The Wedding Engagement

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Hello? Earth to Arran.”

Arran blinked, lifting his gaze from the messages, or lack thereof, on his phone to meet his mum’s eyes across the kitchen.

Fiona arched an eyebrow. “I asked you what you want for dinner.”

“Oh, sorry.” He ran a hand over his hair. “I really don’t mind. Whatever you and Dad fancy.”

He frowned at his phone again. Why hadn’t Liv returned his messages? He’d sent one as soon as he’d gotten back from his impromptu morning walk, being in such a hurry to leave the house that he’d forgotten his phone. Jess had been wandering around for what felt like an eternity wearing nothing but the T-shirt she’d borrowed to sleep in and her underwear, and it had made him painfully uncomfortable. He’d kept telling her to feel welcome to grab a shower and that she could borrow any clothing that she wanted, but it had seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Eventually, when he had been trying to make a drink and she’d kept brushing close beside him, he’d announced that he needed to go out for something. Then he’d bolted out of there, not stopping to grab anything, in case she’d followed him out of the bloody house still in that goddamn T-shirt and knickers.

Liv hadn’t answered that first message, sent in the late morning. Nor the one he’d sent that afternoon once he’d dropped off a (finally) clothed Jess, picked up Jayce, and arrived at his parents’ house. And both of the texts had been hot, explaining with an impressive amount of detail what he wanted to do to her the next day.

She was probably just busy. She’d had breakfast with her family, then no doubt she would’ve gone to see Maya, who’d been at her own parents’ for lunch. Or maybe she’d popped in to see Elise and Jack. It wasn’t like she’d be staring at her phone, waiting for him to message. The way he was doing with her.

“Your dad fancies steak,” his mum was saying.

“Great,” Arran said absently, wondering what Liv was doing right now.

Fiona came to sit beside him. “What’s wrong, love? You’ve been distracted since you arrived. Everything okay with Jayce?”

He touched her arm, regretful that he’d made her concerned. “He’s great. Absolutely brilliant.”

“The studio, then?” She crossed her arms. “I know it’s something. You’ve got a face like a skelped arse, boy.”

He laughed despite himself. “Sorry, Mum.”

She sighed. “Dinnae apologize. Just explain .”

Arran hesitated. He couldn’t very well say “I’m worried that the woman I’ve been sexting hasn’t replied.”

“Ugh,” Fiona said, huffing out another breath. “You are something else. I’ll be more specific. What’s happening with Liv?”

He snapped his gaze up to meet her eyes. “What?”

She shook her head. “Och, don’t act all surprised. I know there’s something going on with you two. Every time I speak to you it’s ‘Liv this, Liv that.’ Today is the first day in months you haven’t mentioned her. So that, plus you behaving like you’re about to bawl your eyes out, is a giveaway.”

Arran rolled his eyes. “Okay, Sherlock. Yeah, something happened. And now she’s ghosting me.”

Fiona frowned. “Ghosting? You mean she dressed herself up in a white bedsheet and said ‘boo’?”

He laughed. “It means ignoring all someone’s messages.”

“Ah, I see.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “What did you do?”

Arran raised his eyebrows. The audacity of Fiona Adebayo knew no bounds. “What do you mean? I did nothing!”

She pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “In my experience, that means a man has done something to upset his woman. Whether he realizes it or not.”

Arran’s dad entered the room, holding Jayce’s hand, clearly catching Fiona’s words and sending Arran a “just agree with whatever she says” look. He took the wee one to raid the biscuit jar.

Arran’s heart rate picked up. “I can’t think of anything I might’ve done.”

“Humph. Well, that’s typical of you men.”

“I like the way you automatically assume I’m in the wrong, even though I’m your bloody son,” he muttered.

She gave him a soft tap on the back of the head. “That’s because I’m a wise woman.”

He shook his head, unable to suppress his smile. “Fine. Counsel me, oh wise one.”

Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she leaned in. “Can I give it to you straight, no sugarcoating?”

