Liam Page 13

  “Really?” she asks, arching her brows.

  I shrug. “I mean, what are the chances of it working out anyway? He will get bored with me and move on. Then I’ll be stuck trying to salvage what’s left of this place while picking up the pieces of my broken heart. I’ve worked very hard at keeping myself in check these last few months, and this last week, not seeing him has hurt. I’m not going to lie. If it hurts already, it will only be worse in the future.”

  She leans forward, holding onto the arms of her chair. “This is your decision, Ves. So, I’m only going to say this once and we’ll never speak of it again.” Her eyes are wide, waiting for me to agree.

  I swallow down my fear and nod her on.

  “Liam loves you. I know you have this image of him in your head where he’s a playboy and fucking different women every weekend, but that’s not him. And you shouldn’t punish him for the way you’re labeling him. He wants you. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have hung around this long. And as far as this place goes.” She motions around the room. “It’s not going anywhere. It’s just a small part of your life. You need balance, not just work. You need to be able to go home at night and feel like all your hard work has added to something. I mean, what’s the point in having all of this, if you have nobody to share it with?”

  I groan and rest my head on the desk.

  “Whatever you choose, you need to do it soon. I ran into Tyler in the town and he said that Liam was packing up and going back to California.”

  My head pops up. “What? Why? When did you see him? How long ago?”

  She smiles wide because she knows that I’m not ready to end things. She knew even when I didn’t. “I just saw him at the gas station when I went on break, a couple of hours ago. He said that Liam’s been acting strange this past week and that he finally decided that the ranch isn’t where he needs to be. He said he’s leaving this evening.”

  I push away from my desk, grabbing my coat, purse, and keys. “I have to go. Can you lock up?”

  “You know it.” She smiles wide, excitement shining in her eyes.

  I rush out the door and into the cold night. It’s been snowing for hours now and my SUV is covered in a thick blanket of snow. I climb behind the wheels and twist the key, blasting the defrost. Grabbing the ice-scraper, I jump out and work on getting the snow off the windows. The night is cold and dark. Not a star in the sky because of the gray, low-hanging clouds. The air around me is crisp and sharp, cutting through me and hauling my breath.

  By the time I get back into the car, my fingertips are numb, and my nose is frozen and running, but I don’t have time to think about how cold I am. I have to catch Liam. I have to tell him that I’m sorry, that I can have him and my dream. I was stupid for not seeing it before. It’s only now that I know he’s leaving that it all makes sense.

  I back out of my parking spot, praying that I catch him in time.

  The roads are slick and icy as the snow falling doubles its pace. It’s mesmerizing to watch it swirl and dance in front of my headlights. As hard as I try to focus on the road, I’m lost in my thoughts, my mistakes, and my prayers to catch him. I don’t even notice when my tires cross the line on the road.

  A loud honk jars me from my thoughts. Bright headlights blind me. I hear a scream and realize its mine as my car flips and spins. The sound of twisting medal is all I can hear, as glass shatters and rains down on me. Then, blackness.

  Chapter 22

  It’s been a week. A whole fucking week since I confessed my love to her. And I haven’t heard from her since. I’ve tried to be patient and wait. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. I’m stuck in a limbo, just staring at my phone each moment, hoping she calls to tell me what I want to hear or to rip it all away.

  Finally, I can’t take it anymore. I have to do something. It’s obvious that she doesn’t feel the same way. If she did, she’d be here right now, resting her head against my chest with her arms wrapped around me, whispering how much she loves me in my ear with her sweet breath blowing against my cheek. I can still smell her; lavender and vanilla, a sweet mixture that is all her own. I can still feel her heat sinking into me, like I’m holding her against my body once again. But it’s all lies. A trick that my mind is playing on me because I know deep down that I’ll never have her again.

