Hello, my lovelies. How are you?
Has any of you the most recent B&B episode? If you did, you can imagine how upset I am. I don't know where the writers are going with this storyline, but I am so scared for my baby girl Steffy. I don't want her to be blamed for something that she didn't mean and had no control over!
Anyway, sorry for the wait. It's been difficult finding time to write lately. Also, I will be travelling tomorrow to spend some time with my family, so I won't have a lot of time to write. Also, my laptop is sort of breaking apart on me right now. I'm trying to get it fixed before my flight. We shall see. So if you don't get an update within two weeks, please don't be upset, I'm trying. I'll do my best okay.
To make up for that, this is almost 7k words. Enjoy!
twlightbella: Glad to see you're enjoying the story. Thx for reviewing.
Guest: I haven't even posted it omg. I'm so sorry. I have written the first chapters, but it was a long time ago, and I would like to read over them before I post them. Soon, I hope.
othfangirl: OMG. Your review or should I say your letter truly touched my heart. Thank you so so much. It meant the whole word. I'm so glad you're enjoying WITS so much. I will PM you to reply to your review the way it deserves to be.
Moonkisss: Thank you for your review! I'm really afraid of what's going to happen to Steffy on the show. I'm just going to take a break from B&B for a while. The whole time of my trip probably. I don't want to watch this go down.
RHatch89: Thank you!
Thevampiresrulez: Why is everybody so afraid of that omg?
sydcasy: Thank you, I appreciate it. Sorry for the wait. Hopefully, the length of this chapter makes up for it.
"I kissed Hope." Liam blurted out.
Steffy narrowed her eyes and shook her head in confusion, thinking she misheard him. "I –I'm sorry. I thought I heard you say you kissed Hope."
Liam closed his eyes an instant, summoning the courage to go through with his revelation. "I did."
"You did what?" She forced the words out of her mouth.
It took every ounce of strength for Liam to say it. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Steffy, and he knew telling her this absolutely would. "I did say it. I did kiss Hope."
Mission accomplished. When a look of betrayal settled in Steffy's eyes, Liam's worst nightmare came true. He had figured he would see hurt there, betrayal, anger, perhaps even furor. But what he saw in her eyes instead was immense sadness, deception, and acceptance. It somehow made Liam feel even worse.
"I'm so sor -"
"Don't you dare!" Steffy defended furiously, pointing her finger at him. "Don't you dare tell me that you're sorry, Liam! Sorry isn't gonna cut it." She eyed him up and down before she stood up and started to walk away.
"Steffy" He stood up as well and caught up with her.
She spun around. "How could you?" She shook her head in incomprehension. "How could you do this to me? To us?" She couldn't believe what he had just confessed. She couldn't believe that Liam had kissed Hope. Again. While being with her! Why ask her to come back when a part of him still so clearly wanted to be with Hope?
"So I was right? All this time I thought maybe you were having regrets, and you made it seem like I was crazy to even consider that you wanted to be with anyone but me… I was right. You still want Hope."
"No. No, Steffy. I don't, I swear. Listen, this happened so long ago, ok? It has been weeks!"
"Weeks?"
"Yes. It happened before she left for Paris."
Steffy's forehead creased as she tried to recall that day and the events that occurred around that time. "Just before you asked me to marry you?!" Her eyes widened in stupor.
Liam briefly closed his eyes, cursing the whole world. He hadn't thought she'd make that parallel.
"Oh my goodness, Liam! Really? God, is this really happening right now? This is a nightmare; I'm going to wake up, right?!"
"Steffy, please let me explain." He pleaded.
"I wouldn't if I were you. You're only digging yourself in deeper."
"Please."
Steffy had an internal debate. She didn't know if she wanted to do this. It was ten in the evening; she was tired; her blood was on fire and felt like it might explode at any moment. She didn't need this. The baby definitely did not need this. But at the same time, she knew she wouldn't be able to find sleep if she didn't get some kind of explanation. If she could even believe anything Liam said anymore.