At that point he laughed solidly for a good few seconds. “You mean, that isn’t what you’ve been doing so far in this conversation?” He blew out a breath. “That makes me worry. Okay, fine. Shoot.”

His dad sat across from them with Jayce on his knee, seemingly interested in whatever wisdom his wife was about to spout. “Listen to your mother, son. I can tell you, she is always right,” Abeo said in his soft Nigerian lilt, opening a chocolate biscuit for Jayce, whose eyes were as wide as saucers as he eyed his bounty. Morning, noon, or night, if Jayce asked his grandfather for a biscuit, the answer was always yes.

Clearly delighted at the prospect of telling her son how it was, the sparkle in Fiona’s eyes intensified. “I know Liv, and she’s a bloody delight. I can’t believe it’s taken you this long to figure that out, by the way.”

Arran closed his eyes painfully, and she continued. “Anyway. She’s also not the sort to play games and mess you around, like this specter thing you mentioned.”

He frowned. “ Specter? ”

She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. “The not-answering-the-messages thing.”

“It’s ghosted , Mum,” Arran said, eyeing the chocolate smeared all over Jayce’s face like the kid was giving himself a facial.

“My point is, if Liv hasn’t answered when she normally would have, then it means she’s upset with you.” She gave him a pointed look. “And she’s such a delightful girl, that means you’ve done something wrong.”

He opened his mouth to protest, then realized there was truth in his mum’s deductions. Liv wouldn’t play games, that was for sure. And she did normally answer straightaway. So, either she was upset, or something urgent had happened today to waylay her.

Abeo sucked his breath in through his teeth. “I think she has hit the nail on the head. You’ve probably been a bit of a Dundee United.”

Anxiety stabbed Arran in the gut. What if something was wrong? The worry snowballed into a tidal wave that nearly knocked him off his chair. What if she’s been in an accident?

He stood abruptly. “Can you guys keep an eye on Jayce while I go call Liv?”

Abeo nodded. “Of course, son. Go.”

Fiona got up from the dining table and moved into the open-plan kitchen, muttering, “It’s about bloody time.”

Arran left the kitchen, heading into the front sitting room, where it was quiet. He dialed her number and it rang and rang. With a sinking heart he thought it was going to voice mail, but at the last minute, she answered. Her voice sounded weird.

“Thank God,” he said with a sigh. “I was in a free-fall panic that you’d been hurt or something and that’s why you hadn’t answered my messages.”

She took an audible breath. “I didn’t realize you’d be worried. I’ve just…been busy. Sorry.”

Something was definitely wrong. “No need to apologize. I don’t expect you to be at my beck and call.” The fact that she’d answered, and was okay, was a huge relief. But the knowledge that something was bothering her needled him. What if she’d realized how he felt and she didn’t feel the same way?

He rubbed at his chest, remembering her story about Dean. How she’d wanted to back out just as he was getting serious.

So, she’d ghosted him.

His breath caught in his throat, the hollow feeling splitting wide open. “Are you still coming over tomorrow? Or I can come to you?” He clamped his mouth shut, worried that he sounded a little desperate.

There was a second’s silence. “You still want to meet?”

It was getting harder to ignore the sinking feeling. “Why wouldn’t I?”

She was quiet again. As if she was expecting him to say something. But what was he supposed to say? “Liv, if something’s up, I wish you’d tell me.”

She cleared her throat, a pointed tone to her voice. “Yeah, that’s how I feel too.”

Arran rubbed his face, his brain a complete mess. His heart too. It sounded as though she was going to say something more, but then there was a noise in the background that sounded like someone calling her name. Maya, perhaps?

“Listen,” she said. “I need to go. But I’ll still come over tomorrow so we can talk about this. Okay?”

Talk about what? He still didn’t know. “Okay,” he managed to say.

“I’ll be over tomorrow.” She ended the call.

—

“Liv,” Maya called through the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “Just coming.” She unlocked the door and came out, and Maya enveloped her in a hug.

“I take it that was him on the phone?” Maya asked.

Liv nodded against her friend’s shoulder.

“Come on. Let’s go to my room. Well, my old room. Don’t suppose I can call it mine now that I live with Sam.”

