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“Did she not remember?” I asked. It was conceivable. She’d been young. I didn’t have any memories from back then. Of course, I hadn’t been through that kind of trauma.
Rory wiped away a couple of errant tears. “When she finally did start talking, it was like she didn’t remember a thing, so we never brought it up.” She clasped her shaking hands in her lap.
They were both scared, and with good reason. Stone wanted Liza to know the truth, and they didn’t want her to know at all. Since they hadn’t told her, it could have been that she wouldn’t take it well and that she would be angry they’d kept it from her. I wondered how many things would have been different if she’d known. Liza would be wondering the same when she found out.
I couldn’t see a way that I could keep it from her. She deserved to know the truth.
Did her parents know the whole truth? I shifted in my seat and looked up to meet Rory’s eyes. “Do you know what she is?”
Rory covered her mouth, and Scott went to sit next to his wife again. Their reactions and lack of response told me everything I needed to know.
“I promise you both that I will never expose her secrets to anyone.”
They shared a look like they wanted to say something but must have decided against it.
After giving Rory a few minutes to compose herself, we opened the office door and walked downstairs. We spent the rest of the night playing card games and laughing as if the conversation had never happened and nothing was wrong.
Liza finally yawned and glanced at her watch. “We’d better go. I have an early meeting with a client.”
We said our goodbyes. As I shook Scott’s hand, he gave me a knowing look. He was entrusting me with his daughter, and the news I’d shared had put him on high alert. I squeezed his hand, hoping that would convey how I intended to protect Liza.
On the drive back to Liza’s house, she reached over and held my hand. “That went better than I thought it would.”
“Hey,” I laughed. “Are you saying you thought I’d screw it up royally? I think your family liked me, Liza Mims.”
“Honestly, I’m a little disappointed.”
I tilted my head and looked at her.
“I figured they’d spend more time grilling you to determine if you were worthy of my time.” She shrugged and pouted. “You must’ve won them over with your charm.”
“Don’t forget my blinding good looks. My wit. The muscular body.” I raised my eyebrows and flexed my biceps. “I’m the full package.” True enough, but I said it with some measure of humility.
Liza rolled her eyes. “All right, Hercules. Are you going to walk me to my door?”
“Naturally. I wouldn’t miss an opportunity for a proper goodnight kiss.”
Liza giggled, and I opened her car door. With our hands clasped, we walked to her house. She unlocked the door, then turned to me. Just before she went inside, I tugged her close, brushing my lips over hers. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
I moved in again, pulling her into a deep kiss with sweeping tongues and half-whimpering moans. I wanted the kiss to convey how much she meant to me. How much I needed to be with her.
She returned the kiss with the same fervor, clinging to me, the fabric of my shirt fisted in her hands. We stayed in that tight embrace for several minutes.
I finally pulled away and took a deep breath. “I promise I’ll make up for our ice cream date.”
Liza waved her hand in the air. “You already have. Thank you for being so kind to my family.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her body close to mine. I needed one more kiss before I walked away.
Chapter 22
Liza
“Are you hungry?” I wiped a smudge of lipstick from my chin. I was real glad I hadn’t gone with the lip stain for tonight.
Putting makeup on in the back of an Uber while we hit multiple potholes wasn’t exactly the best idea I’d ever had. Sabrina had called earlier in the day and asked if we could please have a ladies’ night out.
It had been so long since we’d done more than speak on the phone, and the brunt of it was my fault. I’d been so busy between work and trying to figure out my relationship with Ty, I’d completely neglected my best friend.A night out on the town and a distraction from work and everything that was going on was exactly what I needed to set my head straight.