  I guess, in a way, I can’t really blame her for not taking me seriously. I do have a bit of a reputation. But all that is in the past. I was just a kid that had too much time and money, not to mention a lack of responsibility. I just wish I could’ve met her back then. I know I would’ve straightened up my shit for her. She’s all I want. And yet, she wants nothing to do with me.

  My bags are packed and waiting for me by the door, but something inside of me doesn’t want to leave. It’s like if I just wait five more minutes, she’ll be pulling up any minute. It’s stupid of me to think that way, I know, but I can’t shake it. There’s this feeling in my gut that’s begging me to stay, just five more minutes. But I can’t wait. Five minutes turns into thirty. And thirty turns into hours. Hours to a week. And here I am. Still empty.

  I pick up the stack of pictures off the dresser and look over them.

  Tyler sticks his head in the room. “Sir, we better leave if you want to make it to your flight.”

  I nod. “Be right there.” I bend down in front of the fireplace and slowly throw the pictures in, one by one. When I get to the last one, I see it.

  It’s a picture I took off the security camera in the barn, so it’s blurry, but it’s still there. Clearly written across her face. Love.

  I have her up on the workbench while I’m between her parted jean-covered knees. Her arms are around my neck, and she pulled away to look at me. There’s a small smile on her face and her eyes are lit up. She loves me.

  I tuck the picture into my jacket pocket. “Tyler, change of plans,” I yell, rushing out the door and down the stairs.

  “What’s going on?” he asks, sliding into his coat.

  “I’m not going to California. I’m going to find Ves. Can you drive?” I ask, pointing at him as I ignore the bag on the floor and rush out the door to the truck.

  The night is cold, and it slices through me like a sharp knife, but the truck is warm and toasty from Tyler starting it ten minutes ago.

  He climbs behind the wheel. “Are you sure about this?”

  “No, but I’m doing it anyway,” I say, full of determination. I know that there is a chance that I will get to her place and she will still turn me down. Or, she might not let me in, to begin with. But I can’t walk away from this and not know. In all my life, I’ve never felt like this for anyone the way I feel for her. That’s something. That’s everything. And it’s all I need.

  Tyler drives slowly, with all the ice and snow on the road, he has to. It makes the thirty-minute drive last twice as long. But when we get to county line road, he slows the truck when we see what looks to be a crash. Two cars are overturned on the side of the road.

  “Damn,” Tyler says, pulling to the side of the road and turning on the hazard lights.

  “Call 9-1-1,” I tell him, jumping from the truck and running toward the cars.

  I fall into the snow and look through the window. An old man is behind the wheel, held in place by his seatbelt. His eyes are closed, and he has a bleeding gash on his head, but I see his chest moving up and down. If anything, he probably just has a few bumps and bruises.

  I try to open the door, but it won’t budge. I ram my elbow into the window, but it doesn’t break.

  “Liam!” Tyler yells from across the field.

  “I can’t get in the car!” I yell back as I stand to see him next to the other crashed vehicle.

  “Liam, it’s Ves!”

  Everything stops. All I hear is a loud ringing sound. I’m frozen in fear, but the next thing I know, I’m running across the field. I fall to my knees and peek in through the window. Sure enough, it’s Ves. Her strawberry-blonde hair is falling around her face. Her eyes ar
e closed, and there is blood dripping from her nose, her lip, and a gash on her forehead.

  I bang on the window over and over, yelling and screaming something I don’t even understand. Tyler grabs hold of me, pulling me back and holding me against his chest as I fight him, needing to get to her.

  “There’s nothing you can do. Just wait for the ambulance,” Tyler screams. But to me, it may as well be a whisper.

  I sit back and watch as the minutes tick by, each one feeling longer than the last. Red and blue lights light up the night around us, reflecting off the crisp, white snow. Vesper’s car is so smashed, they end up busting the window and cutting her seatbelt to get her out. The second they pull her limp body from the wreckage, my heart beats again and I feel like I can breathe.

  I jump into the truck, and Tyler follows the ambulance to the hospital where more waiting takes place.