Maya took her hand and led her to the bedroom, where she made Liv sit back on the pillows, covered her in a fleecy throw, and then put a teddy in her arms.

Liv laughed. “Thank you.”

Maya gave her a soft smile, sitting next to her. “Did he mention Jess?”

A lump rose in her throat. “Nope.”

“Did you ask about her?” Maya asked, lifting the throw to get under it with her.

Liv screwed her face up.

Maya sighed. “And you tell me I’m the conflict-avoidant one.”

“It’s not that,” Liv said, inadvertently cuddling the soft teddy. “I wanted him to be the one to bring it up, you know? I didn’t want to back him into a corner. I wanted him to be open and honest.”

Maya was silent for a moment. “I suppose I can see your point. Are you sure we shouldn’t call Sam?”

“No,” Liv replied quickly. “I don’t want to cause trouble. Let me speak to Arran first. If he doesn’t bring it up tomorrow, then I’ll ask him about it.” She leaned back into the cushions. “Sorry for barging in on you and your parents, by the way. I didn’t mean to gate-crash your family time. I needed to tell someone and didn’t feel like that should be Sam, or Mum and Angus. Or Elise. Goodness knows that woman has enough to worry about.”

Maya eyed her. “Do you really think they slept together?”

“No. Maybe.” She took a deep breath, the idea of it making her sick to her stomach. “I really, really hope not.”

Maya snuggled in beside her and gathered her up in her arms, stroking her hair. “I don’t think Arran would do that.”

“Me neither. But it did look very incriminating. Then he didn’t even mention it just now. Plus, if he does still have feelings for her, it would explain why he’s been giving off this whole holding-back vibe ever since we slept together.”

Her eyes stung, so she closed them to hold back the tears. “It really hurt, you know? Seeing her there in his T-shirt when that’s what he did with me. Gave me his shirt, and I was still wearing it when we…” She stopped talking because the words were like little knives cutting her vocal cords as she uttered them.

Maya gave her a squeeze. “I know,” she said softly. “Maybe you should call him back? Ask him now?”

Liv swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “I feel like I need to ask him in person. See the expression on his face. It’s an in-person conversation.”

Maya nodded. “Okay.”

“Maya?” Liv said, her throat pained by her own voice.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know what I’ll do if they’re getting back together.”

Maya rubbed her back. “I know. It’ll be okay.”

But she couldn’t help thinking that she’d blown it. She’d been afraid to tell him how she felt, so he’d have no idea that she didn’t just want something casual. Then, when the love of his life came along, wanting to rekindle things, of course he’d jump at the chance.

—

Arran paced the hallway, pausing every so often to peek through the peephole to see whether or not Liv’s car had pulled up. He checked his watch. Any minute now and she should be there.

The noise of a car sounded outside and he zipped to the door again. It was her. The phone began to ring, but he ignored it in his hurry to unlock the door, opening it before she’d even reached it. She was wearing her faded jeans and a fur-lined jacket hanging open to reveal a T-shirt that said “Obstinate Headstrong Girl” on it.

She came in, and the pinched, anxious expression on her face made his mind race. She was clearly anxious about whatever she wanted to tell him, and it put him in mind of Dean, how Liv had been anxious about breaking up with him. And connecting those dots made him feel sick. “Tea?” he said, for want of a better greeting.

They went into the kitchen and she helped him make a pot, both sneaking glances at the other but not saying anything beyond functional phrases such as “here’re the teabags” and “I’ve got the milk.”

Once they sat down, he looked at her, and she met his eyes. It was like some sort of standoff, each one waiting for the other to speak.

Eventually, she spoke first. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I should ask you the same thing.”

She bit her lip, then pushed her glasses up her nose. “I came to see you yesterday morning.”

Arran frowned, trying to remember what day yesterday had been, because the past twenty-four hours had seemed more like two years. What had he been doing yesterday morning? He should’ve been home. How come he hadn’t been? “Oh yeah, I was out for a walk. Sorry I missed you.”

