His happiness dissolved with every word out of her mouth, until all that was left was the hollow emptiness he was growing accustomed to. Of course, she’d explain it away with logical facts. This was a different world and a different time. People no longer had room to believe in things for which they had no proof.
“Liam,” she said hesitantly. “I know this past month has been difficult for us, but I want you to know I’m glad you’re here. And I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”
“Same,” he managed, pretending he hadn’t just gone from glowing optimism to crushing disappointment in the blink of an eye. “I’m sorry I lied to you, Cora. It was wrong of me. Can you ever forgive me?”
The wind stirred a lock of hair across her cheek as she studied him. “I can, but it’s going to take some time for me to completely trust you. You understand that, don’t you?”
He dipped his head in remorse. “I do.”
“Good,” she said firmly. “Now that that’s out of the way, would you like to move back home?”
Liam snapped his head up. Home.
When Cora smiled, it was like sunlight on his face.
He nodded because he couldn’t trust himself to speak. Even if she never knew his true feelings, it was enough just to be near her. It had to be. Because no matter where they were, no matter when, Cora would always be his home.