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It broke his heart to know she felt that way. “Hated you? I could never hate you.” He gave a helpless long sigh. “What else were you supposed to do? We broke up. I couldn’t very well expect you to stay single.”
“But you didn’t answer my invitation.”
“Soph, I could never hate you. When I got your wedding invitation, I was…” He was angry, but not with her. Never with her. He’d never stopped loving her and was arrogant enough to assume they would find their way back to each other. “Well, anyway, I was there. And you were the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. Jesus was I jealous of?—”
Sophie held up her palm ordering him to stop. “Please, don’t say his name. It will spoil the evening.”
Liam cocked a small grin and forgetting his glass was finished, lifted it to his lips. When it came up empty he frowned and lowered his glass to his lap. “Would you have called off the wedding if I’d spoken up?”
She had wondered if he would ask that question. She’d also wondered what it would feel like to know he had never really stopped loving her. Now she knew. Sophie took a thoughtful minute—not to consider her answer, but to let the small flame in her heart swell. The flame of love and friendship she had always carried. The one that had never truly gone out.
“Knowing what I know now, of course. Life is easier when you’ve got a crystal ball. But back then?” She turned eyes to meet his and shook her head a little. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Sorry, it wasn’t a fair question. I shouldn’t have asked. But you know, I wish I had said something.”
“Don’t say that.” She reached across and laid her hand on his arm and gave a comforting squeeze. “Let’s not go there. If I didn’t know what he was then there’s no way you’d know.”
He laid a hand over hers. “I can’t say how truly sorry I am.”
“I know.” They grew quiet and shared a long look. The only sound in the room was the crackling fire. Sophie was the first to look away. If she stared into his eyes any longer she might do something stupid like kiss him. She took her hand back and shot him a playful glance. “You’re a real buzz kill, you know that?”
He shot a dazzling smile back. “A buzz kill is it? I’ll remind you that the first time you ever drank was with me.”
“The first time I did anything was with you. Or Emma. Or Keefe—or all three of you.” Once again, Sophie stared at the flames dancing inside the fireplace, letting memories from so many years rush through her mind. Wonderful memories. She smiled to herself, then looked back at Liam. “We have a lot of really wonderful memories, don’t we?”
“Yes, yes, we do…” He looked down, then looked up again, meeting her eyes with a charming smile that only Liam could give. It hadn’t changed since the day they met thirty five years ago.
Sophie considered. Was getting back together with Liam really that bad an idea? Then again, now that she really thought about it, he’d never actually said he wanted to get back together. That was just her assuming. Maybe all he wanted was to rekindle their friendship? In that case, pffft she was free to just relax with her old friend. Either way, it wasn’t a question to ask herself now.
Sophie giggled as a memory came flooding back. “Remember, I stole that bottle of poitín from my aunt’s cabinet.”
“And then we got drunk under our tree.”
“And we both got sick and fell asleep.”
“We didn’t wake until Keefe and Emma found us.”
They laughed together.
“You know, I always thought that her and Keefe would end up together,” Liam said on the back of a chuckle.
Sophie shook her head. “No, he loves her like he loves me and vice versa—although, she has proposed marriage to him a couple times after eating his food.”
Liam chuckled again. Emma and Sophie both had always loved their food. He sometimes wondered if that was what had inspired Keefe to become a chef. “Keefe never married?”
“No. He came close once, but it didn’t work out. She was a bitch anyway, so I was happy to see the back of her.”
“So, what you mean is, Keefe ended it with her because his sister didn’t approve.”
Maybe. So what? Other than her brother’s, whose opinion mattered more about the person he was in a relationship with?
Then again, she hadn’t broken up with her ex when Keefe had suggested it. It was the day after she announced her engagement. Keefe had waited until they closed up their parents pub for the night. He’d sat her down at the bar, poured her a drink, and then flatly said that he didn’t think Bobby was good enough for her. When she asked who was good enough he’d said Liam.
Now that she thought about it, she wondered if she’d just been stubborn. Keefe had never thought it was a good idea for Liam and Sophie to break up. But there was no use going down that road. “Kinda. You know us—we tell each other everything. Trust me, she wasn’t the one for him.”
“Will anyone be good enough for him?”
Sophie let out a laugh at his sarcastic question. “Are you suggesting that I’m too protective?”
