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Hard was the mildest word he would use to describe how he’d felt. “I knew you weren’t there, but I couldn’t get it out of my head that I was leaving you behind.”
She gave him the saddest of smiles. “When we made that date to meet in New York, a big part of me knew it would never happen. But I held on to the hope.”
“We’ll do that someday soon. Go to New York, the library. Just like we planned.”
“I’d like that.”
Arms around each other, her head on his shoulder, they took in the beauty around them and the peace within them. There were still things to say, things to share. He had an investigation to launch. But for now, for just this little while, Liam soaked in the calm. His world was in his arms. What more could a man want?
Chapter Thirty-Two
Aubrey watched Liam devour the meal she had prepared, delighted that he seemed to be enjoying it so much. She hadn’t had much to work with—the man’s pantry and fridge were in dire need of a grocery trip. Not only that, he wasn’t exactly into health food.
“Did you know you have eight boxes of mac and cheese?”
“It was on sale.” He took another giant bite of the pasta with tomato sauce, chewed, and then grinned. “This is good. First home-cooked meal I’ve had in a while. I’m usually home a couple nights a week at the most. When I am here, I pop a couple of frozen dinners in the microwave.”
She wasn’t the most domestic person in the world, and definitely not the best cook, but she needed fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
He swirled up another massive forkful of pasta and carried it to his mouth, but stopped halfway. “This is a lame, first-date question, but what do you like to eat? What’s your favorite food?”
Before she could answer, his eyes wide with mock horror, he added, “You’re not a tofu-omelet-and-kale-milkshake kind of girl, are you?”
“What if I am?”
He shoveled the pasta into his mouth and shrugged. “Then I’ll build another pantry just for you.”
Her heart melted. Not because he said he would build her another pantry,
but because to him it was a foregone conclusion that she would be staying with him indefinitely.
“You can relax. I’m an all-American cheeseburger kind of girl, but I do like fresh fruits and vegetables.”
“I can handle that.”
“Maybe after Serena leaves, we can go to the grocery store.”
Serena was coming over to review the information she had given them on Ferante. What she had wouldn’t hold up in court—most of it was conjecture and theory. But she had gladly given all she had to OZ and would offer any aid they needed. The man needed to be stopped. For Emma and for all the others he’d destroyed over the years, she would do whatever was needed to help bring him to justice.
“We can do that. I’ll—”
He stopped and frowned down at his phone.
“What’s wrong?”
“Looks like I’ll have to leave for a couple of days.”
“What’s going on?”
“Just got a text from Ash. A guy we’ve been looking for has been located. I need to go have a chat with him.”
A “chat” with Liam was likely not a little conversation like it was for most people. Guns, knives, blood, and guts were often involved.
“This is crazy, but it suddenly occurred to me that what you do is very dangerous.”
“You going to be able to handle that?”
“Will I worry? Absolutely. But this is who you are. You save lives, and I can’t think of a more worthy thing to do. I would never want to change you.”
