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I beamed watching her take Liam in. "I can't believe I finally get to meet you," she smiled, reaching out. "I'm Lydia."
He shook her hand and I thought I saw a little blush across his tan cheeks. "Hello Mrs. Bryant."
"My daughter has talked my ear off about you for the past few weeks now," she admitted, and then I was the one with flushed cheeks.
Liam's cool gaze slid toward me.
"She's exaggerating, I hardly mention you at all," I winked.
Liam glanced back to my mom wearing a cheeky half smile. "That’s not surprising to hear. Your daughter is definitely in love with me, Mrs. Bryant. She hasn't told me yet, but she will soon."
My mouth fell open. No, it fell onto the ground and just sat there as I stared at Liam. My mom laughed and glanced over toward me with a knowing smile. I couldn't believe he'd just said that so... bluntly. And damnit, could the jerk read me that easily?
"Wow. You seem pretty confident about that, Liam," my mother joked, waving us over toward the table so we could finish eating.
Liam shrugged and I could feel his penetrating gaze on me. "I read that Mark Twain said all you need to succeed in life is ignorance and confidence. Kinsley can attest to my having both of them."
I laughed. “You can read?”
He shot me a playful wink before my mom mentioned, "You know that's exactly how it was when I met Kinsley's father. I think we dated for a month before he asked me to marry him. But we were young and reckless, only nineteen at the time."
I coughed and tried to ignore the fact that Liam was still watching me. I'd forgotten about the fact that my mom had married at my age. I couldn't imagine. How would anyone find the time? I was trying to go to the Olympics, not plan out matching bridesmaid dresses.
"Well rest assured Mom, you will not have a teen bride on your hands." I finally found my voice and smiled up at her.
Liam shrugged. "You just turned nineteen. We have about 300 days left to change that."
My mouth dropped again and I turned to face him. "You can't be serious right now."
He smiled and shook his head. "Nah, but I was serious about the love thing."
I shot him a pointed stare and then picked up my plate of leftover fries and handed it to him.
"Are you sure you're done?" he asked, pinching my waist playfully.
I swatted his hand away, but if my mom weren't watching us I would have pushed him back onto the bed and kissed him senseless. "Yup. Eat up. Did you just get done with practice?"
"Yeah. I'm exhausted. I won't stay long, just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"And he wanted to meet me," my mom interjected with a smile that looked exactly like mine. The apple definitely didn't fall far from the tree.
Liam laughed. "Of course. Mostly I came to meet your mom. You were an afterthought." He winked and I shot him an angry scowl.
He swallowed up the last of my fries and put the plate back on the table. "I better get home or I'll fall asleep right here."
I frowned, not ready for him to go so soon. "Can I walk you down?"
"Not dressed like that," he noted, and I realized I still had my robe on. "How about we go to dinner after your game tomorrow with our moms? My mom wants to see you again before she leaves for London," he noted as he walked toward the door.
I clapped my hands together and my mom agreed before I even had time to answer. “That sounds great."
He bent to kiss my cheek and then murmured in my ear so my mom couldn't hear. "I'll be cheering for you tomorrow, Kins." His voice skimmed over my cheek and I pressed my lips together and nodded up at him. Our eyes locked and I soaked in one last moment of being near him.
Crap.
Was I ready for this? At 19 is anyone equipped to give their heart away? Wasn’t I still trying to get to know my heart? Its likes, its dislikes? Liam was older and had probably sampled a whole plethora of girls before landing on me.
As I closed the hotel door, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at the idea that I was maybe getting in over my head. Being with a star athlete is the farthest thing from a normal, wholesome relationship. I didn’t want the limelight or the stardom and being with Liam meant accepting everything that came along with him.
Adios, heart. Nice knowing you.
…
"You girls have worked hard for this moment, and you all need to remember that this is a practice run. Stay calm and focused on executing clean plays. This is a simple scrimmage, so let's get out there and show 'em what we've got!"
