Chapter Sixteen
Evie
The kiss slowed, and the world gradually filtered back into focus.
My hands clutched Liam’s sweater, and my chest rose and fell as I tried to collect my thoughts.
He kept my chin cupped in his fingers as if we were about to start up again.
I couldn’t help but smile at the tenderness radiating between us.
“That was spectacular,” I whispered, feeling heat spread through my body.
“So, I might not be impossible?” he teased.
“You might be very possible if you keep that up.”
“If I must,” he teased, sliding his thumb softly along my cheek.
Then, from down the hall, the unmistakable creak of Hayden’s bed echoed through the quiet house.
I pulled back, blinking as reality rushed back in.
“Hayden,” I whispered, glancing toward his room.
Liam stepped back as his usual lopsided grin betrayed him. “Saved by the kid.”
I swatted at his chest, laughing softly. “Don’t start.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m not complaining. Just stating the facts. Now, back to what you do for yourself,” Liam said, resting his hand on my waist. “The mug you made me was pretty great.”
“Thanks, it was after Hayden went to bed. So, I guess I do like to craft.” I shrugged. “But I just don’t have the energy some days.” I didn’t want all the focus to stay on me, so I walked over to the counter, grabbed my wine glass, and took a sip.
“So, why cider? I mean, not that I’m complaining. Who doesn’t love cider?”
He chuckled, crossing his arms. “It started as a joke, actually. My sisters and I were brainstorming business ideas for the lodge, and someone suggested cider. Next thing I knew, I was researching apple varieties and fermentation techniques.”
“And now it’s this big vision,” I said, smiling.
“Turns out, I’m pretty good at it. My taster is impeccable.”
“Oh, yeah?” I teased. “In all things or just alcohol.”
His grin widened. “I’d like to believe all things.”
“That’s cool,” I said, thinking back to the kiss.
“What about you? Any big dreams?” he asked.
I hesitated, the question catching me off guard. “I don’t know. I mean, raising Hayden is my biggest priority. But I guess… I’d love to expand what I’m doing with the horses. Maybe train a few more rescues, find them good homes.”
“That’s a great dream,” he said, his voice genuine. “You’re amazing with them.”
I felt a blush creeping up my neck and waved him off. “Oh, stop. You’re just saying that because you don’t want me to kick you out before pie.”
“You caught me.”
We fell into a comfortable silence, the weight of the earlier moment still lingering in the air. I glanced over at him, taking in the way his hair curled slightly at the ends and the way his blue eyes sparkled even in the dim light of the kitchen.
“So,” I said, deciding to shift the focus again. “What about relationships? Any big dreams there?”
His grin faltered slightly, but the playful glint in his eye remained.
He laughed. “Ah, the deep dive into my tragic love life. This is what I get for kissing you, huh?”
I handed him a slice of pie. “Don’t dodge the question, Harper.”
He sighed dramatically, placing a hand over his heart.
“Fine. I’ll bare my soul. But only because you asked nicely.”
I took a bite of the pie. “So good, now spill it.”
“Well,” he said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “There was the middle school disaster. Her name was Jessica, and she dumped me because I refused to slow dance at the eighth-grade social.”
I snorted, covering my mouth with my hand. “Tragic.”
“Right?” he said, grinning. “Then there was college. I dated a girl who only wanted to talk about her cat. Don’t get me wrong, the cat was great, but—”
“But you were competing with a feline,” I finished for him, laughing.
“Exactly,” he said, shaking his head. “And then there were a few other near-misses. None of them stuck.”
“Why do I feel like there’s more to this story?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He shrugged, his grin softening. “Honestly? I think I was waiting for the right person.”
The sincerity in his voice made my breath hitch. “And you think you’ve found her?”
He tilted his head, his gaze locked on mine. “Maybe.”
I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like I was teetering on the edge of something big.
“That’s a bold statement.”
“You asked,” he said, his grin returning. “What about you? Any love mishaps for you?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “None worth mentioning.”
“Oh, come on,” he said, leaning closer. “You can’t leave me hanging like that.”
I hesitated, the weight of my past threatening to creep in. But then I saw the way he looked at me, so open and patient that I found myself relaxing.
“Let’s put it this way. I had the wrong version of love in my mind. I know better now.”
“Fair enough,” he said, nodding. “But for the record, I don’t see you as the type to settle for anything less than amazing.”
“Is that so?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “And you’re pretty sure you’re amazing?”
“Absolutely.”
What I appreciated about Liam was right here. He didn’t press. He gave me time to explain things on my terms in my time. There was no real pressure.
The words hung between us, heavy with meaning, and I found myself smiling despite the flutter of nerves in my chest.
“You’re impossible, you know that?”
“And yet, here you are,” he said, grinning. “Still putting up with me.”
