“You’re not going to lecture me?” I asked, a little stung over the “unattached” part.

  “Not about that. Now, about your involvement with Mister War Hero.”

  “Okay, stop.” I reached for my wine again. “I have not had enough to drink yet to talk about that.”

  Jess just watched me with a look of mild entertainment. “That bad, huh?”

  “What do you mean?” Finally, the wine was numbing me from the inside out. I signaled for another glass in case this conversation went south.

  “You like him. A lot. Damn.” She shook her head. “If I’d known this would happen, I would have asked him to check on you a lot sooner.”

  “Wait. What did you say?”

  “Shit.” Jess sat back, looking away as if gathering her thoughts. When she looked back at me, I made sure to glare hard enough that she’d feel it. “I wasn’t going to... Ah well, screw it,” she said, mostly to herself.

  I sat back and folded my arms, waiting.

  “Fine. When Liam first got into town, I stopped and had a beer with him, and we got to talking.”

  “You got to talking,” I repeated. “You hate Liam.”

  “Hate’s a strong word. I loathe him. Huge difference.”

  “Jess,” I warned. “Not in the mood.”

  Ugh. Fine. Whatever. I cornered him and asked him to check on you as a favor.”

  My voice had turned to ice. “What kind of favor—”

  “I was worried about you, Cass.” The fear in her voice stopped me from blowing up. I listened as she went on, more quietly now. “You weren’t returning my calls. Weren’t making time to hang out. I’m not a needy friend, but I do know I’m your only friend. And if you weren’t talking to me, I knew you weren’t talking to anyone. I saw the anxiety. The rashes. And I knew there was something seriously wrong. I knew you’d see Liam at the press junket for the medtech you guys provided. So I asked him to pry a little, see if he could help you. I never thought—”

  “Never thought he’d sleep with me,” I finished, my tone twisting with the betrayal of it.

  “I never thought you’d actually end your losing streak. Or worse, fall for him,” she said and I flinched. “But on the slim chance that you might actually care about him, I let it ride.”

  “This is not a high stakes poker game, Jess.”

  “Believe me, I know. It was much more sure.” My eyes narrowed, but if anything Jess looked less concerned. She waved a hand as if dismissing the part she’d played in this. “He wasn’t your usual type.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Cass, Jamie talked about Liam all the time. Even before he got home. When he was in rehab, and I heard them talking on the phone and on video call. Liam’s changed. Maybe it was almost dying. I don’t know, but he’s not a player anymore. So even if something did happen between the two of you, I knew he wouldn’t hurt you.”

  For some reason, hearing her say that made everything worse. “Well, obviously you were wrong,” I spat.

  “No.” Jess shook her head. “I’m not. He likes you.”

  “Stop.” I shoved back in my chair, the legs screeching in the dining room. “Just stop it. I’m not going to listen to this anymore. I have to go.”

  I grabbed my bag and whirled, my eyes already blurring with tears as I stumbled through the restaurant and out the front door. Jess was right about one thing. Liam was different. He’d stuck around this time, and it had been me who had done the hurting. And in doing so, I’d shattered myself. Now, I was the one in need of a medical miracle. How else did you fix a broken heart?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Liam

  I hung up feeling like a punk after leaving a third voicemail. Tossing the phone onto the counter, I refilled my coffee mug and went to stand at the back door. From here, I could see my workshop and the yard beyond that before it gave way to the woods that lined the property. I was still toying with the idea of planting a garden in the open area back there, but that would have to wait for next year now. Maybe Sophie would be into helping me—if she was going to be around. School was only going to get harder for her. Maybe I’d ask Jamie instead. I almost snorted out loud at the thought. Yeah right. Jamie wouldn’t garden if it was the zombie apocalypse, and we had to tend our own food to survive.

  “You couldn’t look any more like Dad if you tried right now.”

  Sophie’s voice startled me, and I sloshed coffee over the rim of my cup. “Shit,” I muttered, jumping back as it splashed onto my jeans.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “You didn’t,” I lied.

  She chuckled and went for the coffeepot, her bag slung over her shoulder. I followed her into the kitchen. “You going somewhere? I thought I’d make you breakfast.”

  “There’s a study group at the library,” she said, wincing apologetically. “I could cancel though.”

  “No, it’s fine.” I waved her off. “Go study in a group.”

  “Thanks.” She headed for the door, and I called out to her.

  “Soph.”

  “Yeah?” She turned back.

  “What do you think about moving into the dorms next semester?”

  Her eyes widened. “That would be fantastic. The commute sucks. But it’s expensive.”

  “I’ve got some extra,” I said. The words were light, but what they implied was way too heavy to let it be that easy.

  Instead of lighting up, her eyes narrowed. “Is it the same ‘extra’ that you would use to sign the lease on the space downtown and open that furniture store?”

  “No, I have enough for both. Wait.” I frowned. “How do you know about that?”

  “Please.” She rolled her eyes. “Jamie won’t shut up about it. And you’ve been moping around like Eeyore over Cassie. The store would force you to move forward—”

  “I am not moping—”

  “Hard-core moping. Drooping face, saggy cheeks, and your knuckles are nearly dragging on the carpet when you walk by.”

