I grinned. “Your lawyer might be better with the actual legal terminology.” Liam returned my smile. “Do you think you’ll be able to get out of the contract?”
Liam moved a touch closer. There were only inches between us now. I could feel the heat coming off his body, smell the faint scent of his cologne. I so badly wanted to lean in to him, to feel his strong arms wrapped around me.
Liam’s gaze held mine. “My lawyer’s a shark. He’ll get me out.” He broke the stare, looking out at the view again. “The question is, will I be able to write once I feel a little freer? That, I’m not sure about.”
My heart squeezed. If he only knew what a gift his vulnerability was. Sharing his doubt, his fears, Liam was different from any man I knew. I wanted to laugh. I’d really only known one other man at that level. But I wasn’t going to bring Garrett into this and ruin the moment.
It didn’t matter anyway. Something told me that Liam was uniquely special. Masculine. Protective. But with the most tender heart at his core. One that cared deeply for others. A heart that yearned for authenticity and truth. Liam Fairchild was a potent mixture of hard lines and smooth edges. And I knew I was sunk.
My fingers itched to reach out, to give Liam some form of physical comfort, but I couldn’t quite work up the nerve. Instead, I opted for simple truth-telling. “You’ll find your voice again. And I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.”
20
Liam
Her words cut right to my core. Her face, so full of light, of hope, of belief in me. In that moment, I felt like I could’ve written a hundred songs. And they would’ve all been about Tessa.
I forced a chuckle, needing to break the intensity of the moment. If I didn’t, I worried I’d end up kissing the life out of her, and then I’d really freak her out. “So, your kitten is ready to be picked up.”
Tessa’s eyes danced in the sunlight, the rays making the purple in them stand out even more. “Really?” Her brows pulled together. “You paid for all his surgery. Don’t you want to keep him?”
I fought the laugh that wanted to surface. “Uh, no. I’m not really a cat person.” If I was going to get a pet, it’d be a dog. A big one. A Golden or a Lab.
Tessa stroked a hand down Phoenix’s neck. “Not manly enough for you?” she asked, laughter in her voice.
I grunted. “Just not my personal choice.”
Tessa looked at my SUV and then moved her gaze back to me. “Would you have time to take me to get him?” The uncertainty in her voice made me want to wrap her up in my arms. I resisted the urge.
“I’d be happy to take you.” I’d been about to offer to take her, but the fact that she’d asked had me wanting to pound my chest with pride.
“We’ll need to stop at a pet store first so I can get some supplies.”
I inclined my head towards the SUV. “I’ve got you covered.”
Tessa’s brows rose. “You do?”
“All good to go.” I looked around the pasture. “Do you need to do anything here before you leave?”
Tessa followed my gaze before giving Phoenix another pat. The mare nuzzled Tessa’s neck. And now I was jealous of a fucking horse. Tessa scratched under Phoenix’s chin. “You’ve been saved from a grooming for another day.” The horse seemed to snort. “Yeah, yeah. I know you’re thrilled.”
Tessa turned back towards me. “I just need to put my grooming kit away and grab my bag.”
I reached towards her large purse. “I can grab that.”
“No!”
Her words halted me in my tracks.
Color rose to her cheeks. “Sorry. I mean, I’ll get my bag. You can grab the kit over there if you want.”
“Sure. No problem.” My gaze traveled from Tessa to the bag and back again before I headed to pick up her grooming supplies. What was in that bag that she didn’t want me to see? I wanted so badly for Tessa to truly let me in. But whatever had happened to her meant trust did not come easily. And I knew it had to be a gift freely given. Patience. I just needed to have patience.
I picked up the grooming kit and ducked between the rails in the fence. “Where should I put this?”
Tessa motioned to the open door of a small storage barn. “You can leave it in there.”
I rested the box of grooming supplies on a bale of hay. “Good?”
