Page 24 of Falling for Love

And it probably was living in Buttercup Lake.

Not much tended to happen around here except for a rogue mailman.

I shuffled to the door in my oversized sweatshirt dress and fuzzy socks, my dark hair piled into a messy bun.

I wasn’t exactly expecting company, but whoever it was could handle the unkempt Evie.

When I opened the door, my breath caught.

There stood Liam, looking like he’d just stepped out of a winter romance novel.

His dark jeans and a gray sweater fit him perfectly with his red wool scarf and unzipped jacket, but it wasn’t his outfit that had me staring.

It was his smile.

That irresistible, too-charming-for-its-own-good smile plastered across his face.

He held a grocery bag stuffed to the brim in one arm and a tray with two steaming coffee cups in the other. The cold Wisconsin air swirled around him, but he seemed completely unaffected.

“You know, you have this habit of turning me down,” he said, his voice low and teasing, “so I thought I’d make it impossible for you to forget me this time.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, the warmth of his presence already cutting through the chill of the morning.

“You’re persistent. I’ll give you that.”

“And you’re hard to forget,” he said, winking at me.

I stepped back, holding the door open.

“You know Hayden’s sick, right? You’re risking the stomach bug of the century just standing here. His tummy ache turned to full-blown war.”

He shrugged, stepping inside without hesitation.

“I’m up for the challenge. Plus, I brought snacks and coffee. That has to earn me some immunity points in the universe.”

I closed the door behind him, ignoring how his presence filled the room.

“You’re pretty intriguing.”

“And you’re welcome,” he shot back, grinning as he set the grocery bag on the kitchen counter.

Lance immediately padded over, sniffing the bag with great interest.

“What’s all this?” I asked, peeking inside.

Liam held up his good hand.

“Care package for the patient. I thought he might like bread, cheese, ginger ale, crackers, applesauce, some popsicles, and soup for later. Also,” he said, holding up one of the coffee cups, “a little something to keep you from losing your mind. Latte, extra foam.”

I stared at him, the warmth spreading through me faster than I could stop it.

“You didn’t have to do all this.”

Not to mention that I was stunned that he remembered that was how I ordered my drinks.

“I know,” he said, his voice softening. “But I wanted to.”

His sincerity caught me off guard, and I found myself smiling despite the exhaustion tugging at me.

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