“You started over once before. You can do it again.” He reached for her, and pulled her between his legs. “I love you, and I can’t just leave you here.”
Her palms went against his chest. “I already started over once before because of a man.”
Not the response he’d expected to his first “I love you” to a woman. “This is different.” He pressed his forehead to hers.
What they had between them was rare, but since she was a couple of years younger than him maybe she didn’t get that. But he did. He might never feel this way again and it was difficult to let her go even if he realized how much he had asked of her.
“Of course it’s different. But I don’t want to do it again. I don’t want to start over.”
Yeah, definitely not going as well as he’d hoped. He was new at these feelings, and he hadn’t expected such reluctance. When you loved someone, you were willing to give up some things. The important thing was to be together. Then again, it was possible that he was in this…alone.
“And anyway, you and I were just…temporary.”
Liam had seen too much pain in his life, most of it in the desert. But he’d never felt his own heart break over a woman. It did now.
“That’s what you believe? This wasn’t temporary, or fake, for me. Not since the start. It isn’t about the sex. Which is great, by the way, but that’s not why I love you. I love the way you take care of your friends and Sugar, the way you stand up for yourself, the way you fight back. I love every part of you I know about, and I’m ready to love everything I don’t know yet. I just need you to come with me.”
And now she was sobbing again. Great. He had such a way with women.
“I can’t.” Her breath hitched. “That…wasn’t the plan.”
“Plans change,” he said significantly. “I know mine did the moment I met you.”
“Liam, I—”
“Bye, Mallory.” He bent down to give Sugar one last rub and then was out the door. It was easier not to look behind him. He knew that from experience. Plans had changed once, and now they’d changed again.
He was going back to Colorado.
Alone.
10
On episode two of The Crown, Elizabeth’s beloved father, the King, had just died. Everyone in the palace was despondent and inconsolable, or at least as much as a British monarch could be despondent and inconsolable. It seemed an appropriate episode to watch for the third time.
“Yip! Yark!” Sugar said. That meant: Poor man. I’m very sad right now.
Mallory reached for another tissue and blew her nose. She’d been crying on and off all day, or at least since Liam left. She was crazy about the man, but how could he possibly expect her to pick up and leave so easily? She’d made a home for herself here in Starlight Hill. Eileen needed her at the shop. The senior citizens needed her at the dance studio. She’d finally lived down The Lingerie Incident, and people were starting to call her Mallory. Thanks to Liam.
“Yark! Yark! Yark!” Sugar said.
“Yes, of course I love him. That’s not the point. We just can’t do this anymore, Sugar! We can’t keep starting over because of a man. Or thinking that love will solve our problems. We decided we wouldn’t do that anymore, remember? Anyway, we need to make our own life.”
And she had, damn it. She’d made a life here in Starlight Hill with good friends and people who were like family. But, of course, this life would now be dull shades of beige with Liam gone. He was her heart and had been from the moment he’d stepped into Tatas and bragged about his condom size. She’d never imagined he would ask her to leave Starlight Hill for Colorado.
The idea was crazy. But every time she pictured his sad puppy dog eyes when she’d told him this thing between them was temporary, she started crying all over again.
This wasn’t temporary at all and she knew it. She’d forgotten to tell him that she loved him, and that she probably always would. Fine, she could still do it now. Leave him a note. She tore a piece of paper out of a bra-shaped notebook from Tatas and started a list.
Reasons Why I Love You, Liam Turlock
You brought me cookies just because ( and coffee)
You care about your family
You fought for your country
You love Sugar
You wanted to kill Todd (but I wouldn’t have let you—jail time)
You took care of me when you didn’t have to (and those boots are real leather)
You’re the world’s best kisser (and also—you know)
You want me to go to Colorado with you
She was about to cry over number eight when her phone rang with It’s Raining Men.
“Hi, Eileen.”
“I hope you’re not busy.”
