Page 36 of Burned By the Broken Doctor

June and I go over the final details, and I make notes about potential vendors that can offer the services. Just as we’re wrapping up our discussion, the front door opens.

Liam and Damon walk in, their shirts streaked with grease and sweat. They’re both breathing heavily, clearly exhausted from working on the car.

Damon staggers toward a couch, and June jumps up, waving manically at him.

“Hey, don’t you dare sit on my couch like that!” She grabs the arms of both men and pushes them toward the stairs. “Grab a shower first. You’re not getting grease all over my furniture.”

Liam turns to Damon with a smile. “Looks like you’re lucky, man. You get a mom as well as a wife.”

The whole house erupts into laughter, and the men trudge upstairs to clean up. We can still hear them chuckling all the way. As soon as they’re out of sight, June turns toward me and rolls her eyes. I can’t help but laugh.

“Ethan used to track mud all over the place just the same.”

“Maybe men just come pre-programmed with a mess-making setting.”

“Tell me about it,” June shakes her head in mock despair. “Honestly, there’s not much difference between Ethan and the older ones.”

We both laugh, and June saunters over to the refrigerator, grabbing a pitcher and a handful of ice cubes. “Thirsty?” she asks, already digging through the fruit basket.

“For your fruit juice? Absolutely,” I reply with a wide grin.

“It’s just blended fruit juice, Emma. It’s nothing special.” She chuckles as she whips up a pitcher of ice-cold berry juice.

I settle back into the sofa, flipping through a bridal magazine. The sound of footsteps fills the air above us.

“Here they come,” she murmurs, giving me a pointed look as she hands a glass to me.

I smile softly and take the glass as Liam and Damon come back downstairs, now fresh and clean. They grab glasses from the coffee table, joining us on the sofa.

“What have you two been plotting?” Damon asks, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

June takes the lead, filling him in on the latest wedding plans. “We’ve got most of the major details sorted out. Just need to finalize a few more things.”

“Tell me about them.”

June launches into an explanation. I add a couple of comments here and there, but mostly I’m focused on Liam. Our eyes keep meeting, and I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in his head.

After about fifteen minutes of discussing wedding plans, Damon breaks into my thoughts with a laugh. “I can’t believe it. Liam hasn’t had a single negative thing to say about the wedding plans. This is a first.”

Liam shrugs and glances at me. “You can thank Emma for that.”

Damon turns to me, his eyebrows raised. “What did you do to my friend to change his mind?”

Liam's lips twitch into a smirk. “Oh, she's done a lot,” he murmurs, his voice low and suggestive.

A collective snort of laughter erupts from June and Damon, but the double meaning of his words isn't lost on me. Heat floods my cheeks, and I quickly reach for my glass, taking a large gulp of the icy juice. The cold liquid does little to cool the sudden spark of desire that ignites within me.

What the hell is he doing, making an expensive joke like that? I stare at him to see his eyes glinting with a challenge.

Oh, you wanna play dirty, Liam Miller?

I say nothing else, allowing the conversation to turn to lighter topics. Damon and June talk about their honeymoon plans while Liam keeps his eyes on me. Every moment feels charged, and I can’t stop feeling like he’s testing me to see if I crack under pressure.

I’m up for it.

“So, where are you two headed for your honeymoon?” I ask, eager to shift the focus away from Liam and me.

“Hawaii,” June replies, her eyes lighting up. “We’re going to spend two weeks exploring the islands, relaxing on the beaches, and just enjoying being together.”

---