“You don’t have to fix it. Just… let me say this. Avery died on her way to Maple Falls. We were going to spend the holidays together anyway, but I told her I missed her, and she left early, driving through a snowstorm to be with me. And she never made it. That’s a fact I have to live with.”
The silence stretched. The weight of it was still sharp.
“I didn’t think I’d ever feel anything close to joy at Christmas again. But that night you asked me over, the night Jean-Paul proposed? All I could picture was decorating a tree with you. Hanging stockings. Sending out the cheesiest Christmas cards.”
His voice dipped. “You made me want those things again. And sometimes I want them so badly it terrifies me. I start thinking I’ll lose it all again, that I don’t deserve it. I know that’s not how life works, but it’s hard to shake.”
Her voice was soft when she finally spoke. “I know you’re scared. So am I. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. But you’re not one of them. You undo me, Liam. You see me. There’s no one else like you. And I don’t want to lose what’s just starting between us.”
Liam stepped forward. Slowly. Carefully.
And when she didn’t pull away, he leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn’t urgent. It wasn’t rushed.
Just the soft press of his mouth against hers, warm and steady and sure. It was the kind of kiss that said,I’m still here.
She swayed toward him, her hand brushing his chest. Her fingers curled into the soft flannel on his shirt.
That was all the permission he needed.
Without breaking the kiss, he walked her to the door, pulled down the shade, and felt along the wall for the latch. A soft click echoed as he turned the lock on the front door. The sound felt final, like shutting the world out.
Cassidy was breathless, her cheeks flushed pink. “What are you doing?”
He cupped her jaw, his thumb tracing just beneath her bottom lip. “Making sure I don’t lose you again.”
“Here?” She looked around, realizing that the front windows were covered, and no one could see in. She relaxed.
“Is that okay?” He backed up, giving her space to decide.
“It’s more than okay.” She smiled seductively.
His hands slid to her hips as he guided her backward, her body bumping gently into the wooden counter. The scent of beeswax and cinnamon hung in the air, wrapping around them.
He kissed her again. It was slower this time, with a hint of reverence, like he was tasting something he thought he might never have again.
“I missed you,” she said. Her voice was steady, but her hands trembled slightly where they rested on his chest. He covered them with his own, pressing them flat over his heart.
“Feel that?” he said quietly. “That’s what you do to me.”
Liam leaned in and kissed her again, her mouth, her cheek, the soft skin of her neck. “Let me help you feel.”
Cassidy nodded breathlessly.
He took his time undressing her. Not rushed. Not greedy. Just gentle, deliberate movements—the brush of his knuckles against her side as he slid the zipper down, the soft rustle of fabric pooling at her feet.
His own clothes came next, piece by piece. He wanted her to see him, to know there was no part of himself he was holding back from her now. When they were bare, skin to skin, he cupped her face again and kissed her like he’d been waiting years for this moment.
Her breath came faster, her skin heating under his touch. “Liam…”
He trailed one hand down her spine, slow and sure, anchoring her with every inch. “You feel incredible,” he whispered. “All soft and warm and mine.”
He helped her up onto the counter, kissing her thighs, her stomach, her collarbone, all the places that had gone unnoticed for too long. When he finally reached between her legs and touched her, it made her gasp with desire.
“You’ve been wanting this, haven’t you?” he murmured against her skin.
She nodded, eyes fluttering shut. “So much…”
