“What are you doing here?”
“Heard you might need an extra set of hands,” he said as he approached.
“Who told you that?”
“Nobody had to tell me. You’ve been running around like crazy for two weeks, and I know what a huge event this is.” He stopped in front of me. “Put me to work.”
I wanted to kiss him. And if there weren’t a ton of people wandering around, I probably would have.
“Be careful what you ask for,” I warned him, but I wasn’t about to turn down his offer.
Instead, I pointed him to a stack of folding chairs. “The dance performance area needs another two rows. And the sound guy can’t find the extension cords. Can you take care of that?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He took the chairs and headed off without complaint.
With Liam handling the heavy lifting, I turned my attention to the rest of the setup. He found the extension cords in the mansion’s storage closet buried behind a stack of boxes with linens. Then he fixed a vendor’s saggingcanopy. He even managed to charm Peggy so thoroughly that she was blushing and wouldn’t stop smiling.
By noon, Main Street was packed with people. Families spread blankets on the lawn in the park and kids chased each other around the old trees. The smell of barbecue hung in the air, and everyone I passed seemed to be having a great time.
No matter how busy things got, my gaze always seemed to find Liam in the crowd. At one point, I watched him lift a heavy amp on the band stage and I absolutely did not watch the way his shoulders flexed under his T-shirt as he carried it.
Okay. I watched a little.
Every so often, our paths would cross and he’d brush his fingers against mine as he passed, or lean in close to murmur a question about where the extra ice was, his breath warm against my ear.
It was the most publicly together we’d ever been. And just like every little touch, it was a tease of what we could be if we weren’t hiding whatever we were now.
Even more thrilling than making sure the event as a whole went off without a hitch was watching my eight-year-old dancers nail their dance routine. One girl forgot the second combination and improvised by spinning in circles, which the crowd loved. The older students performed a contemporary piece I’d choreographed to a Johnny Cash song, and when they hit the final formation, I felt a swell of pride so fierce it nearly knocked me sideways.
I may not have been competitive enough to dance professionally, but God, I loved teaching it and watching my students crush it on stage.
And the praise I got from their parents afterward was the cherry on top.
The second day was just as successful as the first, with multiple people praising my leadership in Deirdre’s absence.
In fact, this was the first time at Seeley Days that I’d been the center of everything. It was also the first summer Drew hadn’t been in Meadowbrook at all, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it was like to finally step beyond his shadow.
To be seen—not just as the other Dumontier twin, but asmyself, and as an active member of my town.
At the end of the night, I found Liam leaning against the porch railing of the mansion, watching the crowd thin as the evening settled in. The sky had turned that shade of dusty rose that I swore only existed in Montana.
“Your kids were great,” he said as I climbed the steps to join him.
“They were.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “The whole event turned out amazing.”
I leaned against the railing beside him, our shoulders almost touching. The grounds were still scattered with stragglers—families packing up, volunteers breaking down tables, and a few teenagers trying to squeeze the last of the daylight out of the evening. From up here, it all looked like a painting. Golden and pink light, dark green grass, and the tall indigo mountains standing guard over the valley the way they always had.
“You did a hell of a job today, Sunshine.” His voice was quiet and serious, but when I looked at him, his gaze was filled with pride. “Deirdre’s going to come back and wonder if she even needs to.”
“She definitely still needs to. I never want to negotiate with the funnel cake vendor again. He’s unhinged.”
Liam smiled, but his gaze stayed on me—steady andwarm and full of a tenderness that made my chest ache. He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering against my jaw.
“I mean it. You were incredible the last two days.”
I held his gaze and felt the words I couldn’t say pressing against the inside of my ribs.I love you. I’m in love with you. Please don’t let this end.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, saving me from embarrassing myself.
