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My heart ached to see him that way.

The fun-loving guy I’d known and fallen in love with was gone.

It had been eight years, though. So, I could only wonder what had happened to make him look that way.

I should have turned around and walked away.

But the conversation I’d had with my mom the day after Liam came to the store rang in my head. And considering she and Carmen had told me I wasn’t allowed home for a few hours, maybe I needed to use my time wisely.

The only question that remained was whether he’d want to hear anything I had to say.

There was only one way to find out.

16

LIAM

I didn’t drinkto get drunk.

In fact, I rarely drank alcohol as it was. Sure, I had the occasional beer if I was spending time with my brothers while doing something like fishing at the lake house. Or I might get a drink if I was celebrating at a wedding, family function, or some other special occasion.

But consuming alcohol, having a drink, had never been more than a social thing for me.

Even after Layla had rejected my proposal, I hadn’t had a sip. Of course, I was underage at the time and hadn’t realized just how powerful the effects of it could be, but it was probably for the best, especially if the last few days had been anything to go by.

And while I still wasn’t drinking to get drunk—I could remember everything that happened when I woke the following morning—I certainly found myself drinking a bit more than usual.

I was doing it on my own, too.

There weren’t any celebrations or social gatherings that warranted alcohol consumption.

It was merely me being a guy who needed to have just enough to numb the pain and ease the burden of the memories that were now haunting me ever since I saw Layla again.

All day, every day.

No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

I’d been working extra hours, starting earlier and working later, and it still wasn’t enough. As I moved throughout the amusement park, handling one job before heading to the next, images of Layla flashed in my mind. Her voice sounded in my ears. Every memory I could recall resurfaced and had me on the verge of losing control.

I thought I’d been doing okay. It had taken me a long time to get where I had, but I had managed to reach a point where I could make it through the days without wanting to break down.

Not anymore.

Not after being so close to her so recently.

And that was what left me feeling unsure about this whole thing.

Because now there were questions. I wasn’t quite sure if I would have preferred to never see her again, if what had happened when I did was how it had gone down. Would it have been better to never know that she’d arrived back in Landing?

I was such a mix of emotions over it. There was thatone part of me that felt like I could breathe again when I’d been standing in front of her. But there was the other part that knew I was setting myself up for disaster.

That encounter had been nothing short of a catastrophe. Of all the memories I’d recalled over the last couple of days of my time with Layla, it was what happened that day in the store that hit me the most often. It hit the hardest, too.

It had been all wrong.

The things I said to her, and the way she looked at me.

I didn’t see the longing and adoration. I didn’t feel the love. I wasn’t even sure I could sense any remorse.