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“I didn’t want to leave you, but—”
“I wanted to go after you, but—”
They spoke together, words, voices, crossing in a hurried blur. Then they fell silent. Liam’s arms tightened around her, Jessie raised her face and they kissed.
“I love you,” Liam said fiercely against her mouth. “And I’m not letting you go.”
“Don’t.” She sighed. “Oh, don’t. Not ever. I need you, Liam, I need you and love you and—”
The door to the house swung open. Liam and Jessie turned and saw Bill and Carrie standing in the entrance. Jessie started to pull away, but Liam kept an arm around her waist, anchoring her to him.
“Well,” Carrie said, “isn’t this a pretty sight?”
Liam ignored her. “Bill,” he said steadily.
Bill Thornton’s expression was unreadable. “Liam.”
“William,” Jessie said, “William, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s my fault,” Liam said. “Not hers.” He dropped his arm from Jessie’s waist and took her hand. Her fingers were icy, and he squeezed them reassuringly. “Jessie had nothing to do with what happened.”
Bill’s mouth thinned. “How noble.”
“Bill, look. Neither of us planned this. I mean, we didn’t expect…”
“And that’s supposed to make it okay?” He took a step forward. “My best friend. And my fiancée. What a fine pair you make.”
“William.” Jessie’s voice broke. “We never meant to hurt you. You have to believe
that.”
“The only thing I have to believe is that I never knew either one of you. I’d have trusted you with my life, Liam. And Jessica…I thought you were the most wonderful woman in the world, but now—”
“Watch what you say to her,” Liam said, his voice hardening. “I’m the one who made a mess of things, understand? You want to take a shot at me, go ahead.”
Bill stared at the two of them, then shrugged his shoulders. “What would be the point? It wouldn’t change anything.” A tired smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Besides, the last time I tried that, Malone, I ended up almost needing to have my jaw wired shut, remember?”
Some of the tension eased from Liam’s stance. “Yeah, but that was ten years ago, and you were dumb enough to think you could tackle me five yards from the goalpost.”
“It was just a game of pickup football,” Bill said. His eyes went to Jessie, then back to Liam. “You weren’t defending something as basic as your right to fall in love with Jessica.” He cleared his throat. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You’re in love with her.”
Liam’s jaw knotted. “Yes.”
“And you, Jessica? Do you love him, too?”
“Yes,” Jessie whispered. “I love him with all my heart.” Tears rose in her eyes. “But you’ll always be special to me, William. I want you to know that.”
“Special,” Bill said, and gave a bitter laugh. “And I’m supposed to take comfort in that?”
“I promised you I’d do the right thing,” Liam said, his eyes steady on Bill’s. “It’s true, I made some detours along the way, but in the end, I know that what I’m doing now is the right thing.” He paused, twined his fingers through Jessie’s. “I love Jessie. And she loves me. She can’t marry you because it would be a travesty. Everyone would end up cheated—you, me, and her—and not one of us would be able to live down the shame for the rest of our lives.”
After a long moment, Bill sighed. “I guess that’s one of life’s toughest lessons, that the right thing isn’t always easy to figure out.”
“No,” Liam agreed, “it isn’t.”
“Anyway, I’m not blameless. Part of this mess is my fault, too.”
“That’s not true,” Carrie said, with indignation. “You didn’t do anything!”