The unreasonable side of her won and she sat down on the bed, waiting for Liam to say what he had to say. He sat at a reasonable distance from her, leaving her some personal space.
"It happened before Hope left for Paris. We hadn't spoken to each other since… you know, and I wanted to make sure that she was okay. Mostly, I didn't want her to leave while being upset with me." He admitted.
She listened to him with attention, in silence, curious to hear what the hell went through his mind for him to betray her like that.
He took a deep breath before he continued, "So I went to see her in Eric's office. We talked. I asked her how she was doing, I told her how sorry I was that she was hurting and for not telling her myself about your pregnancy, and that I wished her the best."
"Liam!" She stopped him. "Spare me the details. I don't want to know how it happened. I want to know why."
"She was cold."
Steffy frowned. Huh?
"She was acting cold and seemed so unaffected." He said.
Her scowl deepened. Seriously? He had just broken the girl's heart. Was she supposed to jump in his arms and thank him?
"She was physically there with me, but emotionally, she was so distant. I felt like…" He trailed off.
"She was slipping away."
He nodded. As often, Steffy managed to understand his feelings and actions better than he could.
"So you kissed her." She stated more than she asked, but Liam answered anyway.
"Yes."
Steffy folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself. "And you kept it to yourself. All this time." She looked at him. "Why didn't you tell me, Liam? Why tell me now?"
Liam shrugged and shook his head. He didn't have anything to say for himself. He knew he should have told Steffy right when it happened, but he didn't know how. It didn't exactly fit in his plan of convincing her that she was the only one, and as time went by, it became the more difficult to tell her.
"I didn't know how you'd react, and I didn't want to hurt you."
"I hate to break it to you, but you did a poor job at that."
Liam hung his head in shame and guilt. "I know."
"Is that it?" Steffy asked and Liam looked up to her in confusion. "Is that all you had to say to me? 'Cause if you have another confession, now is your time."
He nodded. "There is something else."
Steffy managed to repress a sigh. Unbelievable. "I'm listening."
"Hope brought up the idea that I should marry you." He turned to look at her to gauge her reaction. She was staring ahead, a blank look on her face. Liam didn't like it. When he couldn't tell what Steffy was thinking, it was usually pretty bad. "Please say something." He asked her.
"Karma's a bitch."
"What?"
She brought her hands together and intertwined her fingers beneath her chin. "Back in Italy, I told you to marry Hope, remember? I told you to go ahead with the wedding." She shrugged. "It only seems fair that Hope would return the favor and tell you to marry me. Karma's a bitch." She repeated.
"Steffy, Hope isn't the reason I asked you to marry me. She really isn't." Liam assured her. "She knows how much I love you, and she realizes that given the circumstances, there's only one way this is headed."
Steffy sucked her lower lip.
"Baby, please look at me."
She reluctantly turned her head in his direction and raised her gaze to him.
"All Hope did was reassure me that she wouldn't be offended if I proposed to you right away, but my love, I proposed to you because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He tried to cup her face, but she cringed. "I didn't have a gun pressed to my temple. The decision was mine. It doesn't change anything."
"It does to me." Steffy countered. She looked at him, eyes and soul wounded. "You wouldn't have proposed to me if Hope hadn't told you to."
"Maybe not then." He conceded because it was true. "But eventually yes, I would have."
"I guess we'll never know." She let out a resigned sigh. She leant on the bed to get up. "I'm going to bed."
Liam immediately jumped off the bed. "What?! Where?" he asked.
"The guest room." She casually responded.
"Baby please -"
"I'm not sleeping with you, Liam." She spoke in a calm but firm voice.
Knowing he wouldn't make her change her mind, Liam capitulated. "Then let me sleep in the guest room."
"No. I'm the one who won't sleep in the conjugal bed. I'm the one who's sleeping in the guest room."
Without leaving Liam the time to respond, Steffy left the room, slamming the door behind her.
/
Steffy tossed and turned in every direction in the sheets. She had chosen to sleep in the guest room instead of kicking Liam out of their bed because she thought she'd never be able to sleep in their bed with Liam's scent all over the sheets, but it turned out that she couldn't find sleep in the guest room bed for the opposite reason: the sheets didn't have Liam's intoxicating yet comforting scent.