  As I’m pacing the waiting room floor, Amy runs in to the counter. “Vesper Lawrence. Is she here?”

  “Amy,” I say, taking a step closer.

  She spins around. “Liam, where is she?”

  “She’s back in surgery. She broke her arm.”

  “Is she okay?” She asks, panic written across her face.

  “She has a concussion, a broken arm, several bumps, cuts, and bruises but they haven’t found any internal bleeding. She should be fine after recovery.”

  She lets out a long sigh of relief. “Thank God.” She holds her hand over her heart. “Did you talk to her? She was coming to see you.”

  “No, I had no idea. I was going to see her.” I guess that gut feeling I had was right.

  “You found her?”

  “Tyler and I pulled up on the crash.”

  It’s not long before Vesper’s parents are rushing in. Since I’ve never met them, I only know it’s her parents when Amy tells me.

  I hold out my hand to her father. “It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Oh, you must be Liam,” her mother cuts in. “Ves has told us so much about you too.” Her cheeks flush to a light shade of pink.

  “It’s good to meet both of you. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances though.”

  “Ves is strong. She will be okay. Don’t you worry about that,” her father says.

  I nod. “I agree. You raised a very strong, beautiful daughter.”

  He smiles proudly. Just as he opens his mouth to say something, the doctor walks into the room.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence?”

  “Yes,” her mother cries as they both rush up to him.

  I stand back, praying everything is okay.

  “Vesper is out of surgery. She has fractured her arm in seven places. We have managed to pin it back together. She’s stable but she will require months of rehab for that arm.”

  “When can we see her?” her mom asks, worry dripping from her words.

  “She’s in recovery now. When she wakes up, she will be moved into a regular room then, and somebody will come and get you. Okay?”

  They both nod as the doctor walks away.

  I let myself fall back into the chair, finally able to breathe now that she’s out of surgery and will be okay. Now, I just have to wait to see if she will see me. I have to admit my mind has been reeling since Amy said she was coming to see me. Hope fills my chest. Was she coming to tell me she wants to be together? Or was it to break it off, once and for all?

  My leg shivers as I wait. I can’t sit still. I go from bouncing around in my seat, to pacing, and back many times before her parents come back to the waiting room.

  “Liam, Ves would like to see you, honey,” her mom says, patting my hand as they walk by.

  I take a deep breath and look at Tyler.

  He nods once. “Go get her.”

  “How do you feel about this? I know you went on a date with her once. Are we okay?”

  He waves his hand through the air with a smile on his face. “That was nothing. I liked her, yeah. But I’m not in love with her. You are. I see it every time you look at her. And she loves you. I know it, despite how much she tries to deny it.” He pats me on the shoulder. “Go get her.”

  A short laugh escapes from my lips as I push myself up and down the hall to her room, my heart pounding uncontrollably in my chest.

  When I walk into her room, she’s lying in bed with her eyes closed. She has a square bandage on her forehead, small cuts and scrapes litter her face, arms, and hands. Her left arm is covered in a thick, white, cast. The fingers of that hand are swollen and purple.

  I walk further into the room and sit at the empty chair by her side. She must have sensed me, because her eyes pop open and her head turns to face me. When her eyes land on mine, the corners of her mouth pull up into a sleepy smile.

  “Hey,” she whispers.

  “How are you feeling?” I reach up, taking her one good hand in mine.

  She shrugs, causing her to wince. “A little sore. But I’m still doped up enough from surgery to not care.”

  A silent laugh escapes my lips. “What were you doing out there, Ves? You had to know that those country roads hadn’t been plowed.”

  “Amy told me you were leaving. I wanted to catch you.” She tears her eyes away from mine, looking down at my hand holding hers. “I’m sorry, Liam. I… I was being stupid. I just thought that if I had you, I couldn’t have my dream. But now I know that I can have both. I can work toward my dreams with you by my side.”

