Chapter 45
Tessa
My eyes flutter open, and for a split second, I forget where I am. There are blank walls around me, sunset streaming through a window I don't recognize, and I'm tucked into a comforter that feels foreign against my skin.
But then I roll over, and I'm hit with a sight I could never forget—and hope I never have to.
"Hey you." Liam's voice floats past me, enveloping me in an unexplainable sense of security.
I smile, sitting up against the headboard, pulling the blanket up to cover my still-bare chest. Liam lifts his arm for me to sneak underneath, and I shift so that I'm tucked into the crook of his elbow.
"How long was I asleep?" I ask, draping my leg over his. When skin touches skin, I melt into him further, comforted maybe more than I should be that he was in no hurry to get dressed.
"Not long," he says, running the tips of his fingers down the length of my arm. "Maybe ten minutes. I'm hoping the fact that you zonked out right after is a good thing…"
He arches a brow, one corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
I giggle softly, but the reality is, I didn’t fall asleep because I was tired. I fell asleep because, for the first time since last night—maybe longer—I felt light enough to let go.
Liam doesn't say anything more. He simply tightens his arm around me, his thumb tracing slow, absentminded circles on my shoulder. The stillness in the room screams at me—not with discomfort but possibility. Still, he doesn't speak. Almost as if he's giving me space to decide where we go next.
“I should’ve told you,” I say finally. The words slip out before I can talk myself out of them. “About Jo. About how stressed I was."
His hand stills, and I brace myself for the disappointment that could potentially come now that things have settled—that he'd be more than entitled to. But instead, he sucks in a slow breath, running his fingers through the ends of my hair.
“Tess,” he murmurs, twisting so he’s facing me fully. “I told you… you didn’t do anything wrong."
I nod, my throat tightening. “Maybe not wrong," I say. "But not truthful either—and I think that matters."
I do that thing where I squeeze my arms tight to my chest. I tell myself it's because I'm keeping the comforter in place so I don't flash him unexpectedly, but I know it's because even talking about this makes me uneasy.
I peer up at Liam, his gaze strong and steadfast, and it's the only thing that keeps me from stopping there.
"I have this habit of doing that," I continue instead. "Of holding things in. I know I do it, and honestly, I've never had much of a reason to care before now. But I think that's because I've never been with someone who was deserving of more—who wanted more."
"I want all of you," Liam says, cradling my cheek.
I lean into his touch and smile. "I know.
And I was actually really proud of myself for how open I thought I was being with you, but I realized that only really happened when we were talking about us.
The Jo thing—it rattled me. But with everything going on with Ruthie and the game and you and your plans, I just naturally tucked my needs away, and that's not fair to you—not when you make me feel nothing but safe to give you everything. "
Liam swallows as he searches my expression, maybe thinking about how to respond, maybe just waiting to see if I'm finished. When I exhale a heavy breath, he takes my hand in his and squeezes gently.
"I don't think you have a malicious bone in your body, Tessa."
I scoff, rolling my eyes playfully. "Tell that to the soccer moms."
He tilts his head, letting a laugh slip out before he grows serious again. "My point is, I don't think you set out to hurt anyone. I think we all default to what feels familiar. Why do you think I was so back and forth with you the first week or so?"
"Because you were fed up with nannies, and I was late to my interview?"
He smothers a smile by sucking his teeth. "Okay, fair. But also… I spent a long time avoiding the way you made me feel—the way I craved you and your company. No matter how much I wanted you from the start, I tried my best to push you away. To stick with what was comfortable."
I grin, tracing the lines of his collarbone, remembering how far we've come in such a short time. "I'm glad you caved," I admit.
Goosebumps ripple across his skin as he sucks in a slow breath.
He places my chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it so my eyes meet his.
"I didn't cave," he argues gently. His eyes dip to my lips, and I pray that he kisses me.
"You just chipped away at my walls, little by little.
Every conversation, every smile, every moment with Ruthie.
All of it showed me that letting someone in doesn't have to cost me. "
I gasp when his words tell me just how similar we've been all along.
"And that's what I'll do for you," he continues. "I'll show you little by little that it's okay to give more."
"You've already started to," I jump in, remembering the quiet moments where we talked about my worries and hesitations about Ruthie, about going slow.