The bed was so cold without him. She missed his warmth and his strong muscular arms, in which she always felt protected. Steffy found it impossible to sleep without listening to Liam's steady, perfect heartbeat, her head on his chest, breathing in sync with him.
A few tears escaped her eyes, and Steffy wiped them away, refusing to feel this weak and to give Liam that much power over her.
She got into a sitting position. She glanced at the clock beside her on the nightstand. 2:37 a.m. It was so late. She needed to get some sleep. It would have helped if little heart –Steffy's nickname for her yet to be born baby –would have stopped wriggling in her belly. It was as though he or she could feel his or her daddy wasn't there, watching over them.
Steffy reached out for her phone under her pillow. She felt like talking to someone, but 3:00 a.m. wasn't exactly a socially accepted time to call. She knew if she called her mother, she would come immediately, and she didn't want that. She also knew if she called Thomas, he would never let it go until she told him absolutely everything, and as mad as she was at Liam at the moment, she didn't want to involve third-parties in all of this. What happened in their home stayed in their home.
Without really realizing, Steffy dialed Wyatt's number and made the call. It rang once, twice, three times. She was about to hang up when Wyatt's asleep voice answered, 'Hello?'
Shit! Now what? 'Hi…' was all she found to say.
'Steffy?' he asked since she had forgotten to introduce herself.
'Yeah, it's me.'
'Are you ok?!' There was no missing his concern. Wyatt's voice was no longer rough with sleep, but wide awake and filled with worry.
Steffy couldn't help the slight smile that broke her face. It was kind of nice to have someone worry for her for a change. 'Yeah, I'm fine.'
'You don't sound fine.' Wyatt countered.
Steffy raised and lowered an eyebrow. Damn! He was perceptive, even over the phone and with miles between them.
'Where are you? Do you want me to join you?' He offered.
'No! No.' She immediately replied. 'Don't bother.'
'It's no bother at all. I'm already out of bed.'
'Then get back in it.' Steffy told him. 'I shouldn't have called you. I woke you up. I'm sorry.' She apologized.
'Steffy.'
'Good night, Wyatt.'
'Stef -' Wyatt's voice faded out as Steffy pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up.
She let the weight of her upper body fall on the headboard and rested her head on the wall, heaving a sigh. She looked at her phone screen which showed her last phone call to Wyatt.
Lord, she wasn't thinking straight anymore.
/
On Liam's side, things weren't much better. He couldn't sleep either. He was staring at Steffy's side of the bed, his guilt ravaging him. He hated himself for what he had just done to her. He wished that kiss with Hope had never happened. He wished he could be a better man for Steffy all that simply.
Liam didn't know if Steffy would ever fully trust him again, and he couldn't blame her if she didn't. He had royally screwed things up. But the fact of the matter was that Liam loved Steffy… with all that he was. It just seemed that he didn't know how to show her. He didn't understand the discrepancy between his words and his actions himself, how could he expect Steffy to understand?
Here he was now: having to sleep without the woman he loved, who was in their guest bedroom –and he was certain, couldn't sleep either. Why did he have to hurt her like that? What kind of man am I to betray the woman I love so much?
Liam felt tears well up in his eyes and looked up at the ceiling to hold them back.
He had brought this on himself. He had no one to blame but himself. Why did I kiss Hope? What point was I trying to make? The only one I want is Steffy! For once in his life, he wished he was more like his father. He wished he was as committed and loyal to Steffy as his father was to Katie. He was capable of it; the thing was to get there.
Liam didn't know how he would make up for this yet. He didn't know how he would earn Steffy's trust again, but he knew that if given the opportunity, he would spend the rest of his life trying. He would fix the mess he made. No matter what.
/
"You really shouldn't be here."
A smirk threatened to spread across Wyatt's face. "You called me."
"I know." Steffy said before she walked away from Wyatt. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She turned back to Wyatt. "I shouldn't have."
Wyatt walked over to her. "But you did."
