My heart stutters at thisstupid,adorableman who isall mine. I move to kiss him, his phone ringing once again, and I know Ana must be worried out of her mind.
“You need to go.” Grabbing his stuff, he holds it in one hand, his fingers lacing with mine in the other. We walk to his car without a word, and he unlocks it before placing his bag in the trunk. I turn around to face him and he seems lost in thought. The ground suddenly seems a lot more interesting. “Liam?”
He raises his head and sighs again, making me more confused. “Is it stupid to say I’ll miss you even though I’m seeing you later?”he asks, the red reaching all the way to the tips of his ears. A choked laugh escapes me as I shake my head.
“Not at all. I’ll miss you too.” He pulls me into his embrace as my arms loop around his neck. After a bit, we pull back only a few inches, our faces still incredibly close together.
“Since the night at the shelter, multiple scenarios have gone through my head of how I was gonna do this. I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t help myself. Never in my entire life have I ever only wanted to be your best friend.” My eyes widen, and he grabs both of my hands, interlacing our fingers. He smiles at me. “The day when I learned what a girlfriend is, you’ve been that in every single one of my thoughts.” He blows out a breath. “Now, I know it’s gonna be interesting to explain this to my parents and yours. And Josh not liking me is definitely a setback, but I have faith in us. This”—he signals between us—“is real. We’re not only best friends, we’resomuch more.There’s no one else for me, like Ihopethere’s no one else for you,” he finishes, and then kisses me, sealing his words, my heart soaring. We kiss desperately, and he pulls back, laughing breathlessly as he plants his forehead against mine.
“As much as I want this to keep going, my mother is gonna kill me if I don’t get home soon.” I nod at that, and he pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, whispering, “Perfect,” and my heart explodes in fireworks. “Wear something a little fancy because I have a surprise later tonight.” If he keeps this up, I’m going to pass out. He smiles, kissing me once more. He then places a finger under my chin, his pearly whites making their grand entrance.
“I love you,” he whispers, giving me a final kiss. He walks away as I gasp at the confession. He gets in his car as I basically stand there, shaking my head, unsure if this is all real. He drives off, not before sending me a kiss with a flirty wink, and I walk back as I think about tonight, delicious nerves tickling me.
Once at the front door, I hear hushed voices, so I hurriedly push my way inside.
“Are you serious,Kate? That family ... that boy ...You accept that?” My heart stutters at the icy chill in Josh’s voice, and a sniffle rings out.
“Josh, they’re close friends.”
He scoffs. “Because Iallow it. Besides, you don’t know that. I mean, because of him, she already added another piece of filth to her body.Another damned tattoo.” I stop at that as I listen behind the wall. “Oh, and William stopped by the office toapologizefor the other night. That family is a bunch of hypocrites. You can tell they aren’t as refined as us. I’m telling you, darling, weneedto cut them out.”
My heart drops at the venom spouting from Josh’s mouth, and I peek to see Mom visibly stressed. “Josh ...” She reaches out to grab his arm.
“If you’re gonna defend them”—she whimpers as his hand wraps around her wrist—“don’t.” He lets go harshly as she looks at him, bewildered, and he stomps off. She breathes, gasping every once in a while, when I creep up to her, hugging her from behind.
“Oh—hi, honey.” A smile is plastered on her face as she wipes her eyes, her hands subtly rubbing the skin around her wrist. I look down, barely seeing the imprints of Josh’s fingers, but she pulls it back before I can get a better look. “I’m fine. Look, Ana called asking if Liam was here, but I couldn’t confirm.”
I close my eyes at that. “Yeah, he left to go back home.” She nods, and I can’t help but look at her, worried. “Mom, are you—”
She steps back. “Will Liam be coming over later today too?” Her posture is closed off; she’s backing away.
“Um—I’m actually going to his place later today.”
She smooths down her dress, nodding over and over.“Good, good. That’s better, given that Josh is ... you know.” I dip my head in agreement as she smiles. She then puts her hands on my shoulders. “I love you, Bianca.”
She walks off before I can say a word, but I still mumble a soft, “I love you, Mom.” Though, she’s too far away to hear it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
LIAM
“Liam Jax Parker!” Mom yells the moment I attempt to close the door softly. Her accent rolls the Rs in Parker, and I close my eyes in awaited pain.
Oh yeah—big trouble.
I walk to the kitchen to find her pacing angrily, Dad sipping his coffee, looking at her worriedly. They both make eye contact with me, and he looks down at his phone, not before giving me the look that saysyou’re dead.
“Donde estab—”she starts in Spanish, bringing out her native tongue. “Where have you been?” She crosses her arms, and even though I’m over a foot taller than she is, I can’t help but feel a little intimidated.
“I—”
She cuts me off. “I understand. You’re an adult,you’re twenty. But I have one rule: Let me know where you are. I think I’m a chill mother.” She looks over to Dad. “Aren’t I a chill mother, Will?”
He nods vehemently. “The chillest, my love.” She looks back at me.
“All I want to know is if you’re alive at least.” She sighs. “I don’t want to nag, or treat you like a kid, buteres mi niño, and I will always worry about you.” I drop my head like a kicked puppy when her voice lowers. Dad glares at me and I clear my throat, uncomfortable. She runs her hands over her hair, smoothing it down as she takes a deep breath. “So?” I glance up as she looks at me expectantly, and a heat starts up my spine. “Where have you been?” She sits upright on the counter stool, looking taller than she actually is, and the heat spreads over my neck to my ears, probably showing across my face.
“Um—I was at ...” I sigh, rubbing a hand over my eyes. “I was at Bianca’s.” Dad drops his phone and Mom’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I look back down as I let them process the information.
