Page 66 of Changing Tides

“Hey! There they are.” My dad bellows, getting up from his recliner where he’s watching the Phillies to greet us. He holds out his hand to Liam. “I’m Bill, Sophie’s dad.” Dad’s eyes are sparkling with excitement.Maybe he has been worried about me.

“Liam.” Liam shakes my dad’s hand and Dad pulls him in for a hug.

“Oh, a nice firm grip.” My dad practically shouts. “That’s a good sign, Sophie.”

Liam stifles a grin and looks my way. He’s clearly caught off guard by how enthusiastic my dad is.

“Okay, come on in. I’ll introduce you to everyone else.” My dad ushers us inside. Liam follows my dad into the living room where he introduces him to Carol’s family and offers him a beer. Simon and I watch from the foyer.

Simon side-eyes me with a smirk playing on his lips. “Didn’t take you long.”

I swat him in the chest. “Shut up,” I laugh.

“He still looks so familiar to me though. He must just have one of those faces.” Simon shrugs and we move to join the family.

All things considered, the dinner goes well. Liam is at ease and personable.

Carol catches me getting another glass of wine and whispers in my ear, “I really like him, Sophie.” She pulls me into a hug.

I really like him too. He seems to fit with my family and to be honest, James never did. I

know everyone overlooked it because they saw us in love and they thought I was happy, but this is so different. I take a sip of my wine and walk over to the picture window in the kitchen. Out back I see Simon, Liam, and Sammy playing catch. Sammy just started Little League. Watching Liam jump right in with my family is a little bit of an epochal moment for me. It feels like a different lifetime and yet exactly where I am meant to be all at the same time.

* * *

The look on James’face when Liam walks into the closing with me is something I won’t soon forget. I actually feel a little bad for him. I fully expected him to show up with Brittany, which is why I wanted Liam there for support. James is caught off guard.

“Hi,” James says, eyeing me cautiously.

“Hey, James.” I suck in a breath. “You remember Liam.” I gesture toward him.

“Hey.” Liam holds out his hand and James shakes it. “I’m going to sit out there if you need me, Soph.” He gestures to some chairs outside the conference room. “You good?”

“Yeah, thanks.” I stand on my tiptoes to peck him on the lips before he goes. When we pull apart, he gives me a pleasantly surprised grin.

All-in-all, both men were cordial, and the closing goes off without a hitch. James and I sign the papers and congratulate the new owners who look to be happy and naive newlyweds. Liam hangs back but I know he’s there if I need him. The realtor hands us each a separate check and for the first time since all of this started, I know I’m okay.

When we leave, we pause outside the office building and James and Liam shake hands.

“Take care of her,” James says, eyeing Liam carefully.

Liam grins, stepping back to be at my side and draping his arm around me. “It’s my pleasure.”

James and I hug goodbye.

“Good luck, Sophie,” James murmurs in my ear as we embrace.

“You too.” I pull away. “With everything.” I surprise myself because I actually mean it.

I think it’s time to have a conversation with Liam about us and where he thinks this is going. I realize that to a guy like Liam, that might mean pressure he isn’t ready for but seeing him with my family has made my feelings for him grow deeper. I want to know if he’s in it for the long haul with me. Plus, I haven’t told him about the possibility of moving back here and I need to talk to Claire’s friend. We climb in the truck to head out and Claire’s ears must have been ringing because suddenly my phone is.

“Hey stranger!” I say, answering FaceTime.

“Where are you?” Claire makes an impatient face.

“On our way to see you!” I grin. When I found out about the closing, I called Claire that night and we planned to meet her and Derek for lunch before driving back to Cape May.

“Yay! Okay. We’ll meet you at La Azteca in…twenty?”

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