Chapter 26
26
Liam
L iam got out of his truck after an especially hard day at work. His muscles screamed at him in pain, but it was a welcome distraction from the ache in his heart. It had been three months since he’d last seen Margot. And just as long since he’d heard from her.
He had rather hoped that she would reach out to him when she had gotten settled somewhere, but apparently she’d been speaking the truth when she’d told him that she wasn’t interested in him.
Liam didn’t know what hurt more, knowing that Margot didn’t want him anymore or that she hadn’t wanted him at all.
He shuffled toward the house and finally collapsed on the front step. He didn’t have the energy to go inside—especially if he had to deal with Caleb. His brother hadn’t told him what he’d been doing with Rhett Bennet. And Liam didn’t care to ask. Prada was still in the barn, and that was all that mattered.
The property was quiet. Everyone was either settling in for the night or having supper. They’d long since stopped waiting for him—mostly because he’d taken on longer shifts. They didn’t seem to grasp that he had zero interest in spending time with his family anymore. Especially since he didn’t feel he got any support from them after Margot left.
That might have been due to the fight he’d had with Caleb, though.
A sigh found its way out of his lips, and he settled back to let his eyes scan the area around him. Once upon a time, he’d loved this place. He’d found security in calling it home. At some point the feeling of this place had shifted. He wasn’t sure if it was due to Margot’s absence or if it could be blamed on how Caleb had treated him.
Then again, it could be all the change that had happened in the last several years. His brothers and Annabel had found love and gotten married. Carter had drifted away, choosing another path rather than staying with their family.
Maybe their ranch simply didn’t feel like home because it no longer was.
The door opened and shut behind him. Liam immediately stiffened, prepared to fight off anyone who wanted to come out here and lecture him. “I’m not in the mood,” he muttered.
“Since when are you ever in the mood,” Caleb shot back.
Liam’s head swiveled around, and he glowered at his brother. “If you were smart, you’d turn around and go right back inside.”
Caleb held a plate of food. He studied Liam for what felt like a full minute, and then he shrugged. “You’ve already given me a black eye. What more could you do?” He held up the plate. “Besides, I brought you dinner.” Caleb crouched down and pushed the plate toward the edge of the porch.
It didn’t matter that Liam hadn’t eaten all day. Nor did it matter that it sounded like something had taken up residence in his stomach and was calling out to have him consume that food right this second. All that mattered was that Liam still blamed Caleb for Margot’s departure. His jaw tightened as he worked it back and forth and turned away from his brother.
He could hear the plate scape across the surface of the porch landing when Caleb attempted once again to give him his meal. “I’m not hungry.”
“Your stomach is giving you away. Just eat it.”
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“And I don’t blame you.” Caleb moved to the edge of the porch and leaned against the railing. “I don’t want to tell you I told you so…”
“Then don’t.”
“But the thing is, I saw something was up with Margot from the day she showed up.”
“Caleb,” he warned, “I’m not in the right headspace for this conversation. Everything you’re saying is only stirring up more anger. I would highly recommend that you turn around and leave me alone.”
“Turns out I was wrong about something.”
Liam stiffened. His ears perked, and the hammering of his heart shifted into something different. He wasn’t sure where Caleb was going with his conversation. Warning bells rang in Liam’s head, telling him he needed to get up and walk away, while his heart told him that he needed to stick it out even if listening to Caleb was painful.
Caleb paused long enough to make it clear he had noticed the shift in Liam’s demeanor. Then he sighed again. “Margot might have been the kind of person to manipulate and get what she wanted by whatever means necessary when she was younger, but I guess that wasn’t quite what was going on here.”
“You think?” Liam snapped, not turning to face his brother.
“There was something deeper at play.”
Liam whirled around. “What are you getting at? Just spit it out so I can return to sitting here in peace.”
Caleb seemed to hesitate. Whatever he was tempted to tell Liam, he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to follow through with. Finally, he nodded. “I do believe Margot loved you.”
Liam launched to his feet. He might have been angry that his brother was finally admitting something Liam had known from the start, or he might have been relieved to find out that all his doubts about himself could finally leave him. He scowled at Caleb. “And you drove her away.”
His brother didn’t move at first, but then he shook his head. “I don’t think I did, actually. Margot was dealing with some heavy stuff.”
“What are you talking about? You never spoke to her. You don’t know who she was.”
Caleb glanced out toward the road. “She came back that night, Liam.”
His blood ran cold. “Margot came back?”
“I don’t think she meant to. I think she was desperate.”