"It was a mistake. You shouldn't be here." She repeated as if she was trying to convince herself.
"You don't want me here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. He took Steffy's lack of response as a good sign and closed the gap between them even more.
Steffy suddenly had trouble breathing regularly.
Wyatt cupped her face, making her shiver slightly, and gently stroked her right cheekbone, causing her face to take a pink color. Wyatt smirked contently, delighted of his obvious effect on Steffy. "Steffy… I'm here. So are you." He looked into her eyes. "What happens now?"
Steffy wouldn't have been able to free herself from the hold of his smoldering eyes had she wanted to. She shook her head. Her mouth dry, she moved her lips. "I don't know."
Wyatt leaned in and stopped to look at Steffy, waiting for her to stop him. She didn't. He delicately laid his lips on hers, taking the time to savor their first kiss. Steffy slipped her hand around Wyatt's neck and held his shoulder for support as he moved them towards the bed.
Steffy's eyes sprung wide open just when she collapsed on top of the bed. She held her heart in horror at the dream, at the nightmare! she had just had, panting and sweating.
She managed to calm herself down and her heartbeat returned to a regular rhythm. "Oh God" She passed a hand over her face.
/
The next morning, Steffy walked into the living room and found breakfast set for two on the table.
Liam came out of the kitchen with two mugs. "Oh hey! Good morning." He said brightly. "I made breakfast."
"Yeah, I can see that."
He made a few steps towards her and handed Steffy her mug.
She took it, careful not to touch his fingers, which didn't escape Liam's attention although he was in no position to blame her. She looked at its contents and raised a brow at Liam, "Coffee?"
"Decaf." He specified.
She eyed him suspiciously. "You haven't let me drink coffee in two months. Even decaf."
"Well, I am trying to get on your good side today." He gave her a coy look.
"Coffee won't be enough." She took a sip of her hot beverage.
"I know… which is why I added pancakes and waffles on top." He joked, trying and failing to lighten the mood.
Steffy took a seat on the couch. Liam sat next to her. "How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Barely. Not well. You?"
"Likewise." He looked at her. "I can't sleep without you." Liam declared.
Steffy looked up to him. "Me either." She sighed when his look got too intense. "Neither can your son or daughter apparently. The baby gave me kicks all night." She wasn't sure she would have been able to sleep by Liam's side either, considering how upset she was.
Liam laughed. "Really?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'm sorry."
She shrugged and stroked her belly. He watched her. "I missed your snoring."
"I do not snore!" she got indignant.
"And you hugging my pillow and taking all the sheets." He continued.
"I don't take all the sheets!" Steffy denied.
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't!"
Liam laughed at her expense, and Steffy couldn't help a short, amused laugh from escaping her.
"Waking up without you wasn't fun either." Liam said. "Turning around and seeing your beautiful, asleep face, lit by the rays of sunlight." He put a strand of hair back behind her ear, causing a pleasant shiver to run down her spine. "It never fails to make me wonder how I got so lucky as to have you fall in love with me." He stroked her cheek.
Steffy leaned in his touch, bringing her hand on top of his, and closed her eyes, reveling in Liam's warmth. It hadn't been twenty-four hours, but she had missed it. She couldn't stand feeling so… distant from him. Their closeness had always been a key element in their relationship. Even when they weren't together, they were.
She opened her eyes and anchored her gaze in Liam's. His eyes reflected nothing but tenderness, affection, love and deep regret; it took her breath away. When he looked at her like that, as if stars resided in her eyes, it made Steffy forget everything. The whole world just melted away.
Unfortunately, Steffy's stomach decided that instant to gurgle.
Liam raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Hungry?" he asked.
"A little." She answered shyly.
He smiled and turned to cut a piece of pancake. He dipped it in maple syrup and fed it to her. "Thank you." She murmured.
Liam cut another piece for himself. Steffy took the bowl of strawberries on her lap and engorged them one by one.
"Are they good?"
"Delicious."
Liam smiled one of his famous tight-lipped smiles. Watching Steffy eat was a spectacle lately. She had quite an appetite, which only kept growing as she progressed through her pregnancy.