“No, just sitting here with Netflix and Sugar. Need a trip to the clinic again?”
“No, I just need you to come down here and be the sexy for a minute. I’ve got some tourists in here,” Eileen whispered into the phone. “I’m getting those funny looks again.”
“Okay,” Mallory sighed. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right over.”
Mallory showered, applied mascara over puffy red eyes, dressed in her blue shift mini dress, and once at Tatas, she made ten sales in the space of an hour. Five Parisian Peek-a-boos, two cheeky boy shorts, a push-up bra and two Banana Hammocks. Proof that they sold.
“Even though we closed part of yesterday we’ll be back in black after this weekend,” Eileen said. “I hope you’re feeling better. Heard you were sick yesterday.”
“I’m fine. It was just so hot.”
“Like today. The A/C isn’t even doing a good enough job in here.” Eileen fanned herself with one of the Come Again condoms. Extra Large.
Mallory bit her lip and tried not to smile.
“Did you say goodbye to Liam? I heard he’s leaving Tuesday.”
“Yeah, we said goodbye.”
“Honey, I’m sorry. I hope he didn’t break your big heart.”
“It’s not like that. He wanted me to go with him.”
“To Colorado?”
“Yes, he…he said he loves me.”
“I guess I was wrong about my nephew. There is hope. Wonderful.”
“It’s not wonderful.”
“Oh, dear. You don’t love him back. Is that it?”
“I never met anyone like him. Actually, I started a list of all the reasons I love him. I was only on number eight when you called.”
Eileen gave her a funny look. “What am I missing here? I know it must be something. What did you leave out?”
“Nothing! But I live here, and he lives in Colorado. I made a life here, and he thinks I should just pick up and go there with him. Why do men always think they have to be the center of everything?”
“Well,” Eileen said, folding a pair of cheeky boy shorts, “Unless he wants to put you at the center of everything. And he can’t very well do that if you’re here in Starlight Hill with us.”
Mallory didn’t know what to say to that. She hadn’t thought to frame it that way. “Do you want me to go? Won’t you miss me?”
“I’ll miss you, but I can’t stand between you and true love. Only you can tell me if I am. Is this the real thing?”
If this wasn’t the real thing, then it didn’t exist. She nodded. “I love him like crazy and I’ve never felt this way before.”
“Then we’re going to need to figure out a way you can go with him.” Eileen picked up the store phone and started pushing buttons. “Don’t you worry. There are a lot of people in town who owe me a favor, and some of them aren’t even my relatives. I’ll get someone in here to relieve your shifts until Sophia gets back.”
“What about the dance studio?”
“Diana’s sister Mandy is a trained dancer. She runs their mother’s bridal shop, and she’s married to that potty-mouth firefighter, but I’m sure she’d be happy to take over. She didn’t jump right back into shape after her second baby, so maybe this will help.”
&nb
sp; “But…I’m scared. I want to be with him, but what if it doesn’t work out? We just met. What if we’re wrong about this? What if—”
“Take it from an older woman. There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ in life. It’s best not to let them define you.”
She was tired of being afraid. Tired of the bravado on the outside not quite matching inside. She’d been lying to herself for months, because she wanted all those wonderful things like love and marriage. Babies. Maybe it was time to take a risk again. Because she loved Liam with all her heart, and if he wasn’t worth the risk it meant no one was.
This was happening. She could really be moving to Colorado with the love of her life.
“This was always supposed to be a temporary stop for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you stayed awhile. If you ever want to come back, they’ll be a place for you here. But don’t let all the ‘what ifs’ in life ruin your chance for joy. True love doesn’t come around every other day, you know. Or so Giancarlo tells me.” Eileen winked. “I think there’s only one thing left for you to do. Go home and pack.”
