Page 144 of The Reno
A snippet of our life up here, all on the walls of this house thatwasn’t supposed to be mine. But now it was ours. Liam sold his house within a few months and moved in. I told him he could keep it or rent it out, but he insisted on selling it.
“I don’t give a shit about that house, Kat,” he’d said one morning while trailing his hands across my bare hips as we stood in the kitchen, looking out at the garden on a bright morning. “It was just a house. This is home.”
Liam used the money from his place to do a huge loft conversion, making us a master bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and en suite with a walk-in shower. I got to design all over again, staying on Pinterest until the early morning hours. Liam grinned and shook his head when I showed him the expensive marble I picked for the shower.
Then, the next day, he ordered it.
The loft conversion gave Abigail the first floor to herself and her friends during sleepovers. We had plenty of space when Willa or Mum and Graham visited. Mum was slowly coming around to Everly Heath. She and Graham visited every three months at least. They were starting to get on with a lot of the locals in their own way. On their first visit to the club, they sat in a quiet corner with their lager shandy, but I didn’t mind. Mum was making an effort, like I’d asked her. I could accept she had her own way of doing things. Then on the next visit, Graham had one too many and started chatting to Peter. I was convinced it was game over. The men couldn’t be any different. But then, Peter’s face lit up and they talked for three hours, bonding over their shared love of Egyptology.
Last week, I’d been tidying and I’d found a list of walks theywanted to do in the Peak District, and it made me well up.
“Finally,” Liam grumbled as Abi and I descended the stairs. His eyes softened as he took us in. Abigail was in a racerback mid-length dress with platform trainers, her hair styled in braids down the back of her head. She looked cool—just like her mum. Meanwhile, I tried to ignore the way Liam’s gaze travelled up my body. I was wearing a new floral green dress, summery and feminine—a homage to the dress he’d bought for me last year on our first date. Liam scanned over my curves and I had a feeling he was thinking how much better the dress would look on the dark hardwood floors of our bedroom later.
“Ew, Dad,” Abigail said, ever insightful. “Stop perving.”
I laughed, and Liam’s eyes flicked away. “I was not.”
“You so were.” Abigail scrunched up her nose.
Liam kissed Abigail’s forehead. “Go get in the car, trouble.”
“Happily.” She held out her hand for the keys, and Liam dropped them in her palm.
“You can start it but do not move it. Not again. We’ll piss off Pat if we run over Noodle.”
“I barely ran him over,” Abigail argued as she walked out of the porch. “He was in the way!”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “It’s only going to get worse.”
Liam smiled and shrugged. “I’ve got help.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I’m busy being the favourite, thank you. I’m not raising my head above the parapet.”
“Coward,” he said and pulled me into a searing kiss, his palms travelling down my hips and down to my bum. “You look fucking incredible.”
I smiled into his kiss and thought about how this was the same man I’d called a prick in a car park. Both of those people felt so far away like we were completely different people.
Liam pushed me against the wall, his thigh coming to rest between my legs, and I melted. A year on and he could still set me on fire with just one kiss.
“Do we have to go now?” I complained, my heart racing.
Liam chuckled. “It’s your party, Red. I think people would notice if you were missing.”
I groaned, pushing Liam’s chest away so I didn’t press him closer to me. Liam’s smug smirk told me he knew exactly how distracted I was.
“Come on, you’re going to be late.” Liam laced his hand through mine and ushered us towards the pink front door.
I raised an eyebrow. “Can I be late to my own party?”
Liam laughed. “It’s a good job I told you the wrong time. Now, we’re bang on time.”
I swivelled towards him. “Not again.”
Liam shrugged, a wide grin on his handsome face. “And yet, you fall for it every time.”
I bit my lip as the last of the evening sun lit up the KAT WILLIAMS DESIGNS sign, giving it a warm orange glow. It felt obnoxiously big. Too big. It dwarfed the little shop I had picked because of the adorable bay window. The outside was painted a soft white, and I was sure it would get dirty in the winter. I could paint a new colour to reflect a new season—burnt orangefor autumn, dark blue for winter and duck egg blue for spring. I shifted on my feet, my gaze drifting back to the sign. Liam stood beside me as Abigail had already run into the shop to find her mum.
A year ago, Liam’s restaurant was full to the brim with people, all buzzy and warm and full of laughter.
