Page 109 of Tide Over

“What?” I ask, my pulse picking up its pace again.

Her eyes dart between me and Liam. “Liam didn’t tell you?”

Liam winces as my gaze lands on him. “I wanted you to be able to tell your family how you wanted to…”

Confusion is quickly muddling my thoughts as I try to make sense of this. “How though…”

Mom sits forward on her chair putting a hand up to stop us. “Wait, you two are together?”

I nod in response to Mom’s question. “Yeah.” But I keep my eyes on Heather. “How?” I ask again.

Grandpa huffs out a little laugh as he takes a drink of his beer, and I see Chris out of the corner of my eye, his head whipping back and forth between me and Heather.

And she just shrugs.

“When I went to pick up your clothes for the hospital, I went into your room…” she says slowly. “And it was very obvious there were two boys living in there. With one unmade bed in the entire house…”

Heat rushes to my face.That’show she had to find out?

“And…” her gaze shifts to Liam. “Liam was so worried about you, it just… it all clicked.”

Liam squeezes my leg again and smiles softly at me. I stare into his eyes for a moment, getting lost in the clear blue as everything inside me seems to finally settle.

“And yes,” I nod, finally tearing my eyes away from him and looking at Mom. “Liam and I are together.”

Her eyes flick between us, then a big smile spreads across her face. “Well, isn’t that the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Mom,” Heather breathes out a laugh, reaching forward to place her hands over Mason's ears.

Mom waves her off. “He’ll live.”

Chris lifts his beer to his lips and mutters, “He’s heard worse,” and Isla gives him a knowing look.

Laughter bubbles up from somewhere deep inside me, and a rush of relief flows through every part of my body. The last bit of weight has lifted, and for the first time in my life… I feel completely free.

Mom pushes to her feet and motions for me to stand up. She pulls me into a tight hug, and I hold onto her as emotion wells up in my throat, threatening to spill over.

“You know we love you, honey,” she whispers. “And everyone in this town does too. We just want you to be happy, and to be exactly who you are.”

Tears sting my eyes as I nod. “Thanks, Mom.”

She gives me one last squeeze before turning to Liam. “I guess it’s time toofficiallywelcome you to the family.”

Liam smiles as he stands, and Mom wraps her arms around him in a loving hug. My heart swells as I watch them, and I see the emotion written all over Liam’s face too.

When she releases him, Mom looks around the room and gestures to the table. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

As everyone files out and towards the table, Chris and Grandpa clap me on the back with a smile, offering the quiet acceptance I’ve been longing for, and Heather pulls me into a hug. But before we can follow everyone, Mason stops in front of us, looking up with wide, curious eyes.

“So… you sleep in the same bed?” he asks.

Liam and I exchange a glance, then I nod. “Yeah.”

“And… you kiss?” his eyes dart between us.

Liam bites back a smile. “Yes.”

He nods seriously. “So, you’re in love,” he says, more as a statement than a question.

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