Left With Liam

Chapter 47

Liam

I can tell something is wrong when Mel gets home from work. She's not wearing her usual relaxed smile. Her shoulders are slumped, her eyes don't have their normal glow, and her lips are pulled down at the corners.

As soon as she hangs up her coat, I weave my arms around her, pulling her close to my chest, asking, "What's wrong?"

Mel nestles into me, pulling herself closer as she mumbles against my shirt, "I'll tell you later. For now, I just need this."

My heart tugs, feeling helpless, not knowing what has my girl feeling down. I know she'll talk about it when she's ready; it still sucks not knowing all the details so I can help her through it. Until then, I'll give her what she's asking for.

I squeeze her tighter, letting my head rest on top of hers, giving her what comfort I can. We stay wrapped up in one another until Mel sighs, loosening her grip around my back. She pulls away with a small smile, leaning on her toes to graze my lips with a quick kiss.

"Thank you," she says before stepping out of my embrace.

I take the hand that I'm still holding and bring it to my lips. "Any time, babe. I've got you."

She lets me hold her hand as we walk to the kitchen to join Tay and T.J., who are wrapped in their own embrace, paying us no attention. They only put an inch between them as they hear Mel and I start to pull plates from the cabinet and set the table.

I look up when I hear Tay giggle as T.J. murmurs something in her ear. I quickly turn my attention to Mel, who's watching the two with a smile on her face. I catch her eye and see something flash in her blue orbs. Her smile widens as she reaches for my hand.

She pulls me close, angling her head so I can meet her lips. I waste no time giving her what she asks for. When I pull back, Mel whispers, "I love you."

I can't help the feeling of relief that washes over me at her words. I know something is still bothering her, but whatever it is, it's not us. "I love you, Mel. I'm here for you. Whatever you need, you got it."

She melts into my arms, releasing some of the tension she's been holding. "It's work stuff. It'll be okay. I'll tell you about it after dinner."

I nod, rubbing her back soothingly as she takes what she needs from me.

Later that night, as Mel and I lay in bed, I asked if she wanted to talk about what happened. She drew circles over my chest as she considered her answer, nearly distracting me from the task at hand- finding out why Mel was upset about work.

When her fingers stopped moving, she gave me a sad smile. "Tammy is retiring. She's going to put the building up for sale. I may lose my position if she can't find a buyer who wants to keep the staff hired on."

It felt like someone was squeezing my chest. I know how much that place means to Mel, and she's amazing at what she does. If she loses it, she'll be devastated.

I muster my strength, hoping to sound confident as I try to put her at ease. "It'll be alright, Mel. I'm sure everything will work out in the end. Don't lose hope."

I feel one corner of her mouth tug where she's resting her head over my heart. "I know. It'll just be sad if I have to find a new place. Tammy's rink always has some free time where I can just free skate without anyone watching. It's therapeutic. I'd just hate to lose that."

Not knowing what to say, I pull Mel closer, wrapping my arms more tightly around her, and place gentle kisses on top of her head. I pour everything I have into that embrace, hoping she can feel how much I love her, how badly I want to protect her, and how I'd do anything to make her happy.

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Mel

It's been a few weeks since Tammy told me she was retiring and selling the facility. She hasn't found a buyer yet, but she's looking, and from what she's told me, she's holding out for someone who will run the place as she has. Her hope is to find someone who is willing to keep the staff and not turn the rink into a completely different venue.

I hope she can find that person, but I'm not getting my hopes up. If the worst-case scenario happens, I'll deal. It will suck, but I'll deal.

I've already mapped out the facilities that are hiring and know which ones have the best benefits. I'll have to work further from home, but at least I'll have a job.

When I told Tay and Lins about everything, they suggested I look into buying the place. It's my dream, after all. They helped me look into loans and figure out how feasible it would be for me to actually take the dive and make the place mine. It turns out it's not feasible at all. Not for me anyway. Not for Tammy's place.

The down payment I would need to secure a loan that size is substantial. When I saw the number, my heart plummeted. I could feel my dream slipping away. Even if I saved every penny I could over the next ten years, I don't think I'd have enough to secure a place like that to make my dream come true.

The girls offered to help, suggesting I let them lend me the money. They said between them and the guys, they could probably buy the place outright, and I could pay them back over time. The offer was tempting, but I couldn't ask them to do something like that for me. It was way too much, and I wouldn't feel right tying up funds like that for any of them. Plus, if something went horribly wrong, it would affect our friendship. That was something I wasn't willing to risk.

The only thing keeping me sane was Liam. His unwavering confidence that everything would all work out was inspiring. I felt myself start to believe it after a while. I'll just have to wait and see what happens.