Why would she be upset that he hadn’t been home when she’d called? He studied the hurt expression on her face.

Then the penny dropped. Only it wasn’t so much a penny as a sledgehammer of epic proportions.

Jess.

He smacked his palm to his forehead. “Oh shit.”

She raised her eyebrows, as if to say, “Too damn right.”

He groaned, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead, which was actually a bit sore from the slap he’d given it. “She answered the door, didn’t she? And she would’ve been wearing that goddamn T-shirt because she was still fucking in it when I got home.”

Liv was looking at him as if her heart might break, and he was hit by conflicting emotions—hope that her being upset might mean she felt something for him beyond friends with benefits, and a gut-wrenching pain that she’d been inadvertently hurt by him.

He grabbed her hand across the table. “Liv, nothing happened.”

Her eyes were wide and he got the palpable sense that she wanted to believe him. “She didn’t tell you I came over?”

That part of the scenario hit home, and he gritted his teeth. “No. She did not.”

Liv kind of deflated in her chair, as if a weight had been lifted from her, and she held on to his hand tightly, waiting for him to elaborate.

He took a deep breath. “She turned up pissed the night before. Said her and Rory had had a fight and she didn’t want to go to her mum’s because Jayce was staying over there and she didn’t want to upset him. I thought it was weird that she didn’t go to one of her friends’ places, but then I felt bad when the waterworks started. So, I gave her a T-shirt and my bed, and I slept on the sofa. Nothing happened.”

Liv nodded slowly. “But it sounds like she wanted something to happen.”

Arran hesitated, adding up a few points that he’d been trying not to think about. Firstly, Jess had told him the argument with Rory was about him. Secondly, Jess had given him the impression she was expecting him to share a bed with her. And thirdly, all the hanging around bare-legged in his T-shirt brushing against him the next morning. It had been obvious what she’d wanted.

But in the car on the way to her mum’s, he’d kept shutting her down every time she tried to talk to him about it. “Yeah.” He sighed. “I think she did.” A thought occurred to him, one that made his anger snowball. “So when you came over, she didn’t say anything to clarify the situation? Just that I wasn’t home?”

Liv shook her head. “She said you’d gone out. Then she seemed to take on board that I was kind of…shell-shocked.” He squeezed her hand, his pulse firing. “Then it seemed as if she was going to say something else, but she didn’t.”

“Fuck,” he said, for want of a better response.

They both sat in silence for a few seconds. Arran’s mind cycled quickly through all his questions. Had Jess deliberately made it look like they’d slept together, in order to push a wedge between him and Liv? Did Liv really believe that nothing happened? Did the fact that Liv had been upset about it mean she cared for him the way he did for her?

But the first question to come out of his mouth was, “How come you came over yesterday morning?”

She appeared caught off guard, squeezing his hand tightly and opening her mouth, but staying silent. His heart clenched. Please don’t tell me you were coming over to say you want to end this.

The doorbell rang, and Arran let out an expletive that would’ve made Fiona Adebayo slap him around the head.

Liv smiled weakly. “You can answer it.”

He looked at her for a moment, tempted to blurt out how he felt. But he just needed to send whatever tosser was on his doorstep packing first.

With a sigh, he reluctantly released Liv’s hand and made for the door.

When he opened it to reveal Jess on the other side, he briefly considered running out the door, down the street, and cross-country, Forrest Gump–style.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.

Jess frowned. “Pardon?”

He stared at her. “Nothing.”

“Can I come in?”

He gritted his teeth. “Why?”

She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “Please, Arran.”

He stayed put, imagining that he possessed Superman laser vision that could zap his ex out of existence. “Liv’s here.”

She had the decency to appear guilty. “I know. I saw her car. But I want to speak to her too.”

Of course she knew what Liv’s fucking car looked like. She’d seen it the previous morning when she’d scared her off.

Liv appeared at the other end of the hallway and gave him a reassuring smile, gesturing for him to let Jess in. But her smile didn’t light up her eyes like usual.

Resigned to whatever fresh hell this was going to be, he shifted to the side, gesturing for Jess to come in.

