53. Liam
Climbing out of the SUV, I turn and offer my hand to Emily. She tried to hide the fact that she was nervous and trembling during the entire drive over here, but I noticed. I notice everything about her. I hate that I can’t figure out what is bothering her though.
Emily straightens her dress and takes a deep breath. Placing my hand on her lower back, we walk toward the entrance.
The ballroom is decorated with champagne and light green accents. Fairy lights hang from the ceiling and meet in the center where a crystal chandelier is suspended.
There is an open bar and I spot Sarah and Rhys sitting together on the stools. I gesture with my chin and Emily follows my line of sight. As we walk over, Rhys lifts his drink.
“Liam, looking sharp. Emily, you, as always, look beautiful.” He says, smiling softly at her.
She smiles and places a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Rhys. You look great, too.”
Sarah hops down and pulls Emily into a hug. “I love your dress!” she exclaims, holding Emily away from her so she can assess her.
“You look beautiful, Sarah. Red really suits you.” Emily replies with a smile.
Sarah’s dress is wine-red and made of the same material as Emily’s. It hugs her figure like a glove and highlights her trim frame.
“Eat your heart out, baby.” She says with a wink and flirty smirk.
I chuckle, which pulls her attention to me.
“You clean up nice, Liam.”
I shrug and smirk. I lift my finger, catching the attention of the bartender, and order myself an Irish whiskey. Emily orders two shots of tequila and quickly knocks them back the moment the bartender sets them in front of her.
I lean into her ear. “Are you okay?” I whisper.
She orders two more shots before turning toward me. “Yep.” She smiles widely.
“Do you want to go home?” I ask, my eyes pivot between hers. I feel Rhys and Sarah watching our exchange but don’t move my eyes from Emily’s.
So many different emotions are swimming in her ocean-blues before she masks them.
“I’m okay. Everything is fine.” Her voice is calm, but it sets me on edge.
“We can leave whenever you want to. Just say the word.”
She nods then knocks back the additional shots she ordered.
I spine her to face me, “Do you think it might be best to slow down?” I ask.
“Everything is fine.” She repeats, turning to face Sarah.
I meet Rhys’s eyes and he raises his brow. I subtly shake my head and purse my lips.
Emily’s posture is stiff, and I hate that I don’t know what is going through her head. I hate that I don’t know how to help her feel at ease.
Sarah’s phone pings and she quickly moves to capture everyone’s attention.
“They’re here!” she shouts.
Everyone quiets down and waits for Paige and Declan to step into the ballroom.
We’re the only ones who know Paige is aware of the party, everyone else still thinks it’s a surprise so the moment the doors open, they all shout “Surprise!”.
Paige startles but quickly shakes it off and begins laughing with excitement. Sarah and Emily rush to greet her, pulling each other into tight embraces.
Rhys and I step up to Declan and shake hands with him and slap him on the back.
“Congratulations, Paige,” Rhys says, pulling her into a hug.
“Thank you so much for doing all of this, you guys. It looks beautiful.” She tips her head and slowly spins, taking in all the decorations.
Despite the smile on her face, Emily is clearly very uncomfortable. When she catches my gaze, she gives me a tight smile.
I pull her into my arms and kiss her temple. “I love you,” I whisper into her ear.
She peers up at me, her eyes are sad but also filled with love. “I love you, too.”
She quickly steps away and heads back toward the bar. I am at her heels the entire way and when she tries to order another set of shots, I tell the bartender to bring her water instead.
“What are you doing?” she frowns.
“You haven’t eaten yet and have already taken four shots,” I reply with a hard stare.
Her chin lifts defiantly. “I told you that I’m fine, Liam.”
I cup the back of her nape and bring her face closer to mine. “Your mouth says one thing, but your actions and body say another.”
She tries to move away from me, but I tighten my grip.
“Talk to me, Emily.”
“There is nothing to talk about. I’m fine.” She hisses but her eyes hold no aggression.
Emily flicks her gaze over my shoulder and her blood drains from her face. I turn and spot Caetlin making her way over. She smiles at Emily, but Emily doesn’t return a smile. In fact, she’s barely breathing.
“What is wrong, Emily?”
She finally meets my eyes and doesn’t mask the panic in hers.
“I-I can’t be here.” She stutters.
“Why?”
Caetlin steps next to me and sets her hand on Emily’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong, leanbh? ”
Tears begin to well in Emily’s eyes and fall down her cheeks.
“It’s going to happen again.”
Caetlin and I glance at each other and then it hits me. She’s remembering the night Conor was murdered. She’s remembering another traumatic event in her life and she’s spiraling.
“I need to leave.” She says and then takes off toward the doors.
Paige sees Emily running and blocks me from going after her.
“Is she okay?”
Ignoring Paige, I run after Emily.