Page 54 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“I’m fine,” I assure her, though I’m already starting to feel tired again. “I promise, I’m fine.”

And with her hand in mine, I fall asleep.

41

Layla

It’s been three days, and Liam finally gets to go home today. Which is nice, since it’s Christmas Eve. The bleeding wasn’t too severe and has been healing well. He was lucky it wasn’t worse, they said. I’ve been at the hospital on and off the last few days, spending more time there than at home. He slept a lot, so I took breaks to go home to shower or sleep.

I’m driving him home this morning. He’s moving around fairly well, but I can tell he’s still in pain. He tries to act like everything is fine, but I notice all the small signs of discomfort, the slight winces, the deep breaths as he settles into my car. It breaks my heart to see him hurting, but I’m so thankful that he’s going to be okay. I’ve sobbed many times the last few days over the relief and gratitude that I’ve felt.

While he’s been resting and recovering, I’ve planned something to surprise him with, and Dex and Daniela were more than eager to help. I really hope he likes it.

Liam glances over at me from the passenger seat. When I look his way, rays of sunlight catch his face, making his eyes look like they’re glowing—a mesmerizing mix of grey, green, and brown that distracts me for a moment. I avert my gaze back to the road.

“Shouldn’t you be at your new job?” he asks, like it only just occurred to him. “I can’t imagine they’d let you take all this time off when you just started…”

“It’s a long story,” I reply, trying to suppress a sly smile that’s threatening to take over.

“We’ve got a few hours…”

“Soon,” I say, giving him a reassuring smile.

I keep him busy with small talk. I ask about his past, his college years—I want to know everything that made him into the man he is today.

Every now and then, he looks over at me like he knows I’m up to something but doesn’t want to push it. Keeping the surprise from him is incredibly hard, but it’ll be worth it.

As we get closer to the house, his tone turns more serious, almost melancholy. “When do you have to head back?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe this weekend. I’m not really sure,” I lie.

He attempts a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve missed you,” he says, his jaw tightening as he stares ahead.

“I’ve missed you too. So much,” I whisper. And I leave it at that. For now.

We pull up to his house, which should be empty. I park next to a cluster of pines that line his driveway and I try to hurry around to help him out, but he’s already helped himself out. I hold him around his waist anyway. The air is frigid, but there’s not too much snow on the ground.

He starts to walk, but I pause to take everything in—the mountains, the trees, the crisp air. I breathe it all in, feeling so happy to be back. Liam looks down at me with a sad sort of smile.

“You really love it here, don’t you?”

“I do,” I nod.

Liam closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, looking like he’s wrestling with his thoughts. Then he opens them, and there’s an intensity in his gaze. “I know I said I wasn’t going to tell you everything I want to until you’re back for good. But, fuck, I’m just going to say it. These past few days have given me a lot of clarity, but even before, I knew how I felt. Without a doubt. And now, I don’t care about holding back. You can take as long as you need, but I’m not giving up on this. On us. I will wait as long as you need, but I’m not going to wait another minute to tell you that I am completely in love with you, Layla Stewart. I wanted to tell you the day that you left, and I was an idiot not to. But I’m telling you now. And I’m not going to give you any ultimatums or deadlines. I’ll be with you in whatever way you can handle, because that is how much you mean to me. I know that there are a lot of big decisions and unknowns on your end, so I’ll be here however you need me to be. You fit with us so perfectly, and I know that you feel it too.”

Silent tears slip down my cold cheeks. I grab him and hold him close. Given his pained grunt, it was a little too tight.

I’d taken a leap of faith when making my plans over the last few days, but this—hearing him say all these things—was exactly the reassurance I needed. It was better than I could have ever hoped for.

I pull back, and Liam is wiping my tears away. He looks down at me with such a burning in his eyes that I feel as if I might float away if he weren’t holding me right now.

“Can you come with me for a minute?” I ask. His eyebrows crease, and his eyes dart around in confusion, but he nods, though it’s tinged with skepticism.

I sigh and lead him back to the car.

“Get in, please,” I order.

Liam’s confused frown deepens as he looks at me, still not moving.

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