Although he enjoyed the carefree atmosphere that had settled and the lack of tension, Liam knew they were plainly ignoring the elephant in a room, and from his experience, that never did any good. They needed to resolve things, and he trusted that they would. They loved each other enough.
"You remember when I asked you to move back in with me? Right by that fireplace?" He glanced at the spot.
"I do."
"Do you remember what I said?" he asked
"Um…" She put the bowl down. "Something like "Move back in with me"?"
His lips curved into a small smile. "More specifically."
Steffy's expression turned serious and her brows grew closer as she concentrated and tried to remember exactly. "You said that you loved me and that you didn't want to spend the night without me -"
"Or any other night."
Steffy turned her gaze to Liam.
"I meant that." Liam said, looking her in the eyes, trying to convey his sincerity. "I meant every word. I still do. I love you, Steffy. I can't function without you. I do not exist without you. You are my everything…Steffy. My whole world. And I know that you feel the same way about."
Steffy neither confirmed nor denied that statement. Instead, she said, "I cannot pretend like nothing happened."
"I realize that. I'm not asking you to. All I'm saying is…I love you just as much today as I did that night. Even more. Do you believe me?"
Steffy momentarily looked away from Liam's powerful gaze. She wanted to believe him. But between wanting to and actually doing it, there was a difference. "I want to." She responded in a small voice.
"Then do. Do because it's true."
It would have been so easy to accept his words and just let herself be lulled by them. It would have been the easy, uncomplicated choice, and a mere six months ago, Steffy probably would have. But she wasn't that person anymore. She was a mother, and she had a responsibility towards her child and towards herself. She could not let this go without having the strong belief that Liam was truly committed to her and their child. She had to feel it in the deepest parts of her heart.
"I am having a very hard time understanding you lately, Liam. And I'm trying to. I really am. I spent most of last night trying to understand why you did what you did, trying to find a reason for your action. But I couldn't. I wasn't able to. I can't justify you kissing Hope."
"Steffy, of course, you can't. I can't either. There is no justification whatsoever for what I did. I have no excuse. I shouldn't have kissed Hope, and I am so sorry that I did. It will not happen again." He took her hand in both of his. "I am asking you please to forgive me. I love you, Steffy. With all of my heart."
"That's the thing, Liam. You say you love me, but your actions tell me a whole other story."
Liam released Steffy's hand to cup her face. "Steffy, look at me. Look into my eyes." He anchored his gaze in hers. "What do you see? What do you read?"
Steffy searched Liam's eyes for the truth, for what she so desperately wanted to believe. "Love." Her voice was filled with sobs and almost inaudible.
"That is real." He brought his body and face even closer to her to the point where their noses were almost touching. He moved his fingers up and down her face. "My love for you is real. It's the realest, strongest thing I have ever felt. It's what keeps me alive. It's my reason for existing. Steffy, I can't imagine my life without you." He pleaded.
"Neither can I." Steffy intervened, not wanting him to think that their current issues diminished her love for him in the least. "And I don't want to. I -"
Liam's phone buzzed, interrupting her. Sighing, he turned to pick it up and check it. "Are you kidding me?"
"What?"
"That was my agenda. I have a meeting in an hour."
Steffy sighed and rested her back against the soft cushion of the couch.
"I'm gonna call the office and let them know -"
"No, no. Don't, don't." Steffy stopped him. "Don't do that. Go to your meeting." She told him.
"We were having an important conversation." Liam protested.
She shrugged. "It can wait. Our problems will still be there tonight, won't they?"
Liam heaved a sigh and stood up. "I'm going to take a shower." He disappeared through the bedroom with a defeated walk.
/
Hope followed Steffy in her office and closed the door for privacy. "What was that about?" Hope asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Why did you just accuse me of wanting Oliver to get a raise based on the principle that he is my boyfriend?"
Steffy busied herself with papers on her desk. "I never said it was the sole reason." She sat down.
