Page 23 of After All This Time (A Time For Love #2)

Liam

C all me delusional, but walking in to Cooper in the arms of pretty brunette was not how I’d envisioned this day would go.

I’ve also always prided myself for reacting with reason and calmness to most situations in my life.

But the burning pit of jealousy in my stomach screams at me that this will not be one of those situations.

Cooper’s eyes widen when he sees me, a deer-stuck-in-headlights expression on his face.

“Li,” he says, a warm smile tilting his lips, and it’s his greeting that has the woman release him from her arms and turn towards me.

Recognition sparks immediately.

Katie.

And the pit keeps getting bigger and bigger.

“Hey, Liam! It’s so nice to see you again!” she beams up at me in a genuinely happy smile.

I swallow through the thickness in my throat, pasting a hopefully polite smile on my face.

“Hi, Katie. Good to see you. What are you doing here?”

My question comes out sharper than I mean to but it’s not every day you come across the ex-girlfriend of the man you love the day after you’ve had him naked in your arms for the first time.

“Oh, I’m home for a few weeks and I just dropped by to see Cooper,” she continues, placing a small hand on Cooper’s arm and turning to smile at him. “Do you have time to grab some dinner when you’re done? I can wait here, I have some work to finish up anyway.”

I zero in on her hand on him and the sight of her touching him even casually has me clenching my jaw until I’m positive I might hear something crack.

“Uh... I—” Cooper looks at me, completely at a loss of what to say so I decide to take him out of his misery and nod at him.

His brow crinkles in confusion for a moment before turning back to glance at her.

“Sure thing. There are a few things I have to take care of and then we can go.”

“Great!” she says, clapping her hands in excitement and rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be over there.”

I don’t even realize when she’s gone and Cooper is standing right in front of me.

My brain is probably still trying to catch up with the fact that She. Fucking. Kissed. Him.

“Li...” Coop’s soft voice snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts. “Li, she’s just a friend. There’s nothing between us anymore.”

Of course, I choose to get stuck on that last word.

“Anymore?”

He hesitates and I know what he’s going to say before he has uttered the words.

“Yeah, we had a no-strings-attached thing going on whenever she visited. But it’s done.” His cerulean eyes bore into mine. “You believe me, right?”

Of course I believe him. That doesn’t mean I don’t hate what he’s telling me.

But it’s not his fault I loathe anyone who got to touch him that wasn’t me.

The thought is enough to make me want to pick him up, carry him out of here, and never let him out of my sight again.

But if there’s one thing I hate more than the image of her touching him is the worry I see right now swimming in his beautiful eyes.

So, I give him my most reassuring smile, even if my stomach rolls with nausea.

“Of course I believe you. Don’t worry about it. Go finish up your work and I’ll see you later at home, okay?”

Later, after he’s had dinner with her.

What if she puts her hands on him?

A growl threatens to break from my throat but I smother it. For him.

Wow, I must be better at playing it cool than I thought.

He grabs my arm before I have time to turn and squeezes it tightly.

His eyes are no longer confused or lost, but brimming with icy-blue flames that make me suck in a swift breath.

“Yeah. You will,” he states, holding my gaze before releasing my arm and going back to his employees, letting me stand there staring after him.

***

My evening suddenly free, and in grave need of a distraction, I decide to visit my dad, texting him first to make sure he’s actually home.

“Hey, son!” he greets me half an hour later, as I enter his apartment with my spare key.

I follow his voice and find him in his favorite armchair with the TV on and a novel with a cracked spine right next to him.

“Hi, dad. Did I interrupt a good part?” I ask him as I sit down on the couch, nodding towards his book.

“Pff, nonsense. Nothing I can’t pick up later on.”

“That bad, huh?”

Noah Carter barks out a laughter that almost sends the book on the floor.

“Let’s just say I figured out who the murderer is about 10 chapters ago and now I’m just along for the ride. It’s actually fun seeing when everyone’s going to catch up.”

I chuckle at his obvious enjoyment.

“And what about your lady friend? What’s Melanie up to tonight?”

His face lights up immediately at the mention of the woman he’s started seeing.

“Oh, she has some of her friends over. I think it’s one of those meetings when they all get together, pull out pictures of every living family member, and gossip until they’re cackling in pure satisfaction over red wine and a cheese platter.

And yes, the reason I know so much about these meetings is because I’ve already been to a few and let me tell you, you come out a new person when the night is over. ”

I’m laughing so hard, I’m pretty sure tears are springing from my eyes.

“And also, she invited me to join her book club. Now, I’ve told her I mostly read mysteries, and I know for a fact that they are all hardcore romance readers, but she said they would make a small concession for me and choose something that has ‘an air of mystery.’ I’m not sure we’re on the same page, but there’s no way I’m missing it. ”

His expression is soft as he recounts story after story and I realize how rare it is to see him like this. Happy and worry-free.

“I’m glad you’re happy, dad.”

He flashes me a bright smile, before he puts his parent look on.

Uh oh.

“Now, what’s going on with you?”

Well, dad, I hooked up with my best friend who I’ve been crazy about for what feels like forever, who is now out for dinner with his gorgeous ex-girlfriend, and who I’m terrified will change his mind and go back to his previous straight ways.

Yeah, I can’t say that.

“All is good. I’m staying with Coop, as you know, and working on figuring out my next step job-wise.” The last part is not a lie, though my conscious thought has been consumed by Cooper these last few days, so job planning has been put on the back burner.

“Hm,” is all my dad says as he scrutinizes me with eyes that never miss anything.

I slightly squirm in my seat.

“And how’s the living together with Cooper going?”

I can feel him staring into my very soul.

“It’s great,” I say very convincingly, clearing my throat in the process.

“Are you sure about that?

“Of course.”

“Because, son, if I was living with someone I’ve been in love with since I was a teenager, I guarantee you it would not be great.”

His eyes, the same color as mine, peer into me with a kindness and understanding that makes me slump against the back of the couch.

“There’s something going on between us.”

Noah’s eyes widen in surprise, his body leaning forward in interest.

“There is?”

“Yeah,” I nod, rubbing my neck self-consciously. “He seems to... want this as well.”

My dad’s face splits into the brightest grin I have ever seen.

“Well, that’s great!” he beams, before a small frown lines his forehead. “Why do you look so down, then? Is there something wrong?”

I look down at my hands in my lap, trying to find the right words to answer him.

“I’m scared, dad,” I say finally, my voice barely a whisper. “I’m scared that now that I could get everything I’ve ever wanted, it could slip out of my hands so easily. And I can’t lose him. I’d rather have him as just a friend than lose him altogether.”

I hear shuffling, before the couch dips right next to me, my dad’s arm coming to wrap around my shoulders.

“You’re right. It is scary. And I’m sure you have given plenty of thought on what you could lose here.” He nudges me so that I look at him. His eyes are sparkling with love and hope. “But have you thought about what you stand to gain?”

His words stay with me hours later.