Chapter 28
28
Liam
“ P lease put your phone on silent while you’re here. Anything you’d like to leave at the front desk can be placed in those lockers.”
Liam glanced over to a row of lockers. “Are there really people who use those?”
“We’ve had to deal with theft in the past. They’re available if you need them but are not required.” The receptionist at the front desk offered him a smile as she held out a visitor’s pass. “I believe Miss Bennet is scheduled for a group session in about five minutes. You’re welcome to sit in if you’d like. It will be down that hallway.”
He stiffened. “You just let visitors sit in on stuff like that?”
“It’s Friday. On Fridays we welcome family and friends to visit and support our patients. No one will be bothered by your presence. But that is the main reason for turning your phone to silent.”
“Oh, right.” Liam reached into his pocket and frowned. “I guess I left it in the car.”
“That works too.” She smiled once more and pointed down the hallway to where he was supposed to go. “It’s the third door on the left. It’s a big room, and the door should be open. You can just slip inside and find a chair.”
He nodded his thanks before placing his visitor sticker on his shirt. Liam took a few steps toward the hallway, then paused. He probably should have called her—let her know he was stopping by. There was no telling if she would be happy to see him or if she would be upset by his presence.
Margot might even get upset about the fact that he’d forced her father to tell him when he was supposed to be the gatekeeper. He glanced over his shoulder at the receptionist, who didn’t seem to notice his hesitancy.
It was fine. This whole thing would work out fine. He was here to tell her she was wrong about him and that he wanted to be in her life no matter what. Margot needed to know that she was the most important person to him, and he would love her no matter how hard she thought it might be. It was his turn to think about what he wanted, and what he wanted was Margot.
Liam rolled back his shoulders and nodded more to himself than anyone else. He marched down that hallway, his confidence wavering only once more as he reached the doorway.
The group therapy session had only just began. It appeared one of the staff was getting the meeting started. “I’d like to also welcome the family and friends who have decided to join us today. We appreciate your support.”
Liam slipped into the room and scooted across the wall. He scanned the room, searching for the woman he’d come here to see. Her back was to him, and she was sitting beside another young woman. Margot leaned closer to her friend, and they said something to one another while the staff member reminded everyone that sharing was a personal choice. They were under no obligation to say anything, that everyone was here, not to pass judgment, but to learn from each other.
He couldn’t keep his eyes off Margot. While her father had alluded to the fact that Margot had mental struggles, he didn’t confirm a diagnosis. He simply gave the address and said it was up to Margot to tell him.
Someone stood right away and started talking. They spoke of hardships they’d had to overcome in the past, their stubbornness to find help, and their surprise at just how far they’d been able to come since arriving at this facility.
Then the woman seated beside Margot stood and announced how excited she was to be able to leave and start fresh. She wanted to thank the friends who supported her while she was here. While she spoke, she placed a hand on Margot’s shoulder. Margot reached for it and smiled up at her. “I think the thing I will miss the most will have to be Margot’s dance classes. I learned so much about myself and my mind while there. If you get a chance, you should definitely test it out. She’s one of the best teachers I know.” The woman sat down.
To Liam’s surprise, Margot rose. She didn’t start speaking right away. She squirmed a little until her friend reached for her hand and held it tight.
“My name’s Margot. And this is my first time sharing.” Her voice was quiet, and he nearly couldn’t make out what she was saying. As much as he wanted to step closer, he didn’t want to destroy the feeling of serenity as she continued to talk. “I’m like a lot of you. When put in certain situations, I have some very self-destructive habits. I think I’ve realized there’s a part of my brain that makes me believe it’s all about control. If I control what I put into my mouth, then I don’t have to worry as much about feeling a lack of control in the other areas of my life.”
That was all it took for Liam to understand why she was here. She hadn’t been eating. Every time he’d taken her out to get food toward the end, she barely touched it. She’d told him she wasn’t hungry or she didn’t feel well. Or that she’d already eaten.
His heart broke for her in that moment. How could he not have seen what was happening? There were so many signs, and he’d failed her.
