“Sunny listen…” Liam started, then ran a hand through his dark hair. “About last night…”
“I know,” Sunny interjected.
She had to say this now, before her resolve weakened.
“I…I felt like leaving. Running away,” she admitted.
She saw the surprise and hurt flash across his face.
“Not just because of you, or what happened,” she added. “Butbecause of the girls. They’ve been through so much already. I can’t be another source of confusion or pain for them.”
Liam’s expression softened.
“You wanted to leave because you care about them,” he said, understanding dawning in his eyes. “In a messed up way, that makes perfect sense.”
Sunny nodded, blinking back tears.
“But I can’t. The thought of leaving them… it hurts too much. They need stability, Liam. They need someone who won’t abandon them.”
“Like you were abandoned,” Liam said quietly, and Sunny’s heart skipped a beat.
She’d shared little snippets of her childhood with him, but she hadn’t realized he’d pieced them together. But she wasn’t angry. More resigned.
“Yes,” she said, looking at him earnestly. “I know what it’s like to feel unwanted, to have people come in and out of your life. I won’t do that to Maddie and Hailey. So I’m staying, if you’ll all have me.”
She took a deep breath to steady herself.
“But I need you to understand, Liam. I… I’m not sure I can control myself around you.”
She felt vulnerable admitting that, as if she were handing him power that he could wield over her. But the time for hiding was over. This was about more than just the two of them. She had to be honest.
“Last night was…” she continued.
“Incredible,” Liam finished for her, his voice husky.
He took a step towards her.
Sunny’s pulse quickened.
“Yes,” she breathed. “It was. I can’t deny that. But..”
“I feel the same way, Sunny,” Liam interrupted again. “That’s why I went AWOL yesterday. I needed to think, to clear my head.”
Sunny’s eyes widened. She had wondered about his absence,assuming he was avoiding her out of regret or shame.
“And what did you decide?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Liam closed the distance between them, his gaze intense.
“I decided that I want you, Sunny.”
She could only stare at him, her heart hammering in her chest.
“Not just physically,” he continued. “Though God knows I do. But your kindness, your strength, the way you are with my girls… you’re everything I’m not. Everything this house needs.”
Sunny’s heart swelled at those words, she couldn’t help it. But she forced herself to stay focused on the issue at hand.
“Liam, we can’t. We just can’t. Your daughters…”