He followed her into the kitchen, waiting for her to take a seat across from Liv. Then he sat right next to Liv, hauling his chair up close to hers and putting an arm around her shoulders.

Jess looked as though she wanted the ground to swallow her up.

Liv glanced at him, biting her lip. “Maybe I should leave you guys to it.”

She shifted as if to stand, and Arran clamped a hand on her thigh, keeping her in her seat. “Don’t.”

She snapped her eyes to his, and for a moment, he was transported back to his studio, her naked on the couch and meeting his gaze steadily as he sketched her.

Jess shook her head. “No, don’t go, Liv.”

Arran dragged his gaze over to Jess, keeping his hand on Liv’s leg and wondering what the hell was going on.

Jess cleared her throat. “This concerns both of you.” She shifted in her seat, fiddling with her nails. “I wanted to apologize. For yesterday morning. I, er, I think I kind of gave you the wrong idea.”

“Kind of?” Arran said, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

Liv slid her hand on top of his, and it immediately infused him with some calm.

Jess glanced up and back down quickly. “Yeah. I know what it looked like, and I get the feeling that something might be going on with you guys, so I just wanted to say I’m sorry, and that nothing happened with me and Arran.”

“Too fucking right it didn’t,” Arran said, appreciating the manner in which Liv rubbed her thumb over his skin in response.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Liv said, shooting him a calming look. “I think you realized at the time how it appeared. So how come you didn’t say anything?”

Jess kept her eyes down. “I won’t lie. I came over here hoping something would happen, and when it didn’t I was angry. Then when you arrived, I was jealous.” She took a shaky breath. “I’ve been jealous of you two hanging out together for a while.”

Arran’s pulse spiked. “You’ve no right to feel jealous.”

“I know,” Jess said, squeezing her eyes shut as if she was in pain. “I’m sorry.”

Liv stroked Arran’s hand. “Then why did you?”

Jess looked at Liv. “I guess because…things aren’t going well for me and Rory. And just as that started to happen, and I wondered whether things weren’t going to work out with him long term, you two seemed like you were more than friends. It made me confused about whether I’d made a mistake.”

Arran ran a hand over his hair. “Jess.” He sighed. “Just because things aren’t going well for you doesn’t give you the right to sabotage me.”

The dejected expression on her face sent an icy splash of cold onto the heat of his anger.

They sat in silence for a couple more seconds, Arran glancing at Liv and taking in the soft expression on her face as she studied Jess.

“Can I ask another question?” Liv said.

Jess nodded, blinking quickly.

“And there’s no judgment,” Liv continued softly, giving Arran a reassuring look. “But had you…become interested in Rory while you and Arran were still together?”

Jess nodded again, eyes down. A few months ago, that admission would’ve cut him like a knife. But now, he didn’t even care.

“The grass seemed greener?” Liv asked.

“Yeah. I kind of…felt down on myself. Things hadn’t been the same between me and Arran for a while, especially since we had Jayce.” She glanced up at him. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Jayce to bits. But my life changed completely when we had him, whereas sometimes I felt like yours hadn’t. Then Rory had this carefree attitude and a party lifestyle.”

Liv nodded. “But it wasn’t really what it seemed.”

“No,” Jess said. “It was good at first. Exciting. But the novelty wore off. Especially when I couldn’t keep up with all his partying. I do have a small child to care for. I thought I still wanted all that carefree stuff, but I don’t.” She took a breath. “And I think he’s cheating on me. But when I asked him about it, he deflected by accusing me of being hung up on Arran.”

Liv reached over to touch Jess’s hand. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out how you’d hoped,” she said quietly.

Jess’s expression softened, and she blinked again, her eyes wet. “Thank you.”

Arran’s heart swelled with love for Liv. She always understands everyone else’s point of view. Always makes everything okay. He glanced at Jess, begrudgingly acknowledging that his anger had fizzled away, leaving only sympathy and sadness for her.

Liv gave Jess a reassuring smile, then turned to him. “Can I have a quick word in private?”