Hope frowned. "Steffy, that's not the point! And for the record, I didn't suggest that Oliver get a raise because he is my boyfriend, but because he is an excellent photographer and has been doing a wonderful job for this company."
"I'm not saying the opposite." Steffy stared coolly at her. "I believe I apologized to you."
"You did, but that doesn't tell me why you made that comment in the first place." Hope insisted. "Or why you threw me those hostile glances during the reunion… I'm confused, Steffy, I thought things were ok between us."
"They were."
"Ok, then what happened?"
Steffy merely stared at her.
"What did I do?" Hope asked, shaking her head.
"Think. You don't see? You have no clue?" Steffy arched an eyebrow.
Hope shook her head, disconcerted, really not seeing what could have –when certain details of her conversation with Liam the day before came back to her. A flash of understanding hit her. She looked at Steffy. "You know."
"You don't catch up too slow for a blonde."
Hope wet her lips. "Steffy…"
"Don't. Do not. I don't want to hear it. I won't believe you anyway." Steffy opened her laptop, wishing Hope would just leave.
"Why?" Hope frowned. "When have I ever lied to you? That's your specialty, Steffy. Not mine."
Steffy slowly looked up to Hope, her eyes warning the blonde, making her think twice before she spoke again. "You don't want to do this now."
"Actually, I don't want to do it anytime. Listen, I understand why you're upset. I have been there, remember? Multiple times. I know how it feels. I know how much it hurts, but I think your anger is a little bit misguided."
"It takes two to Tango, Hope."
"It was a three seconds kiss. We immediately regretted it and parted ways. It was a mistake on both Liam and I's parts, and it will not happen again. I have moved on, Steffy. So has Liam. Please try to as well."
"It shouldn't have happened." Steffy said.
"No, it shouldn't have."
"I really don't want to talk about this, Hope. Especially not with you." This whole thing hadn't left Steffy's mind in the last fourteen hours, and her brain was overheating. She just wanted to press pause.
Hope understood very well what was going through Steffy's mind. She had been in that position more than once and she knew the pain and the hurt that went with it. In spite of everything, and in spite of the residual bad feelings that there were still between them two, Hope wasn't taking any pleasure in seeing Steffy go through this.
"I understand that, and I understand that it's going to take time for you to deal with this, but I'm hoping that this is not going to affect the progress that you and I have been making."
Steffy pressed her lips together fiercely to keep from starting something that she wouldn't know how to end.
"I am truly sorry that you're hurting, Steffy. I hope you believe me. But I did not do anything wrong."
"You mean aside from telling Liam to marry me." Steffy corrected in a deceitfully calm voice.
Saying Hope didn't see that one coming would have been an understatement. "You know about that too."
"I do. Liam told me everything. Better late than never, right?"
"Listen, I don't know what exactly Liam said to you, Steffy, but I did not tell Liam to marry you. Let's be clear: I suggested that he marry you. That's it. I merely suggested it, and may I remind you that you did something very similar in Rome."
"Exactly! Hope. So you should know how that feels!" Steffy snapped.
Truthfully, Steffy wasn't that upset at Hope about her kiss with Liam. The one she was really mad at for that was Liam. He had, after all, admitted to kissing Hope. He initiated the kiss, not Hope, and he was the one who had a responsibility towards her and answered to her, not Hope.
However, she was furious and curiously disappointed by Hope's hypocritical behavior. True, she and Hope were not best friends. They probably never would be, but still, Steffy expected better of her. She couldn't believe that Hope would tell Liam or give Liam her "permission" to marry Steffy… when she perfectly knew what it felt like to feel as though one owed one's happiness to another woman.
Hope closed her eyes, feeling a pang of guilt all of the sudden. Bringing that up to Liam wasn't her finest idea.
"I am sorry, Steffy. I know it doesn't take your pain away, but I am."
"Save it, Hope. Please."
"You shouldn't be questioning Liam's love for you or his proposal."
Steffy raised a brow at Hope. "What makes you think I am?"
"You're not as good at hiding your feelings as you think you are." Hope made a step towards Steffy. "You need to understand this, Steffy: Liam proposed to you because he wanted to. All I did is reassure him that I wouldn't hate him if he did." She paused, letting her words sink in. "Because I am the only reason he wouldn't have."