“The fact is,” Margot continued, “I’ve been through programs like this one. I know what’s happening when it starts. But this time, I was in such a dark place that I wasn’t able to pull myself out of it. I had one person I knew I could count on, but I sabotaged myself by refusing to tell him I needed help. We come here at different stages of our illness and have to relearn certain things about ourselves, like what triggers us. Or when we’ve gone too far. But the most important part of our healing and well-being is allowing ourselves to get help; it’s trusting the people around us to not make judgments and to lift us up when we need it most. We can’t forget that they were put in our lives for a reason.”
Margot shifted at that moment and her eye caught Liam’s. She froze, her skin going pale. He couldn’t move, either. Anything could happen.
The woman seated beside her glanced back at him, then up at Margot. She tugged on Margot’s hand, causing her to come out of the trance where she’d been imprisoned. Margot let out a soft laugh and turned away from Liam. “Whether or not you believe in God, you can’t forget that the support system you have is your lifeline and you were destined to have it. I know I’ve let myself forget that fact too many times. I hope to prioritize it in my future.” She settled back into her seat and fidgeted for the rest of the meeting, though never turning to look back at him.
When the meeting came to an end, Liam hovered by the door, waiting for her to come to him. He wasn’t sure she was ready to speak to him, and he didn’t want to scare her off. He watched her speak with the woman beside her, who glanced in his direction several times. She wore a faint smile, and the excitement practically came off her in waves. It wasn’t until she pulled Margot to her feet and pushed her toward him that Liam started to grasp what was going on.
They’d talked about him.
That was a good sign, right?
Margot shuffled toward him, her face flooding with color. When she reached him, she had her hands clasped behind her back. “Liam,” she whispered, “what are you doing here?”
He glanced over Margot’s shoulder to her friend before returning his gaze to Margot. “I had to see you.”
“How did you know I was here?”
Liam brought his focus back to her face. “Your dad told me.”
She looked shocked. “He did?”
Ignoring her question, he took a step toward her to close the distance between them. “I have something important to say, and I need you to hear me out before I lose my nerve.” His voice was more forceful than he’d ever used it with her before.
Margot seemed moderately taken aback by his tone, but she didn’t flinch away from him.
He reached out and took one of her hands in his own, feeling grounded by her touch. “I can’t stand to lose you, Margot. These last several months without you have been utter torture. There hasn’t been a single day that I didn’t think about you. I want you back.”
She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “You can’t say that. You don’t know.”
“I do know.”
“I’m a mess,” she blurted. “I’m such a terrible mess. You don’t know how hard it is to live with someone like me. At any moment I could?—”
“I think I can handle it,” he said confidently.
“I’m broken,” she finally stammered. “You deserve to be with someone who isn’t damaged, who won’t make you worry, who you won’t have to constantly be trying to fix.”
He reached out and traced her jaw with the back of his knuckle. “Margot, I wish I could show you my heart, that I could give you the peace of mind of knowing that you are the only one I want to be with. Broken things are just as precious and beautiful. They can be fixed and mended. Not so long ago, I had been broken and beaten down, and one thoughtful gesture from a little girl had been all it had taken to mend my heart. Don’t ever forget that.”
She laughed through her tears. “We were children.”
“Yes, we were.”
“We’re not children anymore, Liam.”
He peered into her eyes, seeing all her pain, her distrust in herself, and so much more. But he saw something else, glimmering from the back like the lightning bugs they’d visited on that one night they spent together. It was hope.
“I love you, Margot. More than I have ever loved anyone. And I will be here every single day they will let me just so I can prove it to you. I’m not afraid. Let me love you.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks and she threw herself into his arms. She rubbed her face against his chest while soft sobs racked her body.
Liam wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and telling himself that he was never going to let her go again. If she was broken, so was he. Together they had managed to find a reality where they could be whole together. He just had to convince her that it was possible.
When she pulled back, she brushed at her face with an embarrassed laugh. “I can’t believe you came.”
“Nothing was going to keep me from you,” he said. Liam pulled her close and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. He glanced up and found that woman staring at them. When she realized she’d been caught, she looked away. “I think we have an audience,” he said with a smile.
Margot turned around and laughed. She waved over the woman. “This is my friend, Courtney.”
Courtney held out her hand. “And you must be the handsome cowboy who has won the heart of my new best friend. I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other.”
Liam’s brows lifted. “Best friend, huh? I guess that means I’ve been booted.”
Margot leaned into him and stared up into his eyes with what could only be described as glowing adoration. “More like promoted.”