Liam drove over the rocky road and pulled up near a row of boulders separating the parking lot from the beach. He turned the car off and grinned. “You’ll have to wait and see. But for now, let’s you and me toss off our shoes and go for a quiet walk. We’ll get the stress out of our systems so we can go and enjoy ourselves without any baggage.”
When he pulled into their favorite beach, Aggie got out of the car, slipped off her shoes and left them on the floor mat. When Liam came around to her side, he took her hand.
Aggie let him lead her down to the sand. She dug her toes in and felt her shoulders relax. “Something about the beach. It always makes me feel more centered somehow.”
Liam looked out over the water. “I know what you mean. When we were interning, I missed this so much. Some nights all I wanted to do was get on the ferry and come home. It felt like I’d never finish my internship.”
“But you did.”
He slid his hands in his pockets and looked at her. “Yeah, I did. Still have regrets though.”
Was she one of them?
“I regret not coming back to the island more often and taking downtime. I regret losing touch with you more than anything. What went wrong between us, Aggie? How did we drift apart?”
“Life, I guess. Careers, opportunities. Call it what you want, but everyday living got in the way.”
“Do you have any regrets?” He stared at her with such need in his eyes that she had to turn away.
“Lots. Doesn’t everyone?” Aggie started to walk, this line of questioning getting too close to the bone for her. She wanted to distract Liam, keep things on a lighter note. Today was her brother’s wedding. The last thing she needed were depressing thoughts about how she could have handled the situation differently. She’d questioned herself enough that night. “Race you to the rocks.” Aggie lifted the skirt of her dress and she was off.
The adrenaline coursed through her body as she dug her toes into the sand, the soft sea breeze brushing over her cheeks. Liam regretted losing touch. How different life would have been if that hadn’t happened. But now wasn’t the time for regrets. It was too late for that. This was a new day, a new opportunity for them to reconnect. That was if she had the nerve to take advantage of it.
She touched the biggest rock and shouted out, “I win.” Exactly the same words she used to holler when she was a teenager.
Liam pulled up beside her, puffing. “You always did win. Why am I not surprised that would still be the case?” He sucked in a few deep breaths. “But things have changed slightly. Now you’re more gorgeous than ever.”
No wonder Aggie had fallen for him years ago. He was the most sensitive, kind, caring guy she’d ever met. It wouldn’t take much to really fall for Dr. Liam Davidson. If only she could let go of her fear. The fear of being a failure in his eyes when he found out she was damaged goods.
But for now, Aggie wanted to feel like she deserved him and the opportunities he offered. Today she was a normal girl enjoying the wedding of someone she loved, in the company of someone she wished she could love.
He cupped his hands on her cheeks. “You’re absolutely stunning, Aggie. Please give us a chance to reconnect. There’s nothing I’d like more.”
He stole her breath when he was this close. Could she—should she—do as he suggested? The thought had gone through her head more than once. Aggie had pitched between yes and hell no so many times it made her head spin. But staring into his love-filled eyes made her want to risk it, if only for a moment.
“We’d better head back. How would it look if the best man and maid of honor didn’t show up?” Liam touched her lips briefly with his, then he took her hand and led her back to the car.
Aggie let him lead her. She couldn’t have managed the short walk on her own, not with the buzz zipping around her body, after scrambling her brain to mush with that kiss.
Chapter 9
Liam took the mic from the master of ceremonies. “Now that the bride and groom have had their first dance, I’d like you all to turn your attention to the gorgeous bridesmaid, Ms. Agnes Hope. This is for you and I mean every word.”
She was going to kill him when this was over, he knew it, but it didn’t stop Liam from serenading her. He signaled the band leader and the music started. Liam began to sing his favorite Michael Bublé tune and the crowd went wild at his choice of song. At parties and get-togethers, Liam had always been the first to bust out a tune and he loved to do it. He closed his eyes and sung about the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Once the initial excitement of hearing him sing died down, the room went silent as Liam crooned the words. He put every emotion he could into the song, all the love he’d held in his heart for her, the regrets about letting her go. He sung about the dreams he still wanted to share, the life he wanted for the pair of them, hoping that at least some of it would get through to Aggie. He dared not look at her for fear of what she might be doing. So long as she let him finish without bolting from the room, he figured he had a fighting chance. She’d either kill him for embarrassing her, bolt away before he could say anything or, hopefully, take it all in stride and appreciate the sentiments.
He sang the final notes and stood in the middle of the floor as the music
