page58 (1/1)

It wasn’t It was a façade A pretty picture that would fade with time and reveal the truth

The dark, ugly truth As it always did

Despite Diego’s words, I couldn’t help but believe that nothing that good, that perfect, could last He believed it now because things between him and Trish were brand new; they were still in that honeymoon phase where they were so in love and couldn’t keep their hands off each other But that just ly head Yet But it would, and then it would be a rinse and repeat of the past thirty-odd years

And once Olive had packed up and gone ho me a sweet kiss and a wistful wave as she drove off, those doubts had only aer in my mind and louder in ood outco to see that I needed I craved

If the trails and the beating my body had already taken over the past few days continued, then maybe I would find some clarity

“Or hed heavy on hted my doubts that I could be the man Olive needed me to be, the father that child would need me to be

Was there too much of my father in ht to the sa the bar, the one ent to parent-teacher conferences and football practice?

I didn’t know

Five days and I was no closer to an answer

If it took er, Olive would likely take the choice out ofto kill hiroords were angrier than I’d ever heard from her polished lips The statement was at such odds with the pink dress and cream-colored cashmere sweater she’d worn to the office, I couldn’t help but sh I felt like a fool “I already told Stone that if I find out he knehere Liam was and didn’t tell me, our friendship was over” The evidence of how much she meant that stateed Mara’s spiked pink lemonade from the Mason jar, which she also didn’t complain about “Men are the worst!”

“The absolute worst,” Mara agreed on a laugh and shook her head “But if that’s your thinkin’, then I’ton” Mara turned to in le brown eyes were sober and slightly sad, as usual “Men are silly but, for the most part, they’re really simple You said there was some history with his dad?”

I nodded, thinking of the sweet couple hos of o wasn’t always there for him and to say it’s left some scars, would be an understate by the past week

Mara grunted “We all have scars, trust me” I knew some of her scars and I knew Xander was involved, but Mara kept her own counsel for the ure out if he’s ready for the challenge of a relationship and fatherhood, or if he’ll be a POS like his oldhis disappearing act for the past, what, six days? But I a he didn’t just vanish, even if that’s what it looks like on the surface”

I nodded at Mara’s words because I didn’t believe that Liam had simply vanished into the otherworld, but his reasons didn’t , but his instincts seenored ets scared and runs I love him but… oh, hell”

The words shocked me more thana heart attack It was the first tiht that I loved Liam, let alone said it out loud To anyone

“Holy crap! Oh crap, crap, crap!” I shook ” I couldn’t just figure out I loved a man a week after he did a runner on me

Eva laughed and raised her newly refilled Mason jar in the air “Oh, honey, it is so a thing! You fell in love with Liaain, a self-satisfied suess you were right”