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“Oh my goodness,” Tasha said, surprise registering across her features before she moved to embrace her son. “Congratulations, darling. That is wonderful.”

Liam’s dark eyes met Claire’s as he hugged his mom. She forced a smile on her lips, waiting for Tasha to pull back before speaking.

“That’s…” The word caught in Claire’s throat, so she tried again. “That’s awesome, Liam. Congratulations.”

He nodded his gratitude, though any semblance of a smile had yet to stretch across his lips or even hint in his eyes.

More than anything, Claire wanted him to be happy. Never mind that she’d thought that the two of them might have…That they…

But that didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered so long as he was happy.

So if this promotion was what he really wanted, why was he not happy?

“Are you excited?” Tasha asked, seemingly aware of Liam’s hesitance, as well.

“Yes,” he stated a little too forcefully. “I’m just…surprised. He asked me to come in today.”

Claire’s spirits spiraled even lower, her chest tightening, squeezing every last ounce of happiness from her heart until it felt like a wrung rag.

Tasha’s face fell before she quickly righted her expression with a smile. “That’s alright. We’ll have tomorrow together at least. And you can make it back for the party tonight, I’m sure.”

He nodded, then looked to Claire.

As if reading her son’s mind, Tasha glanced between them both. “I wonder if Melody’s awake yet. I’ll go see.”

She walked away, then disappeared down the hallway and up the stairs.

Claire and Liam stood in silence for a minute, their eyes lingering on each other before he finally spoke.

“Listen, about that walk. I’m sorry, but…”

Claire was already shaking her head. She couldn’t learn anything about what he’d planned to say or what she’d hoped to hear.

Instead, she pulled on her best smile and spoke with a light shrug. “There’s no need to apologize. It’s alright. I understand with your new job, you’ll be even busier than before, so it’s totally fine. Just so long as you’re happy.” She paused. “You are happy, right?”

He took far too long to respond. “Yeah, I am. I mean, I’ve been working towards this goal for so long, why wouldn’t I be?”

She searched his eyes, seeing the lie behind them in an instant. But it wasn’t her place to judge. It was her place to support her friend.

“I’m glad,” she said. “Because you should be happy. You’ve just received something you’ve worked really hard for, so celebrate it.”

He nodded, though his shoulders still hunched slightly forward, as if the weight of the world bore down on him.

Seconds ticked by in silence, but Claire couldn’t handle it any longer. “Hey, don’t you have to get ready? You wouldn’t want to be late.”

He shook his head, backing away as he averted his gaze. “I’ll see you tonight, then?”

“For sure. See you tonight.”

When he walked away from her, Claire instructed her tears to remain behind her eyes where they belonged. This time, they obeyed.

THIRTY

Liam left for work a mere half hour later, and the house fell silent until another distraction arrived in the form of Melody’s family. Claire had always liked her friend’s parents. They were a bit eccentric, like their daughters, but they were also loving and kind, greeting Claire with smiles and hugs alongside Melody and Tasha.

Together, the families and Claire spent hours visiting, eating, and readying the house for the party that night. Claire did her best to stay distracted, but it was difficult when everywhere she looked and everything she heard reminded her of Liam.

She’d made the decision before coming to England to make this the best Christmas she’d ever had. Aside from Liam leaving that morning, it had been. Unfortunately, that was all because of the time she’d spent with him.