The Memory Keeper: A Heartwarming, Feel-Good Romance(84)

The crowds at The Memory Keeper had reached a more reasonable level, and after Hannah’s mother had arrived and gotten things under control inside, Liam and Hannah left to find Noah. A tense silence hung between them as they walked down the now quieter street together. It was jarring after working side by side in the buzzing shop. Hannah paced beside him awkwardly, not sure what to say, nothing feeling right.

At the end of the street, Liam suddenly stopped.

“When we were kids, I wanted to tell you how I felt about you, but I never did, and I learned from that,” he said with intensity in his eyes. “I’ve also learned that the if-onlys get bigger the older we get, and I don’t want you to go away not knowing what I have to tell you now.”

She waited for what he had to say.

“I’ve been going back and forth with Jonathan to see what, if anything, we could do to lower the rent on The Memory Keeper. Jonathan won’t budge, and I struggled to get him to even listen. The rent on Main Street and the surrounding area is high due to the demand. I can’t lower it because it truly is a competitive rate.”

Hannah nodded, unable to hide her disappointment.

“I knew you’d be upset, which is why I didn’t want to tell you all this before.”

“Thank you for trying,” she said.

“Well, remember what I just said about the if-onlys?”

“Yeah.”

“I told you they get bigger. If I didn’t make it right, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I thought moving on after Alison would be too difficult, but you helped me see that with the right person, it isn’t as hard as I’d feared it would be. The last piece of my life with Alison that I needed to handle involved my brother-in-law. I told you before that he and Alison started the initial plan for Mercer Properties together—well, when I took over after she died, we suddenly found ourselves dealing with some pretty substantial real estate. Jonathan was counting on my inheritance to buy the building in Chicago—we’d planned on it—and I felt that if I pulled out, it wouldn’t have been what Alison had wanted for her brother, so I pressed on. But after you and I spent time together, I lay in bed and all I could think about was this town, the farm… you.”

Hannah hung on his every word, hoping that he could somehow make this all better because she wanted so badly to see where things went with the two of them.

“So last night, I offered to sell Jonathan my half of the business. It’s a deal he can’t refuse. After all, it was his and Alison’s dream, not mine. But I asked for one provision.”

“What was that?” she asked, breathless.

“That he let me buy 110 Ivy Lane.”

She threw her hand to her gaping mouth. “What did he say?”

“He agreed to it.”

She gasped. “You own The Memory Keeper?”

He shook his head. “No. You do.”

“What?”

“I’m going to reimburse you for the renovations and your grandmother’s debt that you covered, and then you can make me an offer to purchase the property.” He reached out and took hold of her waist, pulling her in. “And I’ll accept all terms.”

She looked up at him through her eyelashes. “All terms, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Sooo, I can write in there that you and Noah have to stay in Franklin?”

He laughed. “Unusual for a sale of contract, but I suppose you can ask for whatever you want.”

“That’s what I want.”

He pulled her in and leaned down toward her, his lips brushing hers. “Then we think alike.” With the sounds of laughter and Skee-Ball slides, the bells from the carnival games as winners hit their marks in the distance, Liam pressed his lips to Hannah’s and her path suddenly felt very clear.



The crowds had died down a touch as everyone had gotten a chance to spread out around town. Ethan and Christie caught her eye, waving from across the road. Ethan had his son on his shoulders, laughing at something Christie was saying, and Hannah couldn’t have asked for a better view. The lights of the carnival games and the twang of country music swirled around her as she and Liam walked up to Noah and Mary. The little boy waved madly when he saw them, his mouth covered in sticky candy, a sombrero on his head, and a stuffed animal in his arms.

“Noah won a caramel apple in the cake walk,” Mary said.

“And I played lots of games! Look what I won, Hannah!” he said, wiggling his head to show her the hat.

“That’s awesome, Noah,” Hannah said. “There’s the bungee bounce.” She pointed to an inflatable platform with kids strapped to bungee harnesses, soaring into the sky. “Are you ready to do that? The line looks short right now.”

“Yes!” Noah sprang up and down.

“Let’s go do it then,” Liam said, taking his hand.

By the time they got over to the bungee bounce, the line had dissolved, the last child coming off the large inflatable. Liam paid the attendant. “Three, please.”

“You’re really jumping?” Hannah asked.

“Of course.”

Noah’s face lit up with a mixture of delight and astonishment. He kicked off his shoes excitedly and set his winnings down.

Liam took his shoes off and climbed onto the air-filled platform, reaching down and pulling Noah up with him. Then he helped Hannah up, their faces mere inches from each other, taking her back to the other times they’d been that close. She swallowed, righting herself and moving over to her bungee harness.