/
Steffy put down her glass of orange juice and took a look around. The setting was beautiful, simply perfect. Petals of red rose lay scattered on the floor from the house's entrance to the terrace. There were candles –with the wonderful scent of jasmine –a little everywhere: in the living room, on the dining table, in the kitchen and finally outside in the terrace. A CD compilation of romantic songs was playing from the stereo in the living room.
This had clearly demanded a lot of thought and planning, and although Steffy was touched by Liam's gesture, she couldn't help but wonder about the reason behind it. This wasn't exactly their typical date.
'Written in the stars' from Westlife started to play.
Liam grabbed her attention again when he stood up and walked over to her. "Dance with me." He held out his hand to her.
She took it and stood up. He took her away from the table and pulled her close. One hand in his, the other on his shoulder, Steffy pressed the side of her face against Liam's, moving to the music.
Come real close
Forget the world outside
Tonight we're alone
It's finally you and I
Ahhhhh
It wasn't meant to feel like this
Ahhhhh
Not without you
'Cause when I look at my life
How the pieces fall into place
It just wouldn't rhyme without you
The lyrics described what Steffy was feeling to the letter. She could not have said it better herself. Or more perfectly. This was her heart speaking to Liam's… And his speaking to hers. She could not imagine her life without him. They just made sense. They fit together like adjacent pieces of a puzzle. He made her feel whole. He was her home.
She moved her head backwards to face Liam. They locked eyes.
She hoped she wasn't imagining things or getting her hopes up, but Liam had proposed to her only three days before, and here he was, surprising her with this lovely, super sweet, romantic dinner, and just the way he was looking at her in that instant, as he had all night…
Steffy's mind went to one obvious place.
When I see how my path
Seems to end up before your face
The state of my heart
The place where we are
Was written in the stars
Steffy rubbed Liam's shoulder. "Liam, what's happening here?" She asked in a tiny, little voice, afraid to end the sweet dream they seemed to be in.
"What do you mean?"
"What's all this for?" Steffy showed the beautiful setting with her look.
Liam ran his thumb along her cheekbone. "Do I need a reason to want to please you?"
"No, of course not, but Liam, this is all so…" She was at loss for words. "You didn't have to do this."
"I wanted to." Liam leaned forward, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
It just wouldn't rhyme without you
When I see how my path
Seems to end up before your face
The state of my heart
The place where we are
Was written in the stars
"But since you asked…" Liam slowed their motion until finally they stopped. "…there is a special reason I did this."
Liam kissed Steffy's finger and got down on one knee. Steffy's eyes widened as her heart leapt into her throat.
"Steffy… I love you so much. As you know, I'm not really good with words. I've never been. But tonight, for you, I'm going to try. You are an extraordinary woman, Stephanie Forrester. You honor your namesake. You are the strongest, bravest, coolest, most beautiful woman I've ever known. Inside out."
A tear rolled on Steffy's cheek, who was listening to Liam with rapt attention.
"You live every day like it were your last, and you are so annoyingly unpredictable." Liam said, rolling his eyes for emphasis.
Steffy laughed, tears brimming in her eyes.
"But I wouldn't have you any other way. You are truly one of a kind, and I feel so lucky and blessed to have you in my life, to have you as my partner." He paused. "Steffy, I could spend the rest of our lives on my knee trying, but I could never fully explain to you what it is that you mean to me."
Another tear escaped Steffy's eye.
"You represent everything for me, Steffy. You are everything I need and more. I never could have imagined even in my wildest dreams that I would ever find someone who loves me like you do. So completely, truly, and unconditionally. I am so grateful for you, and if you say yes to me in a minute, I promise to love you and tell you every day for the rest of our lives, and I promise to be the best husband to you and the greatest father to our children." Liam pulled out a jewel-case from his jacket's pocket and held it in front of Steffy.
Steffy gasped and covered her mouth with both hands as Liam revealed the ring to her. It featured pave-set diamonds on the contour in a platinum split shank design, enhancing the central diamond.
