Page 13 of His to Keep

Not James. A young man with tousled blond hair looked at Liam with a puzzled expression. "Yes?"

Liam's smile faltered. "Uh, sorry," he stammered, "I must have made a mistake." He pulled out his phone and read the address. "Is this 27 Maple Drive? I'm looking for James Walsh…"

The stranger's face brightened with understanding. "No, you're right. This is 27 Maple Drive." He turned over his shoulder and called out, "James! Visitor for you!"

Liam's stomach churned, unease creeping into his thoughts. This was probably something completely innocuous. He kept a smile on his face, trying to ignore the situation — and to ignore the attractive young man, currently eyeing him in curiosity.

The sound of James' voice filtered through the house, causing shivers to run down Liam's spine – but not the pleasant kind. "Give me a sec, Jayden!"

Jayden flashed a friendly smile at Liam. "So, what brings you here?"

"Surprise visit," Liam muttered, trying to keep his voice steady. "To see James."

"Ah, that's cool. You're a friend? He'll be happy to see you."

I hope so, too,Liam didn't say.

James appeared in the doorway — and then, spotting Liam, he froze.

Tell me that he's just a friend,Liam begged internally.Tell me he's a coworker here to work on a project, tell me that he's a neighbor, tell me that he's here to sell knives or essential oils or leggings…

But any hopes that Liam was holding for a reasonable explanation faded when James grimaced.

His lips parted, struggling to form words that would somehow salvage the situation. "Liam... I didn't expect you here," he stammered, reaching out a hand as if to touch Liam's arm, but pulling back at the last moment. "This… isn't what it looks like."

Yeah, that was something an innocent person would say. Liam's entire world crumpled inside him. "Isn't it?" he managed to say, his voice shaking with anger and hurt.

James struggled for an excuse. "Jayden is just… He's no-one."

Up until that point, Jayden had just looked confused. But at that, he narrowed his eyes. "I'm— Oh, I see how it is.Nice, James." With a scornful look, he stormed upstairs.

"Jayden, wait!" James said. He turned back to Liam, groaning. "Liam, you should have told me you were coming!"

"Yeah, that would have been more convenient for you, huh?" The ache in Liam's chest intensified with each word, but he couldn't hold back the torrent of emotion any longer. "I came here to surprise you, to try and fix whatever was damaged between us. But it looks like you've already moved on without telling me."

"Liam, please," James pleaded, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "You have to understand—"

"Understand what? That you lied to me? That you've been seeing someone else while I worked my ass off at the hospital, waiting for you, trying to build a future for us?"

James opened and closed his mouth, but no words emerged. He looked as if he'd been gutted by Liam's accusations, and yet there was no denying the truth. They stood there, frozen in time,as the weight of the end of their relationship bore down upon them both.

Liam clenched his fists, the words pouring from him like acid. "You're a liar, James. A coward who couldn't face me and tell me the truth."

He felt the fire of anger swirl within him, igniting something that had been dormant for far too long.

It felt good. His righteous anger wiped away the sickening numbness that he'd felt for the last few months — the loneliness, the sadness, the pitiful hope that one day things would be good again.

Some small part of him wonderedwas anger like this the thing that let men like Colt and his crew act the way they did, bold and confident? Liam could get used to it.

"Liam, I–" James stammered, but Liam cut him off.

"Save it," he said coldly and surgically. He tugged the engagement ring from his finger, feeling the metal bite into his skin as he did. He thrust the ring into James's clammy hand. "Take it. It means nothing to me now."

With a final look of disgust at the man he'd once pledged his love to, Liam turned on his heel and strode away from the townhouse.

"Liam, wait!" James called after him, desperation lacing his voice, but Liam didn't look back. He couldn't bear to see the man who'd shattered his heart beyond repair.

Outside, the chilly air wrapped around him like a shroud, but it did nothing to quell the storm raging inside of him. His heart raced as he hailed the first cab he saw, its yellow exterior a glaring contrast to his dark mood. Climbing in, he whispered his destination. "Airport. Fast, please."

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