But I am not cool. Not even close.
I’ve been holding myself back from saying “aww” out loud at all the sweet things he’s said and done since I arrived at his place.
If I’m honest, I’ve been quietly swooning over him ever since he treated my aunt and me to brunch. That was a side of Liam I haven’t seen before: doting, generous, and kind.
But then I think about when we were friends in college. When we’d meet at the library to study or do homework together, he’d always bring me a matcha bubble tea because it was my favorite study time drink. And whenever we were at a house party together and some creep was bothering me, Liam would always step in and tell him to back off. And he’d send me happy birthday texts right after midnight because he always wanted to be the first to wish me happy birthday.
He’s always been like that—I just forgot about it because after we fell out, I stopped hanging around him so much.
When I saw that he ordered me sesame beef, I felt so giddy. I couldn’t believe that he remembered my favorite Chinese takeout dish from when we were in college.
And then when he praised me for taking care of my aunt, I could feel the blush creep up my cheeks, especially when he insulted my ex for breaking up with me because of it. The way he looked at me, like he was in awe of me, threw me off too. I’m used to him teasing me and giving me a hard time, not defending me. I’m used to his handsome face pulling a smug, cocky smile. I’m not used to him looking at me like I hang the moon.
It was just as sweet to hear him talk about how important family is and how he wouldn’t have a problem living with his significant other’s family member. My knees actually felt weak. Because never in a million years did I think that Liam would be open to something like that. I figured he’d be too busy bedding hockey groupies to ever want to share his space with a partner, let alone a family member.
But he sounded so sincere when he said he would.
My heart was doing full-on flutters in my chest.
But it’s what he said about the whole sex noise issue I brought up that made my vagina flutter.
We’d figure out a way to make it work.
The way he smiled when he said it, that teasing flash in his gaze…
That was unexpectedly hot.
I silently order myself to stop thinking about that. Liam probably didn’t mean it in a dirty way. Or if he did, he was probably joking, like he always is.
I down the rest of the water in my bottle and refocus. Liam sits down at his dining room table, and I take the chair next to him. He opens his laptop and shows me a spreadsheet.
“You made a spreadsheet for the bachelor party?” I say.
“Yeah. I figured that would be easier. I shared the doc with you too, so you can have access to it. That way you can add stuff or make changes.”
“Wow.”
He turns to me, an amused look on his face. “Is that all it takes to impress you? A spreadsheet?” he teases.
I skim the text on the screen. “Liam, you planned almost everything.”
He runs a hand through his wavy blond hair. “It’s only fair that I took the reins on this, since you planned the engagement party,” he says. “I called Aidan and Micah the other day, and they want to do a joint bachelor/bachelorette party. They thought it would be fun to go on a getaway for a few days, but they said they didn’t care about the location, so I suggested Cabo San Lucas.”
I hold back a moan at the thought of a beach vacation. “That honestly sounds amazing.”
I see that Liam has listed a handful of all-inclusive resorts. He compiled info about the restaurants and amenities at each place. They all sound incredible. He also included a list of all the people who will be attending the trip.
“Have you been to any of these resorts?” I ask.
“Yeah, all of them. The first one’s my favorite. It has the best food options, and it’s a short trip to a lot of cool bars and shops in town, in case people want to explore off the resort.”
I can see his laptop and he says of course and slides it over to me. “We should start looking at prices for flights so people can book their tickets soon.”
“It’s okay, I’ve got it covered.” He stands up and heads to the fridge.
“What do you mean?”
“This trip is my wedding gift to Aidan and Micah.”
