Page 158 of Fighting With Light

“Is this where I die? We’re not married yet, so you couldn’t collect the insurance, you know.”

Liam chuckles. “You are so funny, making jokes despite the giant engagement ring on your finger.”

I lift my hand, glancing at it, reflecting in the dropping sunlight. Squeezing his hand, my massive four-carat engagement ring gets in the way. He wanted to get me five and evenIsaid that was too much.

“Watch your step right here,” he says and holds out his hand on the other side of the cliff.

We’re not on the cliffs with the shear drop to the water, but we’re getting close.

“You should have brought a flashlight,” I mumble.

“Fair. I didn’t think, I just did,” he says.

I laugh and hold his hand tightly as he guides us towards what looks like a small inlet cave the ocean has carved out of the rock. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“It really shouldn’t at this point, princess.”

He takes another step and gets me to the edge of a pool and sits down next to me.

“This reminds me of El Salvador.”

He looks at me and kisses my cheek. “That was a day.”

“Are you still mad at me for that?” I ask him.

He shrugs and looks down at the water. I still don’t know why we are here, but I don’t care where Liam takes me. I will always go with him.

We’re not far from the Malibu house we’ve been staying in for a few months. The election is tomorrow and I know Liam has been on edge about it for days. He didn’t even want to surf this morning, so I had to distract him…with wedding planning. We head off to Bali in a couple of weeks to get married. It was the most neutral for the families, and also meaningful place I could come up with, and my mom agreed to come.

After we sent all the information to news outlets, we didn’t hear a peep. Liam thought it was so odd that he checked to make sure the emails were delivered and opened. They were. He also went through their search histories, and they were looking things up, and then…nothing. It was as if all research had come to a halt and the story killed—as if someone hadtold them to bury it.

I find it hard to believe that one man who represents the state of Massachusetts could make the largest news outlets cow to him. Our only conclusion was that Fred Coldwell denied allegations, weaseled out of it, and called in alotof favors. There’s no other explanation.

I can’t imagine how his brothers and Esmarie feel. I’m pissed for them. The injustice of it all is incomprehensible.

Liam sighs and drags his fingers around my palm. “What are you thinking about so hard over there?”

“Everything,” I sigh.

“That’s a lot of things,” he says.

I glare and punch him in the arm.

“Ow princess, that’s not just a girl punch you know, you actually make it hurt.”

“Good,” I grumble.

He tugs on my hand and pulls me into his chest.

“What’s wrong,babe?” he asks.

“Do,” I pause, “you ever feel like we can ever make up for the things they’ve done? Even after everything we have bled for, it wasn’t enough.”

He sighs and presses his lips on my forehead. “I’m trying not to think about it right now because it boils my blood. I don’t think we will ever be able to do enough to atone for them. It isn’t our responsibility, but it definitely feels like it is,” he says.

“Yeah, it does, maybe one day we can change that.”

He lifts my chin and pecks my lips. “With you, I’m sure we can.”