This chapter is dedicated to Scintillahx for never failing to support me. Thanks for sticking with me and my story.

She made the Liss mood board at the end of this chapter and I am obsessed with it. :) Also, go check out her stories guys. You won't be disappointed.

Liam

"You've been here what, two days? All I'm saying is, stay till morning." Kimberly says, turning her head my way, her hair sprawled across the pillow.

I glance at Seth, and he puts his hands up in defense, struggling to keep his face straight.

"She invited herself." He says.

If I hadn't run into her, no one would have found out I was even here. I wanted to stay in a hotel so I can have my peace, but Seth wouldn't hear of it after he found out.

"I need to get there tonight," I tell her closing the zipper of my small duffel bag.

"Come on! Tess is throwing a party at the Penthouse because I told her you're here. Plus, the weather is bad. It could be dangerous to fly."

"If it is, they will cancel the flight. And as for Tess, it's your fault for telling everyone. I never said I was going to stay."

She groans.

"You weren't exactly dying to leave either. You never mentioned you would be leaving this soon. What changed?"

Just when I am about to tell her to mind her own damn business, Seth saves the day.

"Shit! Tess just sent out invites via text. Everyone will be there."

Kim's eyes widen.

"Liam, you can't go. She'll kill me!"

"Give it up, Kimmy. He is going, and you're dead." Seth laughs deviously.

She hurls a pillow at him.

"It's not like he is happy there." She sneers. "I don't see what the rush is."

"I am happy there," I tell her firmly.

I know where she is getting at. She witnessed how distressed I was last night. I have never experienced homesickness like this before. I never really had a home, to begin with, because a house doesn't make a home. If there is no one there worth going back to, it's just bricks on top of bricks.

Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with Jess. The past couple of days without her were unimaginably difficult. It felt like a part of me was missing, and it was.

I glance at my watch.

"I should get going," I say, getting up.

"Did you call an Uber?" Seth asks.

I shake my head.

"Sabrina insisted on sending a driver. He should be here soon."

"She is the hottest, most thoughtful Stepmother ever. I wish my stepmom was that nice. Or at least hot." He says, and I eye him with a brow raised.

"Don't be gross," Kim says, scrunching her face up. "That's your stepmom. As in, she bangs your dad."

Now it's Seth who hurls a pillow at her.

"Now, who is being gross? Thanks for the image!" He shudders.

I shake my head with amusement.

"Goodbye, you two."

Kim tries her shot one more time, trying to talk me out of leaving. But it falls on deaf ears because nothing is going to keep me from getting back home. If there is anything these past couple of days have taught me, it's that I can't be away from Jess for long if I want to remain sane, which is why I've done a lot of thinking and decided to apply to Culinary Schools in NYC. I could do a few modeling gigs here and there since the modeling company I used to work with still reach out from time to time, asking to renew our contract.

I'll have to run the idea by Jess first, of course. My father said I now have access to a Trust Fund as if that makes up for the way he's treated me my whole life. But I'd rather not touch his money. With my inheritance and what I have saved up, the modeling gigs will help me jump-start my own restaurant business in the long run.

When I step out of the apartment complex, the driver is already parked there waiting. Seth gives me a pat on the back with a little smirk and says,

"Go get em', kid." reminding me of our modeling days, where he used to say that before a shoot. He's five years older than me, so he always treated me like a little brother.

"Take care," I say with a small smile.

"Come back for Spring Break or something." He says instead of goodbye.

"I'll give it a thought."

He nods and steps back.

"If Tess kills me, you are not allowed at my funeral. Get home safe."

Kim pouts as she gives me a hug.

I step into the car, and I tell the driver to head to JFK. As we speed down the unusually traffic-free streets, I feel a sense of calm I haven't felt in a while.

Jessica

I slump down on the couch with a groan. I ended up burning dinner, so I had to call Uber Eats to have it delivered. I wanted to make something decent for tonight, but I failed miserably. Liam would have laughed if he was here.

I feel so giddy just thinking he could walk through the door any second now. I stayed at the hospital for a little bit and came here to take a shower and cook. But we know how that turned out. At least I didn't burn the kitchen down.

I sit down, scrolling through Instagram for what seems like ages, and my heart lurches when I hear the front door open. It's only been a couple of days, but it feels like a lifetime since I saw him, and that terrifies me.

As soon as Liam steps inside, I jump into his arms.

He drops the duffel bag he had slung on his shoulders to hold me as I wrap my legs around his waist. I bask in his warmth and inhale his scent. The next thing I know, I'm bursting into tears.

"Sorry, I'm so emotional." I attempt to laugh it off but what comes out is a choked sound.

I feel his chest vibrate as he chuckles.

"I missed you so much." He whispers, tightening his hold.

"I'm so sorry, Liam. I was completely out of my mind that night. You didn't deserve that." I tell him, pulling back so I can look into those vibrant Hazel eyes.

"Tell me you love me." He says, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against mine.

"I love you."

His lips find mine, and he kisses me so passionately slow, my heart feels like it might break. His kiss is full of love and so full of longing, I get completely lost in him. And I barely notice as he walks us to the couch.

I don't know how long we sit there, making out. I feel extremely tempted to rip his clothes off and have my way with him, but I know he might be tired and starving.

