“Liam, come look at this! It’s lovely.”

  After adjusting the bags, he strolled over to her spot, coming up behind her and looking over her shoulder.

  Upon her finger rested a single large diamond. She looked up into his face, a brilliant smile plastered over her features. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  He observed the ring once more and felt a sharp pain in his chest.

  A vision of Olivia entered suddenly, slamming into his brain like a freight train. He’d been thinking of her often over the course of the past few days. The nightmares he’d once had each night of her falling as a child were now mixed with sexual fantasies of him getting his hands on her curvaceous body. Each morning, he woke thinking of her and how he could see her again, usually with his hand on his hard shaft, aching to plant it within her.

  His gaze went back to the dreamy look that had softened Jenny’s face and then up to the nodding, smiling clerk. No way was he getting roped into this. “Beautiful. Are you going to buy that for yourself?”

  The dreamy look was gone in a fraction of a second, replaced by a haughty glare. “No, I was just … looking.”

  She handed the ring back to the clerk and stalked straight for the door. He was obliged to follow her right on out. They walked together in stifled silence for a few feet before Jenny turned and froze in her path. “Where’s all this going, Liam?”

  “Where is what going?” He knew what she was inferring, but he wasn’t ready for this talk, especially in a place so public.

  “Our relationship. Where’s it going? I’m not getting any younger, you know. Most of my friends are already married and quite a few already have kids. I’m behind schedule.”

  “Jenny, we just took a break, so I think that’s a good sign as to where this relationship is going. Frankly, I’m not ready to get married. I have a career that demands most of my attention.” He took a deep breath and then opened his mouth to voice the worries that had nagged at him these last few days. “You knew all that walking into this. I was quite honest and upfront that I wasn’t looking to get married.”

  They needed to discuss what happened at the club last Saturday, but then Liam would have to face questions of his attraction to Olivia. Now he wished he’d used the opportunity to walk away when he’d had it, instead of calling for a break.

  Jenny grew silent for a moment, her gaze dipping to the ground. “I know all that … I suppose … I hoped … things would eventually lead us down the right path. When you called this morning, I figured you’d realized how much you missed me.”

  “I don’t want to get married. And if that’s what you’ve got your heart set on, then I don’t want to stand in your way.”

  Tears shimmered in Jenny’s eyes. He caught sight of them before she turned away. “Is this because of Olivia?”

  Liam sighed, not wanting to drag Olivia into their fight. “She may have been the catalyst for all this, but I’ve had these feelings about this relationship for a long time. I’ve seen the way you look at me. I heard you tell your friends a few weeks ago you’d landed a doctor. I’m not interested in being landed, Jenny.”

  Shock filled her face. Apparently, she hadn’t realized he’d overheard her statement. Tears began to form in the corners of Jenny’s eyes. The outside world suddenly cracked into their little scene and he recoiled, realizing people were starting to stare as they passed. “This isn’t the place for tears. We don’t need to draw our personal life out on this sidewalk for all of Charlottesville to see.”

  Jenny dabbed at her eyes and stood straighter, looking around her at the people walking past. “So … just like that … our relationship is over?”

  “It’s over.” He nodded, sorrow filling him that he was hurting her.

  “There’s nothing I can say or do to change your mind?”

  “You want something I can’t give you. Do you really want me to change my mind?”

  Jenny chuckled as she wiped tears from the corner of her eyes, a fake smile plastered to her lips. He was surprised she was taking everything so well. “I suppose not.”

  “Let me help you take your bags to your car.”

  She looked him over, a shudder running through her. “How did I not see this coming?”

  “Honestly?”

  “Sure, hit me while I’m down,” she said through nervous chuckles, still wiping at her eyes.

  “You wanted a marriage to happen so badly, it was all you could see.”

  Jenny looked down at her feet once more, stuffing her hands in her pockets, and fumbling for her car keys. She began to walk before him, not responding to what he’d said. Liam began following behind her down the tree-lined center down several blocks to 1st Street, where she turned and walked to the parking lot.

  Once they got to her car, she opened the trunk and helped him put the bags inside. She closed the trunk with a thud and then turned to him, her stare downcast. “Perhaps you’re right. I did want it badly.” She lifted her gaze to him. “I wanted it badly because … I love you.”

  Liam froze, not knowing how to respond, but he couldn’t leave her show of emotion unanswered.

  “I will always care about what happens to you, but I’m sorry I can’t return the feelings you have for me. You’re a special woman who deserves a man who’ll love her as much as she loves him.”

  He watched as her lips quivered and tears flooded her eyes. She held on to them, none running down her cheeks. “I do deserve that. I’m only sorry it won’t be you.”

  “I’m sorry for that too.”

  “What about me … us … doesn’t work for you?”

  “I can’t answer that because I don’t know. You’re everything a man could want. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and I enjoy your company. But you’re—” He paused, not sure how to end that without hurting her even more.

  “I’m not the one.”

  It was Liam’s turn to look at his feet. “Yeah.”

