Turning into Liam’s side, my knee knocks against his before he opens his thighs and cradles my legs in the space. “Was everything okay with the vendor?”
He licks frosting off his fork, tilting his head back and forth. “Hopefully. The auditorium seating is on backorder. I called Hazel, so we’ll see if we can order it from anywhere else. But if not, it should hopefully be in by mid-November.”
“Will this throw off your timeline?” I take a bite of Jo’s cake, personally a fan of the classic flavor. You can’t go wrong with a classic vanilla cake.
“It better fucking not.” There’s a hint of doubt in his tone, but there’s no reason to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet.
I’m not surewhatto say when Jo steels her shoulders and clears her throat, calling for everyone’s attention. “I’ve made a decision.”
Curiosity sparkles in Lexi’s eyes. “What’s that?”
Liam pushes the plate to the side and leans forward on the table. On the other side of me, Lucas crosses his arms, ready to back up whichever cousin needs it.
“I’m staying in Amada Beach.” Jo nods her head resolutely as her older brother lets out a sigh of relief next to me. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at the end of Vivi’s lease, but I like it here.”
Lexi’s quiet, which is weird enough, but her gaze hasn’t left Jo once. There’s a small, almost unnoticeable tug to her lips though. It’s different from her usual shit-eating grin that is always present. There’s no teasing in sight, only satisfaction at the news.
Maybe “something more” is happening sooner than I expected.
“Good,” Liam says strongly. “I want you in Amada Beach but didn’t want to influence your decision if you were ready to go home.”
Letting out a huff, Jo crosses her arms but she’s smiling. “Are you serious? Overstepping in your life was the only reason it took me so long to tell you.”
Liam rolls his eyes and leans back as he pulls the matcha cake closer. “I’ll send you a formal invitation to be a part of my everyday life again.”
“Great.” Jo nods in appreciation. “I’ll frame it in my new place.”
Before Liam can say anything, Vivi peeks around Lexi to ask, “Do you want to take over my lease?”
Jo perks up. “Sure, that would be awesome. I love the location, and the rent is manageable.” She accepts a lot from her father, but doesn’t live outside of her own means, which I respect. “We can do that after your wedding though, it’s not a rush.”
The two of them discuss the details a little more as I glance at Liam. There’s nothing but pure affection for his sister etched into his features. I’d hate to be away from mysiblings, but having even one of them close would make a huge difference.
Liam catches me staring at him and winks before taking another bite of cake. That one, subtle gesture holds countless unspoken promises. It’s going to be a long, but good, night.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Calypso
My hands twist behind my back as I watch Liam unlock the front door, anticipation growing in my belly.
The rest of the night was fun, and the arcade theme is one of the best so far. The few hours we spent playing games flew by, and next thing we knew, the bar was announcing the last call for alcohol. We’d all stopped drinking earlier in the night, but it still pulled us out of our daze.
Holding the door open, Liam follows me inside.
He finally installed that dog door for Rosie, so we don’t have to worry about her when we’re gone for long hours. Still, Liam stops to pet her on his way to the kitchen. I stay rooted in my spot in the middle of the living room.
Liam rolls up his sleeves as he moves around the kitchen. He grabs a bottle of water and stops at the sink to wash his hands. It’s such a mundane task, one I’ve seen him do hundreds of times now.
Tonight feels different. Each move is intentional.
When he grabs the hand towel, it takes me back to his first night here. Things seemed so simple then—a few months of fake dating before we went our separate ways.
Now I’m avoiding anything that revolves around him leaving. My home or my life, it doesn’t matter. I want him here.
Words are still too weighted for me. I’m not strong enough to admit how deeply I’ve grown to care about him.
What I can do is give him my body in a way I never have with anyone else.
