16. Ollie

Ollie

Chapter sixteen

The moment Liam texted me back, I could breathe again.

Except a couple of hours felt like an eternity while I paced through my house, waiting for the telltale knock on the door that my best friend had arrived.

All I wanted was to curl up with him, to feel his body against mine, because that man was home to me, more than this house, more than my parents’ place. Why it had taken me this long to realize mystified me. The signs had been there the entire time.

How I found my gaze straying to him constantly. How I’d taken any excuse to brush up against him or to be near him because I needed his touch. How he was the person I talked to every single day—even more than Josie.

Liam had always been my person, and after wasting so much time not being together like this, I couldn’t bear to waste another second.

I scratched my skin, stretched taut and prickly with nerves while I waited. Not like he’d given a specific time, but I wouldn’t be able to rest easy until he was in my arms again. All the blank spaces in my house had been taunting me for a bit, but now I saw them for what they were—opportunity. The chance to fill my home with the right relationship, the person who should’ve been there all along.

As long as Liam was on the same page.

A knock sounded at the door, and I was so keyed up I almost jumped in surprise.

I bolted for the door.

When I ripped the door open, my breath snagged.

Liam’s blond hair was swept to the side like he’d put some product in, and whatever body wash he’d showered with smelled so damn good I could catch the spicy scent from here. His blue eyes were guarded and his shoulders braced, but he wore my shirt and the pants he’d borrowed this morning. Hopefully, it was a sign. The slight scruff on his chin, the thick cords of his neck, the way he seemed cool and chill even when he clearly put himself out there—I just soaked up every little thing about him.

“Fuck, I missed you,” I said, closing the space between us. I didn’t care if I acted needy or threw my heart out on display. I longed to feel his body pressed against mine. My arms were around him a second later, and to my relief, he collapsed against my chest. I squeezed him tight, as if he might disappear, and stood in the doorway, holding the love of my life.

“You know I was just here this morning,” Liam murmured against my chest, even as he snaked his arms around my waist and clutched on just as tightly.

“Don’t fucking care.” I buried my face into his hair and took a long, deep inhale. Maybe I was being a possessive weirdo, but I was so relieved to have him in my arms again. Knowing I’d upset him had gutted me, and I basked in the fact that my best friend was with me now. That I’d have the chance to set things right.

“Can we take this inside?” Liam asked, his voice muffled from the way I squeezed him against my body.

“What, don’t want to hang out in my doorway the whole night?” A small smile rose to my lips. The ease with him, how we were able to just sink into our normal rhythm soothed me while also cementing that I would fight for this—for us—with everything in me. Liam was worth the chase, the effort, anything he needed to feel safe and secure. Because if he wanted this with me, I sure as hell wouldn’t let him go.

“Okay,” I said, pulling away from him only to brush my lips against his forehead. I laced my fingers through his, refusing to drop contact as I knocked the door shut with my heel. “Let’s be civilized and sit on my couch.”

“Like we’ve done anything civilized on that couch,” Liam said, a lightness in his voice that cast a spell over me.

I snorted. Fuck, last night had been so damn hot. And while I’d been running around all day, I’d gotten the email I’d been waiting on, one that made me even hotter with the possibilities.

However, now wasn’t the time to bend Liam over the couch and fuck him until we both came. Now was the time to have a real talk about everything that had unfolded between us—whether my best friend liked it or not.

“Okay, so I have to tell you something,” I said, leading him over to the couch and all but dragging him onto my lap. He sat next to me instead, our legs touching and our fingers still threaded together. Liam’s Adam’s apple bobbed. No matter how chill he acted, he was nervous too. I held his hand tight. “I haven’t told my family about Josie yet. And no, not because I’m holding on to anything, but part of me didn’t want to rock the family by telling them she’d no longer be a part of it. And the other part was just me being afraid of disappointing them. Because I’d failed to make my marriage work.”

Liam opened his mouth as if he were about to jump in, but I squeezed his hand and kept on my roll before I lost my nerve.

