What the hell am I going to do?
15
Liam
For the last week, I’ve been crazy busy, running around town with my buddy Cole, and making real estate appointments. Harper seemed a bit suspicious about my sudden absence, leaving the house early, coming in late, but the truth is, she’s been acting a bit strange herself, and I’m not sure why. When I came home that morning after leaving her in bed, she seemed upset, perturbed by something, but she brushed it off as work. I wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t seem like she wanted me to press, so I let it go.
Maybe it was nothing more than her trying to hide my birthday ‘surprise party’ at Nina’s house. Afterward, I plan to open up to Harper and show her exactly what I’ve been up to. I just hope I’m not reading things wrong here, and she wants what I want. I can’t leave here next week without laying it all on the line and proving to her that we’d have an amazing future together.
“So, we’re just getting out for a drive, huh? You wanted to see the Great Wheel?” I ask, knowing full well she’s driving around town to throw me off and that we’ll be headed to Cole’s any second now.
“Yeah, it’s just been a long time,” she says as she maneuvers her car through the streets, insisting on driving, even though any second now I’m worried about the muffler or something a little more important falling off the vehicle. “You’ve been so distracted lately, I thought it would be nice to do something fun.”
I can almost hear the question in that statement, asking me why I’ve been so distracted, but I can’t tell her. That would ruin the surprise.
“You’ve been a bit distracted yourself.”
“Work,” she says so quickly, her usual answer, and I try not to dwell on it or let the past invade my brain and send me down the rabbit hole. She’s nothing like the women who hang out at the rink, and is not looking for anything from me.
“How come you got a sitter for Gavin? I’m sure he’d love the wheel too,” I push.
“Oh, he wanted to see Holden, and he doesn’t like heights, so I thought it was best to leave him with Violet for the night. He’s fine.”
“He’s staying the whole night, then?”
“Yeah. You sure are full of questions tonight,” she says and bites her lip. Is she trying really hard not to spill the beans? From everything I’ve learned about her, she’s not the kind of girl who is good at keeping secrets.
“I have one more.”
Her eyes hold a measure of worry, and I soothe it when I ask, “Do you always wear a sexy black dress when you’re exploring downtown Seattle?”
“You think it’s sexy?”
I laugh hard at that, because that’s exactly the kind of evasive answer I’d give. “Yeah, I find it sexy. But you turn me on in your little summery dresses full of dog hair, remember.”
Her soft chuckles warm me from the inside out. “A warm breeze turns you on, Liam.”
“Hey,” I say, feigning insult. “I resemble that comment.” What can I say, I’m a red-blooded male, but truth be told, neither a warm breeze or puck bunny does it for me anymore. Harper is the only woman who turns me on. Things have changed drastically for me since hooking up with her. I reach up and grab the ‘oh shit’ bar and she turns to me, her lips tight, her eyes narrowing in on me.
“Hey, I know how to drive.”
I arch a brow when a clanking sound rattles beneath the car, and I look over to see her check engine light on. I make a mental note to get her car checked out for her, or better yet, buy her a new one, although she’s not the kind of girl who accepts gifts, and honestly, I do love that about her. It’s a refreshing break.
“It’s not your driving I’m worried about,” I inform her.
She whacks my stomach and I take her hand, bring it to my mouth and kiss it.
“Sweet little Dixey here has not let me down yet.”
“You call your car Dixey?” I take in the tiny smile on her face and sense a story. “Spill,” I say.
She laughs. “You sound like Violet and Emma. They were all over me to tell secrets at Jason’s birthday party.”
“Did you?”
“Honestly, I didn’t have to. One look at us and they knew. But I sort of said I was tapping you.”
I laugh out loud. “My God, the things that come out of that sweet mouth of yours.”
“Maybe it’s not so sweet.”
“It’s sweet. You’re sweet.”
I’m fucking in love with you.
She takes her eyes off the street for a second to turn my way and honest to God, as cliché as it might sound, she really does take my breath away. Tonight, her blonde hair is up, perfectly styled, and the strands that are falling around her face are on purpose,
