Page 30 of Liam James
I couldn’t breathe past the heaviness in my chest.
Jarod. The bodies they found. The way Poppy had clung to me after Lane left like I was the only thing keeping her tethered.
And the hospital.
My career.
The patients I’d left behind, the colleagues probably waiting for an answer about when—or if—I was coming back. I’d fought so hard to get there, to make a difference.
But now… the thought of leaving this mountain, of leaving Poppy when she needed me most—it twisted me up until I thought I might break.
The door creaked open behind me. Heavy boots stepped onto the porch.
Liam.
He sat down beside me, arms draped loosely over his knees. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. The night hummed around us, crickets and wind through the trees.
“You okay?” he asked finally.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’m supposed to be a doctor. I’m supposed to save people. But what about her, Liam? What about Poppy?” My voice cracked. “She just lost everyone. How can I go back to the hospital and leave her? I won’t do it.”
He didn’t answer right away. Just sat there, solid and quiet like he always was.
Then he said, “Maybe it doesn’t have to be either-or.”
I turned toward him, eyes stinging. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His gaze held mine, steady and unflinching. “It means you’re not alone in this, Jenny. You’ve been carrying everything by yourself for so long, you don’t even see it anymore.”
My breath caught.
Liam shifted closer, his voice low but certain. “You don’t have to choose between the job and her. Between the job and me.” He paused. “Because I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever.”
The words sank in, slow and heavy.
Then he looked straight at me, no hesitation in his eyes, and said the words I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath for:
“I love you, Jenny.”
It wasn’t dramatic. Wasn’t shouted to the trees or whispered like a secret.
It was simple. Solid. Like him.
And somehow that made it mean everything.
I felt the tears before I knew they were falling. “You love me?” I whispered.
He smiled then, faint but real. “Yes, I’ve loved you since I met you.”
25
Jenny
The night air wrapped around us, cool and steady, while Liam’s words lingered between us like something fragile and powerful all at once.
I love you, Jenny.
He meant it.
