Consolation (Consolation Duet #1)(50)

Reanell just sits back as if she knew this was coming and extends her hands. “I think you should go now.” She grabs Aara from me and shoos me. “Go. Run. Now.”


I grab my keys and get in the car.

Time to see if we really have a chance.





He came back.

I keep saying it over and over again because it doesn’t seem possible. Every time I think I’ve figured him out, he does something else to throw me off. I battle with what exactly I’m going to say when I do get to his house. There are a lot of things I’m dealing with, and it needs to be him who leads this relationship now. He’s what I want, but I need Liam to take the reins. My heart is mangled and it’s going to be his decision whether he wants to be the one to mend it.

His apartment is only a few miles away from mine and I wish it was further. I have no idea what to say. The words float through my mind: sorry, I wish it was different, I want you, I’m a mess. I don’t know which is true, or maybe all of them are. I am a mess. I do want him—so much. I wish that this entire situation wasn’t happening and I’m sorry this is where we are.

I park in the drive and try to collect myself. I know two things. One, I care about Liam deeply. Two, I’m going to have to process everything.

The walk to his apartment seems to take forever. It could be that I’m walking at a snail’s pace. I go to knock and he opens the door.

Liam stands there in his tight, navy blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans. His light brown beanie is on his head and he leans against the door. “Hi,” he says and looks past me.

“Hi, can I come in?” I ask hesitantly.

He opens the door and turns so I can pass him. Well, shit . . . now I have to talk.

Liam follows behind me and I look around. His apartment is modern and practically empty. The typical bachelor pad, complete with the biggest television I’ve ever seen. I stand in the middle of the room and he waves toward the couch.

“I’m surprised you’re here,” Liam says as he sits in the seat next to me.

“If I’m keeping you from something . . .”

“It’s not important.”

I tuck my hair behind my ear and try to decide where to start. “I’m going to talk and I’ll probably ramble, but I need to say it.” I look up and he nods. “I’m sorry about throwing myself at you like that. It wasn’t fair to you or to whatever we’ve been doing. I care too much about you to do that . . . but I knew you could make it go away. It makes me selfish, and I’m so embarrassed that I did that. When you left, I drank so much and all I could do was replay how you looked at me when I begged you. I understand if you don’t want to be with me or don’t want m—”

“Don’t even say it. Don’t say I don’t want you. That’s not the case. I want you. Every day I want you,” Liam cuts me off with his voice razor sharp.

My cheeks flush and my heart begins to race. “Okay, I just meant that I shouldn’t have tried to get you to sleep with me last night.”

“Look, if all that shit hadn’t gone down and you wanted to take that step, I would’ve been all for it. Trust me, I want nothing more than to touch you, but not because you want to f*ck Aaron out of your mind. I want it to be because you can’t stand the idea of me not touching you.”

He’s right but so wrong. “I want to be with you. There’s something between us that is beautiful and I don’t want to lose that. Even if you had said yes last night—it wouldn’t have been that.”

“That’s exactly what it would’ve been. Let’s be honest, because if we start with lies, this will fail before it even has a chance.”

Fear of losing him begins to bubble up. “I don’t know how to go from here because I feel like I’ve taken two steps back. I want to trust you, and I do, but I feel like this affair just destroyed whatever we were building. How could you want me knowing this?”

“Natalie,” Liam says and his hand gently cups my face. He pushes me to look at him and I get lost in his eyes. “I’ve fallen for you and for Aarabelle. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me you’re done. I’m done fighting with myself over having any kind of feelings for you. I want you, Lee. And his f*ck ups have nothing to do with us.”

“But they affect us.”

“Only if you want them to. Look, every part of me battles with touching you. It’s like I’m the f*cking dirtbag here. You were his f*cking wife.” His hand drops.

“He obviously didn’t hold that title very high,” I say and grab his hand wrapping my fingers around his. “I’m angry, though, and hurt. He and I weren’t perfect, but I didn’t think he was capable of infidelity.”

“Did you have any idea?”

“No, I mean, we were fighting, but I was pregnant. We had been trying for almost a year to get pregnant with Aarabelle. I could only sleep with him during certain times, and sex was tedious, but I thought we were making the best of it.”


Infertility was a huge burden between us. Aaron felt his manhood was being challenged and I thought I was maybe not meant to be a mother. Even through it all, Aaron and I tried to stay close. He wasn’t any more distant than normal, and I definitely didn’t suspect anything.

“I wish I could take this away from you. I can’t though. He was your husband.”