Page 17 of My Knight Before Christmas
He pondered my question for a moment. “The power and strength behind each wave. The depth of the water that you know hides a world we can never fully understand. That all my senses are working in tandem. That it can be fun yet dangerous. Calm, but destructive. It’s all of it combined that forces me to acknowledge its magnificence while soothing me.” He put an arm around my shoulders. “You make me feel those things, too.”
I appreciated Liam’s directness, the way he spoke openly about his feelings or shared insights into his marvelous brain and heart. I adored him all the more.
“I make you feel like the ocean?”
He shifted on the log. “Yes. You are exciting and fun yet bring me so much peace. I missed the ocean while in Minnesota. I missedyou. I missed feeling centered and whole. And I wanted to bring you here to share one of my favorite places with you. To show you another piece of who I am.
“Throughout my childhood, my dad was so demanding. If we made the littlest mistake, he’d ream us out. I stayed out with friends as much as possible to avoid being home. It wasn’t until I moved in with Grams that I felt wanted. Whenwemet, it felt like I found the true meaning of home for the first time in my life. I was so afraid of messing up. It’s why I took forever to kiss you. When I got back to Minnesota and the one home where I belonged wasn’t there anymore, I fell into a really dark place. I believed you would never want someone like me. I lied to myself and hurt us both in the process.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I’m glad you brought me here and told me all of that. Even though my hair will be a tangled mess the rest of the night.” I elbowed his side, so he knew I really didn’t care about my hair. “Thank you for this. For telling me. I feel like…”
Was it too soon to express how deep my feelings ran? Gradually, I revealed pieces of myself to Liam while we dated previously. But if I doused him with a bucket full of emotion, especially after reconciling so soon, would I scare him? I settled on something in the middle.
I inched away from him, angling my body toward his, allowing me to look in his eyes. “I know this is still new, really new, after everything. And while I don’t believe there’s only one true match for each person, when I’m with you, it’s as though the sun is shining on every surface of my soul, illuminating me. I’m… happier.”
My cheeks flamed as if the sun indeed had shined on me too long.
“I’m happier when I’m with you, too.” He cupped my jaw, guiding my face to his. His chocolate eyes were pools of hot cocoa, begging me to drown in them. He placed a quick gentle kiss on my lips, pulling away before I really had a chance to process what was happening. I smiled as relief washed over me like the waves, bringing warmth straight to my heart. Maybe things would work out. Liam wasn’t my aunt and uncle. I scooted close to him again, resting my head on his shoulder. We soaked up the view and each other for a few more minutes before Liam said we had to leave for dinner. We snapped a quick selfie, then went back to the car.
The nerves clenching my stomach while I had dressed for our date dissipated. If I let my heart guide me, I’d be okay. Anna had said as much. I just wasn’t sure how to let go of my fears. But I wanted to try.
I looked over at Liam’s profile as he drove us to where we would be eating. His straight nose, full lips, and square jaw were a sight to behold. More than that, the components that made up who he was spoke to my heart. I lived without him in my life and it was the worst experience I’d ever been through. Even with all the disastrous dates I went on, I’d do it all over again, a hundred times over, if the road always led me back to Liam.
So, whether it was fate, Godly designed, or some other force, I would never take for granted the second chance Liam and I were given.
Nine
Heblindfoldedme,andI immediately panicked. Flashbacks of the time Anna took me to a haunted house swam behind my closed eyelids. It was like the man in the white mask with the roaring chainsaw held over my head stood right in front of me.
Instead of a restaurant, Liam took me to a nature preserve. When he parked, he rushed to my door, pulling me out like my life depended on his speediness, before securing a black, silky sleep mask to my face. I slept with a night light because I hated the dark.
My heart hammered in my chest at the loss of sight. I darted my hands out in front of me, clinging to his shirt. My breath came out shaky. “Should I be worried?”
“About what?” he whispered against my ear, causing bumps to rise across my skin.
“Um, the fact that you’ve brought me to a secluded area, and no one knows where I am?” Teasing him hid the terror coursing through me.
He placed a hand on the small of my back, adding pressure so I’d start walking. “We won’t be alone in a few minutes. Rest assured, I’m not a psycho.”
His car beeped twice as Liam locked the doors. The noise startled my heightened nerves, and I jumped.
“Which is what a crazy person would say,” I screeched.
He huffed out a breath. “Do you really think I’d do anything to you?”
I giggled. My fight-or-flight mode kicked in and let’s just say, my brain went to loopy-town. I was NOT the person you wanted to be with in an emergency situation. “No. I’m just trying to keep from freaking out because I don’t like the dark.”
I knew monsters weren’t creeping under my bed. Regardless, I did not like being surrounded by inky blackness.
Immediately, the mask got ripped off my face. Liam’s pinched eyes and worried expression stood in front of me. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that. I wouldn’t have blind folded you if I had known. I was just trying to add to the surprise. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Now that I could see. “But I do appreciate your cooperation in refraining from doing that again. Also, I hate haunted houses, scary movies, or other creepy entertainment.”
“That’s why you’re staying home on Halloween?”
When Liam and I had texted about our plans for the holiday, I’d told him I usually stayed home watching movies likeHocus Pocusbecause that’s the scariest I tolerated. I also liked passing out candy to the few trick-or-treaters that knocked on our door. “I like the cutesy side of it.”
“Okay, that’s good to know.” His gaze traveled the length of my body as if he were reassuring himself I was okay. “Again, I’m sorry.”
