That reaction had to be because of trauma. When two people go through a life-changing event, that event had a way of bonding them together. I was trauma-bonded to this man. That’s why I was reacting to Liam. It wasn’t because I was attracted to him. I was a baby duckling, and he was the first person I saw when I stepped into my new life.
I blinked as that analogy rooted itself fully into my mind. I was a baby duck?
Not wanting to stand there, staring through my peephole and thinking insane things, I decided to act. I unlocked the door and pulled it open in a swift movement that I hoped portrayed confidence. I was queen of faking it until I made it.
Liam’s gaze snapped up to meet mine. Instead of the confident, cocky expression that I’d grown accustomed to, there was something I’d never before seen lingering in his gaze.
Worry? Panic?
I wasn’t sure, but it caused my entire body to still. I drew my eyebrows together as I parted my lips to ask him what was wrong, but the look disappeared before I could say anything.
He quickly shoved his phone into his back pocket, and the sexy half smile he’d graced me with the first day he showed up at the library was back as he leaned forward, propping himself up with one arm on the doorframe next to me.
“Morning,” he said as he leaned closer to me and let his gaze travel down my body. “Did you sleep well?”
My body felt like it was on fire as his gaze lingered on my legs before he dragged his eyes up to the hem of my t-shirt, and then slowly up to my face.
“I slept fine,” I said and jutted out my chin. Suddenly, I became very aware that I was not wearing a bra, so my arms instantly flew up to my chest, where I crossed them, praying he hadn’t noticed.
He noticed. There was now a heat to his gaze as if he’d just realized how little material existed between him and me.
“Are those your pajamas?” he asked, his half smile deepening, revealing a dimple.
Out of instinct, I freed one arm so I could tug at the bottom of my t-shirt in a pathetic attempt to make it longer. “Maybe,” I said. “Why?”
Liam pushed off the doorframe as he held both his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I’m not complaining.” Then he winked at me. “I like it.”
I glared at him, hoping to mask the butterflies that had suddenly taken flight in my stomach. My glare did nothing to deter him, and he continued to grin back at me.
“What about little man? How did he sleep?” He broke our staring competition to glance behind me into the room.
Samuel. Right. My son. The son that Liam had no idea about until I’d walked through the front door of the inn last night with my arm hooked around the handle of Samuel’s car seat. I’d waited for a flash of disappointment mixed with regret when he saw me, but that reaction never came. Instead, he’d just reached out and offered to help me, but I’d quickly brushed him off.
Samuel and my bags were my responsibility. I was determined to prove to myself that I could do this single-mom thing on my own. If not, I feared that I would prove that I was the failure that Abigail thought I was.
As a way to protect Samuel—and myself—I took a step forward into the hall and pulled the door shut behind me. Liam made no indication that he was going to put distance between us. Instead, he just grinned down at me as I stood mere inches away. It was in this moment that I realized just how good he smelled.
It had definitely been a long time since I’d been this close to a man.
Steeling my nerves, I glanced up and met Liam’s gaze head-on. “His name is Samuel, and he’s sleeping,” I said as I folded my arms across my chest again and narrowed my eyes.
Liam’s smile remained. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
I studied him, waiting for a flash of regret. Waiting for a hint of annoyance that he’d now hitched himself to a single mom with a son. But I waited in vain.
He just studied me, silence filling the air around us. He looked completely at ease as he stood there. Why was he so confident? I wanted to punch him in that moment. I wasn’t normally a violent person, but there was something about Liam’s cocky personality that made me angry. And maybe a little jealous? What I wouldn’t give to move through life with that much surety in who I was.
The sound of a phone vibrating cut through the silence, bringing me back to the present. I glanced down to his jeans, where he’d tucked his phone in earlier. I quirked an eyebrow as I brought my gaze back up to meet his.
“You going to get that?” I asked.
His smile wavered for just a moment before it returned to normal, and he shook his head. “Nope.”
I frowned. Strange, but maybe he was on the outs with someone. If Abigail tried to call me right now, I would probably ignore it as well.
Thinking of Abigail caused worry to once again rise up in my chest. I was determined to make whatever this was with Liam work. But it was hard to have confidence I was making the right choice when I didn’t even know what freedom with Liam entailed.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.
