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Dumb question.

That was such a stupid question, considering I already knew the answer, but I couldn’t take it back now.

Liam let out an exasperated sigh. “Us. Last night. What happened between us eight years ago. I need answers, Layla.”

As firm and resolute as his tone was, there was a slight edge of pleading there as well. If the words he’d said in the bar last night had been any indication, if the emotions he hadn’t hidden had been an accurate representation of all that he’d been feeling, Liam was in agony. He likely had been for a long time.

“Liam, I… I can’t do this now. I’m here with my mom,” I explained.

He hesitated for all of a few seconds before he declared, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Meredith. She won’t mind if I come in for a moment, will she?”

My eyes darted back and forth. What was he doing? My mom had no clue I’d seen Liam last night. This wouldn’t bode well. “Uh, I’m not sure?—”

“I’m sure it’s fine, Layla.” He stepped forward. “Your mom might be happy to have a visitor.”

He kept moving deeper into the house, leaving me no choice but to close and lock the front door before chasing after him.

“Liam?!”

So much for stopping this from happening. My mom had already seen him. And judging by the way she said his name, she was shocked to have him standing in front of her.

“Hello, Meredith. I heard about your accident. How are you doing?”

She was visibly stunned. “I… I’m okay. Much better now than I was a couple of weeks ago.”

“You suffered a serious injury to your leg.”

“I did. But I had an excellent surgeon who pieced me back together. Now, it’s just a matter of resting up and doing as much healing as I can before I go back to see him for a follow up.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. I hope the recovery goes well for you.” He smiled at her. But it wasn’t just any smile. It was that one meant to charm, and my mom gobbled it right up. “I apologize for stopping in like this, completely unannounced. It’s just that, well,” he looked down at me briefly before returning his attention to her. “Layla and I ran into one another last night. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to talk about some very important things, and I was hoping to be able to do that with her today.”

Her gaze shifted between Liam and me, but even if she’d been able to spot my dreary mood this morning, she couldn’t seem to see the distress I was experiencing now.

Nope.

Liam Westwood had marched right into this houseand gotten her hopes up all on his own, and I was powerless to stop it.

Meredith Snow sent a delighted smile Liam’s way. “It’s no trouble at all. I’m thrilled you stopped by. It’s been entirely too long. And I think if you and Layla have things to discuss, you absolutely should.”

He puffed up his broad chest, a triumphant look on his face. “I appreciate that. If I were to come back here later this evening, maybe around six, could I steal Layla away for a couple of hours?”

Time for me to step in. “Liam, I can’t leave my mom alone.”

“I’m an adult, Layla,” my mom advised. “You and Liam need to talk. I have your phone number if there’s an emergency. And if it’s truly urgent, I’ll call Carmen. She can be here in a matter of minutes.”

My shoulders slumped.

Liam looked down at me again. “It’s settled then. I’ll be back to pick you up at six tonight.” Without giving me a chance to respond, he returned his focus to my mom. “It was wonderful to see you, Meredith. Again, my apologies for barging in this morning. I’d like to stop by sometime soon for a longer visit.”

She beamed at him. “I’d love that.”

He dipped his chin reassuringly before allowing his eyes to settle on me. “Walk me to the door?”

Liam must have assumed I was going to follow behind him, because he turned and walked to the front door. He wasn’t wrong, because I took one look at mymom’s hopeful expression and decided going after him was the better option.

At the front door, Liam said, “This ends tonight. This dance you’ve done for eight years, it’s done. We’re putting it all out there, so please prepare yourself for that.”

“Liam, this is?—”