Page 44 of Falling For Liam
“Oh my god,” I squeal excitedly, detaching myself from Liam and going over to hug her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Because that would have involved you actually telling me you’d moved! I had to find out from Ryan and Molly, who found out through Susan. Was a phone call to your big sister really too much effort?”
I extend our hug longer than would usually be appropriate just so I don’t have to see the look of disapproval I know is going to be all over her face.
It doesn’t help, because when I do eventually let her go, that look is right there staring back at me.
“We’re going to need coffee,” she says, looking up to Liam like they’re old friends before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the living room.
Glancing back over my shoulder, I see Liam jump into action while Jax stands there, looking totally lost. I was jealous as hell when I first met Jax. The way he looks at my sister… I wanted that. I wanted a guy to look at me with total awe. David certainly never had that look. Liam, though…I see it. The exact same look. Butterflies erupt in my belly at just the thought. That look in his eyes is nothing compared to how his touch affects me.
“Liv?” Abbi asks, dragging me from my Liam haze.
“Huh?”
“I was asking what the hell happened. The last thing I knew, you were happy in Cardiff, shacked up with David.” Of course, that’s what she thought. That’s what I made everyone believe to avoid dragging them into my nightmare.
“Things hadn’t been good between us for a long time, Abs. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”
“I can’t really say I’m surprised. He was boring as fuck. Him...on the other hand,” she says, lowering her voice and flicking a look to where Liam’s still working in the kitchen. “He looks like he knows what he’s doing.” She wiggles her eyebrows and my cheeks flame. A smug smile spreads across her face as she nods knowingly.
“Did you two want waffles?” Liam asks, interrupting my sister’s perusal of his body.
“And he cooks? Sis, seriously, where did you find this one?”
I can’t help but laugh as she eagerly agrees to waffles. After a few minutes, plates full of sugary goodness are dropped onto our laps while Liam and Jax make themselves comfortable on the chairs opposite us.
“So,” Abbi mumbles around a mouthful, “care to explain how you ended up here?”
“Some shit went down in Cardiff.” I feel Liam’s eyes burn into me. I know he’s desperate to know the details of that night, but I don’t want to do it to him. It’s going to affect him. I already know he cares about me, and hearing the details is going to make him angry—very angry. “I decided enough was enough, and Nicole had offered me a place to stay a few times, so here was as good as any place to start over.”
Abbi narrows her eyes at me, clearly having a hard time accepting my very vague story. “So you just upped and left one day?”
“Pretty much. I lost my job and had nothing left to stay there for, so…”
“So you came here and shacked up with Liam?”
I cringe at how it sounds. “No…uh…we…”
“I’m not judging, Liv. It just doesn’t sound like you. Why didn’t you go to Mum and Dad’s?”
“Really? If something happened between you and Jax, would our parents’ be the first place you’d run to?” I raise my eyebrow as she considers it, and I can’t help but laugh when her face screws up in disgust.
“Okay, yeah, good point. You could have come to me though, Liv.” I can see the hurt in her eyes, and I do regret not telling her before now but I got swept away with this place and the people here. Mainly the one staring directly at me over the top of his mug, soaking up answers to questions he’s yet to ask.
“I just needed a break, and here seemed perfect. Things had been intense. I just needed peace.”
She nods. I’m fairly certain she’s not buying any of it, but she keeps her mouth shut—for now, at least.
“Does he fuck as well as he cooks?” Abbi whispers to me after Liam takes our empty plates. “You don’t need to answer that; your face says it all.” She shoulder bumps as she whispers, “I’m happy for you, sis. You deserve someone who’s going to treat you properly.”
“I thought you liked David?” The question’s out of my mouth before I realise it.
“Yeah, he was a nice enough guy, but something was missing. Liam, though, he’s got it in spades.”
It turns out that Abbi and Jax are planning on spending the weekend here. I’m partly glad because it’s been a long time since we spent any quality time together. The last time I saw her and our parents was at Molly and Ryan’s wedding, and there wasn’t really much time for catching up with everything going on.
“So what did you want to do?” I ask once Liam reappears. I expect him to already have plans, so I’m shocked when he sits down and waits to hear what we’re doing.
