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“Quit listening to Cameron when it comes to Liam and decide for yourself.Maybe trust that your son wasn’t wrong when it came to him.And neither am I.”
He nodded but kept his face buried in his hands.
I pushed my hair off my face and let out a weary sigh as I rose.“I’m going to go talk to Liam now.I’ll call Willow.Just wait here for her, okay?”
He nodded without looking at me.I grabbed my luggage, tossed it into the house, and snagged my keys.I sped through town and hit the gravel.The minutes ticked by so damn slow as I flew to his place.
I didn’t bother to park, just stopped right by the porch.Grandma Gin met me at the door.“Is everything okay?”
I refrained from barging in.“I need to talk to Liam.”
She cocked her head, her frown deepening.“He’s not here.He messaged, saying he was grabbing pizza before he came home.Is something wrong?”
“Only because of me.”I hadn’t even noticed his pickup wasn’t parked by the shop.I spun and raced down the stairs.I gave a confused Grandma Gin a wave and traced my route back to town, straight to Rattler’s.
This time I looked for Liam’s pickup.It was parked on the edge of the lot, like he had needed the extra walking time to gather himself before he faced people.I didn’t blame him for not wanting to drag himself home and then cook and clean up and go about life like it’d been a normal day.
I parked next to him and power walked across the lot.I banged through the doors.Several pairs of eyes landed on me, but I ignored them all.
Liam’s back was to me as he slumped on a stool at the bar, waiting for his pizza to be ready.I wound through the tables until I was behind him.
“William Robert Barron, I have something to tell you.”
His head popped up, and he craned his neck to look over his shoulder.“Kenny?What are you doing here?”
I stepped forward, and he swiveled on his stool to face me.Perfect timing.I wedged myself right between his legs and fisted the front of his shirt.“I’m here to tell you that I love you.Unconditionally.And I’m going to prove it.”
The people around us went quiet.The whole bar went quiet, the silence spreading to the rest of the restaurant.Liam looked like he thought I was either a hallucination or a mirage in the middle of the desert.
I planted my mouth on his.He jerked but didn’t pull away.I kept the pressure up, willing him to kiss me back.Finally, his lips went pliant under mine, and his arms snaked around my waist.One second, I was in charge, and the next he was dominating the kiss.His hold tightened until I was plastered against him as he plundered my mouth.
The sheer force he used to pull away reverberated under my hands.His eyes were hooded as he regarded me.“I love you too, Kenny.But I’ve been waiting for you to say it first, just in case.”
“I’ve been chicken.About so much and for the wrong reasons.”
I was still between his legs and the place was quiet, but we were an oasis.He brushed a hand down my face.“How’s Bruce?”
“He’ll be okay.I didn’t talk to him long.I ran to your house.Grandma Gin is going to want an explanation for why I charged to the door and then sped away.”
His gaze searched mine, and I saw the moment he realized I hadn’t even gone to Derek’s grave first.And I wasn’t running there now.I needed to be with Liam.
He glanced around at everyone minding our business.“Are you okay with this?”
“I’ve never been surer of anything.”I loosened my hold on his shirt and brushed my thumb across his cheek.“Did you get Canadian bacon pizza?”
His grin was lopsided.“With pineapple.”
“Oof, my love might have one condition—no pineapple near my pizza.”I pressed another kiss to his lips as he chuckled.I had feared I’d lost him.I never wanted to feel that way again.“Mind if I invite myself over?”
“Never, baby.Let’s go home.”
