AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Suddenly Colson was stomping down the steps and getting in Liam’s face.
“Idoknow. I also know my sister wouldn’t put them in harm’s way. She even double-checked with me before she left. She would never do anything to hurt them.”
Liam pushed Colson out of his space. “Oh, suddenly she’s your sister now? That’s rich…”
“Fuck you!” Colson seethed, standing in between Liam and me.
“No, fuck you, Colson. How could you agree to let her take my girls outside of the city? Why the fuck would you think I would be okay with that?”
Liam’s eyes were watery, his face red, but it was more than that—something was off. I had done something irrevocably wrong by taking them. This was a trauma response.
“Liam, I shouldn’t have taken them out of town.” I raised my hands. “I was out of line for doing it.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Colson snapped at me, pulling my hand so I wasn’t moving closer to Liam. I hadn’t actually apologized once, all I did was own up to what I did do wrong, but I wasn’t sorry about it.
“I get that you’re pissed, but when I asked if I could take them out, that was your opportunity to tell me no.” I stepped closer, gaining steam.
“I may not be a parent, but if I wasthatnervous about them being out of town, I would make damn sure the person caring for my child knew about my reservations.” I was practically toe to toe with Liam at this point.
His chest heaved up and down as his eyes burned into mine. He didn’t seem worried now, he looked like he wanted to fight. He was all hard lines, tattoos peeking out from beneath his dark suit, but under that was a broken heart. He was a pacing lion, desperate to protect what was his.
I stared at Liam. He stared back.
He stepped closer, towering over me.
Our fingers brushed. His pointer fingers barely twitched, and then it stroked down the length of mine. It was so small, so minuscule, I thought I had imagined it, but his eyes were on mine, and that’s when I saw it. His need to be touched. To be settled and calmed. So, I stepped closer, then very awkwardly lifted my arms, feeling so uneasy that I had to slam my eyes shut as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
The breath I was holding came out jagged and rough when I told him, “They’re safe. They had a good day.”
He didn’t return my hug, which was fine. I stood still as stone, and Colson muttered “prick” at my back.
The wind blew snow off the top of Nora’s house, swirling around us as we stood in the yard.
Right when I was about to pull away, Liam’s arms came around me, crushing me to his chest. He held me there, not saying anything. It was an odd, silent truce, unlike anything I had ever felt or encountered before. Time seemed to slow, the darkening sky blinked as fresh snow fell, and I felt his fingers tangle through the ends of my hair.
Just then I remembered his earlier comment and how rude he’d been about me having money,again. That, paired with how he treated me tonight, and suddenly I was less than enthused about making him feel better. I pulled away and kept my face down.
“Haley—” He swallowed around what sounded like a lump in his throat.
I kept my eyes low as I stepped away.
I triggered the dude. I could own that. It was shitty. But I wasn’t a doormat. I was here in Macon, trying to create a new life for myself, and the last thing I wanted was for people to assume they could treat me any way they felt was okay. The whole damn town seemed to be perfectly comfortable with treating me that way.
He turned, repeating my name once more, but the day had caught up with me. I had hurt Liam, but he had hurt me first. He was thoughtless and careless first. He had judged me first. I was so tired of becoming small so that others’ hurts could fit. I put myself on the back burner time and time again because someone else needed the attention. It was exhausting.
Without looking back, I walked to my door, unlocked it, and shut myself inside.
6
LIAM
My breath cloudedin front of my face as I watched my best friend glower at me. He was pissed, and I guess he had every right to be, but he didn’t get it. He of all peopleshould,but he didn’t.
“You can’t treat her like that,” Colson said, taking a step closer.
This was bullshit. I had heard the way he talked about Haley. On more than a few occasions when he’d drink until he couldn’t think straight. He’d go off about the sister he never wanted. The girl who ruined his life. Yet here he was, protecting her.
But, she didn’t need protecting, did she?