  I cocked my head. “Pretty sure you’re mixing metaphors there.”

  “Either way, if you don’t open up that store, you have a bright future as a professional moper.”

  I closed my mouth, rethinking further argument. Mostly because if I pushed back on this, it was only a matter of time before she started in on me about Cassie. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about girls with my little sister yet. Or ever. Finally, I sighed. “All right. I’ll call them back about the store.”

  “Great!” She rushed me, nearly spilling more coffee as she threw an arm around my neck. “Then I’ll move into the dorms.”

  I shooed her away, scowling at her easy transition. “You are going to make an excellent attorney.”

  She pulled back, laughing, and any doubt about whether I’d just been handled vanished. “I’ll see you later. Dinner?” she asked.

  “Dinner,” I agreed, rubbing absently at the ache in my ear that had been getting worse over the last couple of days. I made a mental note to up the dosage on the drops the doc had given me.

  For now, I listened as the front door clicked shut and Sophie’s car started up out front. A moment later, the engine hummed and grew faint as Sophie drove off. When she was gone, I went back to staring out the back door, imagining a garden—and Cassie out there making it grow. Jamie’s words from the other day echoed back at me. He was right about my feelings for Cassie. They were real and bigger than anything I’d ever felt before. And I had no idea what to do about it. Making Cassie come? Not a problem. But how in the hell did you make someone stay?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Cassie

  I was the first to admit what a bitch I was being about Liam. But I also couldn’t seem to stop myself. The fear woke me up at night, drenching me in a cold sweat. The rash was back. And every time I thought about facing him, it felt like I’d had the wind knocked out of me. So, I avoided. It was stupid, but it was all I had.

  Jess called me until she wore me down and I forgave her for meddling. In the utter silence that had become my life, painting became a way to escape. It had started with the walls of my house. When those were done, I’d turned to the furniture, re-sanding everything first—but that had reminded me too much of Liam and I’d had to stop.

  In the end, I’d driven to the store and bought blank canvas. Within a couple of days, I’d filled every single one, and when I ran out of those, I began a wall mural that covered the accent wall in my spare room. Sweeping hills and lush forests. Abstract became defined lines and I was shocked to realize I wasn’t awful. It was no Monet, but it wasn’t a kindergarten with finger paints either.

  Huh.

  With nothing better to do, I kept going with the mural, losing myself in the landscape. Day bled into night—both in the scene of my creation and outside. One wall portrayed a bright sun with cheery hills underneath it. The next featured a silver moon with a howling wolf and dark shadows creeping out from underneath the canopy of trees.

  I was shocked after a bathroom break forced me to turn on lights in the pitch-dark hall. I couldn’t remember what time it was. Or even what day. But I knew time had passed, and that jolted me more than I expected. Apparently, the world did not, in fact, stop turning just because I’d stepped away from it. I wasn’t sure whether that should make me feel better or worse.

  But the more time passed, the easier it became to let things go. The company, Dad’s betrayal, what I thought would be my future. But not Liam. Losing Liam only got harder.

  Because I hadn’t lost that. I’d thrown it away. Even if he had only wanted to be with me as a favor to Jess, I’d been the one to ruin it in the end. The beginning was on him. The end was on me.

  Through the painting and the clarity that came with it, the fear slowly dissolved. In the end, I was left with the stark realization of everything I’d been too afraid to claim. And now it was too late.

  Hours later, I blinked and the mural came into sharper focus. I stared, dazed, at the merman I’d painted underneath the surface of a lake. I stared at his shaggy hair and broad chest until my vision blurred and my knees threatened to buckle under the weight of it all. Too tired of holding it all back, I dropped my brush and sank onto the floor—and let the tears come.

  The doorbell rang, and I sniffled, swiping at my wet cheeks. I debated ignoring it, but it rang again and I climbed to my feet. Maybe it was Jess. Maybe she’d brought food. God knew I didn’t have any of that in the house.

  But the moment I swung the door open, I realized my mistake. Not Jess.

  “Liam.”

  I blinked hard against the bright sunlight behind him. He squinted at me, taking in my paint-covered shorts and tee—and what was probably a really rough case of bedhead. His eyes caught on the remnants of the rash still covering my arm. I tucked my hand behind my back, and he blinked.

  “Can I come in?” he asked. His voice was rough and low and made my heart hurt.

  “Of course.” I led us into the kitchen, keeping the bar between us when I turned to face him. Space. I needed more space. Room to breathe. And to think. He’d shaved. Why had he shaved? I missed the beard he’d grown out and the way it made him look dangerous and rough. Although, the glint in his eyes still made him both of those things even without it.

  That was just Liam. From far away, he was intimidating and unpredictable. Up close, though, I knew better. Inside, he was soft and gorgeous and nothing like what people assumed.

  “What’s up?” I asked in a strained voice.

  My heart thudded erratically. I hoped he couldn’t hear it.

  But Liam wasn’t even looking at me. He was craning his neck around to stare at the walls. “Did you paint in here?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  I didn’t offer more than that and finally he turned back to face me. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  The heaviness in his tone made me brace myself. Here it came. The official words that would end this for good. And I had only myself to blame.

