Page 12 of So That Happened

I turn to face Justin and Veronica, mouth flapping open, then closed, then open again.

Back to the fish impressions then.

Awesome.

Veronica stands close to Justin, looping one arm through his while the other cradles her belly. She’s pretty darn pregnant. Like, no-fly-list pregnant.

“Wow! Annie, it is you,” Veronica coos. “Are you okay? We saw you tip over. ”

There’s a flattering descriptor. Don’t cows tip over?

Never mind.

I take a shaky breath and do a quick “one, two, three” count in my head. Then, I open my mouth, unsure what’s going to come out.

“Hahahahahahahaha.” I laugh like a lunatic, hardly caring that my cheeks are probably going an unattractive shade of merlot-red. I lurch towards Liam and punch him in the arm. “Oh, you! What would I do without you?”

Liam stiffens, his posture rigid as a board. He blinks at me slowly, his stern expression replaced by a look of complete bewilderment. His thick, dark eyelashes sweep his cheeks before he levels that coal dark gaze back on me. “What?”

Justin and Veronica are walking towards us.

I’m already on a roll, there’s no going back now.

I wrap both my arms around Liam’s bicep—wow, that isfirm—and gaze at him adoringly. Sigh like I’m a woman infatuated. Try not to notice the grimace of surprised disdain on his face.

Then, I turn my attention to Jussy and Ron Ron—as their wedding invitation so vomit-inducingly referred to them. “Hey, you two! I barely noticed you over there. Had one too many G&T’s in the departure lounge,” I explain with a weird, high-pitched giggle that sounds more like I’ve been huffing helium balloons than drinking myself into a stumbling mess. An actress, I am not. “Thank goodness Liam has quick reflexes. He’s always saving me. Benefits of dating such a big, strong man.”

Catty? Yes. Yes, it is.

But Liam looks to be about five inches taller and fifty pounds of muscle heavier than my ex. It’s literally the ONLY one-up I’ve got in this situation.

I beg Liam with all the crazy-eyes I can muster to play along with my charade. I’m sure Legs won’t mind if it’s all pretend.

His fiery dark eyes meet mine for one thrilling moment before he shakes off my hands. They fall to my side limply and mortification shoots through my body.

What was I thinking? No way is this grumpy so-and-so—who’s already mad at me for being late and falling over his suitcase—going to play along with my admittedly desperate performance.

He opens his mouth and I screw my eyes up, preparing for the shameful death blow.

Instead, a warm, strong arm circles my shoulders and the pine forest scent surrounds me. My eyes fly open to see Liam standing next to me, his lips slightly less turned down than usual. I assume this is his equivalent of a smile.

He standsjustclose enough to appear intimate, but far enough for it to feel awkward. I get the sense this guy isn’t exactly touchy-feely.

Shocker.

“The way she talks, you’d think she was just using me for my body,” he says in this flat, deadpan tone. So deadpan, in fact, that it takes me a few seconds to register his words.

My eyes are wide with shock. Is he… going along with this? “What?”

He raises his brows at me innocently as if to answer my question. He is. He’s actually playing along.

“I know, I know,” he continues. “You love me for my impeccable manners, too.”

Oh. Nice one, Grumpy.

Why not throw a jab at me while you’re at it.

I’m so stunned by this turn of events that I can only stand there, gaping, as Liam offers me another of those not-grimaces of his. “Come on, let’s check in. You know how Ihatelateness.”

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