Page 75 of How to Write a Rom-Com

He is standing at the reception desk, a line of sweat showing through the back of his uniform black T-shirt. His hair is longer, the end of the waves reaching the bottom of his neck. The secretary sees me before he does. But not five seconds pass before he turns around.

“Lucy,” my name is an exhale on his lips. I don’t say anything for a moment, and I’m sure the look on my face is not the least bit attractive, so Elle slaps my side so hard I wince into focus.

“Oh,” is all I manage.

“Do better than that,” Elle commands, awkwardly.

The whole of the Heartwarming imprint is still behind me and the secretary and the few workers still left at their cubicles are now watching this spectacle unfold. Great. This is great.

“Lucy, I’m sorry to just show up like this—”

“Stop.” My voice even surprises myself. Elle looks at me concerned, and then smirks. She ushers the rest of the team to the side, giving Liam and me some space. Liam’s face is stoic, his brows arched in concern.

“I’m sorry,” I stutter. I flex my hands at my sides. I try to alternate glances between Liam and the floor until I find my courage, and the two dozen eyes watching me are not helping.

“I’m sorry, that came out harsh. I just mean—” I take a deep breath and finally meet Liam’s eyes. On my exhale, I let his gaze wash over me like a comforting wave. Liam is here. He came to Heartwarming to see me.

I push my disbelief to the side and inhale another breath. “I need you to ask me where I just was. Don’t say anything else. Just ask me.”

Liam looks at me and tilts his head. “Where were you?”

“Hudson Hollow,” I reply without missing a beat. His confusion deepens and then he smiles.

“You see,” I start. “I had to go there… to tell you I love you.”

I swallow hard. It’s not because there’s a bunch of people watching us or because I’m embarrassed, but because I’ve finally said the words I couldn’t all those weeks ago. That afternoon when Liam was so angry, and I was so desperate to explain myself, I wanted to say those words, and I couldn’t. And I’ve spent the last two months wondering if he even noticed my hesitation or felt the same.

“I like… really love you,” I blurt out. Liam lets out a soft chuckle, and a bit of the pressure releases from my chest. I shake my head, mad at myself for sounding like such an idiot when this should be my eloquent, heroine grovel moment. But Liam is smiling. He’s not angry. He’s not walking away. He’s coming toward me.

“And not just because you feed me delicious food all the time and don’t judge me when I embarrass myself at a baby’s birthday party,” I say with a laugh. “But because you’re the kindest, most empathetic, caring, and fun man I’ve ever met. I love how you love your town. I love how you love the people in it. I love that you’re a dorky dog dad that sets up baby monitors for his German Shepherd.” Liam bellows “Ha!” that reverberates through the office.

“Most of all, I love how you make me feel. I love being around you, and I’m sorry. I’m so,so, sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry for hurting you. But the last two months without you have been miserable. So, if you give me a chance, I promise never to knowingly lie or hurt you again. Because I love you, Liam Miller. A lot.”

We are quiet for a moment, but I don’t break my gaze with Liam. Speaking my truth, telling him how I feel, has given me a confidence that I didn’t have moments ago. The adrenaline I felt when I was back in Hudson Hollow is back, and I need Liam to speak. I need to know what he is thinking.

“So, you’re the romance expert,” he starts, his hand reaching for mine. I shudder at the sound of his voice. I can’t believe I get to hear it again. I wasn’t sure that I ever would.

Liam’s smile grows wider as he closes the distance between us. I can’t do anything but hold my breath and wait for his next words. “Would you judge me too harshly if I said you had me at hello?”

I bark a laugh of relief and jump into his arms. He wraps them around me and squeezes, all the pain and loneliness of the past two months lifting out of my body like dust from a fan. He sets me down and takes my face between his hands. He presses his lips against mine for just a moment before we both jolt at the sounds of applause that roar around us. I look around and see Anne, Terri, Nadine, Nicole, and Callie cheering and embracing one another. Elle is jumping up and down and screaming like she’s just seen a celebrity.

I shift my gaze back to Liam, my vision glassy with tears. He swipes a thumb across my cheek and lifts a corner of his mouth. “I love you, Lucy Bowen,” he says, before pressing his lips to mine again.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The moments between kissing Liam in the Heartwarming lobby and arriving back at my apartment are a blur.

Elle decides to go to Jersey for the weekend after all, but not before hugging me like she’s leaving for a month when we parted. There is so much to be said between us, and I’m sure she’ll drag it all out of me when she returns on Monday.

I’m not sure how to leave things with Anne, so I just tell her I’ll see her on Monday, because that is definitely a Monday problem.

So that left Liam and me… alone.

“Where’s Blue?” I ask as Liam stands uncomfortably in the foyer of my apartment. I take his hand and lead him to the couch.

“With Brett,” Liam replies, weaving his fingers in mine. “I was really supposed to be meeting with suppliers this weekend. But my car kind of just drove itself here.” His voice trails off as we sit on the couch together.

“I feel like we have a lot to talk about,” he says.

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