Page 67 of Looks Real Good Now
“Of course, your ‘the one that got away’ is Liam fucking Mulligan. It should be illegal for the two of you to be together. Too much beauty in one place, the cheekbones alone.”
“Yeah, I get it, he’s very attractive. Can we get back to the party? Do you feel like bracing the store for decorations that will make the bakery look less like, well a bakery?”
“Is that jealousy I detect in your tone there, Alana?” Maxxy teased.
I heard it too. It was less obvious than it had been with Chantelle, but it was still there just under the surface. I pressed a kiss to her temple.
“No. Maybe. I don’t think so. Are you going to answer my question?” she huffed.
“I already said I would. The decorations really were just a cover for me to get the gossip on you and Liam. Wait, will he be coming to this party?”
“Yeah Maxxy, I will see you there,” I answered, setting off a string of semi-muffled curses.
“Were you ever going to tell me that he could hear this conversation?” she asked when she had stopped swearing at us.
“I didn’t think it would matter; we’re only talking about a party. Sorry, I should have said it was on speakerphone.”
“It would have prevented me from banging on about how hot your boyfriend was. To your boyfriend.”
“I wouldn’t say you were banging on. You just mentioned it a couple of times. Besides, unfortunately for us all, he knows heis good-looking, so no harm done really.”
“Careful there, Len, I think that was almost a compliment.” I pressed a series of kisses along the line of her neck.
“Did he just call you Len? A nickname? I swear to God, Alana, when you get back to Detroit, we are having a full debrief on this. I want all the details. Starting from high school.”
“It goes back to us being toddlers, but fine, I will give you a full debrief on me and Muller.”
“And now she’s out here calling him Muller like that’s his name,” Maxxy started mumbling to herself. “I’ve been low-key annoyed at you for dumping this task on me because you went back home, but knowing that in leaving, you reconnected with the literal love of your life, I can’t be annoyed at you anymore. But I’m serious, Alana. Full. Debrief.” Maxxy hung up and Lenny threw her phone back on the bedside table.
“So, you’re coming back to Detroit for New Year’s,” she said to me.
“You really think I’m going to deprive you of your first New Year’s with the one that got away?” I pulled her in closer, she settled against my side.
“I hate that you heard that. I can’t even say that it’s a lie, but it is going to make you insufferable.” Her words were muffled against my neck.
“You’re mine too. The one that got away, that is. And I can’t wait to get all your New Year midnights now.”
I felt her eye roll against my skin before she lifted her head and pressed her lips to mine.
38
Liam
Ihadn’t fully appreciated how little time I had spent with my parents over the last ten days until I was sitting at a table with them, eating spaghetti.
“I’m going back to Detroit early,” I said to fill the weird silence we had found ourselves in.
“Oh, I thought you were staying through until the New Year?” Mom asked, sounding sad.
“Yeah, I was, but Len is throwing a New Year’s party, so I’m going to go to that.”
“Did you know about it before you came back?” Dad asked, derision thick in his voice.
“I want to spend New Year with her, so I am going to fly back the day after tomorrow. She goes back tomorrow.” That worked as an answer that didn’t also expose that no, I hadn’t known about it before I came back because we’d lied about the timeline of our relationship. Although Lenny had barely remembered it was happening, so there was no way I could have known earlier anyway.
“It will be nice to spend the day with you tomorrow,” Momsaid, a soft smile on her face.
“Maybe we can get out on the ice,” Dad chimed in. I regretted mentioning how I spent the other day at the Fitzpatrick Arena. It had given him more hope than ever.
