“No, I don’t need that long.” Standing on my tip-toes, I brush my lips against his, deepening it for only a second. “I’m ready now. I’m still going to be infuriating most days, and I will always push your buttons.”
“Good.” His bright blue eyes are burning like the center of a flame.
With a teasing grin, I slip out of his hold. “Your news is actually very much on theme for the night.”
“How so?”
“I wanted to give this to you earlier,” I admit and pull a cake box out of the fridge. “I saw it on Pinterest and thought it was cheeky.”
With a curious smile, Liam lifts the top off and his head immediately tips back on a laugh. The vanilla cake is decorated with white buttercream frosting and little red hearts, but in the center is a message for Liam:I love your dick.
“This is a work of fucking art.” He stares at the cake with amusement before looking at me with the familiar mix of heated desire and soft affection that never fails to make my body hum in response.
“I love it even more now,” I say and lift on my toes to place a kiss on his jaw. “Iloveyour dick.”
Nipping at my lip, he keeps me in place as he swipes vanilla frosting across my lips before licking it off.
Taking a deep breath, I whisper, “I want to be yours, Liam.”
The only response I get is his arms wrapping around me and his mouth crashing against mine in the fiercest kiss I’ve ever shared with someone. My body melts against his, finally releasing some of the tension from earlier.
My fingers grip his short hair, pulling him in closer. I want him to erase the feel of Stefan’s hands on me and the bitter taste of his kiss. As Liam’s tongue tangles with mine and his strong hands squeeze my hips, I almost forget I have an ex-husband.
Here, in our kitchen with Liam and Rosie, I feel safe and comfortable.
I feelloved.
Liam breaks the kiss, pulling back enough to meet my eye. “What do you want right now?”
“You,” I quietly admit. “And a shower.”
Chuckling, he grabs the back of my thighs and picks me up. “I can make both of those things happen.”
There’s so much left to figure out, but at this very moment, nothing else feels important.
Epilogue
Calypso
One week later…
Setting down a cooled-off batch of gingerbread pieces in front of the kids, I throw Juanita a thankful glance over my shoulder. When Grady’s girls, Stella and Daisy, wanted to have a gingerbread-making night, she immediately jumped in and took control. Of course that meant that Blake’s three kids, plus Lucas’s two boys, were bound to make an appearance.
The group quickly grew to include Liam’s six nieces and nephews, since his entire family is in Amada Beach for Christmas.
I was worried it would be a lot more overwhelming after everything with Stefan, plus Liam and I are only just getting settled into our “real” relationship. That hasn’t been the case at all, thankfully.
Having Paul, Jo, and Liam’s extended family on my side made the entire interaction much easier but it was still weird—and the complete opposite of meeting Stefan’s small, nuclear family for the first time.
Liam’s mom, Emma, is quiet but affectionate and welcoming. She immediately pulled me into a fierce hug and thankedmefor making her son’s past few months easier.I didn’t tell her that it was quite the opposite, since I am trying to stay on her good side. Liam is the one who has done everything to get us to the point we are at. One day, I’ll gain the courage to thankherfor raising the man I’ve been waiting for my entire life.
His other three sisters—Amara, Ava, and Piper—were an easy sell, too. They took me out to dinner last night and interrogated me for about two hours. Unlike with my brothers, Liam warned me that his sisters have their own form of initiation. It was not nearly as horrible as he talked it up to be, though.
I threw them a bone and admitted our relationship was fake in the beginning. Jo was as shocked as my own siblings when I told them last week. Everyone had hundreds of questions, and I indulged in most of them.
Talking about Stefan is still something I struggle with, so I was more vague in that regard. As women, I think they understood and didn’t push too much.
Vivi and Hudson suggested I try going to therapy. I hate the idea. Not because I’m against the practice itself; I’ve seen the benefits through the people around me. Most people are surprised to learn Hudson is the most emotionally intelligent of us all. It makes my skin feel tight and prickly to be so vulnerable with someone. A stranger, no less.
