Page 152 of Off The Ice

“Cassie,” she deadpanned. “Do you really think running away from Liam hasnothingto do with your mom?”

“My mom?” I pulled back, dumbfounded.

“I only know bits and pieces, but it sounds like she was pretty inconsistent at best, neglectful at worst, throughout your life.” Maggie looked to me for confirmation.

“So?” I said, unable to deny it.

“So,” she said, “maybe you’re scared to have someone dependable and reliable and let me scream it one more time—totally in love with you because you haven’t had that before, and that’s the part that freaks you out.”

I lingered in it, letting the realization wash over me.

“I was with Dave for years, and that didn’t scare me,” I defended, though I had to admit what she said made some sense.

“Don’t even get me started on all the ways Dave screwed you over.” She held a hand up to pause me. “But the quick version of that is Dave kept you in the same up-and-down cycle your mom did. That was familiar to you. Comfortable. Doesn’t mean it was right.”

“Where’d you learn all this anyway?” I stared at her with a laugh.

“Uh.” Maggie gestured down to herself. “I’m brilliant and self-reflective, that’s why.”

I snorted.

“And I might be well acquainted with my therapist,” she added at the end with a smirk. “Who, by the way, I’ll be referring both you and my brother to immediately.”

I let out a soft laugh, lingering in the warmth that Maggie’s presence brought.

“If you have all the answers, what do I do now?”

“Glad you asked.” She grinned, pulling me off her bed to my feet. “You sleep here tonight, recover from all the drama while we eat copious amounts of food and watchOne Tree Hill.”

“You don’t think I should talk to Liam?” I frowned. “Apologize… explain.”

Hear whatever it was he wanted to tell me in the first place.

Good or bad, I could handle it. For his sake.

“There’ll be time for that tomorrow,” Maggie said. “We’ll both go to the game, and after they win, you guys can have your little rom-com-style make-up moment. Okay?”

“I don’t want to put it off that long,” I told her, jittery at the thought of him being upset somewhere over me.

Even though the idea of a girl’s night with Maggie sounded like the perfect remedy to the hell that the day had been.

Maggie waved away my concerns.

“He’s got forever to sort it out with you, Cass. He can spare one night. Plus, you can send him a text. You’ll see him tomorrow,” she offered as if it were as simple as that.

“Forever?” I asked skeptically.

“I know these things, remember?” she said, already leading the way out of her room. “Like I said, I’m super smart.”

For my sake, I hoped she was about this.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Liam

Amazingly, she texted me first. I was staring up at Brody’s ceiling when the phone dinged. I swear, I’d never dove for something faster in my life.

The message was simple and to the point and left me wanting a hell of a lot more.

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