Page 78 of Burned By the Broken Doctor

“No, he didn’t,” I say, chuckling a little. “I met her on my own.”

She’s silent for a moment, then starts grilling me. “What’s she like? Tell me everything.”

I glance at Emma again, watching as she steps down from the ladder and stretches, a satisfied look on her face. “Her name’s Emma. She’s smart, driven, and incredibly talented. She’s a wedding planner, and she’s been amazing at organizing this whole event for June and Damon. She’s beautiful too, in a real, natural way.”

“Wow, she sounds wonderful,” my mom says, genuinely impressed. “When do I get to meet her?”

I swallow hard, realizing the weight of what I’m about to say. “I’ll bring her to meet you one day. I promise.”

There’s a moment of silence, and I can almost hear her smile. “You sound serious about this one, Liam.”

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. In my mind, the relationship between Emma and me has become real, solid, and I didn’t even recognize it until now.

“Liam? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, Mom. I’m here,” I say, shaking off my reverie.

“You sound like a man in love,” she teases gently.

I quickly deny it, my heart racing. “No, it’s not like that. We’re just…seeing where things go.”

She laughs, a knowing sound that makes my stomach flip. “The fact that you’re denying it makes me believe it even more.”

“Where did you hear I’m dating, anyway?”

“Don’t worry about that,” she says lightly. “I have my ways.”

I frown, a bit flustered. “Is it Dad?”

“Oh, please,” she scoffs. “I don’t chat with your father enough to get updates on your love life from him.”

I take a deep breath, then ask a question that’s been gnawing at me. “Mom, when did you fall out of love with Dad?”

The line goes silent for a moment. “It was about eighteen months after we got married,” she says finally. “I realized our ways didn’t align. But we stayed together for you.”

“Why didn’t you divorce sooner then?” I ask, feeling a knot tighten in my chest.

“Because of you, Liam. We wanted to give you a stable home, at least until you were older.”

Her words hit me hard, and I feel a rush of emotions—anger, sadness, confusion. “Do you know how miserable that makes me feel?”

“Liam, I?—”

“Goodbye, Mom,” I say abruptly, ending the call before she can respond.

I stand there for a moment, my thoughts a chaotic mess. I feel a hand on my arm and turn to see Emma, concern etched on her face.

“Are you okay?” she asks softly.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak just yet. She squeezes my arm, a comforting gesture, and I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“Let’s finish up here,” I say, my voice rough. “We’ve still got a lot to do.”

She nods, understanding. We work in silence for a while, the tension slowly easing as we focus on the task at hand. The fairy lights cast a warm glow around us, and I find myself calming down, the rhythm of the work grounding me.

26

EMMA

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