Page 5 of Liam

I watched Jamal's broad shoulders as he rolled past the tables and out through the doors. Maybe he'd find Charlie out there … if he hadn't left without me. Wouldn't be the first time Charlie had abandoned me to find my own way home of late.

He was just right to do it. With my increase in alcohol consumption, I didn't recognize who I'd become. Certainly not someone who would make a good partner.

Turns out, he waited for me until the reception wound down and I finished my last drink. He even helped me undress before I fell into bed. I don't remember him coming to bed after stripping away his drag persona. Small graces. I wasn't in the mood to have sex.

Spending time with Jamal had amplified the feelings Noah and Brody's wedding had churned up in me. For once, my attraction toward someone wasn't all about sex.

Maybe Ididwant more in my life.

But was I capable of it? Maybe I simply wasn't built that way.

Men loved me for my body—only.

Perhaps I needed to continue to make peace with that.

Chapter Two | Jamal

I pulled into our driveway later than I'd expected. The four men of theSalish Sea Societyhad lingered after the wedding reception, a testament to the closeness of the group of friends, of which they had made Brody, Daniel, and me feel a part. We had shut down the festivities.

I parked the car, opened my door, and reclined my seat back as far as it would go. I started with the two large wheels, removing them from the back seat and placing them on the passenger seat, and then hoisted the rest of my wheelchair from the back, across my body, passed it through the open doorway, and set it on the pavement. I brought my seat upright and fastened the wheels back onto the chair. Brakes on, I wrangled my legs out and then transferred onto the seat.

The house was dark other than a sliver of light coming from beneath the door of the two-bedroom suite on the ground floor of the house where my sister, Meera, her husband, and their young son lived. I loved having my sister living near me. We'd always been good friends.

The door popped open.

"How was the wedding?" Meera followed me to my area at the back of the house. I had my own bedroom and bathroom along the hallway to the garage. Upstairs, my parents, my father's parents, and my cousin presided over us with their three bedrooms.

"Made my heart ache a little."

"Sounds like it was perfect."

"It was." I wheeled into my room and headed for the bathroom. My sister didn't sleep well most nights. It wasn't unusual for her to be in the mood to talk until late. We'd spent many hours on my bed, watching television and chatting about life. Tonight, though, I was tired.

Meera busied herself on her phone as I transferred onto the bed and removed all my clothes except my colourful briefs. I folded everything neatly, got back into my wheelchair, and put everything away before heading to the bathroom to prepare myself for bed.

"Did you get talking to Liam?"

I turned on the tap and spread a strip of toothpaste on my toothbrush. "For a little bit."

"Just as sexy in person?"

I laughed as I brushed my teeth. Meera knew I found Liam appealing on many levels. He was gorgeous first off, but Noah had, over the years, filled me in on his personality. Liam was a kind and loving man with demons who kept him hyper-focused on his physical appeal.

"We had a nice conversation." I headed to the toilet to deal with my bladder.

"Nice? Is that code for something?"

"We exchanged numbers."

"Oh. That's promising."

I prepared a catheter and inserted it and drained my urine into a urinal, then dumped it. Once I tidied up, I wheeled out of the bathroom. Meera was sitting comfortably on my bed.

"He's out of my league, Meera."

"Then why did you exchange numbers?"

"We talked about hanging out sometime." I parked my wheelchair and moved myself onto the bed. A bit of rolling around and I was beneath the covers.

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