moment.
But am I still in love with him?
No, I’m not.
I can't be because the man that I had devoted my life to and the man that I had promised to spend the rest of my life with never really existed.
He was a figment of my imagination.
The real man was a liar, a cheater, and someone who is a stranger to me now.
16
Emma
When I pull up to Liam's ranch, the butterflies in my stomach make my hands wrap tightly around the steering wheel. This is how I felt when I first got here, but it's also a little bit different.
The first time that I drove here I wasn't sure who I was going to meet.
This time, I'm not sure what is going to happen.
I arrive with a small suitcase and a backpack with all of my electronics. I wasn't sure what to pack so I decided to just take what is absolutely necessary.
A few changes of clothes, nothing fancy, and two pairs of shoes. I also packed a small makeup bag along with the hair straightener, which I rarely use.
Liam hears me pull up and his little dog, Skylar, runs up to greet me with a cacophony of barking.
I kneel down to pet her, but she continues to bark aggressively at me until he quiets her down.
A few moments later, she's rubbing her body against my ankle so that I will give her a pet.
The first time that I lay my eyes on him, my stomach does a somersault. His dark hair falls slightly in his face and he licks his lips and rubs his chiseled jaw in that casual manner that makes me want to get undressed right here, right now. Unfortunately, that's not what happens.
I walk up to give him a hug and instead of kissing me on the mouth, he simply turns his face to the side and kisses me on my cheek.
Immediately, something between us seems off. It's almost as if there is some sort of tension that didn't exist before and I have no idea why it suddenly appeared.
“Thanks for coming,” Liam says.
I give him a slight nod and let him take my suitcase. Instead of rolling it, he picks it up and carries it by the handle. It isn't particularly heavy, but he makes it seem like it weighs a pound.
He leads me through the large open living room and kitchen toward the back and shows me to my room.
I wasn't sure how this week was going to go but for some reason it never occurred to me that I was going to have a separate room.
He drops my suitcase on the floor and turns to face me.
“I thought that maybe you would want some privacy while you are here so I made this room up for you.”
The walls of the room are smooth and designed in the popular style of the Southwest. There's even an adobe-style fireplace in the corner. There's a large brightly colored tapestry hanging on one wall along with an oversized wooden bed made of thick logs which gives the room a rustic feel.
The floor is carpeted but also covered with a brightly colored woven rug of fuchsia and turquoise. It's a nice complement to the tapestry and gives me a calming feeling when I look at it.
On the far end, there is an enormous bay window with a wide tabletop made of wood with authentic knots. When I run my fingers over it, I find it smooth to the touch.
“This room is beautiful,” I say, admiring the towering lamp with the shade that looks like a layering of skirts.
It gives off a warm, almost candle type of light and he shows me how to use the dimmer to change the color from warm to cool to pink and practically any other color that I want.
“I'm glad you like it,” Liam says. “Well, I'll leave you alone so you can get situated. I got some takeout for dinner from this fabulous Indian place in town. I hope that's okay.”
I put my hand over my stomach and feel it rumble.
“That's an okay,” I say with a smile.
A few minutes later, after I unpack my suitcase and place most of the clothes into the empty dresser across from the bed, I walk back into the living room and see Liam pouring the takeout on colorful, Western-style plates.
“These are beautiful,” I say, running my finger over an empty one with an intricate yet abstract design of a woman making tacos.
“I got them at a