Page 99 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

“Follow me.” He didn’t leave her much choice as he headed toward the bedroom.

Okay, not what she was expecting. Slowly, she made her way down the short hall. When she rounded the corner, Liam stood there with a pair of boxing gloves, bright yellow ones, actually.

“What are these?”

He gestured for her to take them. “Yours. I bought them for you as a going away gift and I actually have a heavyweight bag being delivered to your house.”

Macy rubbed her head, but didn’t take the gloves. “You called me here to give me a going away gift? Are you serious?”

Anger bubbled up. “You’re leaving, so you get me a stress reliever. How ironic. Did you think I actually wanted to come here and see you again? I thought we left things the way that was best for both of us, considering.”

The burn in her throat, her eyes, was inevitable. Tears were a staple in her life today. She wasn’t even sorry for the display of emotion—she was human.

“I had to hand over Lucy today. Just hand her over like she didn’t make a huge difference in my life. I had to think about where she was going, if they knew she liked to be rocked and sang to before bed. Then I’d start thinking of you and what you were doing. And the people who’d come into my life were going in different directions and I’m here. And . . .”

Macy’s voice broke as the sob spilled out of her. “I can’t do this.”

She spun around, heard Liam curse behind her a second before he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Pulling her against his chest, he kissed the side of her head.

“I know you’re hurting,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I just thought you might want to get some of that tension out. Or you can punch me, I don’t care.”

“I’m tempted.” Macy closed her eyes, dropping her head back against his shoulder. “But punching you or the bag won’t fix my problems.”

“It won’t bring Lucy back,” he agreed. “But I was hoping if we took one of your spare bedrooms and turned it into our boxing room—”

Our boxing room?

Macy spun around. “What?”

Liam swiped her damp cheeks with his good hand, then tipped her chin up. “I’m staying in Haven.”

She had to have heard him wrong. The migraine she’d battled earlier had clearly messed up something in her mind.

“You just went to Savannah today.” Way to state the obvious. But she was too stunned to come up with anything else. “What made you change your mind?”

“Everything.” He released her, stepped back, and shrugged. “The resort, my family, you. I wasn’t feeling at home in that kitchen like I thought I would. As my boss and I were talking, something was just off. Then there’s my hand.”

“You never talked about what the doctor said, but you still have a bandage on it.”

Liam nodded, the muscle in his jaw clenching. “He’s not sure if there’s permanent nerve damage, but . . .”

Oh, no. Her heart hurt for so many reasons, but now she literally ached for what Liam was possibly facing.

“Liam, I had no idea it was that bad.”

His brief nod spoke volumes as to how much he didn’t want to discuss just how “bad” the injury truly was.

“I’ll make this work. For Chelsea, for my brothers, for you. I’ll make everything work out. I was already thinking of everyone back here when I was in Savannah, then Sophie texted me about Lucy.”

Realization dawned on her. Macy held up her hands. “If you tell me you’re staying out of guilt—”

“No.” His firm tone stopped her. “I’m staying because I love you.”

Macy dropped her hands. “You just figured that out today?”

He smiled, as if she needed another reason to melt into a puddle at his feet. “No. I’ve known for a while, but I couldn’t trust myself. I was in love once. She didn’t feel the same, though I was clueless. She used me and I swore I’d never fall in love again.”

“Yet here you are.”

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