Chapter 30 – Liam
My palms were slick against the steering wheel of my Jeep as Molly and I made our way out to her family ranch. Jace had texted me this morning needing some help, while Colt was gone for the day hauling cattle down to south Montana.
I easily agreed. I’d helped out at the ranch plenty of times, but this time, driving out there shot an uneasy feeling all over my body—for a lot of reasons.
The first was that the last time I’d been out here, I’d crashed their family dinner, and all hell had broken loose after that. Everyone had practically shunned me that night—with good reason.
The second was that I was about to come face-to-face with Molly’s parents for the first time since then, and they were disappointed in me.
That much had been clear from their reactions that night.
I’d worked hard to earn forgiveness from Molly and her brothers, but I hadn’t spoken to her parents since that night.
I’d broken their little girl’s heart after knocking her up from a one-night stand. In their eyes, I was public enemy number one. And I absolutely deserved it.
I dropped Molly off at the main house where Cassie, Ellie, and Molly’s mom were already inside doing whatever they had planned for the day.
Molly hopped out slowly, her belly growing bigger by the day.
She turned back around and rested her arms on the windowsill of the Jeep.
“Be careful out there today, please. No wild tricks or shenanigans with Jace. I can’t take care of a newborn and a grown man who broke something getting bucked off a horse. ”
“I promise to be on my best behavior and come back in one piece.” I smiled at her. “Stay with your mom and the girls at all times. No wandering off alone—I mean it. I want a check-in text every hour, got it?” I said, my tone serious.
“I won’t go anywhere without someone by my side, and I’ll text you a sign of life every hour,” she joked.
“I mean it, Molls. I already don’t want to leave your side, but Jace needs my help.”
“I’m going to be fine, Liam. Go have fun on your playdate with Jace.”
A deep laugh came from my chest. “It’s not a playdate.”
“Sure seems like a cute little playdate between two best buddies who finally made up,” she teased.
“I’m going to get you for this later,” I said, dipping my chin toward her with a knowing look.
“You know I love being a troublemaker. And I love taking my punishments even more.” She winked.
Damn. It was going to be a long day.
I drove away even though I wanted to keep that conversation going. Molly walked into the main house as I pulled away.
Growing up, Molly and her family had lived in the main house of the ranch.
Charlie and Alice had later built their own place toward the back of the property.
So the house was vacant after Colt moved into the guesthouse with Ellie and Jace built himself a cabin near the river that ran through the property.
They’d turned it into a makeshift headquarters where Alice handled the business side of the ranch.
She used the kitchen a lot to make breakfasts and lunches for Charlie and the boys before they headed out for the day being cowboys.
I pulled up to the red horse stables. Jace’s truck was parked in the grass out front with Charlie’s truck parked right next to it. Before hopping out of my Jeep, I took a deep breath. Fuck, I was nervous.
I slid open the two main doors into the stables. Jace and Charlie stood at the other end, saddling up two horses. They each turned to look at me.
I walked up to them slowly, extending my hand to shake Charlie’s. He took it in his firm grip. “Good to see you, sir,” I said.
“Good to see you, son,” he replied. “Under better circumstances than the last time I saw you, so I hear.”
I glanced over at Jace, feeling like I was missing a piece of the puzzle in this conversation.
“He knows what you did for Molly—the security system, the investigation, the old Shirley place, killing that guy at Molly’s bakery, being her personal security detail—all of it.”
“Oh,” I said quietly, dropping my gaze for a brief moment.
“You’re the father of my grandchild—my first grandson,” Charlie said.
“I won’t lie and say I wasn’t upset at first. But based on what Jace has told me, it’s clear you’d do just about anything for Molly and that baby, including risking your own life.
Any man willing to take a bullet for my daughter cares a great deal about her, even if the beginning was a little bumpy.
I hear Molly forgives you, and I trust her judgment. ”
He squeezed my hand once more. “You’re like a son to me, Liam. You know that. You spent most of your summers out here on this ranch, and now I know why. You didn’t deserve to grow up the way you did, but you’re always welcome here. You’re family—as long as you don’t hurt my daughter again.”