He took a step closer to his brother. “Desperate for what? Caleb, what did you do?” The accusation in his voice made Caleb flinch, though he didn’t retreat.
“She’s sick, Liam.”
Liam’s hands tightened into fists at his sides. He stared at Caleb in shock and dismay. He didn’t know if he could believe his brother—or even if he wanted to. All he could see in the back of his mind was how much she’d deteriorated since she’d gotten home. He’d noticed that she didn’t look as bright. Why hadn’t he done something about it?
His stomach churned and he swallowed down the bile that threatened at the back of his throat. “What do you mean she’s sick?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Cancer?”
Caleb shook his head. “I don’t know all the details. But I don’t think it’s cancer. It’s… something else.”
“You can’t just say you think she was sick and leave it at that. I have to know.”
For the first time since Liam could remember, Caleb looked almost empathetic. His sad eyes told a story that Liam would never be able to translate. Each passing second made Liam more anxious. “So, she didn’t leave because she wanted to break up.”
Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know what she wanted. I do know that she needed help. And it was help she wasn’t willing to ask you for.”
The fury returned like a gunshot. Liam stormed up the steps and moved in real close to his brother. “You’re lying,” he hissed. “Margot knew she could ask me for anything.”
“Have you considered that could be the problem? You’re a people pleaser, Liam. You like to fix things. Do you think she’d want help from you when all you’re going to do is see her as a project?”
Liam’s head reared backward. He couldn’t believe Caleb had actually said something that made sense and yet, at the same time, broke his heart. He didn’t even want to consider that Margot wouldn’t want his help for any reason.
“On a similar note, you’re just not the guy who’s willing to put your own needs ahead of anyone else. You told her you wished for her happiness. What about you? What about your happiness, Liam?” Caleb’s words stung. At the time, his brother had watched with a smug look on his face as Margot broke things off with him. Now, he was singing another tune—managing to point out Liam’s biggest flaw.
“I’m not going to stand in her way if that’s what she wants.”
“And what if it wasn’t what she wanted?”
Liam’s eyes cut to his brother’s. “What do you mean?”
“I mean , what if she needed to get help, and this was the only way?”
“Then there was nothing else I could have done.”
“Wrong.”
Liam scowled. “She asked me to let her go. I wasn’t going to force her to do anything.”
“And maybe you should have—forced her to tell you the truth, whatever that may be. I don’t like admitting when I’m wrong, but in this case I might be. Out of everyone in the world, Margot would be luckiest to have someone like you. I don’t know of anyone who would treat her with more love and understanding than you do. What you have for her? I’d say it’s as close to unconditional love as you can get.” Caleb sighed. “But the only way you’ll know for certain is if you track her down and get the whole story.”
“And how do you suggest I do that?”
“Her father might know where she’s at.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Rhett pushed on the door in an attempt to keep Liam out, but Liam shoved the toe of his boot in the doorway.
“With all due respect, this isn’t a request.”
“Oh, isn’t it now?” Rhett’s dark expression said it all. He still didn’t trust Liam as far as he could throw him. “You think you can waltz back into her life and everything will be fixed? I’m sorry to break it to you, son. But love can’t solve everything.” There was a sorrow in his words, which was reflected in his eyes. “Love is a Band-Aid.”
“You’re wrong. Love is the only thing that heals. It’s the only thing that makes us keep going. We might have love for a person or for ourselves. People even have love for objects and careers. But it’s the driving force for a great deal, and it’s the kind of love I have for your daughter.”
“And what if she doesn’t share that same kind of love for you?” Rhett said sharply. “Have you considered that? Will you be able to survive knowing that she will choose her illness over you time and time again?” There was something in the way he said it that made Liam wonder if that was exactly what Rhett had experienced himself. His face was drawn and weary. He’d been through a lot in his life.
Liam took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I suppose I won’t know until I get to that point, will I? But I can promise you one thing. I’m not going to give up on her. I don’t care if it tears me apart from the inside out. I’m madly in love with your daughter, and nothing will hurt me more than knowing she needs my help while you refuse to let me give it to her. I wasn’t as bad for her as you thought I was. I was trying to help her but I didn’t do enough it seems.”
Rhett stared hard at Liam through the crack in the door for several seconds. Then all at once his shoulders sagged and he ran an exhausted hand through his hair. “I hope you’re right. For both of your sakes, I hope you can prove me wrong.” He gave Liam one more cursory glance and then nodded. “Wait here. I’ll get the address.”