I pull away, breathing heavily.

"I ordered some food. You need to eat." I tell him.

"I have a pretty good idea of what I wanna eat." He says, looking at me with hunger.

I squirm from on top of him, and he hisses.

"Keep moving like that, and I will fuck you right here." He says, lifting his hips to make me feel his erection.

I suck in a breath, trying to get my heart rate under control. It takes every ounce of strength I have to pull away from him, but I do.

"You need to have some food. We will finish what we started later." I say, getting off of him.

"Oh, I know we will." He says, cursing under his breath as he gets up. "You're gonna be the death of me, woman." He tells me, making me giggle.

***

I heat up the now cold food, and we eat at the island. I tell him what happened with Steff and the conversation I had with Ellyn, and he tells me about his trip.

"Was the legal stuff too stressful?" I ask.

"To the lawyers, maybe. But I only had to sign a few papers." He takes a bite of his food, and he looks off into the distance before returning his gaze to me. "My grandmother put my father in charge of the inheritance when she wrote her Will. Since my mother was declared unfit at the time, she thought she was doing the right thing by putting him in charge until I turned 20. But when we had a fallout last year, he not only stopped me from having access to that account, but he also found a way to freeze my personal account. The money I had worked for. If I didn't have a separate account he wasn't aware of, I wouldn't have had the means to provide for myself, which is what he wanted. He wanted to see me crawl back to him and beg for scraps."

I reach for his hand across the island.

"And now that's sorted out, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, more or less." He says, intertwining our fingers. "Sabrina said to tell you hello. You made quite an impression on her. She loves you."

That makes me smile.

"How is the pregnancy treating her?"

"I only saw her for about fifteen minutes when I dropped by the Penthouse to meet with my father's lawyers. But she seemed happy."

"That's great."

"Yeah." He sighs. "At least he is capable of making somebody happy."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Liam," I tell him.

"I'm the one who is sorry. I wasn't here when you needed me." He says, and I see the sincerity in his eyes.

"You couldn't have known," I tell him.

I put the leftover in a container, and store it in the fridge before going upstairs to work on an assignment while Liam takes a shower.

I am only two questions in when he steps out with a towel wrapped around his waist, his abs and pecs glistening, water dripping from his thick dark hair. My body goes haywire just from looking at him. He looks like the sexiest snack, and I want to devour him.

"Enjoying the view?" He asks, with a little smirk, dropping the towel.

Instead of answering him, I get up and walk towards him. I have waited long enough. When I stand in front of him, his eyes drop to my lips, and he swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. I feel the heat radiating from his body, and I shiver.

"You cold?" He asks.

"No," I say breathlessly.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to control myself tonight." He says, looking at me with hooded eyes. "You won't be able to walk straight when I am finished with you."

Goosebumps break across my skin.

"I'm okay with that."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, he wraps his fingers around my throat and takes my lips in an urgent kiss. I moan when I feel his tongue enter my mouth, and I shove my fingers through the thick curls of his hair, pulling him closer to me.

Liam picks me up, and he carries me to bed without breaking our contact. He hurriedly takes off my Cami, and his lips immediately find a nipple, making me arch my back with a moan. He sends his hand down, and his fingers wrap around the waistband of my panties. He rips the flimsy lace material clean off, chafing my skin, and he pushes into me without warning, making me cry out loud.

His fingers wrap around my throat once again, and he looks into my eyes, not attempting to hide his pleasure. My hands fist the comforter, and I moan, not caring about how loud I'm being. He grabs the back of my knees and lifts them up to my chest till I'm folded in half. He then puts my legs over his shoulders and picks up his pace.

***

It takes us a few minutes to recover. Liam kisses my forehead and rests his head against mine.

"I love you so much, Jess." He says, breathing harshly.

"Don't disappear like that again," I say quietly, and he holds me to him, rolling on his back so that my head is resting on his chest.

"Never again. I promise."

"And I promise I will work on my trust issues. I should know by now you wouldn't go behind my back or lie to me. I've just had my trust broken so badly before, and I still have PTSD or something. That's what you get for dating someone who only got with you for a dare." I chuckle, but Liam stills, and I feel his body stiff.

I curse myself inwardly for bringing up Elliot and the stupid dare. I will never understand why guys feel the need to dare each other to play with a girl's heart. But this is definitely not the time to bring that up.

Liam is not Elliot. Not even close. And I don't want to doubt him ever again.

"What I'm saying is," I lean up to kiss his sharp jaw. "that I trust you completely."

I look up at him and see his eyes shine, glimmering in the light.

"I will do whatever it takes to not break that trust." He tells me, and despite the determination in his eyes, his voice falters.

I kiss his lips softly, and I lay my head back on his chest again. His arms tighten around me as I fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Hey, loves. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :) There is exciting news!! Counting Stars has reached ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND reads. Excuse me, WHAT??? My heart felt SO full when I woke up to that. I wanna thank each and every one of you for taking a chance on this book and making it this far. You don't know what your support means to me. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!

So, Liam is back and safe and Jess has decided to fully trust him.

Thoughts?

I loved hearing where you guys are from in the last chapter. :) Don't forget to leave a vote if you enjoyed this chapter.

Much love,
Becca