“Yeah,” he replied, unsure where all this was going, but pleased that Liv was there to act as a mediator because it would’ve gone very differently if she hadn’t been present. They got up and he glanced at Jess. “Back in a sec.”

He took Liv into the living room and shut the door.

She turned to him, grasping his hands. “Listen. Maybe you should give her a chance.”

His heart thudded and sank right to the bottom of his stomach. “What?”

Her eyes were wide and shining. “Just hear her out. She was in a bad place, vulnerable. Sounds like her mood was low. She made a mistake with Rory, when instead she should’ve spoken to you to see whether you could’ve worked things out.”

He held her hands tightly, trying to combat the feeling that she was slipping away. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s all in the past.”

She ran a hand up his arm and he felt as if the resulting bolt of electricity might stop his heart.

“Remember how devastated you were when she left? You said yourself you wanted her back. What if this is her coming to her senses?”

Arran’s head was swimming. She was touching him, making him want to kiss her and undress her and do things to her on the sofa that might very well harm the integrity of the furniture. And yet the words coming out of her mouth were that he should consider getting back with his ex?

“What if you could work it out? Don’t you owe it to yourself? Not to mention Jayce.”

He shook his head.

She stepped closer. “If you don’t try, you might regret it.”

She went to release him but he held on to her. “I don’t want to give her a chance. I want us to see where this goes.”

Something shifted in her gaze, and her eyes shimmered behind the lenses of her cute purple-framed glasses. She blinked, and her voice caught. “We can’t, Arran. Not when all this is still playing out.”

He searched her face. “It isn’t playing out. It’s ended. And there’s no rewinding; this is a DVD, not a VHS situation.”

She smiled weakly. “Just listen to her. For Jayce’s sake. Your pride might’ve stopped you from convincing her to stay last time.” She took a breath, her voice cracking. “I can’t be the one who gets in the way. I refuse to be the third wheel here. You take some time out to think about things and decide what you really want. Then after a couple of months, if what you really want is me, we can talk again.”

He couldn’t speak. Is this what a heart attack feels like? He rubbed his chest, swallowing the painful lump that was swelling in his throat. Maybe she wouldn’t be saying all this if she knew how he felt. Then it dawned on him. The third-wheel complex. This was all down to the way her father had made her feel like a side character in her own story. How she’d been brought up to pipe down and let other people have their way. Just because she’d managed to voice it to him a few days ago didn’t suddenly make it all better. It would take much more than that. Much more from him, and then likely his support while she got to the place where she felt comfortable in seeking some therapy. This wasn’t the sort of thing that he could kiss better for her. Plus, all he’d done for the past fucking year was voice how he wanted to steer clear of relationships—like one of these Nice Guy TM pricks who got his heart broken once and then swore off women for eternity. He’d sown the seed that he wanted his ex back into the love of his life’s head, and then nurtured it, like a fucking dickhead.

He had to give her the time and space she was asking for. Not to reconsider his relationship with Jess—he had no doubts whatsoever that was over. But to help Liv accept that this was for real. That she was it for him.

He reached for her, taking in the way she came to him readily, nestling her face against his chest. He knew in the very core of his being that she loved him back. “Listen. There’s a lot I need to say to you, but I know you’re not ready to hear it. So this is what we’re going to do.” He stroked her hair. “I’m going to give you some space. Not a couple of months, but as long as I can hold out. And then I’m going to tell you how I feel about you and that I want us to be together. Okay?”

She let out a little sob against his chest.

“Shh, it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.”

She pulled back, her face wet with tears, doubt written all over it. “I hope so.” Her voice cracked, and he wished that he could make her believe it now. But he’d done this damage, at least in part, and now he had to work to make it better. Words weren’t enough. He needed to show her he loved her, to prove his love, before he voiced it.

He kissed her cheek. “I’m going to be there in the background, every day. Showing you how I feel. Just how you’ve been there for me every day for the past year.”

There was a sliver of hope in her eyes, and that was all he needed. That was enough. He rubbed the moisture from her cheeks, then took her to the front door, where he knelt down to put her shoes on for her, the way he’d done on Skye in the aftermath of her attack. She rested her hand on his shoulder, watching him, and he hoped the symbolism of him kneeling before her wasn’t lost on her.