  I press my lips together, overwhelmingly happy to hear her say those words.

  “That is, if you still want me,” she adds on.

  I lean forward, pressing my lips to the soft skin of her hand. “Of course, I do. I love you, Ves.”

  She smiles. “I love you too, Liam.”

  I lean over, softly pressing my lips to hers. Her right hand wraps around my neck, fingers tangling into my hair and pulling me closer as she deepens the kiss.

  I pull apart. “This means you’ll call me your boyfriend now, right?”

  She laughs. “Yes.”

  I laugh as I close the distance between us again.

  Epilogue

  FOUR MONTHS LATER…

  * * *

  “Look at how beautiful that baby is,” I gush, resting my head against Liam’s chest as we stare down at Lucy’s new foal. She’s so tiny, and she has a dark brown coat that shines.

  “I think she’ll fit in perfectly.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head as he pulls me closer to his chest. His heat radiates off me, and I absorb it like I’m freezing. I can feel his soft heart beat against my back and it grounds me. The butterflies in my stomach tell me I’m exactly where I need to be. That I didn’t make a mistake in my decision to move forward with him.

  “Me too,” I agree, enjoying this warm feeling that’s pumping through my chest.

  I never thought that I’d have my happy ending so soon, but Liam and I are together and happy. I recently gave up my apartment and moved into the farm house on the ranch. My mom is already going crazy, asking for grandbabies, but I keep reminding her that I’m not ready for that just yet. I just accepted the fact that I’m in love and in a real relationship. Babies? Maybe in the distant future. I love having Liam by my side every night, and terribly miss him when I’m traveling to the location of the new clinic.

  With the money I made working for Liam and overseeing Lucy’s pregnancy, I managed to get enough to build my second clinic an hour away. A lot of my time is spent driving back and forth, but it doesn’t bother me at all. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m finally getting closer to that vision I’ve always had in my head; having my own chain of veterinary clinics, working a ranch with a cute cowboy by my side who loves me.

  It’s always been my dream to own a whole chain of clinics, covering the state and maybe, even one day, the country. But all that starts with one little step. I’ve hired two more vets for my clinic here in town, and the new location will have two as well, along with a full staff.

>   I feel like I got my happy ending, but at the same time, I feel like my life is just starting. I know Liam and I will have many happy years together, and I can’t help but to look forward to them. I want to be in this relationship. I want to plan our wedding, go on a honeymoon, have kids, and grow old together.

  “Come on. Let’s go inside and make lunch,” Liam says, taking my hand and tugging me toward the house.

  He drops my hand to slide open the barn door, and when he does, there’s a group of people standing on the other side; my mom and dad, my sister, Aria that’s been away at college, Amy, Tyler, and Dillon the new vet. They’re all holding balloons.

  My mouth drops open. “What is this?” I ask, stepping out. I turn to look back at Liam who is still standing at the doorway to the barn, but my eyes fall to see him kneeling on one knee, holding out a little black box.

  “Will you marry me, Ves?” His blue eyes glisten as the setting sun shines against them. A light breeze blows, causing his neatly styled dark hair to move with it. He’s wearing a hopeful smile, but I know him well enough to see that there’s more than hope in his eyes. There’s also a little bit of nervousness.

  Liam and I have come a long way. I went from being a girl with a dream, who didn’t want any relationship; to moving in with him and dedicating my time to making this commitment work for the both of us. We still have our ups and downs, but we both know that what we have is special and worth fighting for. Looking back now, I can’t believe how easily I almost gave up.

  I suck in a deep breath as my eyes zero in on that shiny ring. “What? Liam?” I look at all the people gathered behind me.

  Tears fill my eyes as goosebumps prickle my skin. Covering my open mouth with my hand, I nod, and everyone behind me cheers.

  Liam smiles wide as he gets off his knee, rushing over to pull me against his chest where his lips find mine. His tongue sweeps out, twisting with my own.