A Life Earthbound (26 page)

But with Capri coming home, it had seemed as though things might be mended. Maybe she really was the missing link that could pull them all back together, the glue that could bond what had long ago been shattered. And yet, it seemed as though progress was slow, and fickle at best. And after tonight…God, she knew this was a huge setback. With all the baggage their fathers carried with each other, it would be hard to ever forge an amiable bond, much less a friendship. How could she or Blythe escape the sins their fathers had committed all those years before?

She was afraid that they couldn’t and that they wouldn’t. They were both too proud, too defensive, and much too eager to blame each other. It was their biggest and most dire fault. And all it was doing was tearing the family apart.

What was it going to take for them to break free of the past and start fresh, when even their fathers couldn’t put aside their animosity for each other?

No…it was a feud that would most likely never end. And all would suffer because of it.

She heard a soft knocking on her door and jolted at the sound of it. Thinking it was probably her mother, ready to scold her for making a scene, Rhiannon padded to the door and opened it.

When she saw Liam, the hallway torch lights glowing behind him, she nearly shut the door in his face. But how could she do that to him, no matter how desperately she didn’t want to speak with him at that moment, when he had defended her so boldly before? He deserved at least some graciousness on her part.

“Can I come in?” he asked, leaning against the door frame and eyeing her solemnly.

She nodded, backing up so he could enter her dark room.

“We’re you asleep?” he asked, even as he noticed her bed was neatly made.

“No, I was just…thinking,” she told him, stepping to her nightstand to turn on the light before sitting on the bed and staring at him. “I’m sorry for dragging you into that fight…I was being immature, I don’t know what came over me.”

“All of you are guilty of being immature tonight.” He chuckled, sitting beside her and watching her knowingly. “Some more than others.”

Rhiannon sighed, feeling mentally drained and exhausted. “I hate fighting, Liam, but I just got so angry seeing Brock provoking my father that way. He’s been in such a bad place lately, and this was the last thing he needed.”

“Is he alright? Where is he now?” Liam asked.

“Sleeping. And to be honest, I don’t really know if he’ll ever be alright again. I can’t figure out how to help him.” She stared down at her hands clenched in her lap, and felt all of the helplessness and fear boil over and consume her. “He’s going to wither away because of my inaction.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this was happening? Maybe my dad can talk to him, do an intervention or something.” He tried to smile, hoping to cheer her up. He hated seeing her look so worried and tense.

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Well, we’ll give it a shot, okay? We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

“Always the optimist.” She smirked, though it was more callous than amused. “How do you manage to be so cheerful all the time when there’s so much turmoil around us?”

“Because even though there is turmoil, there’s beauty too, Rhia,” he told her, aching to reach out and touch her. “I know you see it, whenever you’re in the back gardens with the wild roses, or in the kitchen with all the vegetables you slave over…and when you lose yourself in one of your favorite books. So don’t tell me the whole world is a dark and evil place, when you know yourself it isn’t true.”

She watched him for a moment, taking in his kind eyes, his handsome face…what had she ever done to deserve someone like him in her life?

“What Jax said about me tonight was true, Liam,” she said softly, shaking her head before he could object. “No, you know it is. I know it is, too, and that’s okay. It’s because it was the truth that his words hurt as badly as they did. You shouldn’t have put yourself between Blythe and me that way…you chose the wrong side.”

“The hell with that,” Liam retorted, eyeing her disbelievingly. “You’ve always had this critical opinion of yourself, Rhia, and I just don’t understand it. Why do you focus so much on your faults? You have much more to offer than that.”

“As a Dryad, I have a lot to offer.” She straightened proudly. “I’m an excellent Earth Dryad, I know that. But as a daughter, as a friend? I’m mediocre, at best.”

“Are you kidding me?” he managed, his eyebrows raised. “You know how often my mom looked at you and wished you were her daughter instead of me being her son? I was a pretty ill-behaved kid, and my mom couldn’t handle me, so she backed off and left me to my dad. But you were the picture perfect child, all of us knew that. You did the best in school, you were obedient and well mannered. And as a friend? I’ve seen you with Brogan, with Capri…you help those who don’t have anybody else. You care for those that others have pushed aside and forgotten. Including the damn fairies. It blows me away that you never stopped thanking them, or helping them, when no one else even bothered. It says something about you that you take the time and are considerate enough to care.”

“But I’ve never been good to you, Liam,” she managed, unbearably moved by his defense of her, but miserable nonetheless. “I don’t understand why you won’t give up on me.”

He stared at her, his head shaking in disbelief. “How could you not see it, Rhia?”

“See what?” she managed, her throat tightening at the look in his eyes. God, it was like being thirteen all over again…he was so much the same…

“See that I’ve been in love with you my entire life.”

“Why?” she shuddered, unable to stop that tiny piece of herself from leaping up to dance with pure, unbridled joy at his words. The rest of her shunned in retreat, fearing the words like the plague. No…how could she possibly run from him now? Now that the truth was out…

“Because you’re you, there isn’t really much more to it.” He watched her, gauging her reaction. “Is it such a horrible thing, me loving you?”

Even before she could fully consider his question, her head was shaking, her heart rising within her to bloom warm and heavy in her once hollowed chest. Only he could do this, bring emotion to her when she had never felt it before. It was his gift, and maybe his destiny, to free her.

