Page 55 of Love Me

“Shit. Whelp. That’s out.”

“Don’t stress about it, we’ll figure something out. I’ll help you.”

“Thanks, love you, Han. By the way, I can’t tell you how happy I am for you and Liam. First Ivy coming back and now you. It really feels like our family is coming together the way it was always meant to.”

And with that statement, part of my heart shatters. The weight of what Liam and I are doing, and all of the people it will impact and affect once this ends will be devastating. Kinsey walks away as I stand slightly stunned next to the outdoor tables set up between the house and the garage.

“Hannah, you’re looking a little flushed, sweetie. Are you feeling okay?” Liam’s mom, Amy, says to me, her words sounding a little too far away.

My cheeks flame as I put both of my shaky hands on thetable to stop the swaying, the feeling of standing on a boat out at sea washing over me. My head starts to pound, and I squint my eyes against the onslaught of the ice pick assaulting my brain. Shit. It hits me just as the world starts to fade to black.

Two lattes.

No food.

CHAPTER 15

liam

Sawyer yellsmy name over the commotion of the kids playing at the craft table set up for the party inside my garage. When I turn to face him, his expression makes my heart drop into the pit of my stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hannah passed out. I carried her inside, Mom’s with her.”

“Fuck.” My brother stays put to assist with watching the small group of four-year-olds as I jog across my driveway to my house, wracking my brain for the last time I saw her eat today and cursing myself for not making sure she had. Tearing through my front door, I pull open the drawer where I keep Hannah’s spare blood sugar monitor and then jog into the living room. She’s relaxed on the couch, her face pale and flushed all at the same time. I don’t see or hear anything but her as I kneel down at her side, running my hand over her forehead and cheek.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I should have taken you out for breakfast or made sure you had a snack throughout the day. I was so focused on getting us home to get ready for theparty.”

She looks at me with her eyes squinted into slits, a “you’re an idiot” look plastered to her face. But this is a fight I will gladly take on. I don’t ever want to see her hurt or feeling like shit. I unzip her pack and pull out the monitor with the other supplies, sliding a testing strip into the monitor and pressing the lancet into the device to prick her finger.

“I’m a grown-ass woman, bear, I know I need to eat and watch what I eat. It was stupid. Haven’t passed out in a bit. Grateful Sawyer was next to me, or it could have been worse. No one wants brain matter all over the place at a birthday party.”

My hand reaches out to pinch the bottom of her chin, turning her head to face me so that there is no doubt of the severity of my next words.

“Hey, that’s not funny. You have to take care of yourself, or I’ll do it for you. You want to be a big girl? Don’t want to be babied? Then don’t let this happen again. What if you were by yourself? Or alone with Charlie? Promise me, Han, promise me you’ll do better?”

She bites her bottom lip, and I use my thumb to pry it free. “Words, baby, use them. Please.”

“I promise.”

Not thinking, I lean forward and let my lips touch hers for a small kiss, just enough pressure to feel the warmth of them against me, needing to feel her breath.

“When did this happen?” my mother’s voice breaks the silence, thick with emotion and cracking on the last word. I back away slowly from Hannah to catch her eyebrows rising, her pupils blown as we both realize who’s in the room with us.

“Hey, Mom. Didn’t see you there,” I say innocently as I turn to face her where she sits in the chair across from us. How long has she been there? “You mean Hannah passing out or us being together?”

“I’m aware she passed out, Liam, I was there. When did you two finally figure things out?”

I look back at Hannah in a groggy state, and I know she’s feeling like shit. I grab her hand to distract myself, wiping an alcohol swab over the side of her little pointer finger, before letting the lancet device disengage to prick it.

“A while ago, we’ve been keeping it low-key since people in town like to talk so much.”

“You two are actually together?” she asks, like her whole heart is on the line and she’s just as invested in this as I am.

My parents’ house was the hub for all of us kids plus our friends. More nights of the week than not, the dinner table was overflowing with kids, Hannah being one of them. We’ve always been inseparable, and while my mom and dad have never outright called me out on my feelings, they are extremely inquisitive and it’s a solid assumption that they’ve clued into how I feel about this girl. That I’m head over heels in love with her.

“We’re really together. We haven’t sat Charlie down and told her, so we’re still keeping it a bit of a secret, but it’s the real deal,” I tell my mom matter-of-factly, refusing to look at Hannah’s face and see the trepidation etched into her features. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard on your own, Ms. Nettie has been yapping about it to everyone who will listen.”

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