Page 55 of When It Rains He Pours

“Will you stop with all that. I want to do this, so let me. It's my fault for all of this anyway.” His voice trailed off as his tone went soft.

Arching a stern brow, my lips turned down. “What are you talking about? None of this is your fault, you didn't do anything wrong.” Raking my fingers through my hair, I swallowed hard. “I mean, yes, you should have told me who you really are, but you had nothing to do with anything else.”

Liam stopped short, dropping his head into chest. “Glory, I was the one who suggested this town to begin with, I was the one who told Jacob that your building and the ones around it were the perfect spot. If I hadn't done that, none of this would have happened.” His eyes darted up to mine, and I could see the pain and regret he felt inside.

“You can't blame yourself, you didn't make the same choices your brother made. It doesn't matter what you suggested, he made his own decisions.”

Shaking his head, his lips folded into a thick frown. “I know, but I still feel guilty.”

“Is that what this is?”

“What?” he asked, furrowing his brows.

“All this.” Looking up at the store, I nodded my head. “Shopping, the alarm system, are you doing this because you feel guilty?”

Opening his eyes wide, he held up his hands. “No.” His voice was sharp and powerful. “I'm not doing this because I feel guilty. I'm doing this because I want to, because you deserve it.” Liam reached for my hand and pulled me into his arms. “I want to give you the world, Glory, and it's not because I feel guilty. I feel guilty that all of this happened, and as much as I wish I could take it all back, something good did come out of this mess.” Running his finger across my lips, he smiled. “I met you and that's one thing I wouldn't change. Giving you these things makes me happy. I like you seeing you smile, I like seeing your eyes light up. And I'd do anything to make you do that every day for the rest of your life.”

My cheeks heated as my heart went crazy inside my chest. “You mean that?”

“Every word.” Liam lowered his face, giving me a deep passionate kiss. Pulling away, he peered into my eyes. “Always.”

Gripping my hand, Liam led me into the store. He made me grab a carriage and he took one of his own. We filled both of them, and then we filled a third and a forth.

Canvases, paints, brushes, charcoal, sketch pads, frames, a new easel. . . He wouldn't leave until I had everything I needed to start over.

I was more than grateful for everything he was doing. I felt like I was living in a fairy tale, like any second my eyes would open and I'd find myself laying at home in my bed.

But it was real, all of it was real. From the good to the bad, they both went hand in hand. You can't appreciate the great things if you don't experience the horrible things.

“Is this everything?” he asked, scanning his eyes over the items and looking back at the isles. “Are you sure you don't need anything else? Modeling clay, finger paints, sponges?”

“No, this is plenty.” Laughing, I placed my hands on my hips. “And you're sure about all this? This is going to be expensive, you know that right?”

“Glory, the money doesn't matter. You being happy is all I care about. I want this for you, I want to watch you paint. . .” Pausing, he closed the small gap between us and gripped my hips. “Maybe you paint naked, I don't know. We can get a few more drop cloths if you want in case you decide to go wild.”

Giggling, I placed my hands around his neck. “I don't usually paint in the nude, but I might make an exception here and there for your viewing pleasure.”

Liam let out a sexy growl as he pressed his forehead to mine. “Sounds like we have a date.” Kissing me softly, he wriggled his brows. “You ready? Are we all done here?”

“Yeah, I think we're done.”

Driving back to town, squished in the back of the car with everything we couldn't fit in the trunk, Liam never let go of my hand and I never stopped smiling.

He had become more than just a hero to me.

He had become a piece of my soul.

And I could never thank him enough for making me feel whole.

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