“Barely,” I teased, though my tone lacked any real bite. “Do you think that will ever get old?”
“You thinking I’m impossible?” His eyes stayed on mine, and I nodded. “No. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to think I’m a real possibility.”
The sound of Hayden stirring again broke the moment, and I glanced toward his room. “I should check on him.”
Liam nodded, his smile softening. “I should probably head out anyway. But… I’m glad I stayed tonight.”
“Me too.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
He stepped closer, his hand brushing against mine for just a moment before he turned toward the door.
“Goodnight, Evie.”
“Goodnight, Liam,” I said, watching him go, my heart full and light all at once.
The house was quiet except for the occasional rustle from Hayden’s room as he shifted in bed or Lance’s snorts.
It was a stillness I usually cherished—a moment to think, to breathe. But tonight, my thoughts were anything but peaceful.
Liam.
He’d walked out the door not long ago, leaving behind a presence I desperately craved and a thousand questions in my mind.
Things were growing between us, moving in a direction I hadn’t anticipated. And while every interaction left me feeling lighter, happier… there was also this knot in my chest I couldn’t quite unravel.
Could I let this go further?
Should I?
The truth was, Liam felt like something I didn’t dare believe in: a protector.
He wasn’t just kind and funny. He was patient and so incredibly thoughtful. It was impossible not to notice how he looked at me. It was like he thought I was someone worth investing in. Someone worth holding onto.
But did he know? Could he see the fractures in my armor, the parts of me I worked so hard to keep hidden?
I ran a hand through my hair, sighing as I leaned against the counter. My past wasn’t something I brought up.
Ever.
Except for Hayden, my heart was a sealed box. I locked it tightly and stashed it in the back of my mind where it couldn’t haunt me—or anyone else.
Hayden was my only real concern, and as long as I was whole enough to take care of him, I told myself the rest didn’t matter.
But now there was Liam. And as much as I tried to keep him at arm’s length, he had this way of slipping through the cracks, of making me wonder if I could let someone in without everything falling apart.
Could I tell him? Should I?
The thought made my stomach twist. Where would I even start? Hey, Liam, by the way, I have a history of trusting the wrong people. I married someone who made me believe in fairy tales and then turned my life into a waking nightmare. Cool, right?
No. It wasn’t cool. It wasn’t anything close to cool. And I hated the idea of dragging someone else into that mess. Especially someone as good as Liam.
But wasn’t that the point? That he was good? That he might actually care enough to handle it, to stick around even after knowing the full story?
I shook my head, amazed at the tug-of-war in my mind.
Sharing my past felt like opening Pandora’s box, and I was worried that once it was out there, I couldn’t get it back. It’s almost like speaking it made it true.
Not to mention, what if he looked at me differently? What if he thought less of me for staying in a toxic marriage as long as I did? What if he didn’t want to deal with the baggage that came with me?
And yet… what if he did?
What if he wanted to stay?
I swallowed hard, trying to push the mess of thoughts away.
I wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
But would I ever be?
If I waited for the perfect moment, would it ever come? Or would I let Liam slip away because I was too scared to leap?
“Get it together, Evie,” I muttered under my breath as I curled on the couch with a book.
I’d already let one person shape too much of my life. My ex’s voice had lived rent-free in my head for years, telling me I wasn’t enough, that I couldn’t do better, that I wasn’t strong enough to stand on my own. That I was worthless without him.
Leaving him had been the hardest thing I’d ever done, but I’d done it.
For Hayden. For me.
So why did it still feel like he had a hold on me, even now? Why did I keep letting the fear control my choices?
I let out a sigh because I knew the answer.
It wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about Hayden.
Hayden deserved stability and consistency. He didn’t need to watch his mom stumble through relationships, introducing men who might not stick around. And what if Liam—despite all his good qualities—ended up being just another mistake?
I closed my eyes and slowly breathed.
I didn’t think Liam was a mistake.
In fact, he felt like the opposite of one. But trusting someone again, letting someone into our lives, meant taking a risk I wasn’t sure I could handle.
But wasn’t every day with Hayden a reminder of how much I’d already survived? That I was strong enough to make the right choices.
The days when I didn’t know how I’d pay the bills, when I felt so drained I could barely get out of bed, when the memories of my ex crept in like shadows—I’d faced all those challenges. And I was still standing.
Maybe that was the real problem. I’d spent so much time convincing myself that I had to do it alone, that asking for help—or wanting more—felt like a weakness.
But what if it wasn’t? What if it was okay to lean on someone else for a change? The thought in itself sounded scary.
I wasn’t sure I could give up control again.
If I wanted something real with Liam, I’d have to let him in eventually. But not tonight. Tonight, I needed time to think, to breathe.
And maybe, just maybe, to dream.