I get out of the car and Layla looks over at me. There’s something in that look, and I realize that Liam had to have askedsomeoneabout the stunt Tom pulled on me in high school, and Layla would have known the most.
“I sent pictures that Liam acquired of Tom cheating on his girlfriend to her just now.”
Her eyebrows perk up. “Oh?” A grin forms on her face. “Liam gets him fired, and you ruin his love life. Karma really is a bitch. I fucking love this. Oh damn, that’s good. Liam… I like you.”
“Thank you,” Liam says, looking pretty proud of himself as he walks into the house with us.
Mom peeks around the corner and beams at us. “My babies!” she exclaims. She gets to me first, and I see Liam trying to make his escape to avoid the hug of holiday cheer my mom is currently inflicting on me. He’s decided that petting my parents’ dog Buddy might make him appear distracted enough to not get pulled in by my mother.
My mother is relentless, though, and grabs Liam before he can escape. She scoops him up and squeezes him in tight. “It’sso wonderful getting to share this holiday with you! Christmas is just going to be filled with holiday cheer with you here!”
“Is it?” Liam asks as he looks me in the eyes. “Is it?”
I grin at his misery. “Of course it is, honey!”
Liam’s expression tells me that he thinks every part of this is dreadful and is giving me “remove this parasite from my body” eyes.
I really don’t know why he thinks he can’t simply tell my mom that hugs are comparable to soaking in acid for him. He’s vocal about everything else in his life. Mom pulls back but doesn’t let go. Instead, she just beams at him and does some like… cheek smack thing that is supposed to be affectionate. Liam looks significantly more confused.
Mom turns to look at me. “Did you hear about Tom?”
“I sure did,” I say.
“Got what he deserved,” she decides. “I’m hoping my sister and her dreadful husband won’t show up, but you know how my mother is. She’s always trying to pull us together as a family while I’m doing my best to just scrape them off. They’re like gum that gets stuck on your shoe.”
“I can get rid of them for good,” Liam says.
Mom just laughs, having no idea Liam isn’t joking.
“What do you need help with, Mom?” I ask.
“I need tables and chairs set up,” she says as the timer goes off. “Whoops. I kind of forgot about that.”
“I can help,” Liam offers before heading to the kitchen where he’s most at home.
“I kind of want him,” Layla teases.
“You have your own!”
“Yeah, but he’s never hunted down my childhood bully and made him regret his life,” Layla says. “That’s sexy.”
I grab her wrist. “I’m… honestly a bit worried about the presents, though. If he whips out a ring…”
“A ring? You guys have been dating a couple of months. He’s not going to whip out a ring.”
“He bought Mom a blanket from Tiffany and Co and me a house,” I remind her.
She has a look of understanding on her face. “Say no more.”
Layla and I swiftly put the tables together and Mom comes over to toss tablecloths on them, seeming to have given up on whatever is going on in the kitchen.
“We’ve got this if you need to be in the kitchen,” Layla tells her.
“I think I was just getting in Liam’s way,” Mom says.
I glance at the kitchen. “If he’s being too much, I’ll kick him out. He likes it when I’m violent.”
Mom laughs. “I am so tired and things haven’t even started. If he wants to work his magic in there, I amthrilledto let him. Maybe he’ll turn my dry-ass turkey into a lobster or something. There’s no consuming that turkey without a glass of water.”
