Page 70 of Icebound Attraction

I take his hand in mine and squeeze gently.

“I'll be back tomorrow, as soon as I can. I promise.”

He smiles wearily and his hand grips mine tighter.

“Thanks, Em. I'm sorry I scared you...”

Before leaving, I lean in once more and kiss him tenderly. Now that Chase and the coach know, I don't want to miss out!

“See you tomorrow, get some rest,” I say, shaking my hand.

On the way to campus, I feel a little empty. Even though I know Liam is in good hands and out of danger, I'm worried.

I can't shake the idea that I could have lost him tonight, right there, all of a sudden, as quickly as the blink of an eye. This fear has lodged itself inside me, and I realize how important he has become in my life.

I rub my hands together nervously.

The positive thing to come out of all this is that both Chase and the coach now know. That takes some of the weight off our secret. And they reacted well! I know it was important for Liam not to disappoint his coach, and I'm glad he didn't yell at us and say it was a big mistake.

No sooner have I reached my bedroom door than I pull out my cell phone and dial Maddie's number. I need someone I can tell all this to. When she picks up, the words pour out of my mouth and I tearfully explain the whole situation - my relationship with Liam, the attack, his injuries, my fear, everything...

Maddie's voice is reassuring when she answers.

“Oh, my darling! Thank God the boys are okay. You'll be fine, do you want me to come?”

“I'm fine, I was just very, very scared...” I reply.

“I understand, yes. And thank you for finally telling me about your relationship, it took a while, but I'm glad you did.”

I open my mouth and close it again. I pick myself up and move on:

“You... you suspected?”

She laughs.

“Of course! After what you told me last time about you and Liam, about your feelings for him, and all the nights you'd supposedly ‘fallen asleep at the newspapers’ office’, even though I was the last one to close the door, or that you had ‘something planned’ and couldn’t join Cassy and me, yeah I suspected!”

I blush.

“I'm sorry... I shouldn't have kept it from you.”

“Emily, I've told you before, just because we're best friends doesn't mean you have to tell me everything. You needed time, so I don't mind. And I also assume you didn't want anyone to know.”

“Yes... Thank you, Maddie... Thank you, really.”

I feel tears welling up in the corners of my eyes.

Feeling grateful and much calmer, I hang up the phone and drop onto my bed.

***

The next day, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation accompanies me on my way to the hospital. I want to make sure they're feeling better and let them know I'm there if they need anything.

When I knock on the door of the hospital room and walk in, I'm greeted by an impressive array of flowers, stuffed animals and gifts. The room exudes color and warmth, and I can't help but laugh. Apparently, a lot of people have heard about the incident and want to show their support.

I glance at one of the cards tied around a teddy bear holding a heart in its paws, and let out a grunt when I read that it's from one of Liam's admirers.

Yeah... I should have known!

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