"In case it wasn't painfully obvious, I'm much better at fixing other people's problems than my own."
Liam brushes his knuckles down my cheek, and my shoulders instantly drop, betraying me. "Maybe we don't need fixing."
I lean into his touch, a complete contradiction to what I'm about to say. "Liam, this is messy."
He sighs loudly—defeated—and drops his hand. "I know.” He turns away, his palm sliding down the back of his neck, rubbing at the spot just below his hairline. That pull we have to each other returns as I resist the urge to go to him, to comfort him.
Before I can give in, Liam whips back around. "But what are the reasons again?" he asks, his voice exasperated. "Because something switched back on in me when you showed up at my doorstep, Tess. And I’ve tried to fight it, but I don’t want to anymore.” He closes the gap again, searching my face like he’s memorizing each feature. “I—“ He empties his lungs. “I can’t remember why I did in the first place."
My eyes dart to the floor—his gaze makes thinking nearly impossible. "You're my boss," I finally answer. I look up again. "And Ruthie needs to be the priority. If this didn't end well—"
"What else?" he presses, like he needs more excuses, needs me to say something that will convince him.
A tiny scoff sneaks out. "I mean, our dating lives are a little… wonky. I just got out of a relationship and…"
"And I haven't been in one for twelve years."
The sympathy on my face isn’t for his confession. It's for making him say it.
He nods once, then hangs his head between his arms, his hands now propped on his hips.
"Why is that?" I ask quickly, grabbing his forearm. His head lifts.
"Because I was focusing on Ruthie—and baseball." His eyes fall to his shoes, his jaw working. "But mostly I knew she deserved all my attention."
"Right."
"And because I wasn't going to set her up to lose someone… again." The last word is forced out like it was bitter on his tongue, and my hand slowly drifts off his arm as if the weight is suddenly too much.
"Yeah…" I say, my voice as shaky as I am, my stomach twisted. "See."
Liam's breath heaves, his eyes finding mine again with a devastating steadiness. "But that was before I met you. And before that switch flipped in me and I realized I've been living in the past. Baseball is ending, and Ruthie… she doesn't need me to protect her like I did before. She's capable ofmore now—of handling more. And she wants me to find someone."
My breath hitches, caught on the way he says it. Not date. Or meet.Find someone.
It solidifies everything I’ve been thinking. Because this—us—is a decision that can’t be made lightly. Liam seeing someone isn't casual. Not to him and not to his daughter who is desperately hoping that her dad won’t wind up alone.
My fingers twist together, the desire to give in to what I want nearly impossible to continue fending off.
"That's a lot of pressure," I admit, a soft chuckle blanketing my honesty.
Liam reaches for my hand and loops his fingers through mine. “I’d be lying if I said you were wrong. I get why you feel that way. I’d be worried if you didn’t.” His thumb sweeps across my knuckles. “Because in a sense, yeah—it is a lot. Whoever chooses me has to choose Ruthie too, and that comes with its own set of responsibilities. But I’m not asking you to fix our life, Tess. That doesn’t need fixing either. I’m just telling you the truth.”
His voice drops, steady and unguarded. “Which is that I finally fucking feel something. And I don't want to keep pretending that I don't."
I stare at him, his expression soft, his eyes glazed with a peace I haven't seen from him before. It's almost as if he's been carrying this around, and just allowing him to say it has changed something for him. Like even if I don't give in to whatever is happening between us, he's realized that he's still capable. Of feeling, of wanting—of being someone besides a dad and a ballplayer.
"I don't want to pretend either," I mutter. He pulls his shoulders back slightly, preparing for impact. "But, Liam, this is so risky. The lines are already blurred... And once we cross them…" I wait for him to finish for me, but he doesn't—not out loud, at least.
"There's no going back," I continue instead.
Liam huffs out a quick laugh—almost disbelieving—as he hangs his head. I flinch, taken aback by his reaction, but when he lifts it again, his smile is gone.
"Tessa…" He slides his hands free from mine, but he doesn't back away. If anything, the space between us feels hotter. Heavier. His eyes hood slightly, and I still, every nerve in my body on edge.
He lifts one hand and brushes the pad of his thumb across my lips slowly, corner to corner.
I stay frozen. I couldn't move if I tried.
