Chapter 14
Why?
Liam wasn’t sure himself. He mentioned it off the cuff. But he’d need a solid reason to convince Victor and Jean, who were pretty strict.
He dropped his gaze, reminiscing about all the moments he’d shared with Stephanie.
Liam always thought their first encounter was at that bar off campus, but they’d actually crossed paths countless times over the last four years.
He thought she fell for him at first sight, but her feelings had grown long before and had turned into something deep.
He thought they’d eventually go their separate ways, but after six years of ups and downs, he’d gotten used to having her by his side.
Liam remembered how carefully she reached for his hand in the heavy snow, how she stood on her tiptoes to hug him at graduation, and how she always greeted him, moming or night after they started living together.
One memory
this year.
after another flashed by until it stopped at the moment Stephanie made a wish on her 25th birthday. She said she wanted to get married
Liam still wasn’t sure if she was being truthful. If she were, then they should make it happen. If Stephanie were the one he was meant to be with forever, he’d go for it without a second thought.
If she were just lying, he’d make it happen anyway. He’d already made his choice and wasn’t about to marry anyone else.
So Liam stopped hesitating and opened up to Victor and Jean.
“Mom, Dad, my girlfriend is Stephanie Rowell. We were classmates in high school, but I didn’t notice her until my sophomore year in college. Before that, I had no idea she existed, and I had no clue she’d been into me for years.
“The first time we really met was when I lost a game and got dared to go up to her and ask her to be my girlfriend. To my surprise, she said yes. And that’s how we ended up as a couple.
“After we started dating, I saw how she always noticed the little things I overlooked, taking care of everything gently and thoughtfully. I thought she was extra attentive but never realized it was a habit she’d formed from years of quietly loving me.
“I took her kindness for granted, never giving anything back, even focusing all my attention on someone else, but she never said a word.
“I’ve been where she is–loving someone with everything I had–but I’ve let go, and she’s still holding on. Looking at her feels like looking at my past self.
“No one else will ever understand me the way she does, or make me feel this heartbroken. So I’m hoping to make things right for her and give myself the
chance to start anew,”
By the end of Liam’s words, he sounded like a weight had been lifted off him.
Victor and Jean went quiet. They’d been there before and knew that even though Liam could be impulsive, he’d learned the hard way this time, so they didn’t want to make him feel worse.
They looked at one another, sharing the same sense of sympathy and helplessness, but neither knew what to say.
Liam saw their concern and hung his head. “Just let me do this one last time. I promise, Mom, Dad, this is it.”
Looking at the long scars on his face and his right hand wrapped in bandages, Victor and Jean sighed deeply and gave in. “Bring her over so we can meet her.”
