I’ll show what a man in love is like.
Chapter 29
The smell of garlic and the sound of chopping wakes me up from my nap. I don’t remember falling asleep. The last thing I remember is Liam telling me that he wanted to date me. Me—little Sloane Callahan.
Following the sound, I find Liam chopping away with something sizzling in the pot on the stove, and Gigi dutifully sitting at his heels, hoping he drops something.
“What’s going on in here?” I ask, taking a seat at the kitchen island and facing Liam as he cuts some mushrooms.
“I told you, I’m making you lasagna tonight,” he says, looking up and giving me a smile. “How was your nap?”
“Good,” I say with a leftover yawn. “I needed it. I couldn’t sleep last night.”
“How come?” he asks, stopping his chopping so I have his full attention. My heart skips a beat. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having his undivided attention.
“I don’t know. I just kept replaying what you said over and over,” I tell him.
“What about it?” he asks, moving to stir whatever is sizzling in the pot.
“Nothing, just what it meant,” I say shyly. “What you said about the accident . . . I felt like an idiot—stupid and immature. I just felt really bad about having avoided you for years. I felt horrible over the fact that you were right; if it wasn’t for you almost dying, we never would have gotten back in touch. Time would have just kept going without you in my life. Like you, I came to the realization that the accident is what brought us back together, and it made me feel bad.”
“There’s nothing to feel bad about,” he says, sliding his hand across the kitchen island to touch his fingertips to mine. The small touch settles my thoughts.
“Now, how about you go relax, take a bath, read a book, or whatever it is you do to relax while I finish cooking,” he instructs with a smile and a tap to the top of my hands.
“Are you sure I can’t help?” I ask, wanting to be in his space.
“I’m sure. You played hooky for the first time today, enjoy it!” he jokes. “Go relax and let me make you supper, please?”
It’s thepleaseat the end of his request that gets me moving back toward my bedroom. As much as watching Liam in the kitchen was making my heart do silly things, the thought of a bath was too much to resist. I haven’t taken the time to relax in a few weeks—since Liam has been here. One of the negative sides of actively trying to avoid him, I guess.
I’m ashamed to say I haven’t been taking advantage of the nice soaker tub. Apart from all the windows, it was a big reason why I chose this house. No time like the present,though. I mean, Liam is right! This is the first time in my life that I’ve play hooky. I might as well do it right!
Grabbing my Kindle from my bedroom, I head to the bathroom. As the water runs, I decide to go all out—not something I usually do when taking a bath. I head back out to the living room, picking up my favorite salted caramel candle, and a bottle of water. Nothing dehydrates me more than a hot bath.
Back in the bathroom, I add more vanilla-scented bubble bath, dim the lights, and sink deep into the warm bubbles. The second my body is submerged, I let out a long breath. The man is a genius sometimes . . . when he’s not being a dick. What woman doesn’t enjoy a relaxing bath followed by a homemade meal from the man they’re falling for all over again.
This time, falling for Liam feels different. It’s not a whirlwind obsession like when I was a kid. This is warm, slow, comforting. It’s like watching a flower bloom in the spring. Happy. Light. Effortless. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.
I’m not naive enough to believe that it’ll be all smooth sailing this time. We both have things to work on. Liam, with everything about the accident. And I need to realize that not everything is about me, that he is going through something that, hopefully, I will never understand.
That’s not the only issue, the little voice inside my head reminds me. She’s not wrong. This—learning each other—is going to be the easiest part. Liam doesn’t live here, plus he’s my older brother’s best friend. Ronan is probably going to be a whole other issue. One I’m notready to face. I know he loves both Liam and I, but I doubt he’s going to love Liam and I together, no matter how chill of an older brother he is.
I feel the anxiety rise inside of me at thoughts of the future. It’s counterproductive to my bath. I’m here to relax, to enjoy the quiet, and catch up on some reading. Shaking my head to get rid of my spiralling thoughts, I sink lower into the water and grab my Kindle.
I must have lost track of time, because the next thing I know, my water is cold and Liam is knocking at the door. “You almost ready to come out? Supper should be ready in about fifteen,” he says.
“I was just getting out,” I tell him before I hear his footsteps and the clack of his cane move away from the door, heading back toward the kitchen.
I’m shivering the moment I stand up from the tub so I decide to take a quick shower to warm up before getting dressed and making my way to the kitchen.
I’m hit with the smell of gooey cheese and childhood memories the second I open the bathroom door. Why did I agree to take a bath when I could have then bathed in this smell all afternoon?
I waste no time running to my bedroom, wrapped in only a towel. I haphazardly throw on the first sweatshirt my hands land on, my coffee-colored leggings, and bright pink fuzzy socks, not caring that I probably look like a rainbow. I need that lasagna!
I slide on my socks Tom Cruise style, as I rush into the kitchen—the real reason I livein fuzzy socks.
“What are you doing?” Liam asks with a rumbling laugh, seeing how I entered the kitchen.
