Page 103 of Falling for Love

What was I going to do?

I couldn’t lose Hayden. The thought was unbearable. He was my whole world, my reason for everything. The idea of sharing him with a man who’d done so much harm made my blood boil.

Not because I didn’t want this stranger to suddenly take away my world, but because I knew what kind of man he was and why I had to leave. He wasn’t doing this because he missed his son. No, there was an ulterior motive to all this. I just couldn’t fathom what it was.

And yet, the legal documents sitting on my table said otherwise. They said he had a claim, a right to Hayden’s life, even if he’d never earned it.

By the time I got back to the house, my fingers were numb, and Lance was happily trotting along, oblivious to my turmoil. I unclipped his leash and let him wander toward his water bowl as I sank onto the couch.

The phone sat on the coffee table, mocking me with its silence.

I picked it up again, my thumb hovering over the call button. I knew I couldn’t just sit here and wait. I had to do something, anything, to feel like I was moving forward.

I had always hated waiting—hated the feeling of helplessness that came with it. And today, it felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on me.

I set the phone down with a sharp exhale, running a hand through my hair. Lance padded over, nudging my knee with his nose. His brown eyes were soft and concerned, and I scratched behind his ears absently, grateful for the comfort he offered.

A knock on the door startled me.

I blinked and glanced at the clock.

It was late afternoon—too early for Hayden to be home and too late for a delivery. My heart fluttered, a mix of hope and anxiety swirling in my chest.

But what if it was a processor again?

What if it were more of the same?

I opened the door, and my heart grew twice its size.

There he was.

Liam. His dark coat was dusted with snow, and his blue eyes sparkled like the first thaw of spring. He was holding abrown bag in one hand and a thermos in the other, the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“Hey, I brought reinforcements.”

My throat tightened, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. The weight I’d been carrying all day threatened to crack me open, but his solid and calm presence held me together.

“Come in.” I stepped aside.

He stepped into the warmth of the house, brushing snow off his coat before setting the bag and thermos on the kitchen counter. Lance trotted over to greet him, tail wagging enthusiastically, and Liam patted the dog.

“Hot chocolate and cookies,” he said, nodding toward the bag. “Figured you might need a pick-me-up. I stopped by Abby’s, and she said you might be full up on caffeine.”

“Very astute of her.”

“What can we say? We have nothing else to do in a town this small,” he teased.

“It’s so sweet of you, but you didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

He leaned against the counter. “But I wanted to. See, this thing happens when you fall for someone…you want to see them a lot.”

I didn’t realize how much I needed him to be here until he was.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.

That question undid me.

The tears I’d been holding back all day spilled over, and before I could stop myself, I was moving toward him. He opened his arms without hesitation, and I fell into him.

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