There was just something so horrifyingly familiar about rushing into the hospital waiting room and seeing the look of dread and devastation on my mother's face. She was sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs, her cheeks flushed and tear stained as casted a sad look down at the shell of Liam on the ground beside her. He was back against the wall, his legs pulled up against his chest and arms crossed over them, his head was turned in her direction, but he made no attempt to try and speak.

"Mom." I said as I approached. She nearly jumped from the seat and made her way to me, wrapping me in her familiar, warm embrace.

"He was okay for the first couple hours but I think reality struck about an hour ago and he's been like this since. He told me not to call you, but he really needs you right now, sweetheart."

I didn't say anything, but squeezed my mother's shoulder and walked to sit by Liam against the wall, close enough for him to hear me but not so much so that he was uncomfortable.

Then, with tears in my own eyes, I said, "When my sister, Raya, died, I couldn't breathe. Every night, for two months straight, I wandered back to the scene of the accident and just stood in the middle of the street. Where her body had laid still in a pool of her own blood. She had gone out that windshield because she forgot to put her seatbelt on. She forgot to put her seatbelt on because she was in such a rush to get me back home. She died because of me."

The look Liam gave me when he lifted his head was very much a how-is-this-supposed-to-comfort-me look.

I looked down at my hands and continued. "What happened to your family wasn't your fault, Liam. You were driving, sure, but the same thing could have happened if it had been your mother or father behind that wheel. Your parents, your brothers and sister, they wouldn't want you carrying this guilt, this self-hatred around, my own mother could vouch for that. Liam, what happened was an accident."

His blue eyes were glassy with tears, bottom lip bitten raw, and his entire body was trembling; he appeared as if he were on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"You don't understand, Reese. I have nobody now. Annie was all I had left. And now she's. . . she's gone." His voice caught in his throat and seconds later a sob broke passed and he buried his face back against his arms.

Sliding closer, I moved so I was directly in front of him and touched my hands to his cheeks until he lifted his head and met my eyes. "You have me, Liam."

*

Mom invited Liam to stay with us. I wasn't sure if it was a one night thing or for an extended period of time, but didn't ask either. After finishing her shift, she helped me get Liam to his feet and to the car. But the second we got home, he sat on the sofa in the living room and stared blankly ahead, the same thing my mother had done the week following his parents death.

Even after trying to offer him all that I could, he just remained unphased, an emotionless statue on my couch. I finally started to get the hint and stopped trying entirely around three, leaving a glass of water on the coffee table and setting up pillows behind him on the couch and leaving a couple blankets on the arm of it before turning around to head to my room. I immediately felt his fingers lock around my wrist, and for the first time in over two hours, his voice hoarse, he said, "Stay."

I looked to the stairs then back at him before nodding and sitting on the couch beside him. "I don't think my mom would care if you wanted to come sleep in an actual bed."

"You're inviting me to sleep with you." It almost sounded like one of his old innuendoes, but there was no hint of any sort of amusement in his eyes.

"Sure, if you want to put it that way." I gestured toward the couch with my thumb. "This thing is super uncomfortable. She's cool with Bryan sleeping in there with me, I'm sure under these circumstances she'd give it another free pass."

He stood and made a gesture for me to head up the stairs ahead of him. I took my time, sending him worried looks over my shoulder as he dragged himself up the stairs behind me. As soon as we were in my room, he visibly relaxed and sat on the edge of my bed, running a hand over his shirt. He must have momentarily forgot where he was because he stripped out of his shirt and set it at the foot of my bed before looking up and seeing my surprised expression.

"I. . . I can put it back on if it makes you more comfortable."

"It's fine." I scratched at my arm and turned my light off. "Lights off anyway. No reason to be uncomfortable."

He nodded as I slid under the covers beside him, very much aware of the warmth radiating off his body.

"Can I ask you something?" his breath tickled my cheek.

I rolled on to my side so I was facing him. "Sure."

"Was I the reason you broke up with Jay?"

Any other time I would have cringed or tried to brush the subject off, but it seemed to be distracting him for the time being and I wasn't going to be selfish and change that.

"Partially." I admitted. "It was causing a lot of tension too. Like, with everyone, not just you two."

"Reese, I don't. . . I can't lose you too." He stretched his arm out and brushed my hair out of my eyes. "And if this goes beyond anything outside of friendship I know I'll screw shit up like I always do and lose you."

I hugged my blanket tighter around me, a coldness overtaking my body at the thought of Raya. "My sister and I, we used to go to the park, a few blocks from school. My first day of high school and her first of her senior year, we went. Bryan had run off to go play basketball with friends so I just hung with her at a bench and we gushed about how hot all the high school boys were."

Liam found my hand under the blanket and traced his finger along my palm as I continued.

"I remember that day so clearly because Raya spotted you and Lane on the playground. I knew who you were, but we were far from being friends. She pointed at you and said 'That boy right there, Reese, he's going to be trouble' and I laughed. I laughed because I knew who you were and though you weren't an ass quite yet, you were definitely on your way. And then, she shocked me and added, 'But he's going to be one of those guy's who loves so fiercely that every girl in school is going to want to be with him.'"

