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Carol nodded slowly. “I know. I did leave a note. Maybe it blew out the window when I climbed down the tree.”
Ruth pushed herself to her feet. “That tree is getting trimmed tomorrow. There will be no more climbing out the window, young lady.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Carol muttered.
Ruth turned toward Liam. “Come on in. I saved you some wine.”
She took Carol upstairs, and he settled into the kitchen with a glass of red. In reality, he’d have preferred a beer, but he’d take what he could get, as long as she let him stay.
Ruth entered the kitchen a few minutes later, sliding into a chair opposite him. He handed her a glass of wine for herself. “Okay?”
She shook her head. “Not really. But I’m not going to go over it with her tonight. She needs to get some rest first, and so do I. Was she running away?”
“Nope. I don’t think so anyway. She said she left you a note, and that she wanted to talk to me. She was upset because her dad called her weird.”
Ruth set down her glass. “Dammit. Damn him. He didn’t really call her weird, but he implied it pretty strongly. He didn’t know she was listening, though.”
“He’s an asshole. But you knew that already.”
“I did. I’m not sure Carol did. I want to be certain she doesn’t think he’s right when he doesn’t understand her.”
He narrowed his eyes. “She’s sort of confused. But I don’t think she believes him.”
“Good.”
“But there’s still the question of her going to California with him.”
Ruth closed her eyes. “I hate that. I hate thinking of her out there, having David try to give her a makeover. But I don’t think I can stop it. And maybe I shouldn’t.”
“You’ll let her go?” Liam asked carefully. He wanted to make sure he didn’t screw up again.
She bit her lip, looking at him from beneath her lashes. “I think so.”
His temperature seemed to spike up a few degrees. He reached across the table to take her hand. “Can I stay tonight?”
“Yes.” She paused. “If you want to. I mean, I don’t want to pressure you…”
He reached for her, pulling her out of her chair and into his lap, running his hands along her sides, along the lines of her hips and up to cup her breasts as he leaned down to touch his lips to the side of her throat. “Yes, Ruth, I want to stay here with you. If you’d rather I not be here when Carol wakes up, that’s okay. I can go home. Or I can stay. I can do whatever you want me to do as long as you want it.”
She turned to bring her lips to his, winding her arms around his neck. Heat flooded his body. His skin was on fire beneath her fingertips. They might try for sex on the kitchen table, but then again, that might be a little unsanitary.
She stared up at him with those chocolate eyes. “Are you leaving for Park City soon? Bec said you might.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to. I’m trying not to. Everything’s a little bit…fluid right now.”
“Good.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to go, Liam, if there’s any possibility you could stay. I want you here with me.”
“I want me here with you, too.” He lowered his lips to hers.
After a long, hot, heart-pounding moment, she slid off his lap to stand beside him. “Come on. Grab the wine bottle. Let’s go to my room. I don’t know if I’ll want you to leave later or not, but right now that’s where I want you. Okay?”
He nodded. “Okay. Most definitely okay.” He put an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him, and headed up the hall toward his temporary paradise.
Chapter Twenty-Two
In the end, Liam left around four in the morning, ambling down Main in the grip of a giddy sleeplessness that was beyond exhaustion. He’d pay for it later, and he didn’t give a damn.
He headed back to his own place to take a shower and grab some breakfast. He might have gotten a little more sleep, but that wasn’t likely. He didn’t think he’d be able to do it.
He had to talk to Bec and Wyatt, and he had to clear his head. He needed to be in command of everything he’d been thinking about for the past day.
