Page 25 of How to Write a Rom-Com

His voice is choppy and awkward, but astute in his desire. My stomach does a bit of a flip-flop at the way Liam looks at me, and while his eyes are scorching me, my heart quickens at the realization that Liam wants me here.Wantsto spend time with me.

Jill apologizes again and explains to the kids that she’ll be back in a few hours. Before we know it, she’s out the door and I somehow find myself in Liam’s kitchen, alone with him and two small children, wondering how I got here.

Man, this day took a turn.

“Are you Uncle Liam’s girlfriend?” Mia asks, leaning against my legs. She clearly has the same personal boundary issues that her brother does.

“Well, I’ve only known him for a few days, so, no ma’am,” I say, looking up at Liam.

“I have a boyfriend. His name is Kyle. We’re going to get married,” she explains, each of her words mumbled by the most adorable lisp.

“Congratulations. Don’t rush into anything, though.”

“He gives me his pudding every day at snack time. Ihaveto marry him,” she says, matter-of-factly.

“I completely understand,” I say with a laugh. “Good for you. A girl with standards.”

I turn around to see Liam piling things on the counter while Robbie patters his bare feet around the kitchen island, very much getting in his uncle’s way. “What can I take?” I ask, trying to be useful instead of just watching these events unfold in front of me. I can already see this scene in the book. Maybe the hero will be an uncle, or a single dad. This would be a great moment for the reader to learn more about his backstory. Romance readers also love their heroes with kids, it’s catnip.

“Can you take the twins’ bag? Jill packs enough for them to stay a whole weekend, not a few hours,” Liam says, gesturing to the bag on the couch.

“Sounds like a classic mom move,” I joke, swinging the bag over my shoulder.

Liam quickly looks at his phone. “She just texted me to make sure I put sunscreen on them. I know the children need sunscreen, Jillian, I’ve been doing this for four years now,” Liam says, aggravated.

“You sound like you could be their father,” I say, and then cringe at myself. “That didn’t come out right.” Liam purses his lips and shakes his head.

“I’m getting used to that from you,” he says, rolling his eyes.

“Is their dad not in the picture?” I can’t help but ask. Liam makes sure the twins are on the deck before he answers.

“We haven’t seen him since the twins were born,” he says, emotionless, although I can sense the anger behind his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s okay.” Liam closes the last coolers and takes them off the counter. I follow him to the backdoor as he continues. “Jill has had a rough go of it, so me and the town, we kind of take care of her,” he explains. I nod and Liam opens the sliding door to where the twins are waiting on the deck.

“Let’s do it, people!” he yells, raising the coolers in the air. He’s met with adorable screams. I laugh out loud at the cuteness in front of me.

Liam’s yard backs up to a canal, like mine, except there are no houses on the other side of the shore. He has a clear view of a wooded area and overgrown seagrass. The mountains in the distance make the view resemble a screensaver.

Liam and his infectious laughter follow me. When I turn around, the air catches in my throat.

Liam is not wearing a shirt.

Sound thefreakingalarm. Liam. Is. Not. Wearing. A. Shirt.

He’s bent over, searching for something in a storage cabinet of the dock. On the side of his body closest to me, I see his obliques squeeze with every small movement. With every breath the large muscle that wraps around his back slides back and forth. When he turns closer to me, I have to swallow when I see his abs.

“What?” Liam asks, his brows furrowed in concern. I must have a shocked look on my face. My expressions are almost as incriminating as the words that sometimes blurt out of my mouth.

He stands upright and faces me. The sight of his defined pecs and flawless nipples nearly knocks me over. Wow, when did I become such a lightweight about hot guys?Pull it together, Lucy.

“The boat,” I say, trying to recover. “It’s really impressive.”

Liam shrugs. “Nah, it’s just a little speedboat. You’ll see some nice ones once we get out on the water,” he grins as he hands me a life jacket to put on Mia. I kneel down and slip Mia’s small arms through the holes, and she plays with my braid as I buckle her in. I can’t help but giggle in her presence.

“Let’s go!” Mia squeals as I finish with her life jacket. As I turn around, I notice that Liam put one on both RobbieandBlue. Blue’s jacket is camo and he looks at me like an embarrassed kid being tortured by his parent. The look in his eyes says, “I am a cool dog. I have a reputation to maintain.” I snap a quick photo of him in his seat at the front of the boat. I don’t want to forget this moment. The hero in Ruby’s book is definitely going to have an adorable dog, no question.

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