Page 20 of Highlander’s Unspoken Attraction

Alison frowned at his words. “I don’t understand.”

Liam glanced at her before looking away. “I’m afraid of you getting hurt.”

“And you think that not touching me will protect me? It didn’t. You acting like I either didn’t exist or that you couldn’t stand to be near me, it hurt.” Liam’s eyes widened as if he just realized that fact. “You spent years pushing me away, Liam. But now, I am right here and I need you to be honest with me. I need you to talk to me.”

He turned to face her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I don’t want to hurt you. But every time I think about getting closer, I remember how fragile everything feels. How tenuously our lives are held together and how easy it would be to rip it all apart. I don’t know how to fix my fears.”

“You don’t have to fix everything on your own,” she said softly, reaching out to place her hand over his. The contact felt electric, yet Liam flinched, pulling away slightly.

“Alison, I—” he started, but the words got caught in his throat. She could see the internal struggle etched on his face, the battle between vulnerability and fear.

“Please,” she urged, hoping that the feelings long since buried in there would beat to come out. “Let me in. Let me help you carry this burden.”

After a long pause, Liam let out a shaky breath. “I’m afraid. Afraid that if I touch you, if I let myself feel… I might lose you. Or worse, I might disappoint you.”

She shook her head, tears threatening to spill. “You won’t disappoint me. Ye’re not perfect, and neither am I. There are no perfect people, but we’re in this together. That’s what marriage means.”

Liam looked at Alison, really looked at her, and in that moment, the walls he’d put up since that fateful night of their wedding began to crumble. Alison could see it as she stared steadily at him, watching the cloud lift from his gaze. Hope burned in her veins as she gave in one last time to the future she so desperately wanted.

This level of vulnerability was terrifying, but there was a glimmer of hope in Liam’s eyes, too. He wanted it so desperately he could almost taste it. “I don’t want to push you away,” he finally admitted, his voice cracking. “I just… I don’t know how to let you in.”

Alison could understand the fear of change. She stood then intent, on not letting him cross that bridge alone.

“Start with the little things,” she said, her heart swelling with a mix of hope and resolve as she walked around the table. “Hold my hand. Talk to me. Let’s face this together, no more hiding.”

Liam moved his chair away from the table, intent on meeting her, but he was surprised when instead of letting him stand, she pushed him back in his chair. Alison climbed into his lap then, her warmth surrounding him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hand reached for hers, trembling but steady. As their fingers intertwined, a warmth spread through Liam, a promise of what could be if they chose to face their fears together.

“No more hiding,” he echoed as he was pulled into a kiss, their lips meeting again as if for the first time.