Page 219 of Delicious

He nods. “I don’t remember when it was, but I unblocked you both at some point. Every time I was sad or homesick, I would find myself looking you up. Des never had anything posted, but you did, Marco. I’d see your faces smiling back at me, and it would hurt so much, but not enough to look away. The memories kept me going. I would tell myself that if I could be that happy once, maybe I could be again.”

Marco rubs Liam’s leg. “I wish you had told us you were struggling. We would’ve been there for you.”

“I didn’t know that. Besides, I felt so stupid. I didn’t know what I would even say.”

We’re all quiet for a few moments until I have to ask the one question that’s been bugging me all night.

“Were you ever gonna tell us you were back?”

Liam nods. “Yes. It’s all I’ve thought about since I found out. Not to sound creepy, but I drove by here a couple of times but the house was dark. I rehearsed what I would say a thousand times, and what I would do if you told me to go away.”

“Did you rehearse what you’d say if…” My gaze flickers to Marco and he nods. “What you’d say if we asked you to stay?”

Liam’s breath catches. “Yes. Many times.”

“And?” Marco asks. “What did you come up with?”

“Are you asking?”

Marco stands and moves to my side of the couch so we’re both facing Liam. He puts his hand over mine and Liam’s.

“We let you go to pursue your dream before,” Marco says. “It sucks that it didn’t turn out the way you hoped, but I can’t be upset that it led you back here to us. Where you belong.”

“Belong?” Liam’s eyes well up. “Do you still… Both of you still…”

“Yes,” I say, cupping his cheek. “We still love you. We’ve never stopped, and it doesn’t look like we ever will. Marco asked me earlier tonight, if there was ever a chance to fight for you, to ask you to stay, would we?”

“And you said?”

“I said yes. I would do anything to get back what we lost, and this time it would be even better because we knew the alternative. What do you want for your life, Liam? Do you want to travel the world and cook in the most glamorous cities? Or could you want this again?”

“I’ve asked myself that question a lot since I left, and I always ended up with the same answer, I was just too afraid to pursue it.”

“What answer?” Marco asks.

“The funny thing about failure and struggling is that it can really clarify your goals and desires. When you find yourself humbled by life, it’s amazing how much clarity you gain. I’ve known for at least a year—or at least I accepted the obvious—that I would trade anything I had to be right where I am right now. Careers are fickle, fleeting things, but love, real, deep, authentic love is once in a lifetime. I was lucky enough once to share my life with two incredible men. I’ve known for a long time that if our paths ever crossed again, I would be smart this time, and I would beg for another chance.”

My throat tightens with emotions I’ve held back for too long. “Will it be enough for you? Your career means a lot.”

“It used to. It meant too much. It blinded me. Ambition can be a monster if you let it. A part of me knew coming back to New Onyx would give me a reason to get over my bullshit and finally face the past. To admit my mistake, and hope there was still a sliver of what we used to have intact. As luck would have it, our worlds collided again tonight.”

“It wasn’t luck, Li,” Marco says. “I knew you were there. I made it happen.”

Liam’s bottom lip quivers. “You did?”

“We aren’t complete without you,” Marco says. “Right, lover?”

“Right. We’ve done our best to move on. We only wanted you to be happy and fulfilled, even if it meant letting you go, but there’s no fucking way I’ll let you go again without a fight. There’s way more than a sliver here. There’s a spot that’s been waiting for you. It was always yours.”

Liam smiles even as a tear slides down his cheek. “You still love me?”

“As much as we always did,” Marco says.

“If not even more,” I add.

“Fuck.” Liam wipes his eyes. “I’m so in love with you both. Still. It’s been hell without you.” He squeezes my hand. “You asked me if New Onyx would be enough, and trust me, I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve thought about what I would do when the chef comes back and what that might look like, even if being with you both wasn’t an option anymore.”

“And?” Marco’s face is filled with nervous anticipation. “What did you decide?”

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