smiled and kissed my father. He loved her so much that when she left…”
Liam tightened his grip on her, clenching his teeth as he realized exactly why she was so abrasive and prickly.
“My father was depressed for a long time. He was unemployed and everything fell on me. I ended up a year behind because my sister couldn’t go to kindergarten yet, and we had no money for daycare. None of our family lived nearby to help us out.” Zoe shrugged like it was no big deal, but she’d been so young.
Ever since she was ten years old, she’d been taking care of herself and a four-year-old.
“When my father got a job, it helped, but it wasn’t enough, so he got a second job,” Zoe explained. “He did everything in his power to make sure we had money for food and rent, but that didn’t leave a lot of time for us to spend together.”
“Jesus Zoe.” Liam hugged her tight, wishing there was something he could do to change what had happened to her.
“It wasn’t as bad as what happened to you,” she muttered, sliding her hands up and under his shirt to press against his bare back.
They were fucking freezing and he flinched, tugging on her hair to make up for the discomfort. “It’s not a competition.”
“I know, but still. It could have been worse.”
Irritation flickered through him and Liam tugged on her hair again, harder this time. “Don’t do that. It very clearly affected you, and now it’s affecting me. If I have to prove every single day that I’m not like your mother, I will.”
“It wasn’t just her. Friends and boyfriends couldn’t bother to stick around.” Zoe sighed and pulled her now warm hands out of his sweater so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “My life was chaotic and stressful. I took extra classes to make up for the year I lost, had to get perfect grades so I could get into the nursing program, all while taking care of my sister.”
“And you did amazing, but now you don’t have to do it all alone anymore,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Not if you don’t want to.”
“So, you’d leave with me?” Zoe looked up and gave him a sad smile. “What if I wanted to move to Seattle, or San Francisco?”
“I’d ask Noah to come, and then we’d go.” He grinned when she stared in shock. “What’s your sister’s name?”
“Zia.” She snorted. “My dad thought it would be cute even if we aren’t twins.”
“It is cute.” Liam leaned down and kissed her, enjoying the taste of her lips and the way she breathed him in. “Do you know what you want to do?”
“I’m going to call my boss, and then I’d like to see La Grande. Would you mind showing me?” Zoe smiled up at him.
“We can go tomorrow,” he agreed, taking her cell phone out of his pocket. “You forgot this in the house. I have a feeling you’ll want a run after you finish making all the calls you need to. Then I’ll cook.”
When she smiled at him, Liam felt the fear that she’d leave start to disappear. It was such a bright, genuine smile and she laughed when she took the phone from him. Was he ever going to get used to the way his breath caught every time he saw that smile?
“You already know me so well,” Zoe teased. “Exercise, food, and then sex. Maybe some more food after that. All so I’m not a cranky bitch, am I right?”
He tucked his hands in his pockets and grinned. “Even I am a cranky bitch when I’m hungry. Why would I make my life more difficult than it needs to be?”
“You’re lucky I like you,” she muttered, but that smile was still on her face despite everything she’d confessed to him.
“I’m well aware how lucky I am,” Liam murmured, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
The slight blush on her cheeks as she pretended to ignore him was all the response he needed.
17
Zoe
Something woke her up from a dead sleep, but Zoe couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Her face was pressed into Liam’s back again, her body against his like that was where she’d always belonged.
Despite never sleeping in the same bad as anyone except her sister when they were younger, it was shockingly natural to sleep with Liam.
Her mate.
That concept would never not be weird, but Zoe was starting to understand what it meant. Nothing