  He felt her caress his face, and he lifted his gaze to her. She brushed past him and got into her car. Liam watched her back up, pull out of the parking lot, and drive into the distance. A sense of sadness filled him, yet at the same time, there was a profound weight lifted from his shoulders.

  Liam turned from the lot and began walking, feeling freer with each step. He took a deep breath and walked into a shop on the hunt for warm coffee and a comfortable chair. He wasn’t ready to go home to an empty house; he needed to keep himself occupied for a bit and settle his emotions.

  Why in the hell did Olivia’s face jump into his mind once more? He was becoming a man obsessed. Olivia was the something he was trying not to think about, and the emotions he felt for her confused him. He needed time. Time to sort his feelings out.

  Chapter 6

  Olivia sat in the café perusing the classified ads. The shop had a great vibe, and she wondered why she’d never ventured out here before. Words had flown from her fingertips as she’d sipped coffee, her laptop battery dying before she could complete her thoughts. A return trip would definitely be in order, this time with laptop cord in hand. She wasn’t ready to head home, so she grabbed the paper and began looking to see what was out there.

  An English degree; what the hell was she going to do with an English degree? Perhaps her mother was right; and teaching was her only option. School had been a horror for her; kids had always picked on her and laughed about her limp. The fear she would have to relive that humiliation repeatedly had kept her from wanting to put herself in that position ever again.

  Unless she had the surgery.

  The prospect of surgery hovered in the back of her mind. Of course she knew it was a chance for her to live a more normal life and break out of her shell.

  She wanted a new life, but in grasping for it, she ran the risk of getting her hopes up for something that could never be. She’d had too many disappointments in her life and wasn’t prepared to suffer another.

  “The last person I anticipated to find sitting here would be you. It must be kismet.”

  Olivia looked up into the eager face of Liam Palmer; a delightful rush ballooned within her as she took in his handsome features. His face was pink from the cold, his eyes glittering, and she was reminded yet again why she’d had such a crush on him for so many years. “Kismet?”

  “Long story. Can I sit?”

  His words brought her out of her reverie and she realized she’d been somewhat rude. She removed her laptop case from the other chair and folded the paper together to make space for him. “Of course you can.”

  The tiny table felt overly full with him once he joined her. He was all arms and legs, folded around the table. His overwhelming size made her feel petite. It wasn’t often she felt like that, and it felt nice. Liam was so handsome, she just couldn’t stop looking her fill. Her gaze roamed over his face, resting on his full lips. Olivia got the instant desire to taste them as she watched him run one long finger over the pale pink flesh.

  A kiss. One he’d been willing to give and still hadn’t accepted. Her lips quivered with the intense need to feel his mouth on hers.

  “So what brings you out today? Doing some writing?”

  “A little. Mostly job hunting.”

  His brows rose as he looked over her face. “What about your career as an author? You aren’t giving up, are you?”

  She smiled slightly at his comment and the worry which had filled his voice. “No, but, as my mother constantly reminds me, I must have a backup plan. She’s terrified that I won’t be able to take care of myself once she and Daddy are gone.”

  “Will you?”

  His question struck her, not so much for the asking of it, but for the fact he seemingly didn’t automatically assume she couldn’t from the tone of his voice. “Yes, I can.”

  “Good enough. It might be good for you to get out and do something on your own. A job could give you a sense of purpose.” He smiled as he added another packet of sugar to his cup. “Do you think the surgery could help you make that happen more smoothly?”

  Talk about a smooth segue. She rolled her eyes inwardly at his comment, and she assumed his banal tone was an attempt to hide his desire for her to agree.

  “Pressuring me isn’t going to make it happen, you know?”

  “I don’t want to pressure you. I don’t. I just want a better life for you.”

  “What’s so wrong with my life that it needs to be fixed?”

  “I just want to give back the life I stole from you.”

  The breath was knocked from her lungs for a moment as his words swelled over her. The words Jenny had spoken at the club filtered back into her brain. You realize his attention is only misplaced blame, right? He blamed himself for her accident? She felt slightly lightheaded at his admission, knowing she had to have heard him wrong. “What you stole from me?”

  “I saw the accident as my fault for many years. Even though I can logically see now that I wasn’t, I can’t help the need I feel to make things right now that I have the ability to do so. I feel it’s my responsibility to make you better.”

  She could barely breathe. “How did you ever think any of it was your fault?”

  “I shouldn’t have chased you. If I hadn’t, you would’ve never fallen.”

  She gazed at him for a long moment, still in shock from his guilt. There was no way he could think he was to blame, but his guileless stare said the absolute opposite. “Liam, it was an accident. There’s no one responsible for it. It just … happened.”

  “I was older. I should’ve known better. I should’ve run faster. I should’ve caught you.” He took a drink from his cup and looked away from her, his eyes glazing over. “There are so many things I should have done that day, but didn’t.”

  *

  Liam saw the glistening of tears swell within her eyes, but he wasn’t sure if he imagined it when they were gone a second later. She looked stunning, her long hair swept up, the riot of curls still tumbling about her head. He wanted to reach out and tuck one of them behind her ear, graze her cheek with his fingers to test if it was as soft as he imagined. The look on her face stopped him.