*
For some reason, everything had gone wrong this morning. Instead of waiting until Tuesday, Liam decided to leave early on Monday. After having his heart stomped on, he wanted to get the hell out of dodge. But no sooner had Liam started up his truck, then it died on him. No gas! For the love of god, how had that happened? Billy had offered a gas can he kept in the garage so that Liam could get to the station, and it took him roughly a decade to find it.
In the meantime, all three of Billy and Brooke’s children filed into the garage where Liam waited and felt the need to share with him the Alphabet song. In three-part harmony no less. Darn little over-achievers.
“Great, kids. Great job. You know your alphabet.”
“Who was better?” Aidan asked. “Me, right?”
The boy had a competitive streak in him. Definitely a Turlock.
“Don’t bother Uncle Liam,” Brooke said, shuffling them all back inside. “He has to get on the road.”
“Bye, Uncle Liam!” said Aidan.
“Bye, Weeam!” said Samantha.
“Buh-buh,” The baby said.
For the fourth time, he high fived each kid. When he and Billy went back outside to fill his tank, one was tire flat.
“I don’t get this. These are new tires. Got them just before I headed out here.”
“Wow. Don’t know what to tell you, dude.” Billy shook his head.
“You got an air hose? If I can fill it back up I’ll make it to the station, find the leak, and have it patched.”
Another few years, and Billy found the air hose and Liam filled his tire. Strangely, there appeared to be no obvious leak. It was almost as if someone had purposely drained all the air out of his tire.
“What else can go wrong?” Billy laughed.
“Don’t ask!”
“No, I mean seriously: what else can go wrong? I need to know.”
“You worried about me now? I’m a big boy.”
Billy palmed his face. “No, you idiot! I’m trying to slow you down.”
Liam let that sink in for a minute. “You did all this?”
“Well, Brooke let the air out of your tire when the kids were singing the Alphabet song.”
“Are you kidding me!”
“She’s a die-hard romantic. Die. Hard.”
He sucked in a breath and looked up at the bright sky, praying for patience. “Look, I told you. It’s not going to work. It won’t matter if I stay another day.”
Last night, he and Billy had talked it out late into the night. Liam got stupid drunk and then remembered he hated Drunk Liam. He’d had himself a pity party for one, then reminded himself he’d been through far worse and lived to tell it. He still couldn’t believe he’d misjudged what he had with Mallory so badly. All along, he’d believed she was right there with him.
A car door slammed in the distance.
“I don’t know,” Billy said. “You could be wrong about that. Maybe.”
“Yip! Yark! Yark!”
He recognized the sound of that high-pitched bark. When he turned in the direction of the sound, his heart seized. Mallory stood at the edge of the long circular driveway with Sugar on a leash. Man, she was a site. There were two suitcases behind her.
He walked down to meet her. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Yip!” Sugar greeted him with sniffs, jumps, and spins. “Yark!”
“That means she’s happy to be here and hopes there’s a spot for her in your truck.”
He picked Sugar up and gave her a squeeze. She licked his nose. “Of course there is.”
“And for me?”
He met her gaze. “You know there is.”
“I have so much to tell you.”
“It’s been one day.” He chuckled, because he felt the same way. In just one day he’d missed her like he’d miss his right arm. “You do realize it’s cold in Colorado.”
“You’ll keep me warm.”
“That’s a fact.” He threw a significant look at the two bags she had with her. “That can’t be all your luggage.”
“Nope,” she laughed. “I’ll get the rest later. Eileen is helping, and Diana is helping. Genevieve and her friend Kailey Hannigan are helping, too. They’re going to talk to the landlord about my lease and pack the house for me. I never realized I had so many friends here, and they all want me to be happy. I do love Starlight Hill, but I won’t be happy here without you.”
“Love hearing that.” He set Sugar down, and caught Mallory when she jumped into his arms.
She framed his face in her hands. “There you are.”
“Right here.”
“I love you, Liam. I made a list of the reasons I love you, and number eight is my favorite.”
“What’s number eight?”