He reaches out and tucks a hair behind my ear. "I hope so," he says. "But I don't plan on stopping anytime soon."
Between his words and the way he's looking at me, I can't wait any longer. I sit forward slightly and press my lips to his.
Liam pulls me closer, his arm still draped around mine, but the kiss stays gentle—soft and unhurried. We stay like that, neither of us trying to take it any further, and all I can think about is how good it feels to fully sink back into that certainty he so generously offers.
Small or not, hiding my true feelings last night did more than just spare me from talking about myself.
Without that moment, I might not have recognized how easily I was slipping back into an unhealthy habit—one that has no place in a relationship capable of so much more than I’m used to.
I know I won't get it right every time, but I also know now that the right people want the mess.
And even better—they'll fight to unpack it.
"Hey, have you thought anymore about life after retirement?" I ask, still thinking about our conversation.
"Yeah, actually," he says. "I think I have an idea, but I still have to sort through the details."
I sit forward slightly, excited. "What is it?"
Liam's lips turn up as he brushes his knuckles down my cheek. "As soon as I know the answer to that, you'll be the first person I tell."
With that, he kisses me again, and I settle back into him.
"What do you think?" Liam whispers when we slowly break apart. My eyes flutter open, then flick between his. "Do you still want to tell Ruthie today?"
I pause then realize I don't need to think about it. "Yeah." I nod. "I think we should."
The smile that spreads across Liam's face is the only reassurance I need. A reminder that, whatever happens next, we're choosing it together.
"Dad! Tess! You're back!"
Two tween feet and four clawed paws come barreling toward us as we pass through the laundry room into the living area.
"Hey, Roo," Liam says, tossing his arms around his daughter.
At the same time, Sammy leaps toward me, licking up my neck as his feet threaten to take me down.
"I saw you this morning, buddy." I laugh, scratching at the scruff behind his ears.
Liam shakes his head, releasing Ruthie who dives for me next. "You didn't see me," she says. "Dad said you needed help. Is everything okay?"
I peer up to find Liam smiling softly as he brushes Sammy's rogue hairs off his shorts.
Placing my palm on her shoulder, I look Ruthie in the eyes. "Yeah, everything's okay," I say. And this time, I mean it.
"Good." She smiles and heads back toward the kitchen, and I follow, running my palm across Liam's back as I pass him.
"Oh, hey," I say when I see Levi standing at the island, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand.
He instantly sets the mug down and rounds the corner of the counter, walking toward us. "Hey, Tess. How's your sister?" He extends one arm, and I step into it, accepting his hug with Sammy still at my heels. "Liam told me she was in the hospital, but that's really all I got."
"She's fine—figuring it out." He nods, and I grin. "Thanks for asking."
"What's up, man?" Liam steps up behind me and claps his brother on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming."
"Yeah." Levi shrugs, gesturing toward his niece. "Not sure she was too happy I relieved Holloway, though." We both glance back at Ruthie who's back on the couch, her head in her sketchbook.
Liam rubs his forehead and sighs. "Yeah, apparently that's a thing."
Levi scoffs. "And we thought it was the rink we had to worry about."
Liam's gaze meets mine, and I lift my brows in anticipation. "Hey, you think you could let us talk to her?" he asks his brother.
Levi pulls his neck back as his eyes grow wide. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sure—absolutely." He tips his chin down. "Catch ya later, kiddo!" he calls to her.
"Bye!" she yells back.
Levi walks out the door, and the second it clicks shut, Liam turns to me. "You ready?" he whispers.
"I'm nervous," I say honestly, quickly—before I can pretend otherwise.
He steps closer, toe-to-toe with me as he angles his back toward Ruthie and slides his fingers into mine.
"Me too," he admits, his voice still low.
"Really?"
He nods. "A little. But I think that's normal."
I swallow. "Yeah, you're probably right."
The corners of his lips lift as he gestures behind him. His hand slips from mine, and I miss it instantly as I tuck it into the back pocket of my jeans.
"Roo," Liam says, sitting next to his daughter. I fall into the chair he first interviewed me in, my pulse thudding as I brace myself for what's to come. Sammy hops up next to me, wedging himself into the few inches between me and the arm rest. "Can we talk to you for a second?"
"Sure." She shrugs, threading her pencil into the spiral binding of her sketch book and tucking it into her lap.