  Again, the fear gnawed at me. Only this time, it was fear of being crushed under the weight of watching him walk away. “Well, I don’t want to talk,” I said, raising my chin defiantly against the pain I knew was coming.

  His expression clouded, but he pressed on almost as if I hadn’t spoken. “Cassie, I want you to know that getting to know the real you has been nothing like I expected. You are nothing like I expected.”

  “I...” Neither was he. Too afraid to admit that, I gave in and went with pissed. “Is that why you stuck around so long?”

  “What?”

  “Jess told me everything. I know I was just a favor to you.”

  “No.” His eyes flashed, first with confusion, and then when recognition dawned, his jaw hardened and his voice turned hard. “She asked me to check on you as a favor. She was worried you were in some kind of trouble. But that was as far as her request went. Because absolutely every interaction we had, every word I spoke, everything we did from the moment I kissed you at that fundraiser—that was all for me. Don’t think for one second that it was anything else.”

  “I don’t know what to think,” I began.

  His expression softened. “Yes, you do. You’re just scared.”

  I cleared my throat, keeping my voice neutral. He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t about to admit that now. Not when he was on his way out. “Is there something else?”

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “Fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be.” He ran a hand through his hair, and suddenly I couldn’t take it anymore. This was pointless and only prolonged the pain.

  “How about I save us both the trouble then? It’s been fun. I’d even say it’s been eye-opening. I appreciate everything you did for me. And I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.” I stuck my hand out in an offer to shake. “No hard feelings. Friends?”

  He blinked first at my hand and then at me. “What? No, I—”

  “Fine. Not friends then. I get it.” I retracted my hand, the sting of his refusal sharp enough to feel all the way to my toes.

  “Cassie, that’s not what I meant. Listen, I’m trying to tell you that I care about you. That you aren’t just sex. It’s what I’ve been saying all along. But you’re too stubborn and too scared to admit you like me too. And unless you can do that, I don’t know how this is going to work out. So I need you to do that. It’s why I came here even after what you said to Jess.”

  I stared at him, not even sure what to say next. This wasn’t what I’d expected. And while it was everything I wanted to hear, I’d been so convinced he’d moved on, it took a minute to sink in. “You’re not breaking up with me?”

  “Of course not. I know all of this is partly my fault too. I told you I’ve never had a girlfriend. Clearly, communication is not my strength, but I’m working on it. That’s why I came over. To show you I want this.”

  “When you didn’t call, I thought—”

  “I did call. Multiple times, actually.” He cocked his head at me. “Did you even listen to the messages?”

  “No,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to hear you say the words.”

  He shook his head. “You’re really stubborn, you know that.”

  I attempted a watery smile. “I’m told that’s one of my best qualities. Really puts the ‘ice’ in ‘ice princess.’”

  He smirked, and I felt something inside my gut untwist. A weight lifted. But then the reality of what he was offering really hit me, and I felt breathless all over again. Because unlike before, I realized now that I wanted it. I wanted him. For real. Maybe for good. And I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted to be my father’s daughter. This was so much bigger than the fear.

  “You scare me,” I said quietly.

  “You scare me too,” he admitted.

  We’d already admitted that the other day, but now it felt bigger somehow. Because we were really doing this. “I have no idea how to be a girlfriend.”

  “I have no idea how to be a boyfriend.”

  I dropped my hands to my sides, trying not to think of all the things that could possibly go wrong. Liam took a step toward me.

  “What if we hurt each other?”

  “We probably will,” he admitted, and I blanched, ready to back away.

  He grabbed my hand before I could retreat and clung tight, his words urgent and so sincere. “That’s how love works, Cass. We’re going to try our best. We’re going to make mistakes. But we’re going to work really hard to always forgive, and when I stop being the person who makes you the happiest in the world, you can go. I won’t chase you down. Does that work?”

  “Love?” My voice was nothing more than a croak. “You just said...” I couldn’t bring myself to repeat it a second time, but Liam wasn’t fazed.

  “I guess I did.” He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and all I could do was stare back at him, drowning in his gaze. I’d never known such strength and tenderness could exist in one place—not for me. “I love you, Cassie Franklin,” he whispered.

  “I...” The words hung there, close enough to touch. But I held them back, too terrified to push them out of my mouth.

  Instead of letting his disappointment show, Liam put his finger to my lips, silencing me. “Show me,” he whispered.

  I exhaled, brushing my mouth lightly over his. “That I can do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Liam

  Cassie’s mouth was magic. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t said the words back to me because everything those lips did next convinced me it was only a matter of time until she spoke them out loud. She loved me. Every kiss, every nip and tickle she left along my skin, was evidence.

  When she dipped lower, pulling my shirt up to trail kisses down my abdomen, I grabbed her wrists, yanking her upright. “Pick a room.”

  Her eyes lit with delight, and it was all I could do not to take her right here in the kitchen bent over the breakfast bar. Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate, but today it was going to be slow. “Pick a comfortable room,” I corrected. “We’re going to be at this a while.”