And, when she considered everything that had happened, not only with her father, but with her mother and with Blythe…maybe it was time she tried something different. Maybe it was time to see if trying to embrace emotions, if opening herself up to feel, could actually save not only her father, but herself, from impending gloom. It would be another experiment and hopefully this time it would not fail. She wasn’t sure she could bear it if it did.

“Liam…I don’t deserve you,” she said softly, her lips barely parting to speak the words, but he heard her loud and clear. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his face, holding her hand there, enjoying the desire that bloomed in his eyes. Eyes she knew as well as her own; eyes that she’d been looking into since the day she was born.

And when she leaned forward, curving into him to touch her lips to his, she felt her body and her mind let go. The feeling was pure bliss; it was freedom.

His arms came around her, pulling her closer, his mouth diving deeper to take what she was offering. He’d waited so long to have her come to him this way, and now that she was…he wasn’t sure he could safely maintain his control. The feel of her yielding to him, the sound of her breath catching as he touched her…it was pure magic.

After all, they were earth and water, elements that could not exist without each other. He knew it was the water in his blood that drew him to her, time and time again, and demanded he have her, and her alone. She, the embodiment of Earth, was the reason for his existence. What was the purpose of water if not to sustain the Earth? And what was the purpose of Earth if not to take all water had to offer, and survive?

Her hands gripped his shirt as his mouth trailed down her neck to graze along her collar bone, sending shivers down her back that had her gasping for air and whispering his name, desperate to feel. Her heart pounded in her chest, full and red hot, filling her with more warmth than she had ever felt before. If she’d known it would be this way, would anything have changed? But, then again, maybe this was that one impossible want that she had denied herself all her life; the want Liam had told her she needed to take before it was too late.

All she could do was thank God he still wanted her, after all the time she’d wasted.

When his hands trailed down to rest on her hips, he started to pull away, choking back the need coursing through him, knowing he couldn’t rush her...rush this. Rhiannon wouldn’t want haste. She’d want care and caution, a chance to think things over and make a sound decision. He could never forgive himself if he didn’t give her that opportunity.

“What is it?” she asked, backing away to look in his eyes, fearing for one brief moment that he’d changed his mind, that he’d decided he didn’t love her anymore, and that he didn’t want her…

“I need to know if you want me to stop, Rhia, before this goes further,” he managed, gripping her waist to keep himself steady.

She just stared at him, the answer in her eyes. Having no words, she simply shook her head and pulled him down with her, crushing her lips to his as they hit the bed.

At dawn, she awoke to the sound of birds and to the feel of Liam’s breath on her neck. She lay there, still and silent, and stared out her open window for what felt like ages. Golden sunlight streamed in, glittering on dust as it fell over the floor, spilling out on her bed and glowing warm on her skin. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, basking in this moment of peace and blissful quiet.

She felt Liam shift, nuzzling his face into her neck as his arm pulled her closer to him so she was pressed against his body. This simple act of affection, something so normal to anyone else, touched her deeply. No one had ever held her, not like this. But Liam was unlike anyone else she had ever known. And being with him…it had filled the gap within her soul that had been hollow all her life. Water had, once again, given her hope, given her a sense of freedom.

Curious, she lightly touched his hand, trailing her fingers over his skin. He loved her…how was that even possible? But she knew Liam would never lie to her, so it must be true. Did she love him? She had no idea what it felt like to love…but perhaps this fullness in her heart, this deep, inner yearning for him was love. Still unsure, she pushed the thought away. One thing at a time, Rhiannon, she thought with a sigh, knowing she shouldn’t rush it.

His hand suddenly turned to hold her own, and she felt him kiss the back of her neck.

“Morning,” he greeted, his voice husky and deep with sleep. She welcomed the shivers that coursed down her spine at the feel of his lips and the sound of his voice.

“Good morning,” she replied, closing her eyes, unsure what to do. There was work to be done, as always, and she really needed to shower and get to it…but lying here, in his arms, was a sensation she was reluctant to give up just yet.

But, as was her way, the minute she started thinking about work, she could no longer enjoy lying in bed idly.

Sitting up, she pulled the sheets to cover her chest and stared down at him, lazily stretched out beside her, a relaxed smile on his face.

“So beautiful,” he said quietly, reaching out to touch her hair, his eyes trailing down her bare back as he did.

With a snort, she pulled the sheet with her and slipped out of bed, wrapping it around her to make sure she was covered. Modesty, even though quite useless at this point, was still deeply ingrained in her. She looked at him again, this time with a playful grin.

“If you leave now, your father might not catch you. I know he wakes you up every morning…” She glanced at the clock over her dresser. “About two minutes from now.”

“Shit.” Liam laughed as he stumbled out of her bed, taking the remaining blankets with him and almost tripping over them. She clapped her hand to her mouth, stopping the laughter bubbling in her throat at the sight of him, her other arm clutching the sheet around her body. He scrambled to tug on his jeans and shirt, and swiftly grabbed his shoes off the floor. Rushing to her, he pulled her against him with his free arm and kissed her fully, the move shocking the humor out of her. Would she ever get used to such impulsive affection?

Breaking away, he grinned down at her. “I love you, Rhia.”