“I understand, sir,” I said, feeling some of the tension finally leave my shoulders.
“Now saddle up Clover over there and let’s get this day started,” he said, pointing to a horse still grazing on hay in her stall. “Saddles are already on the door, bridles on the wall.”
I turned on my heel, doing exactly as he said. I’d traded in my sheriff’s uniform for boots and blue jeans. It reminded me of what I used to wear as a child running around the farm with Jace every day. Even the scent of the hay sent me back in time.
I wished I’d paid more attention to Molly growing up and created memories with her the same way I had with Jace. But I was young and na?ve and only cared about spending time with my friends, like most boys that age do.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think Molly and I would grow up and have a baby together.
After high school, life took us in opposite directions.
I’d shipped off to the military, while Molly stayed here—the only town she’d ever known.
Then fate brought me back to Silver Creek, a decision I’d never regret after everything that had happened over the last few months.
The house I grew up in may have been in Great Falls, but Silver Creek was my home, through and through.
“What’s on the to-do list today?” I asked, as we each sat atop our horses, making our way out of the stables.
“We need to ride out to the ridge behind Jace’s cabin and check on the cattle.
I’ve got a lot of heifers out there that are due any day, and I need to make sure none of them are having a hard time giving birth.
Then we’ll ride back along the fence line and make sure it still looks good so none of the cattle can break out,” Charlie explained.
It sounded like an easy day, but I was smart enough not to count my chickens before they hatched. The second someone said a plan was easy, it usually all went to shit real quick.
Jace, Charlie, and I rode side by side through the fields, making our way up the ridge toward the head of cattle.
“How old were you when you took over the farm from Papa?” Jace asked after a few minutes of riding in silence.
Charlie looked up, doing some quick math in his head. “I think I was about Colt’s age—maybe a little older. Your mom was pregnant with Molly. I do remember that. Why you askin’?” he said, glancing over at Jace.
“Just wondering is all.”
“Your mom and me were married by then.”
Based on Charlie’s comments, he and Alice hadn’t been married when they’d had their first kid. Hell, maybe not even their second, for all I knew.
Jace looked over at me on his other side. “Colt was a surprise. Just like what happened with you and Molly,” he explained.
“He sure was,” Charlie said. “Your mom was beautiful—the prettiest damn thing I’d ever laid eyes on in this town.
She moved here with her family when she was little, but our paths never crossed until high school.
I first noticed her at the drive-in one night, sipping on a chocolate milkshake and gossiping with her girlfriends. I remember it like it was yesterday.
“Being the hotshot I thought I was at the time, I walked up to her, laying on the McKinley charm. I don’t even remember what I said, but I do remember her turning me down—hard.
I chased her for over a year before she finally agreed to go on a date with me.
On our third date, things got a little wild, and Colt was conceived.
“Alice was so terrified that she didn’t tell me she was pregnant.
She hid it from everyone for months. One day, I saw her in town and asked why she’d been ignoring me.
She just started crying hysterically. After a bit, she finally told me she was pregnant.
Said she knew I didn’t want anything to do with a baby—we were still seniors in high school—and that she wasn’t expecting me to be part of the baby’s life. ”
Charlie paused before continuing. “She tried to walk away. I grabbed her arm, made her stop and look at me, and then told her that any child of mine would never grow up without a father. I could tell she was shocked—genuinely shocked. The rest is history. As soon as her parents found out, they kicked her out, just like we expected. So she moved out here to the ranch with me and your grandparents. We raised you and Colt in the guesthouse until space got too tight, then we moved into the main house.”
It made a lot of sense now why Molly’s parents didn’t judge her for having a baby before getting married. They’d both been in her place before. They knew exactly how she was feeling and how worried she’d been about being judged.
“Now don’t get me wrong,” Charlie continued.
“Was I scared shitless to be a dad? Of course. But Alice needed me as much as I needed her. We had to lean on each other for a long time. That’s my best advice for you boys.
Don’t let the world pull you apart from the girl you love.
When the world puts pressure on you, let it bring you closer together.
Ride out the storm side by side, and come out stronger on the other end.