“So that’s why I was a shit this morning about going downstairs with my brothers. I don’t want you to think I’m keeping you hidden or anything or that I’m not serious or whatever caused you to run out my door.” I swallowed, my chest tight at the intense feelings I tried to hold back from exploding out of me. Liam might go running for the hills after all this word-vomiting, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Yes, this is super early and right after a divorce, and we just started doing, whatever this is, but I already know you’re it for me.”

Liam blinked, opened his mouth again, then shut it. I was buzzing while I waited for his reaction. Would he bolt out on me, blanch in disgust, or tell me I’d gotten everything wrong?

“What…do you mean by that?” he forced out.

I frowned. “By what? I know it’s stupid I haven’t told my family about Josie yet—”

“No, about us, you dipshit,” he said, the slightest hint of a grin tugging at his lips. When he looked up at me and our eyes met, the blaze of hope that emanated from his was so spellbinding I could barely process what he’d asked. He bared his entire soul to me, all his vulnerability on display, and fuck, I’d never loved him more.

With Josie, I’d spent thirteen years trying to make us work.

With Liam, it had always been effortless.

“I love you,” I blurted out, not holding anything back. Not with him. “And I don’t know what you want out of this thing between us, but I just want you, in whatever way I can have you.”

Liam swallowed hard, and his eyes began to gloss. “Oh fuck,” he said, his voice coming out shaky.

My eyes widened, and I brought my free hand up to his cheek. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

“I’ve loved you since I was fourteen years old, Oliver Brannon,” Liam whispered, the intensity of his words settling in my limbs. “You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming you’d tell me that.”

“Well, about fifteen years, if I’m doing the math right.” Giddiness bubbled up inside me.

Lips twitching, he lobbed a light punch to my shoulder.

That emotion blooming in his eyes was rarer than spotting a white wing tern, and I’d treasure that look for the rest of my life. Liam had always shielded his emotions, trying to squirrel them under a protective shell, but now, he blazed with everything he’d been holding back all this time. My heart lurched like it no longer belonged in my chest. It clearly didn’t.

Liam had always owned it.

Our lips found each other’s, and I wrapped my hand around the back of his head, my fingers tangling in the short strands. This kiss was everything I’d been craving—the sort of passion I’d dreamed of, the thrill of an adventure, and the safety and warmth of home. Liam’s lips met mine again and again as if he, too, couldn’t get enough, and I pulled him closer, tugging him onto my lap. We barely broke for breath as we maneuvered, but he straddled my lap, and the weight of him made me complete.

For minutes, hours, who knew how long had passed, I just kissed the hell out of the man I loved. His mouth was addictive, and the coy way he’d nip at my lower lip when he wanted me to get more aggressive set me on fire. I gripped his ass, needing to feel him pressed against me completely. The sheer, sunlit joy bursting inside me was the opposite of every ounce of fear I’d experienced this morning, and I unleashed all of that as I swept my tongue into Liam’s mouth, swallowing his moans.

When I finally pulled away from him, we were both gasping for breath. His lips were puffy, red, and spit-slicked, my fucking favorite, and I reached up and traced the lower one with my thumb.

“Together?” Liam asked

“Huh?”

“To answer your question, I want to be with you too. Dating, boyfriends, whatever label you want to put on it,” he said, those long lashes fluttering as he glanced to the side.

Giddiness returned full force, and I couldn’t help the broad smile that broke out over my face. “Boyfriends, definitely. The next time I’m with the family, I’m breaking the news about Josie, and then we’ll tell them about us. No more sneaking around, okay?”

Liam swallowed hard, those blue eyes going a little glassy. “Yeah, I want that.”

Truth be told, boyfriend was a little flimsy compared to the intense way I felt, but he’d tell me to calm down if I confessed I wanted him to be my husband. Yes, my divorce hadn’t been on my horizon a month ago, so it was insane to be even considering that. However, we’d wasted so much time getting to here that I wanted to race ahead and enjoy everything.

At least we could start with one thing specifically.

I fished my phone out of my pocket, swiped it open, flipped to the results I’d been waiting for, and flashed them to Liam.

“I got tested a few days ago. Negative.”

Liam chewed on his lower lip, heat flooding his gaze. “So, what you’re saying…”

“If you want to go bare?” I asked, my pulse speeding up.

“Oh hell yes.”