Chapter 23

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As her dad led Penelope over to their parked truck, Liam popped out in front of them

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

As her dad led Penelope over to their parked truck, Liam popped out in front of them.

Penelope's dad jumped. "What the—"

"Do you need me to drive your truck again?" Liam asked, the words all coming out in a rush. His dark eyes were shiny with eagerness.

"Don't worry about it," her dad replied, attempting to walk around him. "I'm sure we can make our way back okay if we follow your mom—"

But Liam jogged alongside them. "You sure? The road is pretty tricky, even trickier on the way back," he insisted. "It might be better for me to drive with Penelope. I'll be careful, I promise."

Her dad just raised an eyebrow and looked down at Penelope.

Penelope shrugged and tried her best to rearrange her face into something that resembled bemused innocence like she had no idea why Liam was being so insistent.

She wasn't sure if her expression convinced her dad, but eventually, he just smirked and shook his head. "Fine," he said, digging the keys out of his pocket before tossing them to Liam, who caught them effortlessly. "Drive safe. Extra safe. And Penelope," he turned back to her. "I want to talk to you when we get home." He gave her a serious look before releasing her shoulders and nudging her towards Liam.

As he walked away, she thought she heard him say, "Guess they're friends again," with a chuckle. He headed over to Beth, who was waiting by her SUV. They talked for a moment before they climbed into the vehicle with a wave back at their respective children.

Now they were alone, Penelope turned to face Liam. She opened her mouth to speak, but Liam stopped her with one of his sharp looks.

"Let's get in the truck first," he said, his eyes darting around like he was worried they were being watched. Considering everything that happened, they probably were.

She nodded and followed him to the truck.

Liam stayed silent as they climbed in and got settled. He started the truck up and put it into gear, reversing out of their spot, then into drive to follow after his mom's SUV which was already on the road leading out. It wasn't until the search was far behind them, obscured as the trees closed in around them, that he spoke.

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