Page 51 of Shattered Melodies

“Take care of yourself, Liam,” I said softly, my voice rough with emotion. “And take care of the kitten. He’s lucky to have you.”

And then I was turning, heading for the door with my heart in my throat and my mind whirling with a thousand different thoughts and feelings.

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away, could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical thing. But I didn’t look back, didn’t let myself turn around and see the expression on his face. Because I knew that if I did, if I saw the pain and the confusion and the longing in his eyes, I would never be able to leave, never be able to walk away and give him the time and the space he so clearly needed.

So I kept walking, kept putting one foot in front of the other until I was outside, until I was back in my truck with the engine running and the radio playing softly in the background.

And then I let myself break, let myself feel the full weight of everything that had happened, everything that had changed. I leaned my head against the steering wheel, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Because seeing him again, being in his presence after so many years of absence and longing it had opened up a wound that I had thought had long since healed, had ripped open the scars that I had so carefully stitched back together.

CHAPTER 15

Peanut and Trouble

LIAM

It was hard to concentrate with all the noise and commotion going on around me. The living room was still a construction zone, with workers hammering and sawing and painting, trying to bring the old house into the twenty-first century while still keeping some of its original charm.

It was a delicate balance, one that I was all too familiar with. Trying to move forward without losing sight of where I’d come from, trying to build something new and beautiful from the ashes of my broken past.

As I watched the chaos unfold, my mind drifted back to the phone call I’d had with Cleo just a few days ago. Cleo, my sassy, no-nonsense friend from New York who had helped me design the new interiors of the house.

I remembered the surprise in her voice when I’d called her out of the blue, the way she’d teased me mercilessly about my sudden disappearance.

“Well, well, well,” she’d said, her voice dripping with mock indignation. “If it isn’t the elusive Liam Denison. To what do I owe the pleasure of this rare and unexpected communication?”

I’d laughed, feeling some of the tension drain out of my shoulders at the sound of her familiar, snarky tone.

“Hey, Cleo. I know, I know. I’ve been a little off the grid lately.”

“Off the grid?” she’d scoffed, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes through the phone. “Honey, you’ve been in a different stratosphere. I was starting to think you’d been abducted by aliens or something.”

I’d chuckled, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me.

“No aliens, I promise. Just needed a break, I guess. A chance to get away from everything and start fresh.”

There had been a pause, a moment of uncharacteristic seriousness from my usually irreverent friend.

“This is about Caleb, isn’t it?” she’d asked softly, her voice gentler than I’d ever heard it. “About what happened between you two all those years ago?”

I’d swallowed hard, feeling a lump rise in my throat at the sound of his name.

“Yeah,” I’d admitted, my voice rough with emotion. “It’s about Caleb. It’s always been about Caleb, if I’m being honest with myself.”

Cleo had sighed, the sound heavy with understanding and compassion.

“Oh, Liam. I’m so sorry. I know how much he meant to you, how much you loved him. And I know how much it hurt when things ended the way they did.”

I’d taken a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady myself.

“It did hurt,” I’d said quietly. “More than I ever thought possible. But I’m trying to move on, Cleo. Trying to build a life that’s not defined by what happened.”

“And that’s why you’re renovating the old house?” she’d asked, a note of excitement creeping into her voice.

I’d smiled, feeling a flicker of warmth in my chest at her words.

“Yeah, something like that. I want to make it into a home again. And I was hoping maybe you could help me with that?”

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