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“Yes?” she asks, her voice soft.
Her eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen them. But she’s not pulling back.
“I do have feelings for Harrison. And if you have feelings for Ford and something can come of that, I’m very happy for you. If that’s what you want. But there’s something you should know.”
“Okay,” she says, her voice almost a whisper.
“You are my best friend, and I love you, the way we’ve always said. But it’s more than that. I want you. I want to be with you. I amin lovewith you.”
Then I do the thing I have been aching to do for three years. I pull her close as I lean in and Ifinallykiss her.
CHAPTER 12
Ivy
Liam kisses like a dream.
That’s the only thought in my head as I give myself over to him, pouring all of the love I’ve always felt for him into our unhurried, yet passionate, embrace.
The way his hands cup my cheeks is strong, sexy, and oh-so-Liam. Confident, quiet, commanding. Yet worshipful at the same time. We kiss again and again, a yearning, questing, completion of what’s been simmering under the surface for years.
He’s in love with me.
That’s what he said.
I suppose on some level I’ve always known that. Or at least sensed it. I’ve felt it too, a secret understanding that what we are—what we could be—is more than friends.
There are actual tears in my eyes when he finally releases me, soulful blue eyes sweeping over me, seeking a confirmation of our connection.
“I’m in love with you too,” I whisper.
“You’re crying,” he murmurs, stroking up the length of my cheeks to gently brush across the moisture that is clinging to my lashes, but not falling. “Why are you crying, my precious?”
That makes me give a watery laugh. Liam has a definite nerdy side and one time he told me that when he finds the love of his life, he’ll call her or him ‘my precious’ in a nod to Gollum. It had been a joke, and he’s using it now because he doesn’t know if my tears are good or bad. Liam doesn’t like it when he can’t interpret a person or a situation.
Which is why Harrison makes him crazy. He can’t figure out why Harrison does the things he does.
But I won’t keep him guessing with me. It’s time I tell him the truth.
“I’m crying because I’ve always loved you, but I love our friendship so much too, and I’ve never wanted to risk losing it.”
He’s tracing my eyebrows, down my temples, and across my lips. “Why would you lose our friendship?”
“If I told you how I feel and you didn’t feel the same way, that would ruin what we have. So, instead, I just ignored my feelings. I’d rather have your friendship than not have you at all.”
He studies me, lowering his hands to my shoulders. “But if you could have all of me, you’d want that?”
I nod. “Yes,” I say simply.
Liam understands me completely, on every level. We had a bond from the very first time we met and it’s only grown deeper and deeper over the years as our lives have shifted and grown and moved around each other. Through relationships and moves and career changes, he’s been my constant.
“Then you have me,” Liam says. “All of me. I’m yours.”
A shiver rolls through me. I throw my arms around Liam and give him a hug. He kisses the side of my head. I feel giddy and excited. “I love you.”
Liam squeezes me tight. “I love you too. Now I guess we should go back. You’ve seen Harrison without coffee. It’s not pretty.”
I give a soft laugh as he bends over and picks up the bag he set down with the breakfast burritos. I bite my lip, a little nervous over having to face Ford in the light of day. I don’t know what I feel for him. I like what I know of Ford—he’s kind and caring and has been a safe haven for me since that disastrous moment when I walked in on him texting Brad.