It was safer that way.
He had loved a girl before, deeply and completely. He’d brought that girl home for Christmas once. Or, he almost had.
Avery had been going to spend a week of their break at his house. He’d planned out all the things they’d do around Maple Falls—the hot cocoa crawl, making gingerbread houses at the bakery, throwing an epic snowball fight at the city park, sledding down the big hill outside of the library. Liam had always been a kid at heart, and once upon a time, Christmas had brought it out of him one hundred percent.
He’d wanted to give Avery a Christmas to remember.
Then, black ice, a highway pileup, a split second of fate that destroyed everything Liam had imagined for their future. The grief had swallowed him whole. He didn’t go to the cocoa crawl that year. Didn’t step foot in town or open a single present.
And ever since, the holidays had felt dimmer, shadowed. He’d faked his way through them, praying December would fly by as quickly as November had.
So yeah, romance at Christmas was never going to be his thing, and part of him knew what he should do. Protect himself, protect Cassidy.
Not just in the holidays, but always. Because getting close to someone, letting them in, meant risking everything again. Nothing was promised in this life. And Liam wasn’t sure he had it in him to survive another loss like that.
But then Cassidy looked over at him, questioningly, and nuzzled a little closer. “This okay?” she asked.
His heart stopped. He should’ve said no.
But he couldn’t. Not when every cell in his body was screamingyes.
So instead of pushing her away, he responded with a casual, “Yeah,” and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer.
At that moment, there was nothing, not the ghosts of his past, not the fear of what might come, not even the voice in his head that was warning him to be careful.
There was only Cassidy.
Warm, steady, real.
Liam closed his eyes. For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to believe that maybe he hadn’t lost every part of himself on that cold December night four years ago. That perhaps, beneath the layers he’d built to keep the world at bay, something had survived. Something waiting to be found.
And somehow, Cassidy had found it.
With her clear blue eyes that saw more than he wanted to admit, the easy confidence in the way she carried herself, the quiet strength behind her warmth. She was light and laughter and a fierce determination he couldn’t look away from.
And whether he was ready or not, Liam was already falling—deep, hard, and headfirst—for the girl who he hadn’t seen coming.
TWENTY-THREE
CASSIDY
Monday, December 8th
Cassidy stood outside the community center late the next afternoon after closing up the Cocoa Corner, bundled tight against the cold. Snow drifted across the small front lawn in light, glittery flakes, swirling around the candy-cane-striped posts that framed the double doors.
The community center was just north of Oak Way, a short walk from the town square, tucked between the post office and the library. It was the kind of place that smelled like old wood floors and cinnamon coffee cake, where handmade flyers covered the bulletin board inside the entryway, announcing everything from bake sales and quilting circles to the Friday night bingo game.
It was where the town hosted chili cook-offs, game nights, and the annual mitten drive, where families gathered after the tree lighting to warm up with hot cocoa, and where neighbors dropped off casseroles when someone needed a helping hand.
Today, it was the site of the town’s snowman-building competition, and Cassidy had zero regrets about skipping an evening of light-up display prep to be here. Because seriously,how was she supposed to miss this? Every event in the Maple Falls Christmas Countdown was truly a Christmas addict’s dream come true, and she wasall in.
She’d show discipline later that week and skip the lantern-lit garden walk at the community park, or the gingerbread baking class at the bakery, or next week’s crafting club meeting at the inn.
Probably.
Maybe.
Okay, she didn’t want to miss those either.