“You asked me to come with you.” She buried her face in his neck and he felt her wet tears. “I always knew this wasn’t temporary. Not from the moment we met. This is forever.”
“Only you, Mallory. Only you could turn temporary into forever.”
For the first time in a long while, he was excited about the future. Without a doubt, there would be some challenges ahead. He’d be starting a new business. Learning how to be a civilian again. The future was before him, as open as the road.
And he was one hundred percent sure that forever with Mallory would be the best part.
Epilogue
December in Colorado, just outside Telluride
For a girl who grew up in Texas, the state of Colorado was the definition of ice-cold. Frosty. The weather was, but definitely not the people. Each time Mallory stepped outside the mountain cabin where she lived with Liam and Sugar, it was like she’d stepped inside an icebox. But she had an entirely new wardrobe because of the weather, a nice perk, and it included some super cute winter boots she’d purchased on sale.
This would be her first Christmas in Colorado, in a town which looked like the picture-perfect postcard of every sweet holiday movie she’d ever watched on TV. Snow-capped mountain ranges, clusters of pine trees, and the little town of Pine Gulch, all lit up like a Christmas tree. Storefronts dotted the downtown strip of the quaint and historical town, each one with a cuter name than the next. The people were friendly and welcoming, and Mallory had already met many of them.
Speaking of Christmas trees, Liam had promised her they’d get theirs today. It was Christmas Eve. They’d both been busy working at the ski resort that would be fully operational this February and they hadn’t had much time to decorate.
But what she meant by getting a tree, and her mountain man meant, were two different things. She learned this when Liam emerged from the shed holding an ax.
“What happened? Did you see a bear outside? Don’t kill him!” Mallory said, instinctively picking up Sugar.
“Yark! Yip!” Sugar barked. That meant: Thank you for saving me. He looks scary with that ax.
Liam laughed and sho
ok his head. “Thought you wanted a Christmas tree today.”
“There’s a cute little lot in town next to the Moonlight Café. I’m sure you’ve noticed it. With the twinkle lights strung everywhere lighting up the whole place? And the owner, Betty, who serves hot chocolate and cider for free? And the little carousel that goes in circles playing I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus over and over again?”
He winced. Liam wasn’t as fond of the carousel as she was. “Why would we do all that when we’ve got a huge selection in our own backyard?”
Liam was right, as they lived on several acres of land around the resort co-owned with his good friend and business partner, Quinn. But this would mean trekking through the recently fallen snow and dragging the tree back. She had no doubt Liam could do all of this on his own without breaking a sweat, but she wasn’t sure about herself.
“But…I wanted to go with you.”
He gave her a slow smile, relaxing the ax on his shoulder. “Yeah, babe. You’re coming with me.”
When he put it that way, she couldn’t say no. Winter and Colorado agreed with Liam Turlock. If possible, he looked even more attractive to her, with a full-grown beard that tickled all her pink places. Those pink places were tickled nightly since she’d moved in with him three months ago. She’d never get tired of him and had hoped he would feel the same way.
But for the past several days Liam had been acting oddly.
Two nights ago, Liam had quickly closed his dresser drawer and given her a weird look. Eyes wary and narrowed, he then tried to distract her by kissing the breath out of her. It had worked. Sort of. She still wondered what he’d been hiding from her and whether she was going to have to kill some woman. Mallory wasn’t the type to be overly suspicious, but Liam had made this difficult. He was hiding something, and she knew it.
After she’d met the entire Turlock family, including his three older brothers, Mallory felt certain that their relationship was rock solid. She’d moved with him, after all, and Liam wouldn’t kick her out with no place else to go. But maybe he’d changed his mind about her and Sugar. Love had happened so quickly between them. Insta-love. Would she have to rent a trailer and move back to Starlight Hill? Or maybe she should get her own place in town, so they wouldn’t have to be on top of each other in this one-bedroom cabin. Not that she minded being on top of him. Or under him.
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