Free Full Circle by Avery Beck Page B

Laura’s voice suggested she already knew the answer. Elisa held back a smile and bit her lip, pretending to be unsure about what to reveal. Busy schedules—and admittedly, Elisa’s desire to avoid Justin’s lecturing—had kept them from spending time together in a while, and she was dying to share the news so they could squeal like a couple of schoolgirls. It had been a long time since she’d had that much fun.
    “Come on, El, what happened? Don’t you dare leave me hanging like that.”
    “We kissed.”
    Laura gasped. “Oh, honey! That’s fantastic!”
    It certainly had been. As well as amazing, earth-shattering, mind-blowing…
    Elisa looked out at the crowd and the people milling around her. Justin and Liam had taken her nephews to get their faces painted. The sugary smell of funnel cake wafted through the air. Families lined up to play ring toss and eat turkey legs, and a sound system blared Top 40 hits from an Austin radio station.
    She blinked hard and tried to shake off the emotional cloud hovering over her. She hated these moments when sentimental nonsense crept in and made her question the dream that, after nine years of pain and hard work, would soon be a reality.
    Nashville was only, what, a two-hour flight away? Thanks to the money Brett dumped on her as well as the many years she’d been working, she had more than enough saved up to make as many trips back to Texas as she liked. She could come back any time if she wanted to visit Justin and Laura, Kevin and Jack, the new baby…and Liam.
    Liam, the man she hadn’t been able to look in the eye since her moment of weakness in his living room. The one who managed to get her to talk about the past decade, a subject she never discussed with anyone.
    Her answers had been vague, but still…how could she have let herself lose control like that? How could she allow herself to trust him, in a physical and emotional sense, when she knew where that kind of trust led? If she wasn’t careful, she would end up getting attached to that euphoric feeling. She’d pine away for him like she had with Brett, until his desire for her became her entire identity. She already thought about him each night before she went to sleep, and sometimes, she even wished he was there with her. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they could share a fling, but Liam wanted a family. She could see it every time he looked at Justin, Laura and the kids.
    Who was she kidding? She could see it every time he looked at her .
    Liam wouldn’t have left her the way Brett did. No, he would have popped the question complete with stunning engagement ring and he’d have been the best damn dad in the world—because it was the right thing to do. Not because he loved her. Not because he had any real desire to spend his life with her. And she’d be damned if she would hand her heart and her life to a man for no reason other than obligation. She wanted to be chosen. Somewhere in her dark, wounded heart, she still believed in romance.
    She couldn’t believe she actually wanted an affair, wanted Liam to be one of the casual Casanovas she usually despised. But that would be less painful than getting into a long-term relationship with him simply because he felt she was his responsibility.
    Liam deserved to get married and have children with a woman he honestly loved. Elisa had plans of her own, goals she had spent years preparing for. Falling for her ex-boyfriend’s charms had been a huge mistake, keeping the truth from Liam an even bigger one, but she would not spend the rest of her life paying for her feelings for the two men.
    She had to make a fresh start.
    “Mom!” Kevin burst onto the grass to show Laura the baseball painted on the side of his face. “Isn’t this cool?”
    “And I got a soccer ball,” Jack added proudly.
    Laura leaned over and wrapped them both in a hug. “You both look great! Where’s your dad?”
    “Over there.”
    Elisa glanced in the direction of Kevin’s pointing