"Steffy Forrester, will you do me the great honor of being my wife?"
She nodded frantically through her tears. "Yes! Yes, of course, I will."
Liam slipped the ring on Steffy's finger, smiling broadly, and kissed her finger where her ring was, before he got up and pulled her into his arms. He picked her up and spun her around, eliciting a cry of happiness from her.
Steffy's flashback ended. She returned to the present moment and was struck by a flash of understanding that melted some of her away. She looked at her left ring finger. Doubts such as the place of this engagement ring on her finger. She had spent all night and part of the day wondering if this ring really belonged there, if it was truly hers. And even worse: if Liam was truly hers.
Finding out that the man one loved had proposed because his ex-girlfriend –and over and above almost-ex-wife –had told him to was about the worst thing Steffy could think of. It hurt. It was devastating. It put everything into question. It led Steffy to question Liam's love for her and his desire to commit his life to her. It made her finger burn at the spot where her engagement ring rested because she wasn't sure it belonged there
Except she hadn't accepted Liam's proposal. Not right away. She had told him that they needed more time so that he could be sure, so that they could be sure. And Liam had reiterated his proposal…days later, with a ring this time and in the most romantic setting she could have imagined.
Why propose again if he didn't truly want to marry her? Why put so much effort into it? He meant it, Steffy realized.
Steffy grabbed her phone and went to her gallery. The last picture she had looked at was one of Liam. She had at least half a hundred pictures of Liam in her phone. She moved to the next photograph. It was a selfie of her and Liam in that beautiful field where they had landed after paragliding in Aspen. One of Steffy's best memories with Liam, and most definitely one of the craziest things she had ever done.
The next picture showed Steffy and Liam on their wedding day at the top of the mountain in Aspen. Although she had a lot of regrets about how everything came together that day, and the way she sort of tricked Liam into marriage, Steffy didn't regret that day. She was incapable of it. It was the day she committed her life to Liam and vowed to always be there for him and always support him, no matter that. Almost three years later, she still meant every word…
She moved onto the next picture. It was a photograph of her and Liam which had been taken after their first ultrasound. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday. She remembered how excited she and Liam were to see their little heart –to have an actual representation of the life they had created. She could still see Liam's eyes sparkling and dancing with love and adoration when he heard their baby's heartbeat. His voice as he turned to her and thanked her for the amazing gift that she was giving him still resonated in her head. She remembered smiling widely at him and then kissing him with all her soul, thanking God, knowing for the first time since the beginning of her pregnancy that this baby would be the greatest blessing that she and Liam had ever received.
Steffy returned to her home screen and set her phone down. She closed the file of Hope for the Future promos she had been examining. They hadn't been released yet in the wait of her approval.
Someone knocked on her door as she was gathering her things and putting them in her purse.
"Yes?" Steffy answered.
Hope entered her office. "Hey, Quinn is here for her interview." She informed.
"Sorry, who?"
"Quinn. The jewelry designer I told you about during our reunion this morning?" Hope reminded Steffy.
"Oh, right. Yes."
"You coming?"
"No, I can't. There's something I need to take care of. Right now." Steffy explained.
Hope frowned in incomprehension. At the reunion, Steffy had insisted to be present for Quinn's interview. She was determined to have her opinion be taken into consideration as far as hiring Quinn was concerned earlier, and now, all of a sudden, she had better things to do?
"Right now? It can't wait?"
"No."
"I can't postpone this interview, Steffy. Everyone else is here and ready." Hope said.
"Then go ahead. Have the interview. It's ok."
"You insisted on being there earlier."
Steffy heaved an exasperated sigh. "Yes, well Hope, I couldn't have foreseen what happened, alright? There is something that I need to do, somewhere that I have to be. Right now." She grabbed her purse and stood up. "So you go have the interview and… just consider Thomas' opinion to be mine, ok? I'll catch up with you later." With that, she disappeared out of Hope's sight
'Till next time. Please leave a review.
You finally know how I came up with the title for this story!