“I’m fine. I thought he was going to hurt me but instinct kicked in when he insisted on dragging me back inside with him. Figured I could end up dead if I did that. I took him down, Liam. Knocked him out, actually.” She said it with a swagger he hadn’t heard in her voice before.
He grinned. Aggie was more ferocious than she knew. “Go you.”
She laughed, nervous but relaxing more as she told the story.
“Yeah. Everything Ben taught me just kinda happened. I managed to get back into the shop and lock myself in before I lost it. I called Ben and he was there in minutes.”
“Thank goodness.” He grabbed her and pulled her against his chest despite her protests. He needed to hold her, to convince himself she was okay.
Aggie stayed there for a moment before she slid out of his arms. “So, the thing is, I can look after myself so you don’t need to worry about me anymore.”
“Can I say something now?”
“Sure.”
He lifted her chin with his hand and gazed into her eyes. “I love you, Aggie Hope. I always have and always will. What I said was stupid. It was my male protectiveness taking over. Call it instinct or attitude, I don’t care. I didn’t mean to make you feel like any less of a person because of what happened and I’m sorry I did. It wasn’t what I meant. You’ll always be the same girl I fell in love with despite what happened to you. Not because of it.”
“I know that. I’m sorry I took it that way too. But it made me see what I had to do to accept that my life wasn’t over because of it. This morning was horrible but it gave me the chance to prove to myself that I can look after myself. I don’t have to have a man to do that. I don’t have to be a victim all my life.”
“No, you don’t. But I’m kind of hoping you want me anyway.” He wrapped his arms around her and waited for her answer.
“I don’t need you, Liam. But I want you. That’s if you can forgive me for wanting to do it this way and putting you through so much.”
All the angst he’d felt over the last week rushed up to knock the wind out of him. “How could you ever doubt that?”
“But you have to promise me something. Don’t try and protect me. I don’t need it. What I need is your love. I can take care of everything else.”
“Can I suggest one thing?”
Aggie raised an eyebrow at him.
“Can I encourage you to see Bradley and talk to him? Just because you’ve managed to protect yourself doesn’t mean there won’t still be some issues to deal with. He’s a great person to work things out with.”
“I’d already decided that would be a wise move. He offered and I happen to agree. Every day won’t be full of light and goodness. I expect it to come back and bite me on the butt occasionally. But so long as I have you by my side, I’m thinking that will happen less and less as time passes.”
“Oh, babe, we can get through this so long as you love me.”
“So you won’t leave Hope Island?” She glanced up at him.
“Only if you do.”
Aggie laughed. “Everything I want is right here. I’m not going anywhere.” She wrapped her arms around him and nestled her face against his chest. “Just don’t let me go, Liam. Don’t let me go.”
Epilogue
“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing, Aggie?” Her father hovered near the door as she packed her personal belongings into a suitcase. She’d already boxed up most of the things she wanted to take to Liam’s house.
“Yes, Dad. I love him and he loves me. Now that we have everything sorted out, I want to live with him.”
Her father stroked his moustache. “So does that mean wedding bells in the future?”
She smiled. They’d already discussed it but both agreed to wait. There was no hurry. They had the rest of their lives to make things official if they decided that was the path they wanted to take. For now, they were just happy they’d finally managed to get to this stage. “Don’t push me, Dad. I don’t want to rush into this.”
“Rush into it? You two kids have been heading in this direction ever since you were teenagers.”
Aggie zipped up her suitcase. “Maybe. But this is a big step.” She pulled the case off the bed before her dad grabbed it and carried it out to the living room. “I want to get to know Liam all over again. It feels right to do it that way for me.”
“Your call, honey. So long as you’re happy, I don’t mind. Do have a yen for another wedding though. Seeing how happy Drew and April are, and Arlo and Hilary too, I was kind of hoping to see you walk down the aisle soon.”
Aggie slipped her handbag over her shoulder and stared at him, trying to come up with something that would take the spotlight off of her and Liam. “I think you should focus on Matt. A little bird told me that he has his eyes on Leanne Cooper. She’s been going through a tough time with her father, and you know how Matt likes to mother everyone.”
He gave a slow smile. “You don’t say?”
Aggie grinned and picked up her suitcase. Her father loved nothing more than seeing someone in love. “Maybe you should check it out, Dad. If anyone was in the market for happy families, it’d be Matt.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now I have some cases to drop off at home before I go to work. Love you, and behave yourself.” She walked to the front door before turning around.
“I love him, Dad—really love him—and I know he feels the same way. I have no intention of letting him go.”
I hope you enjoyed the book. Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter to get all the latest releases and news. I promise not to bombard you, nor will I ever share your details. And if you enjoyed the story, why not leave me a review on Amazon!
Don't Let Go (Hope Harbor Book 3) Page 15
