Page 57 of Something Forever

The word hits me in the stomach, and I swallow the lump in my throat, keeping my expression blank. I don’t know what I expected. This isn’t a date. This isn’t anything.

“So do you,” I say, flattening my lips into a polite smile. His frown deepens, and I gesture towards the door. “Should we go?”

He nods, slipping his phone into his jacket pocket. We’re quiet on the car ride over. Our banter and connectedness from the haircut seem to have evaporated into thin air. When we pull up to the venue, he slides out first, giving me a hand as I exit. As we enter the sprawling ballroom, I take in the decor and the bustle of the crowd. There’s a lot more people than I was expecting.

Liam presses his palm to the base of my spine, sending another rush through me, this one filled with warmth. “Do you want a drink?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say as he guides us over to the open bar and orders a beer for himself and a glass of champagne for me.

When our drinks arrive, I turn to Liam with a teasing smile, lifting my flute. “No tequila shots?”

He smirks, bringing his glass to mine. “Don’t tempt me.” He glances over my shoulder and waves, his smirk growing into a smile. I turn and see a couple approaching us.

“Liam! You made it.” A tall blonde guy clasps Liam’s shoulder and shakes his hand, turning to the woman next to him. “This is my wife, Emily.”

Liam shakes her hand and nudges me closer. “I’m Liam. This is my wife, Whitney. Whitney, Tim and I went to uni together.”

Emily throws her arms around me in an unexpected hug, and I manage to wrap my arms around her before she pulls back with a wide smile. I’m trying to focus on making a good impression, but I’m stuck on the word wife and how easily it slipped from Liam’s lips. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that. Being someone’s wife. It should feel wrong, but instead my body rushes with warmth as I imagine introducing Liam as my husband.

“It’s so nice to meet you both,” Emily says. “Tim told me about your foundation, Liam. It sounds like a wonderful idea.”

Liam rubs the back of his neck, a nervous gesture I’ve come to recognize. I slip my hand into his without thinking and give it a soft squeeze. His eyes flash up to mine.

“Thanks,” he breathes out. “It’s not much so far, but I’m hoping tonight might change that.”

“Absolutely,” Tim agrees. “Let me find Rebecca and introduce you.” Tim turns to me. “Mind if I steal your husband away?”

“He’s all yours.”

Liam shoots me a grin as Tim leads him towards a group of people standing by a table nearby.

Emily turns to me. “Is this your first event like this?”

“Is it totally obvious?”

She shakes her head. “Not at all. I just saw you looking around the room in interest rather than disdain. Tim only brings me around to talk to the plus ones while he schmoozes.” She shrugs. “It’s not so bad, I guess. Open bar, free food. It’s the company I usually abhor, but you seem normal.”

I can’t help but laugh at her bold honesty. “Well, thanks, I guess.” I lift my flute to her wine glass. “To free food and being normal.”

“I will drink to that.” She clinks her glass with mine and takes a sip. “How did you and Liam meet?” she asks.

I shift on my feet. We’ve never discussed what we would tell people. Should I lie and make up some romantic story? I decide to go with the truth. Or at least, the partial truth.

“We were roommates first, and everything sort of just went from there.”

She smiles. “It’s always good to be friends first.”

I nod in agreement, but our conversation is interrupted by a red-haired guy stepping up next to us. “Emily, darling. You’re looking stunning as always.”

Emily’s smile drops into a scowl as she turns to greet him. “Michael,” she says icily.

He smirks, but instead of the sexy dimple that Liam usually sports, Michael’s is a smarmy, arrogant one. “Babe, how many times I have told you to call me Mikey?”

She crosses her arms. “How many times have I told you not to call me babe?”

His smirk only grows as his sharp gaze turns to me. “Who’s your friend?”

“Michael, Whitney. Whitney, Michael Sullivan. Biggest asshole in this city.”

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