Then he rose to kiss her goodbye, determined that this was only a goodbye for now. He brushed his lips to hers, sliding his fingers into the soft curls of her hair and rubbing his thumb tenderly over her cheek. He slid his tongue along the seam of her lips and she opened for him, just like he knew she’d open her heart to him eventually—if he was patient enough. When he pushed his tongue inside, she let out the sweetest little moan. He held the back of her head more firmly in response, letting his fingers massage her scalp, soothing her as he commanded her with his mouth. You’re mine, and I’m yours.

When he broke off, he held her gaze for a moment. “I’ll see you soon. And in the meantime, you’ll be hearing from me.”

Eyes wide, she swallowed hard, giving him the tiniest of nods, and then she opened the door and stepped out.

He watched her leave before closing the door and leaning on it for a second. Then he returned to the kitchen, where Jess was sitting at the table.

“I’m sorry for barging in,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make Liv leave.”

He took a seat across from her, folding his hands as he looked at her. He’d stepped back and allowed her to move on when she’d left, albeit after an initial discussion during which he’d asked her to come back and work on their relationship. However, once she’d made it clear that wasn’t what she wanted, he’d accepted it. It had hurt more than anything in his life before, but he’d done it with the help of his family, Sam, Nico, and Liv.

Getting over his pride and humiliation had been hard. He hated having to ask people for help, and the whole period had been traumatic for him, especially when the timing had been shit. He’d lost his painting and decorating job and had been trying to get the studio off the ground. Sam had forced some financial help on him and Arran had been grateful but uncomfortable with the whole thing. He’d been paying Sam back gradually, a little each month since.

But despite all that, he couldn’t fault her. She’d done the right thing when he’d been blind. Their relationship had run its course, but when they might have called time on it earlier, having Jayce had made them carry on—out of habit and convenience rather than love. Jess had done him a favor when she’d left him before they’d made the mistake of going through with the wedding. Plus she’d given him the gift of their son and set him on a path that had led to Liv.

All the resentment and anger he’d felt toward her earlier, when he’d suspected her of attempting to sabotage him and Liv, had fizzled out. Because really, it had been self-sabotage on his part—his attitude over the past year had seeped into Liv’s psyche, ready to grow out of control and cast doubts on his feelings for her when the time came. It had been unbeknownst to him, but his fault nonetheless. “What do you want to say to me?” he asked gently.

She sighed. “I’m just…so confused. I thought I knew what I wanted. I was so sure we weren’t going anywhere and it’d reached a natural end. Now I feel that way about Rory and me.” She fiddled with her rings. “I felt like I had to say something to you. We’ve got Jayce and that binds us together.” She trailed off, meeting his eyes, and tears were forming.

He took a deep breath, then reached for her hand. “Listen. I think what’s really happening here is a reaction to the loss of your and Rory’s relationship. It’s not me you’re craving; it’s familiarity.” He sighed. “Don’t take this the wrong way. But I think, if the situation were the same and I was completely single, you wouldn’t be here asking me to get back together. I think that subconsciously, it’s the fact that I was involved with someone else that made the idea of me more attractive to you. But that’s not real; it’s just an illusion. Created by your sadness over what’s happening with you and Rory.”

She remained silent, eyes down, but didn’t try to argue.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ve always had trouble with being on your own, Jess. But being single is better than being with the wrong person. I’m not the answer here. You are. You need to spend time with yourself and figure out what it is you really want.”

From her resigned expression, he could tell that she knew he was right. She stared at where he was holding her hand for a few seconds, blinking. Her voice was strained. “Maybe.”

“Listen,” he told her, letting go of her hand. “Things weren’t right before Rory came along, were they?”

Jess glanced up and shook her head.

“He wasn’t the cause of us going wrong, just the consequence. So the fact that you and he aren’t going to be a forever thing has no bearing on the fact that you and I weren’t a good fit either.”

