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After a few moments, he pulls away, holding my face gently in his hands. The love shining in his eyes has my heart beating wildly. I was afraid for a second that he would be stubborn enough to let me go.
“Penny.” Liam’s voice is raspy and full of love. “Thank you, thank you for loving me. I am convinced I’m not perfect for you, but I can’t let you go again.”
“You are perfect for me, Liam, and that’s all I need.”
He presses another kiss to my lips and sends a tingle through my body. “You mean everything to me. I can’t believe I almost let what we have slip through my fingers.”
I smile as he pulls me close to him, his warmth wrapping me in a blanket that has me feeling safe and loved. His arms surround me, holding me close as if he won’t ever let me go. I am content to stay here forever. A twig snaps behind us, and we pull apart, then burst into laughter.
“I should walk you home,” he says, looking up at the sky. “It’s getting late.”
My heart slows as so many questions race through my mind, and I feel panic rise. What if he reverts into his shell and keeps his distance again? How long will I have to continue to play hide and seek with him?
As if reading my thoughts, Liam twines our fingers, kisses me on the cheek, and smiles at me.
“I’m not going anywhere, Penny. I’m done staying away from you when all I want is to pull you close to me.”
I sigh. “I’m afraid, Liam. I don’t want to have to—”
“I promise to keep working on myself, and I’ll do my best not to put you through any stressful situations. As your man, I’d do anything to make you happy. You know that, right?”
My man! It takes a few moments for his words to register as those words knock the breath out of me. By the time I nod my acknowledgment, Liam whistles at Tex and starts to pull us toward the exit.
“It’s time to go.”
As we walk home, hand-in-hand, with Tex strutting in front of us, we are garnering attention from passers-by, and I’m sure there’ll be rumors by tomorrow. I don’t care, and judging by the look of absolute contentment on Liam’s face, he doesn’t care either. Everything about this feels right, and I feel like I’ve finally come home.
“A penny for your thought, Pen?” Liam nudges me, and I grin.
“Is that all you can afford?” I chuckle as I nudge him back.
He sighs dramatically. “For now, yes.”
I laugh and shake my head at him. “I’m just thinking of all the dreams we had when we were teenagers. I had always imagined it being this straight path, and instead, it took us over all of these hurdles.”
Liam raises our joined hands and kisses the back of mine. “Might not be a straight road, but all the curves circle back to you.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “You should not be this sweet.”
“Brace yourself,” he laughs. “I have every intention of letting you know just how in love with you I am. Always have been. You’re gonna think that Sean got all his sappiness from me.”
Another person walks past us, their gazes glued on our joined hands until they’re out of sight. Liam smiles at me.
“People are gonna talk,” he says worriedly.
“I don’t care. Let them,” I respond, wrapping my other hand around his arm and pulling my body closer. “Andrew knows the truth, and his thoughts were what I worried most about.”
His eyes flare slightly. “Do you mean that?”
“Absolutely,” I step up and place a kiss on his cheek before letting go of his arm. “I don’t want to pretend how I feel, and not everyone is going to like it.”
“What about your mom? And Stacy?”
This time, I pause. It’s easier to wave off the opinions of strangers and random people, but what about my family? I know they’ll be shocked, but what will they say? The other day, my mom and I had a difficult conversation about Liam. There was really no conclusion to the discussion, but it made it clear that she has her fears.
Of course, her fears are valid. Especially when she has had experience with a man who lived a life similar to Liam’s. Yet, like I said earlier, I have chosen my battle regarding love. I cannot un-love Liam, and I will do everything within my power to help him get back to the best version of himself.
“They’ll understand,” I whisper.
