Regret Came Too Late

As soon as Grace got close enough, she slapped Liam hard.

His coat was hanging nearby, still damp from the snow, and there were dark bruises all over his body, signs of injuries from the crash. He'd clearly been banged up, but not to the point of being critical.

His face, however, had been untouched until now. After that slap, his cheek swelled instantly, proof that Grace hadn't held back at all.

She was furious. She grabbed a fistful of the thin shirt he wore beneath his jacket and yanked him toward her.

"I came all the way out here for you, and this is how you act? What's your problem? Say something! What the hell is going on?" she shouted.

Liam turned his head away and stared at the cave wall, silent. Tears streamed down his face and splashed onto his arms.

Grace knew this brother of hers better than anyone. If Liam was upset, he usually made a huge scene about it-yelled, cried, demanded attention. After that blow- up with Ed, he'd wasted no time demanding that she dump the guy.

When he was studying or trying to be productive, he'd call just to report it, hoping for a few words of praise. That was who he was-annoying, dramatic, loud, but pure-hearted. That was why she spoiled him more than she should have.

Grace took a deep breath. He'd come all this way for her, chasing down herbs in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of winter. He'd even spent the night alone in a freezing cave. Maybe she shouldn't have hit him.

"Alright, Liam. I shouldn't have slapped you. Talk to me. What happened? You didn't get the medicine? I met the old alternative medicine practitioner on my way here, and he gave me a full jar of it. Seemed like a kind old guy, didn't strike me as the type who'd give you a hard time.

"But you're not even heading in the direction of home. If you got the medicine, why'd you drive out here?"

What the hell was he doing in a cave in the middle of the woods?

Liam hugged his arms to his chest, head buried in them. He didn't say a word and just kept crying.

Grace couldn't stand the way he was acting-pathetic. She really thought he'd grown up.

could a man be this

what he wanted. He said what he meant and went after it—

shove Liam's shoulder, but before she could, he suddenly stood and bolted out of the cave like he couldn't bear to be around her. Grace froze, stunned, wondering for a split second if he'd lost

in front of the fire, thrown off by his reaction. It took her several seconds to snap out of

freeze to death?" she shouted. "Liam, what

gone, disappearing into the

wanted nothing more than to grab him and knock

bruised his ego, so

following the trail of footprints that hadn't yet been buried

was injured, but it was nothing serious. However, the injury was serious enough that every step jostled something painful.

he hobbled through the snow, limping uphill without any clear direction. He didn't know where he was

tell he was

or scold him. She

whatever adrenaline had carried him was long gone. The cold hit him all at once, biting through his thin clothes. He sniffled, helpless,

still

tried to keep moving but stumbled hard, tumbling face-first into the snow

there, but she stopped herself. Who knew what part of him was bruised right

down and helped him up without a

made their slow way

took them 40 minutes to get back to the cave. The fire was still

wood to the flames, then tossed him his jacket,

the residual warmth. He sniffled again

snow outside was

in tow, there was no way she was risking a 90-minute hike through a snowstorm just to get back