curve to his lips in the glow from the house. Without another word, he gets out of the truck and comes around to my side to open the door. He takes my hand after I hop out and we walk up the front path and into the house in silence.
Once we’ve shucked our outerwear, Liam leads me into the living room. He sees the shiver that rolls through me, so he turns toward the fireplace. I stop him with a hand on his arm. I feel like all the unspoken words of the last week are swirling around and between us, and I can’t stand the weight of them for another second.
I have so many questions, but I start with the simplest one: “Did you see the interview?”
“I did. I pulled it up on my phone the minute I left the rehab center this afternoon. That was…” He trails off, blowing out a breath. “That was one hell of a surprise, Joss.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you about all of it, but didn’t know what to say. I wanted you to know I was serious about sticking around, so I had to make sure everything was in place, and then it all happened so fast and—”
“Joss.” He grips my shoulders, his hands kneading my tense muscles. “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing. I overreacted that last day we were together. When I heard Rex call you Mommy, something in me snapped. I was afraid of what losing you would do to us, so some messed-up part of me decided it would be safer to create distance and limit contact. I knew it was a mistake as soon as you left, but I didn’t know how to fix things, and with Rex still sick I just focused on him.”
Several long beats pass during which it occurs to me I’m holding my breath. Liam’s gaze drops to my lips when I slowly exhale. His eyes flick back up to mine as he leans in. Instead of kissing me like I expect, he detours to nuzzle my neck.
My eyes slip closed as his lips slide across my sensitive skin, his stubble sending delicious tingles all over my body. His hands slide up my back and into my hair, gently pulling the elastic free and setting the strands loose. I feel his breath against my ear, and I wait, holding my breath again, expecting him to say something romantic or maybe even sexy.
“I knew you would stay,” he whispers. “Itoldyou you’d stay.”
My eyes pop open and a startled laugh flies from my mouth. “You did; you knew. Try not to let it go to your head.”
“Oh, it’s too late for that. I love being right.”
I push away from him so he can see my eye roll. “All right, Mr. Smug. I probably shouldn’t give you more ammunition, but I know something else you were right about.”
He looks practically gleeful. “What’s that?”
“You told me you were made for loving, and you were right. I do love you, Liam.”
“You mean you were powerless against my so-called charms?” he asks. When I bat at his arm, his shit-eating grin turns into that soft, sweet smile I love so much. “I love you too, Joss. I tried not to fall for you, I really did, but it was no use. I was the one who was powerless againstyourcharms.” He presses his lips gently to mine. “Powerless against your beautiful smile.” He kisses my forehead and, when I close my eyes, he places soft kisses on one eyelid, then the other. “Against your eyes, knowing they see me for who I really am.”
He puts a few inches of space between us and presses a hand over my heart. “Against your big, kind heart. It’s been bruised and battered, so I know what it means that you trust me with it. That you trust me enough to let me love you properly.”
His words create a Christmas bauble-sized lump in my throat. I tilt my face up, inviting a kiss. Liam is happy to oblige, although it’s just a brief touching of lips. “Part of me is still scared,” I whisper, hating to admit it.
“I’d be shocked if you weren’t,” he says. “Our lives are so different. All relationships take work, but our circumstances are pretty unique.”
“There’s going to be a learning curve for both of us, that’s for sure. It’s going to take time to get used to this, and there might be times when you’re frustrated with how much I’m away. I’ll do my best not to be gone for too long at a time, but for the most part, stuff like that isn’t up to me. I do promise I’m going to be more selective about my roles from now on, though. I’m only going to take on projects that truly excite me.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he says. “I know you love your job and I hopeyouknow you have my full support. I promise to be a team player, even when I’m missing you while you’re away.”
