Page 86 of The Design of Goodbye
“Why didn’t you tell me she abandoned you?” I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt closer or understood him more than in this moment.
His head whipped to face me. For a few seconds, he struggled to form his response. “I didn’t...my mom, she...”He grimaced. “I try to forget about it.” He slumped forward and gripped the metal chains of his swing. “Can we not talk about her?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay.”
“So, um,” I started nervously, “is it just you and your dad, or do you have siblings?”
“Just us,” he said. “I have a brother, but he’s seven years older than me. He lives in Grand Rapids. We don’t talk.”
Liam had no one. Until he’d met me, he’d beencompletelyalone.
My throat tightened. My eyes burned. “Can I do anything to help?”
“You don’t need to do anything. I’m used to it. My dad’s always been like this.”
“But—”
“What’s for dessert?”
I blinked at his abrupt subject change. He’d opened up in more ways than I’d expected, and that needed to be enough.
“Cookies-and-cream brownies. But,” I whispered, “they’re all mine.”
I jumped off my swing. I ran toward the playground equipment and quickly climbed plastic stairs. At the top, I rested against the railing.
Before I could catch my breath, two arms were on either side of me. In a gruff voice, Liam said, “Caught you.”
My stomach flipped.
“How did you get up here so fast?”
He smirked. “Ever climb a slide before?”
I was trapped. If I wanted any of the brownies, I needed to steal one now. I grabbed one and took a huge bite.
“How is it?” he asked, voice low. Breathless.
Was he...was hestaringat my lips? No, it had to be the brownie.
“Amazing,” I said. “Too bad you won’t get any.”
Kiss me, kiss me,kiss me. Kiss me, destroy me, and make me feeleverything.
He backed away.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m too tempted.” He rubbed his lips.
“They do look good,” I said. “Don’t they?”
He stood there—far enough away I couldn’t touch him—looking everywhere but at me. When he finally came back over, my knees were so weak I could barely stand.
He snatched the bag from me. “Mine now,” he breathed against my ear.
I shivered.
