Page 7 of Lost in You (The Monroes 3)

Sophie chewed on her bottom lip and nodded. “I know. I just don’t want him to feel like we brought him into our family just so he could be an extra pair of hands.”

Liam loved her soft heart. They’d shared a special bond since the night of the accident, when they’d both been critically injured. Sophie had needed several surgeries on her hip and leg, and still walked with a slight limp. Liam had taken it in the face, had suffered a broken jaw and collarbone, and irreparable laceration to his face. Hard not to feel a connection after all of that, so Liam definitely had more patience and more concern for Sophie than most people.

Moving around the edge of the counter, Liam took Sophie’s shoulders and turned her toward him. “He doesn’t think that. He loves you guys. You saved him. He’ll do anything he can to make you proud, even if you tell him to go scrub the toilets. He’ll grumble and complain, but he’s a teen so that’s his job right now. If he’s not rolling his eyes, that’s when you need to worry.”

“You’re right.” Sophie’s mouth tipped up into a smile, just as he’d hoped. “I have some of my sketches getting delivered today. I sent them off to get custom framed. I’m adding more to the library.”

Sophie was a master at pencil sketches. They’d tried to get her to sell the things, but she refused. She claimed she only did them as a way to relax and unwind. But Zach had talked her into using each piece to decorate the rooms of the resort house.

“Do you need me to hang around and sign for them?”

“Actually I have to put all the sheets on the beds, so I’ll be here for a bit longer. I can sign when they arrive. Do you need me for anything down here?”

Liam shook his head and stepped back. “I’m done for the day. I’ll be back around six in the morning to make sure everything is set up. I know the first group of ladies wanted a breakfast when they arrived, so I fixed the majority of the food today.”

Most resorts or bed and breakfasts didn’t allow an early morning check-in, but Bella Vous catered to every client. No matter their request, Sophie went out of her way to try to accommodate every single one. Actually, they all did. Sophie was still swamped with her real estate business, but she did all the bookings for the resort—which were mostly done online anyway.

Without a doubt, the resort wouldn’t be what it was without her. Oh, the guys would’ve eventually managed, but Sophie had kept them on track with a limited amount of fists flying.

“You’re not held to certain hours,” Sophie told him. “You’re part owner, so you definitely don’t answer to me.”

“I know, but I wanted you to know what I was doing.”

Sophie went up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re here. Chelsea would be, too.”

Damn it. Guilt slid through him. He didn’t want to be here. Going back to Savannah was all he was looking for. His heart wasn’t in Haven, had actually only been here when his adoptive parents were alive. Now, he felt like an outsider—story of his life. But in Savannah, he could blend. He didn’t have many friends, and even those were kept at a distance. He was looking for a way to sneak out of this awkward life he’d been thrust into and hoped his exit would go smoothly.

Most likely it wouldn’t, but until Liam had a solid plan for his future, he’d stay right here and not express his need to get out of town. Before he made any major decisions, though, he needed to check into the rumor of Magnolias being for sale. The idea that the restaurant he’d loved for years, had considered his home, could be his was overwhelming and thrilling.

Liam patted her back and stepped away. “Call me if you need me. I’ll just be home.”

Sophie’s brows drew in. “Why don’t you date? You’ve never mentioned anyone to me and I can’t believe you literally spend all your time working.”

He gritted his teeth, but attempted to control his response because Sophie wasn’t being nosy, she was legitimately concerned. “Don’t worry about my social life. I’m happy just the way things are.”

“Really?” She tipped her head to the side, a clear sign she didn’t believe him. “I actually just sold a house to a new teacher—”

“No.” Hell no. He didn’t want to be fixed up on some blind date. “I need to go.”

As he grabbed his phone and keys from the counter by the back door, Sophie called out, “Stop running.”

He froze, keeping his back to her, his eyes locked on the pond in the distance. The sun was just setting, spreading a vibrant orange glow across the horizon and reflecting onto the water. Such a peaceful evening, quite a contrast to the turmoil inside him, the instant tension in this room.

“Don’t run from your fear,” she added in a softer tone. “You can’t overcome it if you don’t face it.”

Liam glanced over his shoulder, pasted on a smile, and lied to her face. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

* * *

Macy let herself in the store and quickly disarmed the security alarm. Usually the best times to tackle the dreaded paperwork and invoices was when she couldn’t sleep and she was confident there would be no interruptions.

She knew the store better than her own house, so she maneuvered through the aisles. Security lights helped illuminate the layout as she headed toward the back where she had a tiny office—her dad’s old office, which had belonged to Macy’s grandfather. That whole generational bond made staying in Haven so much easier. Here is where she felt safe, where nothing could touch her, hurt her.

Macy remembered being little and playing with a block of wood, an old hammer, and nails on the floor while her dad worked on invoices. While she didn’t have a family on the horizon, that didn’t mean she didn’t envision having a child at her feet someday. Though it sounded clichéd, she had that small-town dream of having a family, a devoted husband and children. She wanted to be able to pass the business down one day, too.

The option of adopting had interested her months ago and she’d already star

ted the process of becoming a foster parent. That next step for her in her quest to be a mother was to adopt. Even though she would be a single parent with a full-time job, she wasn’t going to let that steer her away from her dream of being a mother. There were many single parents out there and there were so many children who needed a good home.

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