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Jonesy
“Your family is great,” Liv says.
“Yeah.”I run a hand over my eyes, too tired to keep it all in anymore.The lines I’ve been trying and failing to draw around my life crumbled this afternoon when the kids invaded and Liv met my mom.Why hold back now?“It’s why I’m working so much.Mom had a liver transplant this summer, and money’s tight.I told her and my stepdad that I’d take care of Christmas gifts for everyone.”
“That’s incredibly kind of you.”
I shake my head like that’ll chase away the admiration shining in her eyes.“It’s nothing.It’s the least I can do.”
“Is she doing okay?”Liv asks.
“Yeah.”Relief still sweeps over me when I think about it.“It was… scary.She had a metabolic liver disease, but the doctors say she should get to live the rest of her life now.”
Liv doesn’t know about Saint Wyatt covering her medical bills and giving up a piece of his body, and I don’t particularly want to tell her that part of it.
“Now I have to”—I wave a hand toward the driveway—“make sure they’ve all got something magic under the tree in two weeks.That’s the real reason they stopped by.She wanted to check on how it’s going.”
“And?”Liv’s brows lift.“How’s it going?”
“I’ve got a couple of things for the little ones, but mostly it’s vague ideas and a pile of cash.”
“Do you want help?”she asks cautiously, like she’s aware that it’s not her business but she can’t help it.
“You wouldn’t mind?”Disbelief creeps into my voice at the thought of voluntarily signing up to pick gifts for kids she just met.“I’m stumped about the older girls.”
“Of course not!”She pulls her phone out of her dress pocket and taps it a couple of times.“Let’s see… you’re doing your boys-only holiday thing tonight, right?”
“Yep.And you and CJ are getting together with Darby?”
“Yep.But we’re both off on Tuesday.”She glances up with an inviting smile.“Want to go shopping?”
“Absolutely,” I say, aware as I do of the pure delight spreading through me.If I wanted company on my shopping trip, I could just bring Wyatt.No, it’s the promise ofLiv’scompany that’s sending happy chemicals zipping through my brain.It’sLivwanting to do that with me.
She’s in my house.She met my family.She offered to help with them.And all I can think is how much I want to kiss her until we both run out of oxygen.
I’m staring at the curve of her upper lip as I think these kissing thoughts, which means I’m aware of the precise moment that her mouth curves into a challenging little smile.Then her eyes zip up to mine, and the mischief there sets me on full alert.
“Uhhhh, what’s up?”I ask suspiciously.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”Her voice is light and teasing as she adds, “Hollis.”
“Fuck,” I groan, idiotically surprised that she caught my name the fifty or sixty times my family used it today.
“So your mom really went with Wyatt and Hollis, huh?”she asks as she starts to type.“Was she hoping for a pair of Wild West train bandits?”
She’s still typing, and now I’m actually nervous.
“What are you doing?”
“Who, me?”She holds up the phone.“Just letting all of our coworkers know that the mystery of your first name’s solved.”
“Liv,” I say in a warning tone, advancing a step.“Give me the phone.”
“No way!”she chirps.I edge closer, but she spins away from my hands when I try to reach for her.
“Liv.Livvie.”My voice starts out reasonable, but she dodges to the left, so I move faster, cutting off her access to the living room.“Don’t you do it!”I call as she pivots to dart down the hallway and run into the first open door she sees.
It’s my bedroom, and I take my time following her, not sure how I’ll react toLiv in my bedroom.
