Page 78 of Liberating Lily

“Lily? Lily, hey, is everything all right?” He suddenly appeared in front of her, making her startle.

“What? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“That’s what I was asking you, baby,” he murmured, watching her closely.

“You were?”

“Yes. I’ve been standing behind you for the last thirty seconds, calling your name.”

She felt a blush fill her cheeks. “Oh. Sorry.”

“I’m worried about you.”

Lily blinked at him. “Worried about me?” That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. She’d half-expected him to say that this was all over.

Before it had even begun.

“You seem lost, baby. You’re still not eating enough. Or sleeping well.”

“I slept well last night.” Because he’d been in bed with her.

Waking up this morning in his arms had been magical. She’d woken up feeling warm and rested.

Not cold and scared.

Imagine waking up that way every day.

To that kiss every day.

Lord, she could still feel that kiss. The way her lips tingled. How her entire body reacted.

“I really want you to think hard about talking to someone. We’ll start looking into it. Okay?”

She nodded, even though she wanted to tell him that her current issue wasn’t really anything to do with what had happened to her at the hands of her mother and Dr. Wallace, and more to do with her regret over their earlier conversation.

And the fact that she was too much of a coward to just take what he was offering.

“All right,” she replied.

“I have to go and meet Paddy. Are you sure you’re all right? I can have one of my guys come and sit with you.”

He was offering to get her a babysitter. No way. She didn’t think so.

“I’ll be fine,” she told him. “I’d rather be on my own.”

“I don’t know, baby. I feel like you’ve been on your own for far too long.”

What did he mean? She was never on her own. She’d lived with her mother her entire life. There’d always been somebody at the house, whether that was James or Selena or her mother.

“I’m never alone,” she said.

“Aren’t you?” He reached out a hand.

She took hold, surprised when he pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I just want to take care of you, Lily. But sometimes I might take things too far and scare you. Which is the last thing I want to do.”

Lily shook her head. “No, no. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that. I didn’t really mean it. I don’t know what I mean half the time anymore, or what I want. Sometimes I don’t even know I want something, or I think I shouldn’t want it. This is all just new.”