"Liam, I—"
"Shit, I'm sorry." I push away from the island, turning around to face away from her. I can't look at her and say these next words simultaneously. "I shouldn't have done that."
I drop my hands to my hips, hanging my head and trying to decide which I regret more—kissing Tessa or stopping it.
Before I can choose, a dull thud hits the floor. I snap my head up, freezing when I realize where it came from.
"You didn't do anything," Tessa says, her voice close. I spin around hesitantly, and when her eyes meet mine, I almost sink right back into her. "Not alone at least."
My lids close slowly in desperation.Please don't fight this.
"Tessa, I—I can't do this."
Her face goes white as she avoids my gaze.
"I want to," I admit, tilting her chin so she finds me again. "It's just…"
"Complicated." Her voice is low, her breath shallow.
"Exactly."
"I get it," she says. "I agree, actually."
"But please stay," I beg, her acknowledgement unsettling. "Don't move out. Stay here with us. Just… stay."
She peers up at me, unsure, and I latch onto the one part of the truth that I can admit aloud. "Ruthie needs you."
I need you.
She hesitates for what feels like forever, thinking. Then, she nods. "Okay," she agrees, a faint smile on the lips I'll never forget the taste of. "Yeah, I mean, if Ruthie needs me then, I'll stay."
I nod once. "Good. For Ruthie."
She sucks in a quick breath, and I fight the urge to steal it. "For Ruthie."
25
Tessa
“We kissed, can you believe it? Like full-blown, melt into each other, weak-in-the-knees, sit me on the kitchen island kind of kissed.”
A motorcycle drives by, its driver revving the engine at the exact moment it passes me.
“Anyway,” I continue dramatically as if he did it just to interrupt—because maybe he did. “The problem is that I don’t have any idea where we go from here. Do I really stay? Will it happen again? I can’t lose this job, I know that.” I sigh deeply, worry flooding my system. “Maybe I should leave.”
I step off the curb to cross the street, but Sammy plants his feet. “What?” I ask, tugging on his leash. “You don’t want me to go?” His tail wags as his tongue ever-so-gracefully flops out of his mouth. “Fine,” I grumble, stepping back toward him.
He prances off the sidewalk and presses his whole body against my leg. “You’re lucky you’re so cute,” I say, rubbing that wavy fur on the top of his head. I get distracted watching a woman pluck her eyebrows in her rearview mirror while her car is stopped at a red light. “So cute," I murmur, though I'm no longer talking about the dog. My thoughts drift back to Liam's kitchen last night. "With your shaggy hair…"
Where I was placed on the island.
"And your kind eyes…"
With him hard between us.
"And the way your lip curls up when you try to hide a grin…"
Sammy licks my hand, reminding me of where I drifted off from. I groan. “Okay, but your dad is cute, isn’t he?” The dog barks, but something tells me it’s not necessarily in agreement. “You’re right, I’m sorry." I scratch under his chin. "Not as cute as you.” I stand again, ready to head back toward the house, but not before I swear I see him smile.
