Cassidy’s glare finally softened. Just a little.
“Sure,” she said. “Come on. I’ll put the cocoa on.”
FORTY
CASSIDY
Tuesday, December 16th
Cassidy was both relieved and furious at the same time. But the longer Liam stood in front of her, the relief began to win out. When she looked at him, really looked, she saw how tired he was. Dark circles clung beneath his eyes, and his beard had grown a little longer.
“Are you hungry?” she asked gently.
“Not really,” he replied, pulling one of the black café chairs back. The sound scraped across the hardwood floor. “Just cocoa would be great.”
Cassidy turned back to the stove. She stirred the cocoa, watching the swirl of cream disappear into the dark chocolate. Her fingers clenched the whisk a little too tightly as she added a splash of whiskey to the batch. The scent of melting cocoa, ground cloves, and whiskey filled the air. It was warm, familiar, grounding.
The space was dim, with the only soft light coming from the twinkle lights twinkling overhead. She allowed the silence to stretch between them, giving them both space to think. Hershoulders rose and fell with a breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding.
She knew Liam felt awful, gutted really, for how wrong he’d gotten everything. She’d been so angry at him, not because she didn’t care… but because she did.
It had been a misunderstanding. And if they didn’t have real feelings for each other, it wouldn’t have mattered so much.
You didn’t get this angry if you didn’t care.
You didn’t hurt this much, either.
Cassidy wondered how she would’ve reacted if the roles were reversed. If she somehow thought Liam had gotten back together with an ex. She would’ve been devastated. And yeah, she’d probably want to leave town for a few days too.
He sighed behind her. It wasn’t loud, but she felt it.
She didn’t turn. Not yet. Her hand slowed on the whisk, and she added another splash of cream. She needed the buffer, to drag out the moment. She needed the chance to calm her racing thoughts.
She heard the scrape of the chair, the hollow knock of his boot against the leg of the table.
“I really messed things up,” he said quietly, voice rough with fatigue. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to make it up to you. I shouldn’t have overreacted. I hope you know that I care about you so much.” His voice cracked slightly. “Hell… I’ve only known you for a few weeks. But I’ve fallen in love with you.”
That made her freeze.
Slowly, she set the whisk down on the spoon rest and turned to face him.
Liam sat hunched at the café table, elbows on his knees, head bowed like he didn’t expect her to believe him. But when he lifted his eyes to hers, her heart stopped. His expression was wary, searching. Cassidy saw everything. The vulnerability. The fear. The truth of what he’d just said.
The words hung in the air like ornaments on a Christmas tree until Cassidy said, “I’ve fallen for you, too.”
His face lit up. It was the first time she’d seen him truly smile.
Tears welled before she could stop them. Not the same tears she’d cried when he’d left. These were different because the man she was falling in love with was here, finally letting her see a side of him that she knew was hard for him to share.
“How about this?” he said, his voice steadier now. “I make a promise to you, right here, right now. If something’s on my mind, bothering me, weighing me down, if I’m ever worried about us, I’ll talk to you before I react. Deal?”
Cassidy nodded, her voice catching. “I think that’s a pretty good deal.”
It was a good thing she’d already turned off the cocoa burner, because the next second, Liam was standing and closing the space between them.
For a moment, they just stood there, inches apart, the scent of cocoa and peppermint between them, the tension of everything unspoken pressing close.
His thumb skimmed her cheekbone. His touch was featherlight and made her breath catch. When his lips met hers, they didn’t rush. They lingered. Like he was memorizing the shape of her mouth, the sound of her soft sigh, the way she leaned into him without hesitation. And when she kissed him back? It felt like the world narrowed to just the two of them.
