Page 39 of Liam

“I missed you.”

His grin was ear to ear then. “I missed you too, treacle.”

Then he moved to get his work done because the only thing he wanted right then was to have her all to himself.

THEY HAD EATEN a dinner of chicken sandwiches followed by Taamira’s very first homemade apple pie, which had been delicious and now they were curled up on the lounge. Her head resting on his chest, he relaxed deeper into her, content and happier than he’d ever been just to be in the moment, but he didn’t lie to himself that he didn’t want more, he knew in his heart he did.

She was the most stunning woman he had ever met, his reaction to her physically had been unquestionable from the very beginning, but he’d locked it away as a fantasy. A fantasy that he’d used for his pleasure on multiple occasions—fuck who was he kidding—hundreds of occasions.

Taamira had indicated that she wanted to talk earlier, but she hadn’t said what about or broached the subject again, and he was hesitant to push her, but he was curious what advice the girls had given her.

He rubbed her shoulder, and her dreamy face turned up to his with a smile.

“You said you wanted to talk?”

Taamira scooted to a full sitting position and frowned. “I do.”

Liam reached out and smoothed the frown from her brow with his thumb, and her face softened at his touch. “What’s on your mind?”

He waited for her to get her words together, his heart hammering with every second as he waited for her to voice what was on her mind. Was this the moment she would figure out he wasn’t worth it, that she would kick his ass to the curb? He didn’t say a word despite wanting to, knowing whatever she had to say had been given a lot of thought.

“These last few days, since we decided to see how things went with us being more than friends, I have given my upbringing a lot of thought.”

Okay, not what he thought she would say.

“When I was growing up, the traditions of my people were important to me. It helped shape me into who I am.”

“I respect that.”

She smiled. “I know you do, and I appreciate it, but let me finish.”

Liam grinned at her reprimand.

“Since my attack I have… I have not been the same. Those conventional ways are what inhibit the women of my country, and when I needed them, those same traditions allowed me to carry the blame for a crime against me.”

He let the growl rumble up his throat at her words but stayed silent.

“But after you and I talked, I wanted to decide if my culture and traditions had any bearing on my future. If it was something I still wanted in my life.”

Liam felt terrible that he hadn’t known she was struggling with this. “Treacle, if this is about us moving forward in a physical sense, then I’m happy to wait. I don’t see this as short term. I’m in this for the long haul. However long that maybe.”

“Thank you, but it is not necessary to say that. I have decided that whether you and I continue or not, although I want that immensely, I no longer find that my traditional upbringing and culture define me. It is a part of me, and always will be, but it is not me. It was not of my choosing, and I don’t believe it represents me or what I believe to be the truth. So, I will no longer consider living my life around those rules but live it by what I want my future to look like.”

Liam blinked his shock away, not knowing what to say for a moment, then he recovered his shock. “This is a big decision Taamira. Don’t rush into it. Make sure it’s what you want and truly believe is right for you. I don’t pretend to know everything about your culture, but I do know it’s common for people to want to make changes after a traumatic event.”

“I have given this thought. I know that is a possibility but do not feel this is the case for me.”

“I understand that some of the practices might seem like they don’t fit with how you want women to be treated, but from what little I know from serving in the middle east, the practises are not always exact to what the elders believe.”

“I know, and I love that you are happy to discuss this, but my decision is final. Now, this way, I can be with you fully.”

Realisation dawned, and Liam sat forward, taking her hand. “Taamira, I love that you want to be with me, and God knows I want you so bad I can hardly see straight but don’t make me, or us, the reason you walk away from your history. If you do, then make sure it’s for you. I’ll be here regardless of whether I have to wait until we’re married.”

Taamira’s mouth dropped open at his words. “Married!”

“Well, not now obviously, but how else did you see this ending if we stay together?”

“Well, I don’t know. I guess I never thought past the next few weeks.”