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One thing was for sure, he didn’t feel nearly as uneasy as he had on Thanksgiving. He knew exactly what they both wanted now, though. He didn’t know where they would go after this, but he knew they would get there together.
They hadn’t even started addressing the whole work situation, he reminded himself distractedly.
Sadie walked into her darkened living room, taking off her coat and dumping it and her purse on the same chair where she always left her stuff.
“Can you believe that Ian proposed?” she asked, turning back toward him and reaching over to switch on her lamp, casting a warm, dim light over the small room. “They’ve only been together a few months. It seems so quick.”
As soon as Liam and Sadie had walked back into Explore Lake Conrad, they’d been shocked when Ian had immediately commanded the room’s attention as he maladroitly got down on a knee and proposed marriage to Annie, who had quickly and gleefully accepted.
Liam and Sadie had hung around for their allotted thirty minutes as they made small talk with the rest of the guests and wished Annie both a happy birthday and congratulations on her engagement.
“Well, if anyone doesn’t have room to judge people for moving too quickly, it’s us,” Liam chuckled. His smile fell as a thought occurred to him. “What would you say if I asked you to marry me?” he asked, moving close to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.
Some hairs had fallen loose from her French braid, and she moved them behind her ear as she looked up at him cynically. “I’d ask you what my middle name is and tell you to slow your roll.”
“Your middle name is Abbey,” Liam said seriously. “Your parents are big Beatles fans, huh?”
Her mouth came up to his, capturing his lips before she pulled back with a smile. “I was hoping you would never find out about that. I guess I have no choice but to marry you now, huh?”
“Guess not,” he replied teasingly. “Even though we were there longer than we planned, did you have fun?”
“Uh,yeah?” she said with a disbelieving smile. “Between having civil conversations with Lena, Jake,andMorgan, in addition to the proposal, this has been the craziest night.”
“Hey, what about me?” Liam asked, affronted. “We also mended our fences, remember?”
“That was nothing,” Sadie responded, waving her hand at him dismissively. “Lenawanted to have a conversation with me,andshe apologized to me? Hell has truly frozen over.”
Ian’s proposal hadn’t been the only surprise of the evening. Just as Liam and Sadie had been about to—at long last—leave the party, Jake had called them over to where he and Lena were camped out on one of the couches lining the edge of the room.
Lena’s ankle was still a little sore and looking pretty swollen propped up on Jake's lap, but she waved off concerns as the hazards that came with any truly amazing pair of shoes.
“Are you okay, Lena?” Sadie had asked, eyeing Lena’s prone form with concern. “Maybe you should see a doctor?”
“It’s no big deal,” Lena answered confidently. “I’m totally fine.”
Jake eyed her discerningly. “Helena, I’m no doctor, but I would caution that being unable to put weight on your ankle would not be considered ‘totally fine.’”
Lena waved him off dismissively. “I’mmostlyfine,” she clarified. “But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.” She paused, looking worriedly at Jake. “Jake and I talked, and I think we owe you an apology. We’ve been assholes since last summer. You’ve been nothing but nice and have been such a great friend to Annie. I’m really sorry.”
Sadie’s eyes had widened, and Liam had wondered if this apology made her happier and more excited than their sexy alleyway reconciliation—something that was later confirmed as one hundred percent accurate.
“It’s totally fine,” Sadie gushed emotionally. “I’m so sorry, too, for the way I acted and the things I said to you….”
They had talked for a good fifteen minutes, and while Liam was happy that they were finally clearing the air, he didn’t exactly appreciate that they were getting held up from finally leaving. He hadn’t been with Sadie in weeks, which had been quite the jolt after the month they essentially lived together, and he needed to be alone with her—and away from all these people—as soon as possible.
Luckily for him, Jake had finally decided that despite what Lena felt, her ankle wasn’t getting any better. “Let’s get you to the urgent care,” he’d said after she’d winced deeply and hissed in a pained breath as he tried to adjust his weight a bit, causing her ankle to shift.
Liam and Sadie had wished them well before they escaped into the frigid night, and Liam drove them both to Sadie’s apartment.
Looking at her now in the low glow of the lamplight, Liam couldn’t believe how lucky he was. This wasn’t Sadie Sullivan, aloof high school princess. That girl—the one he had created in his mind—wasn’t even real. This flesh and blood woman in front of him was a part of him, she ran through his veins, she belonged to him.
“C’mon,” she said, again harkening back to that first night as she pulled away from him and motioned him to follow. “I want to reintroduce you to my bedroom.”
Following her past the kitchen and down the short hallway, Liam felt like he was in a dream. Everything was hazy and slow. Was he going to wake up in his own bedroom again? Another day passed without talking to her or kissing her?
She stood there, unmoving and silent, before she shifted her unsmiling gaze onto him.
“Take off your clothes and lie down,” she said easily. She was turning the tables on him. His breath caught in his throat at the order.
