Page 49 of Liam

It had been forever since I'd felt this uninhibited.

As we waited for the walk signal, Liam swooped around beside me and set a fun, smacking kiss on my lips. He was panting against my cheek when he kissed it too.

I reached back and gripped his hand on the handle of my wheelchair. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head as we crossed the street and headed into the park without speeding.

I loved that he seemed to love kissing me.

When we went through the gates of the Beacon Hill Children's Farm, the first thing we saw were a couple of majestic male peacocks, their colourful plumes sweeping the ground as they sat atop a high fence. The sheep, donkeys, pigs, and alpacas were next. Then the birds in the aviary.

But the highlight were the miniature goats. They were adorable. Liam wheeled me into the enclosure. They crowded around us, curious about my chair and nibbling on our fingers. In the spring, baby goats would be leaping all around the space. We'd have to come again for that.

I reached back for Liam to come closer. He squatted behind me and put his chin on my shoulder. I was thinkingmonths ahead. I never did that anymore, other than for the centre.

Never with my personal life.

Liam took a picture of us—him kissing my cheek. He kept his phone in my sight as he posted it on his most popular social media account. My stomach filled with a crazy fluttering eruption. He'd just announced to his entire following that he was seeing someone. And that someone was me. He hadn't even cared that the handles of my wheelchair had been visible in the picture.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

More than all right.

"Yeah. This is nice. Being here in this park with you."

He squeezed my shoulder. "And here it comes—"

I snorted. "Did you know Beacon Hill Park is 200 acres?"

"I'm not pushing you all over a park that size. I mean I have incredible stamina, but I usually reserve it for more salacious activities." He kissed my shoulder.

"You're a tease."

"Guilty." Liam rose to his feet. "Breakfast? My stomach is complaining."

"Sure, let's go."

Once we were out of the petting zoo, Liam backed off and let me propel my wheelchair. We took our time, making our way to Ethan's coffee shop. Liam stayed at my side.

"I'll never walk again." It had to have been on Liam's mind at some point. "I have a lumbar spinal cord injury to the L1 and L2 spinal cord segments. I have some feeling in my legs, and they have some movement, but not enough to ever be able to use them to get around."

Liam set his hand on my back.

"I can't imagine not being able to go for a run."

"I miss running. It's been an overwhelming adjustment. I was so active before the accident."

"There's still a lot we can do together."

I stopped rolling and looked up at him. "I don't want to hold you back."

"Why would you think that would happen?"

"Because there are going to be things I can't do. Places you want to go that aren't accessible to me. It's why I've been reluctant to get into a relationship. Resentments might end up growing."

"I can't imagine feeling that way with you. We'll find our groove. Just give it time."

"Are you always this confident?"

"Only when it comes to you. We're building something I feel sure about." He stroked my arm. "Otherwise, I'm overcome by persistent anxiety and certainties of inadequacy."

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