Something seemed to click in her eyes, and she let out a big sigh, rubbing her face. “I guess…I know you’re right.”

He studied her for a moment, guilt washing over him. “I owe you an apology.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “What for?”

He swallowed. “What you said earlier, about your life changing completely when we had Jayce, but mine not doing the same. You hit the nail on the head. I think one of the many things that were not right between us was that I took a lot of what you did for granted. I should’ve pulled my weight more. With him, and lots of other stuff.”

He closed his eyes in discomfort as he remembered the things he’d told Liv a few weeks back. About pretending to load the dishwasher wrong to get out of doing it. About making out he was worse in the kitchen than he really was. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it at the time. But I’ve got a lot of work to do on myself. And I’m going to do it.”

She nodded slowly. “Thanks for saying that.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m also sorry for not noticing that you were feeling down. I should have.”

She managed a weak smile. “And I’m sorry things ended the way they did. I should have told you sooner about my doubts. Nothing happened with Rory until after, by the way, but my attraction to him did give me the push to leave.”

Arran smiled back. “To be honest, I should thank you for that. I clearly couldn’t see the forest for the trees where we were concerned, and you speaking up when you did saved us a load of heartache and hassle. Better to do it pre-wedding than post, and have a divorce to navigate.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t expect you to see it that way.”

He shook his head, trying to keep the emotion from his voice. “Liv helped me to see it that way.”

Jess managed a weak smile. “She’s a good one. Hold on to her.”

Arran smiled back. “I intend to.” He took a breath. “I think we should re-evaluate our childcare arrangements, make sure it’s fifty-fifty down the line. It’s not fair for you to shoulder the lion’s share of responsibility, and I should’ve realized that before.”

Jess swallowed. “I’m good with it, by the way. With Liv being involved with Jayce. She’ll make a great co-parent.”

The idea of Liv co-parenting his son with him made his heart swell to twice its normal size. She was his family and had been for the past year. He’d just been too much of an idiot to see it.

She managed a stronger smile. “Okay. Let’s chat more about it soon.” She stood. “I think I’d better get back to Mum’s.”

He eyed her for a moment. “Will you do me a favor?”

Jess nodded. “After barging in here twice in quick succession? I think I owe you more than one.”

He smiled. “Can you consider getting some support for your mental well-being? I’m sorry that I didn’t see what you were going through after we had Jayce. I think I just normalized it as our transition into parenthood. But I want you to be happy, for Jayce’s sake but also your own. I still care about you even though we aren’t in love anymore.”

She nodded, her voice wobbly. “I will.”

They got up and Arran showed her to the door, waving her off and genuinely hoping she was going to be okay.

The phone started to ring again, so he shut the door and moved over to grab the receiver. “Hello?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you the past twenty-four hours.”

“I was at my parents’ with Jayce. Why, what’s up, Agnes? Did I put the kidney beans in the wrong place again?”

She tutted. “No, it’s more important than that. That’s why I was calling you earlier on. I saw something yesterday morning. Your lassie Liv looked upset and I think your ex-fiancée was to blame.”

“It’s okay, Agnes. We worked it all out.” He paused. “Kind of.”

“What do you mean?”

“Liv thinks I still love Jess, and I need to convince her that’s not the case.”

There was a moment’s silence. “What are you going to do?”

He pressed his fingers to his temple, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’ll think of something.” He shifted over to look out of the small window next to the door, watching Agnes’s net curtain twitch. “By the way, does this mean you’re finally admitting to spying on everyone?”

She chuckled. “Well. Maybe this once I was being nosy. But only because I’m invested in you two young ones.”

He laughed despite himself.

“Right. We need to make a plan for you to win back your sweetheart.”

He raised his eyebrows. “We?”

“Yes. I’ve read all of the romance novels at Glenavie Library. I’m an expert on the situation. We’ll have her back with you in no time.”

“Well, I’m definitely not going to say no to any help that’s on offer. I’m coming over.”

“I’ll get the biscuits out.”

Arran hung up the phone, then departed for next door to get to work on a master plan to win over the woman he loved.