Because after it’s all said and done, when the day is over, you only have each other. ”
I hated the way Charlie’s words settled in my chest. It was clear that Jace’s person was Cassie. But when it came to me, nobody really knew who my person was—though I wanted it to be Molly. I wanted forever with that girl, but forever wasn’t guaranteed. I knew that better than anyone.
As the day went on and we worked our way through Charlie’s to-do list, it gave me more time to think about Molly and what forever with her might look like. The more I imagined it, the more I craved it.
By the end of the day, as we rode back toward the stables with the sun setting in the west, my mind was made up.
Tonight, I was going to ask Molly to spend forever with me.
Molly
After a long day of cooking and doing chores with Cassie, Ellie, and my mom, this bubble bath was exactly what I needed. The warm water and Epsom salts were doing amazing things for my sore muscles.
I was so thankful Liam had picked out a low-profile tub. It made getting out of it while extremely pregnant so much easier.
As I wrapped a plush towel around my body, I heard music start playing from the kitchen. Whenever Liam cooked, he liked to listen to music on the speaker in there—just like I did while I baked. I rubbed lotion on my legs and over my belly before slipping into my pajamas.
“What in the world are you cooking this late at night?” I asked as I made my way into the kitchen. But the moment I stepped into the doorway, I stopped in my tracks.
Instead of Liam cooking, he was standing in the middle of the kitchen with the lights turned down low and candles lit all around him. The same Keith Whitley song we’d danced to at the Twisted Spur played softly in the background.
“Liam… what is all this?”
He extended a hand. “Dance with me, Molly?”
As I took his hand, he pulled me close, wearing an expression I’d never seen on his face before.
“What’s the special occasion?” I asked, meeting his gaze.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, brushing his thumb over my knuckles.
My mind raced in a million directions. What was he going to tell me? Was it good? Was it bad?
“I should’ve told you this a long time ago, but I didn’t.” He paused before continuing, making me even more nervous. “I love you, Molly. And I don’t just want tonight or tomorrow—I want forever with you.”
For a moment, I couldn’t move or speak. It felt like the world tilted. His words echoed in my head as my brain struggled to catch up.
“Liam…” I took a deep breath, my fingers tightening around his. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could feel it, and I searched his face, stunned. “You… you want forever? With me?”
“I want it all with you, Molly. I want to wake up next to you every morning.
I want you to be the one I call after a long day.
I want this baby with you—and then I want more.
I want to read all your books, and I want you to teach me how to bake lemon bars.
I want to watch a million sunsets with you.
I want you by my side on all the good days and the bad.
“You were everything to me when I was a young and dumb teenager, and you’re everything to me now.
It took me a while to find the courage to tell you how I really felt, but I’ve never regretted it—not once.
You didn’t know it, but your picture got me through some of the hardest days while I was deployed.
I was a fool to think I could ever live a life without you in it.
“I’m like the dark cloud in the sky, and you’re the bright sunshine, pushing through me and convincing me to shine even when I don’t think I can.
You’re the only person who has ever made me see a future that doesn’t end with me becoming like my dad is.
You can see the look on my face and know exactly how I’m feeling without even asking me.
You know exactly what to say to make me feel better too.
No one has ever cared about my feelings the way you do.
With you, I feel whole. Without you, I feel completely empty inside. ”
“So what exactly are you asking me here, Liam?” I asked as my heart melted in my chest from his words.
He gently tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. “Will you love me for the rest of your life the way I will always love you for the rest of mine?”
I tried my best to keep the tears at bay, but it was useless. They trickled down both sides of my face as Liam wiped them away gently, waiting for my answer.
“Yes, Liam, I will love you forever. It’s all I’ve wanted to do for so long, but I was scared you didn’t want the same thing. Clearly, I was wrong,” I said between tears.
The biggest smile I’d ever seen spread across Liam’s face as he cupped my cheek. He pulled me in for the most passionate kiss I’d ever experienced in my life—like fireworks were shooting out of our bodies.
When we finally pulled away from each other, Liam leaned his forehead against mine.
“You will never know how many prayers I prayed to get to this moment,” he whispered, his lips landing gently against my forehead.