Liam fought a half smile but still didn't say anything.

"At that time, I obviously knew nothing about the fact that we knew each other as kids, maybe Raya did though. Maybe she recognized you." I smiled weakly. "Knowing you now, Liam, I do see it. I see what she meant. Sure you were like the biggest jerk in the universe and avoided me like the plague for most of our high school existence, but she saw through all that. She saw your heart. The heart that I've started to fall in love with."

The words made Liam flinch as if I'd slapped him hard across the face, but they seemed to be enough of a distraction from the real pain.

"Its strange, you know." I said. "Bri and Shay said that I was never really with Jay. They said I was using him as a front and was pretty much dating you the entire time but too afraid to admit my feelings to myself."

I don't know exactly what it was that I expected Liam to say, but somehow his actions were far worse than any response he could have mustered up. He touched one hand to my chin and the other to the back of my head before he closed the distance between us and kissed me.

It was nothing like the quick pecks I'd shared with Jay, but so full of passion that I couldn't help but think of the hundreds of romance novels I read. Sure there weren't millions of fireworks exploding inside me, but there was warmth. A small fiery ball that exploded and shot through me until I felt it in my fingertips and buried my hand in his hair and deepened the kiss.

I came to my senses first and slowly pulled away, but it took every ounce of willpower I had not to give into my impulses again. Liam fell back on the bed, on his back, and stared at the ceiling. Realizing we weren't going to talk about what just happened, I did the same, rolling over so I was facing the door. It wasn't until I could feel myself starting to drift that I felt his arms circle me from behind and pull me closer.

*

I was stirred awake by my parents in the midst of a shouting match downstairs. It took me a few minutes and Liam's leg brushing against mine for me to remember he'd spent the night. I sat up, not surprised to find he was awake as well, staring hard at my bedroom door.

"You better put a shirt on." I warned. "My dad doesn't even like the fact Mom lets me run off with you at night, so finding you shirtless in my bed won't look good."

He processed my words then grabbed his shirt from the bed and slipped passed me and toward my bedroom door. I gasped, racing after him, but his long legs had already taken him down the stairs and into the middle of my parents argument before I could even reach the top stair.

"I think you should leave." Liam was tense, but his voice was shockingly calm. My father, in front of the door, only stared at him. "Did I stutter?"

My dad, finally coming to his senses, snapped, "Last I checked, son, this is my house, my wife, and my daughter. The person that needs to leave is you."

"I'm going to ask you nicely one more time, Mr. Taylor. Please leave."

Seeing Liam and my father face to face and knowing all the pent up aggression Liam had right now, I had no doubt he wasn't bluffing. My mom was in the kitchen as I edged toward Liam, her head shaking as she touched a hand to her stomach.

"I wasn't afraid of your father, boy, nor am I scared of you." Dad spat in Liam's face. "That's the thing about you Scotts, you're always trying to take my girls away from me."

Liam winced, but quickly composed himself and made a gesture with his arm toward me. "I'm only trying to do what's best for your daughter. I'd never put her in harms way nor would I ever want to drive a wedge between the two of you."

"Liam, honey—" my mom started, but he held up a hand as my dad closed the distance between him and Liam. Of course Liam straightened so he was standing a few inches taller and glared at my father, his words cold.

"But if you so much as lay a hand on either of them, or hurt that unborn child in any way, I will kill you myself." Liam said through gritted teeth. "How's that for sounding like my father?"

For a second I thought my father was going to throw the first punch, but Liam's words rattled him enough that he only glared at my mother then grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and stalked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. I wrapped my arms around my waist, but Liam crossed the dining room to my mother.

"Are you okay?" he looked from my mom too her stomach. "Is the baby okay?"

She forced a smile. "Yes, honey. We're fine. Thank you."

"I. . . I don't want to be that mom, but if you guys are going to be sleeping in the same bed in the same room, please keep the door open." Mom tried her best to keep the smile from her face, but the change of subject did her good and she had rested a hand against Liam's shoulder. "Don't forget I was your guys' age not too long ago and I know what's going on."

Liam and I exchanged a look, warmth creeping into my cheeks as Liam nodded toward the driveway. "Andy's going to pick me up and drop me off at the hospital to pick up my truck. I appreciate all that you did and have done for me, Margo."

My mom didn't seem to mind him calling her by her first name, in fact she actually looked pleased. "Of course, honey. You know your welcomed here any time."

By the time we were out on the porch, I could feel the elephant hanging heavy between us, but Liam seemed as though he were trying to avoid talking about it.

"We can't pretend it didn't happen, you know." I whispered. "I mean, I can't."

"I'm not pretending, I'm not going to avoid it. But I do need some time to myself to figure everything out, Reese. I know you of all people understand what I'm going through right now."

I nodded, "Of course. I also know that I liked to ice people out, people that cared about me. Please don't do that to me, Liam."

There was a hesitation in his answer, but that was all I needed. "I won't."

He most definitely would.