conviction she felt it through the new yet fragile bond. She must have spoken out loud again and not even realized it. “Let it go, baby. Let it all out, and if you pick it back up again and need to let it all go again tomorrow, I’ll hold you and then put you back together again.”
Gabby pressed her face tighter against his neck, seeking the warmth from his flesh and loving the way he smelled.
She cried and let her heart break. A heart she’d once upon a time taped together in hopes that she could have some sort of life. But she’d only been surviving, not really living. She had honestly wished that one day she would die in battle. That she wouldn’t have to continue breathing, fighting her daily war with her emotions. Up until she’d met Liam, Tara, and Shelly, she’d just wanted it to be over.
“I’m so tired,” she finally said. She didn’t know if he’d heard her, but then he spoke.
“I know. And you’ve been so strong for so long. You don’t have to be strong anymore. Let me be strong for you. I’ve got broad shoulders, babe. Let me bear it for you.”
Gabby didn’t respond. She just let herself lean on him. She let herself accept his comfort, though she had no idea what was going to happen when the tears finally stopped falling and her mind began working again. All she wanted in that moment was to be with Liam, to let him do the things he was saying he would do. She wanted to accept his offer and believe he would be true to his word. But could she trust him? And if he did hurt her, would she survive it?
He continued to stroke her hair. Every now and then, he would say something encouraging to her, letting her know it was okay to fall apart. She hadn’t realized she’d needed permission. She’d fought so long to keep it all together, and she hadn’t realized how close to the edge of the cliff she’d been. Not until now, with Liam holding out his hand, offering to pull her back to safety.
When the tears finally stopped and the sobs quieted, Gabby took a deep breath. She wasn’t ready to move, so she didn’t. If Liam wanted her out of his lap, she was sure he’d tell her or just move her. So, she just let him hold her.
She didn’t know how long they sat there like that, him holding her tightly and her soaking up his strength and warmth, but she wished it would never have to end. She dreaded the light of day and the reality that would soon come knocking.
“Will you talk to me?” he eventually asked.
“What do you want me to say?” Gabby’s voice was rough from the sobs that had choked out of her for so long.
“Anything,” he answered. “I just want to hear your voice.”
She felt something through the bond, tugging deep in her chest. “What was that?”
“You felt it?” he asked.
“Yes. What was it?”
“That’s the bond and me pushing my love through it. We can use it to give the other our emotions.”
“How do you know this?”
“I decided to ask Elias some questions since he’s been at this a little longer than us,” Liam admitted. “He said the bond can be used like a lie detector. You can feel the truth in my words and vice versa.”
Gabby sat up and looked at him. “You can’t lie to me?”
“Not with the bond open. You’ll be able to feel what I’m feeling. You’d know if what I was saying wasn’t true because it wouldn’t match my emotions.”
“Say something not true and do that thing, push something through the bond.” She was being bossy, but she didn’t care. This information might be a game changer, or at least give her some hope that maybe this had a chance.
“I disliked you the moment I saw you.”
Gabby felt a stabbing sensation, and her eyes widened. “What the hell was that?”
“That is what it felt like to my heart to say something so horrid and untrue,” Liam confessed. “It’s like a knife twisting in my gut. Hurting you is not something I could ever do without paying the consequences myself. It hurts me physically.”
Gabby’s mouth dropped open, shut again, and then reopened. She didn’t know how to respond. Could it be true? Would she be able to tell if what he was saying wasn’t true?
She frowned as a thought hit her. “But can