Page 82 of Rejected Heart
“I’ll be back at six. Feel free to wear a dress like you did last night.”
Once again, Liam didn’t give me the opportunity to respond. He merely turned and walked away.
I sighed as I watched him go.
And when I finally worked up the courage to close the door and return to the living room, my mom took one look at me and said, “I now understand why my daughter didn’t wake up refreshed this morning. If I had to guess, she didn’t sleep all night.”
20
LAYLA
I wasno stranger to adversity, but I was in a tough spot.
Again.
And all too often, it seemed I’d faced these ridiculously challenging situations whenever Liam was involved.
I was caught between feeling frustrated and appreciative.
The frustration was all about the feeling of me having no control over what had happened today. That I’d wound up here without having technically agreed to it on my own was a testament to how powerless I’d been.
Liam had shown up at my mother’s house, said a few words to me, and decided to arrange this evening’s plans with me by having a discussion with my mom instead. They’d chosen this. Not me.
Though, to be fair, I might have put up a fight initially, but I would have eventually caved. Even still,it frustrated me that I didn’t have the opportunity to decide what happened.
At the same time, I was grateful. Part of me was glad that Liam had decided to take charge. It could only mean that he still cared. Given how I’d treated him—twice now—he had every reason to disregard me completely.
So, it was nice that he refused to give me the chance to sabotage this, too.
“You seem conflicted.”
At the sound of his voice, where not a hint of the agitation and aggravation from this morning lingered, I took it all in.
I took in him—the softness and warmth in his features—and what he’d done—this sunset picnic he’d planned for us.
After what I’d done to him, Liam still had it in him to be sweet and do something that could only be considered romantic. Even if he had no intentions of this ending like last night had, the effort he’d put in to make this memorable was something I’d treasure. Then again, that’s how Liam had always been. I couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t gone all out to impress me and make me feel special.
“You didn’t let me take any part in deciding what was going to happen today,” I finally shared the reason for my dismay.
“I did what needed to be done.”
“By coming to my mom’s house and discussing your plans with her instead of me?” I countered.
Liam expressed no shame in doing what he’d done. “Iwasn’t going to risk having you come up with another reason to avoid me. I figure you already have plenty of those.”
“I wasn’t trying to avoid you. I had to get home to care for my mom.”
“And we both know that you could have woken me up before you did,” he returned. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. We’re here. I’ve planned it, and I hope, if nothing else, that demonstrates to you that I’m done.”
“You’re done?”
Liam had taken a huge bite of one of the sandwiches he’d packed for us. Mine was still firmly grasped in my hands. The bread was so fresh—probably taken from Jules’s bakery—that if I didn’t get out of my head and start eating soon, it’d likely be flattened by the hold I had on it.
After swallowing that bite, Liam explained, “You’ve proven to me that you run if things get too intense. That includes both the way you walked away from me eight years ago and how you left me last night. I decided I wasn’t going to roll over and take that any longer. I want answers, and I think I deserve better than what you’ve given me.”
My shoulders drooped, my stomach feeling like it had been hollowed out.
As nice as so much of this was, I wouldn’t lie to myself and pretend that it was easy. With every word Liam spoke, I grew more and more melancholy. It hurt to see how much damage I’d done to him, and the heaviness of that realization—no matter how many times I’dwitnessed it now—was crushing. It truly would be an effort to lift the sandwich to my mouth.