  She was angry for some reason. She was also lovelier than he could ever remember her being. Her eyes were bright and glittering, her shoulders squared. It was a much better look than the passive wallflower she tried to pass herself off as most days.

  Yet, he hadn’t meant to dredge up any painful memories, but it had just come forth from some unknown well within him. Old demons died hard.

  “It wasn’t your fault. You’re under no obligation to fix me, Liam.”

  “Eight years of college and three years of residency beg to differ.”

  The stunned look that crossed her face rattled him a bit. “You went to medical school … because of me?”

  “I wanted to make sure I did it right. I can’t trust another to do what I should.”

  Olivia began gathering up all of her belongings, her hands moving fast, stuffing items into her bag in a wild manner.

  “Wait, what’s wrong? What did I say?”

  “That has got to be the biggest pity party you’ve been stuck in for the past twenty years. I don’t need you to fix me. I’m perfectly fine just the way I am.”

  “Pity? You think this is pity? I made a mistake and want to rectify it. That’s taking responsibility.”

  “That accident made me into the person I am today. If that’s a mistake, then you can kiss my ass.”

  “Damn it, Olivia, you know that isn’t what I meant at all. I just want to help you be all you can. I see hints of an amazing woman inside that’s screaming to be let out.” Liam pushed a hand through his hair. Two women pissed in one day along with two public arguments. He was batting a thousand, for sure. “Why can’t you let me help you?”

  “I’m sorry you’ve felt this guilt all these years, I really am, but I won’t let you exorcise your demons by pushing me into a surgery I don’t think I want to have.”

  “Don’t want or are you afraid to have?”

  Her fingers stopped as his words hung in the air.

  “Olivia, it seems to me you’re trying to use every excuse under the sun to not have this surgery. You keep saying your life is just fine as it is, but all I see is sadness on your face when I look at you. Could it be once you have it, you don’t know what to do with yourself?”

  She turned her gaze to him, and he glimpsed the fear he had suspected for a millisecond before she hid it away from him. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I don’t? I just walked away from a woman who everyone expected me to marry, including her. I’ve lived the last twenty years learning how to fix your back and you won’t let me do it. I’m at a crossroads in my life. I have no idea what will come down the path next, but life has this odd way of happening as it should.”

  “You just broke up with Jenny?”

  “I did.” Was that a little happiness he saw in her face at his admission?

  “When?”

  “Two seconds before I walked in here.”

  He couldn’t stop himself any longer. He reached out and tucked the stray curl behind her ear, slowly caressing her cheek as he did. The longing he saw in her eyes floored him and made him yearn to be able to hold her in his arms, smell the warm fragrance of her rioting curls, her curves pressing into his body. The look they shared told him she wanted him as much as he did her. He grasped her hand, pulling it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

  Her eyes grew large as she watched him touch her. “I can’t believe you became a doctor because of me.”

  “Personal demons or not, I’ve helped a lot of people over the years and will hopefully help a lot more. There are worse directions I could have gone with the guilt I’ve held on to.” He threaded her fingers in his, loving how well they fit.

  “It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered.

  He closed his eyes, trying to let go of the pain, but he knew with certainty it wouldn’t happen. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you mad before.”

  “I’ve always shied away … from everyone. I’ve never really felt comfortable letting anyone see the real me.”

  “The real you is lovely. I wish I’d seen more of her over the years.”

  “You were gone a long time, and now all you seem to do is work. Not sure you’d have even seen me had I come out of my shell.”

  “Touché.” He would remedy that now. He was going to spend a lot more time with her.

  “You know, it’s been rather nice not hiding. It’s … I don’t know—”

  “Empowering?”

  Her smile made his heart flatline for a second. “Yes, that’s it exactly. Empowering. I’m supposed to be the wordsmith, not you.”

  “I have my moments.” His gaze roamed over her porcelain skin, her cheeks a rosy pink, the healthy blush of life captivating, hinting at the spirit within her. She really was a beautiful woman when she wasn’t trying to hide in the shadows. He wondered what fiery passions she still hid within her and if he was man enough to unlock them.

  He thought back a few moments, to before he’d come into the café. He’d told himself he needed to steer clear of this female, get his thoughts straight, and figure out what he really wanted. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

  Liam wasn’t sure if his mouth and his brain were connected any more. When he was close to her, things sprung out that he wasn’t sure he should be saying. Especially when she reacted so strongly to his requests.

  Instantly, the hint of what she could be vanished and the awkward female returned. She pulled her hands from his and leaned back in her seat. “Dinner?”

  “Yes, dinner. A date.”

  Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “I told you I don’t need your pity.”

  “Pity? I’m not asking you to dinner out of pity.”

  “Then why are you?”

  “Because my eyes have been opened recently.”

  “To?”

  “I’d always kept you in a box in my mind, the little girl you’d once been. Seeing the hints of the real you has made me realize I don’t know you well enough. I’d like the chance if you’d let me.”