Page 50 of Changing Tides

“Out offuckingwedlock? Do her parents know what a trampy little homewrecker she is? That you were very muchinwedlockwith someoneelsewhen you knocked her the fuck up?” I sputter. I am unhinged, sucking in rapid, angry breaths. I take a step closer to Brittany and narrow my eyes. I feel Liam’s hand on the small of my back, a warning to pull back. “You are a nasty human being to steal someone else’s husband.” I spat at her and then back to James. “You are a disgrace of a man.” Neither one of them can meet my eye. “I wish you the best. You deserve each other,” I snarl and stomp away.

I am around the corner, in an alleyway, leaning against a cool brick wall and heaving huge uncontrollable sobs when Liam finds me with my yoga mat tucked under his arm. He doesn’t say anything, but he pulls me into a hug that would rival Simon’s and lets me cry. I’m not sure how long we stay there. When my sobs turn to hiccups, I pull back and glance up at Liam, ashamed of my outburst, but he is only looking at me with compassion.

Liam takes his big, calloused thumb and wipes the tears off my face. He puts his hands on either side of my face and kisses my forehead, then wraps me in another tight hug. “Can I take you somewhere?” he whispers. I nod, burrowing further into his chest.

* * *

Fifteen minutesand an Uber ride later, Liam and I are at Sunset Beach. The sun is beginning to set and there are still a few beach dwellers watching the water ripple at the shoreline. Children at the water’s edge are scouring the sand for diamonds like I used to do. A couple of catamarans sail in the distance.

My heart contracts with nostalgia as we take a seat on an empty bench on the high sand.

“I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. Leah loved finding Cape May diamonds,” Liam says, interrupting my memories. “When she died, I brought Lucy here nearly every day for a month. I let her crawl around while I sat here and cried.” He exhales and looks over at me. My tears are falling again. Liam reaches for my hand and squeezes. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I sniffle and shrug, but I don’t drop his hand. “James and I were married for thirteen years. We were steady, or so I thought. Maybe not madly in love but steady, comfortable. We waited a while to try to start a family—both of us wanted to get our careers established first. But turns out, I can’t get pregnant on my own, and even with help, I miscarried. I couldn’t have a baby in the seven years that we tried. I was grappling with never getting to be a mom. We weren’t in a great place, but I always thought we’d get through it, you know?” I look at Liam and wipe my eyes.

Liam nods and squeezes my hand again, urging me to keep going.

“Then on my thirty-eighth birthday, I found him in our bed with her. She is his TA.” I hold back another sob.

“And on your birthday? Jesus, Sophie,” Liam mutters. “I’m so sorry.”

I hiccup. “Yeah, and I thought maybe I would forgive him. He said it was a one-time thing, and he made a mistake. He seemedreallyremorseful. I took about a week to think about it. I mean, I’m a therapist. I help people through these kinds of things, you know?” I pause as the tears start flowing again. “But then she turned up pregnant. Can you believe she’s pregnant?” I wail. “I couldn’t get pregnant if I was standing on my head, and she swept right in and stole my life.”

“Christ,” Liam says, voice barely above a whisper.

My tears begin falling aggressively again, as he wraps his arms around me. I feel him kiss the top of my head.

“That engagement ring put me over the edge. I was doing okay, you know? And now I feel like I went backward.” I sit up and wipe my eyes, Liam turns to look at me and takes my hands in his.

“You didn’t go backward, Soph. You told them off in front of a street full of vacationers. It was awesome.” He smirks.

I manage a small laugh and then I shrug. “I guess now I have closure.”

Liam brushes a tear from my face and then lets his thumb linger over my bottom lip, rubbing soft circles with it. He looks me in the eyes and then I feel it. The buzz, the tingle, the desire, whatever you want to call it, rumbling in my belly. I know I am vulnerable and exposed right now. Liam can see all my open wounds, and he’s still sitting here. I want nothing more than to kiss him. Before he moves his thumb away, I nuzzle my face on his hand and kiss it. It’s such an intimate moment that it allows me to fully drop my guard.

“Anyone who would hurt you like that doesn’t deserve you, Sophie. You are…everything,” he rasps, barely above a whisper.

Liam leans in and I meet him there. Our lips brush lightly against each other at first, but his lips are soft and warm, and I open for him. I can feel the gentle tickle of his breath beneath my nose. He brings his hand to the back of my neck and pulls me closer, deepening our kiss. He’s teasing me with his tongue, softly biting my lower lip, as our foreheads press together in hunger.

The familiar deep desire starts to blossom in my belly when Liam abruptly pulls away. He looks at me, bereft, and runs his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I should not have done that when you’re so upset. I was totally out of line.” He puts his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

I reach out and touch his back, tickling his shoulder blade with my fingertips. “It’s okay, Liam. I have been wanting to do that for a long time.” Liam sits up and looks at me with longing.

He cups my cheek, and I lean into it. Then he moves in and plants another soft kiss on my lips that is entirely too short-lived. He looks me in the eyes, and I realize his own eyes are glassy. “I have wanted it too. But, I don’t know how to do this, Sophie. I told you I have never been serious with anyone before. And seeing the hurt on your face tonight made me hurt. I never want to be responsible for making you cry like that.” He pauses and I feel a letdown even though he hasn’t said anything bad yet. “You’re becoming my best friend. Let’s just take things slowly, okay?”

I swallow another hard lump that forms in my throat.This isn’t rejection.I tell myself.Liam just saw you ugly cry and he still kissed you.I nod and reach for his hand. He plants one more soft kiss on my wanting mouth and stands to go.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

28

LIAM

As soon as Sophie and I get back from the beach, I sense something is off. She was quiet and pensive on the Uber ride back and even though we held hands, she barely looked my way. When we get out of the car, it’s noticeably cooler outside and starting to drizzle. I walk up the steps with her to get Lucy from inside, but I notice that she keeps her distance.Maybe she doesn’t want Ellie to know anything happened,I try to reassure myself.

Ellie meets us at the front door with a freshly bathed Lucy in her PJs. “It’s a little late for her. I didn’t know if you wanted me to put her to sleep or not,” she says, handing Lucy to me. She rests her head on my shoulder, my sign to get her home, but I don’t want to leave Sophie.

Ellie turns her attention to Sophie, her brows knit together and a curious look of concern on her face. “Did you want to have some tea with me, Sophie dear?” She tilts her head slightly, offering Sophie a faint smile.

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