Page 74 of Joy to Noel
“Maybe I am that pitiful,” I muse aloud. I’m surprised when a tear slips down my cheek, which Hamlet leans forward to sniff. I wrap my arms around him as sudden sobs unleash.
“I don’t even know why I’m crying, Hammie!” I exclaim. “I mean, clearly, the fact that I’m a complete failure as an independent editor is embarrassing. Having to admit to my parents that I made the wrong decision going out on my own isn’t going to feel good. I suppose there’s also the fact that I think I’m in love with your hot daddy, but we don’t have a clear plan for a long-term future together because neither of us wants to admit that we don’t know what to do.”
Hamlet’s nextmeowcomes out a little strangled, and I realize I’m maybe holding him a little too tightly. “Sorry, Hammie. I guess I know exactly why I’m crying. I just don’t know how to fix any of it.”
Sitting up, I wipe the tears from my eyes, and my gaze lands on the Christmas tree. My gaze turns into a glare. “I thought Clara’s Christmas magic was supposed to make everything work out. You’re broken, Christmas,” I yell at the tree.
I stand up and unplug the lights.
I’ve managed to bottle up my emotions by the time Liam comes home from work. I’m standing at the stove making egg fried rice when he comes up behind me, wraps his arms around my waist, and gently kisses my neck. Something about the sweetness of the gesture stings my eyes with tears again, and I scramble to cork them into the bottle before he sees.
“Hey there, love,” he murmurs. “Don’t let me distract you,” he adds as he gathers my hair to one side, giving his lips easier access to my neck.
I sigh and lean my head back. “You’re going to burn our dinner, Suits,” I half-heartedly admonish.
“Worth it,” he replies, grinning against my neck. But he releases me and scoops up a mewling Hamlet to give him a dose of attention while I finish the rice. Liam grabs two plates from the cabinet for me and then feeds Hamlet his dinner.
As we eat, Liam asks about the project I was working on today, and I try to make it sound more substantial than it actually is. He updates me on all the progress at the factory, expressing gratitude for Beau’s help through everything. “Having Amanda move into the HR position has been a game changer,” he says. “With all the new employees we’re onboarding for this freeze-dried line, I’m so glad I’m not the one drowning in all of that paperwork.”
Hamlet has finished eating and jumps onto Liam’s lap, meowing softly. Liam clears his throat before saying, “Hey, I kinda have a favor to ask you.”
I set down my spoon. In the time we’ve known each other, I can count on one hand the number of times Liam has asked for help with anything. Actually, I wouldn’t even need all of the fingers on one hand.
“So, I told you about how I haven’t been back to London for Chuseok in several years,” he begins. “And even though my grandma is totally fine after her procedure, it still got me thinking that I should visit them soon. My parents will be going back for Chuseok, and I was thinking about joining them.” He pauses, scratching Hamlet’s chest.
“I’ve never trusted anyone enough to take care of Hamlet if I was gone for multiple days in a row. Never had someone I thoughtHamletwould trust enough to take care of him,” he says, eyes sliding up to find mine. “But now we have you. So I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to watch Hamlet for a few days if I fly to London at the beginning of October?”
The bottle of emotions is about to go full Mentos-dropped-in-Coca-Cola with the way Liam is looking at me with so much vulnerable trust in his eyes.
“Of course, I will,” I say. “I’m glad that you’re going to spend some time with your family.”
“About that,” he adds, “now that I’ve suckered you into letting me leave town, I should add that my parents want to drive here to Noel and then fly out of Joplin together. Because they’d like to meet you.”
Liam’s voice sounds like he’s walking on eggshells, like he’s afraid of the words coming out of his own mouth. As I watch his face, his hand nervously stroking Hamlet’s back, I realize how vulnerable this possibility is for him. For me to meet his parents. For them to meet me. For it to happen here in Noel.
I stand and step next to Liam’s chair, cupping his face in my hands. “Liam, I would love to meet your parents,” I say before leaning down to kiss him.
Liam gently sets Hamlet on the floor with one hand and pulls me to sit sideways on his lap with the other hand, all without breaking our kiss. When he draws back, he leans his forehead against mine. “Thanks, MJ.” He reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear and says, “There’s one more thing I’ve been thinking about. May as well get it all out there at once.”
I lean back, brows furrowed. “What?”
Liam exhales a long breath before he says, “I’ve been giving some thought to the possibility of staying in Noel.”
My mind stumbles over his words, puzzle pieces that aren’t fitting together. “Like,livingin Noel?Staying,staying?”
He nods. “Have I gone insane?” he asks, his voice a whisper.
I can’t help but laugh. “To be determined,” I say. My heart is leaping at the thought that Liam could be staying here permanently—even thoughIhaven’t determined if I can stay here permanently.
Liam’s presence would be a strong argument in favor of staying, though.
“What’s made you go from judging Noel as a backwoods Arkansas small town to considering it as your permanent residence?” I ask, eyebrow quirked.
Liam sighs, his head falling back. “I don’t know. A hundred little things. I think it started way back when I brought Beau into the loop about what had been happening at the factory. It was the first time that one of the screwed-up situations I’ve straightened out felt personal.Like it was more than just restoring a pet food production facility to order—it was about keeping a community intact.”
I make an affirming hum, nodding in understanding as he continues, “And then there was the whole Christmas in July deal. Seeing the way the town embraced me during the brainstorm session. I don’t think I’ve ever used the term ‘endearing’ in my entire life, but the whole experience was endearing. It made me appreciate this town as much as they showed appreciation for me in that moment.”
Liam pauses, looking especially reflective before he goes on. “You know I went on that fishing trip with the guys a couple of weeks ago,” he says, and I nod. He came back low-key beaming, gushing about the good times they’d had and the fish they’d caught. Well, “gushing,” as far as the term could apply to Liam’s demeanor. He says, “When we were sitting around the campfire that final night, I had this moment where I realized I felt disappointed when I thought about leaving Noel. For the first time, I felt like I had people I didn’t want to leave behind—friendsI didn’t want to leave behind.”
