Chapter 14 Liam #2
Liam knew people were supposed to declare second jobs, but that was in big corporations, not a family-run bakery that employed three people outside the family.
What bothered him was that if Callum had needed more money, why hadn’t he asked Liam if there were more hours for him at the bakery?
He knew Callum would have raised it with his mum, so why couldn’t he talk to Liam about it?
“Can I get you some drinks to start?” asked Callum.
“I’ll just have a Diet Coke,” said Liam.
“Same,” said Austin.
Callum nodded and left them to it. He’d be back soon, so Liam would need to look at the menu and decide what he wanted. Kevin was a brilliant chef, so he knew everything would be excellent.
“Liam, are you okay?” asked Austin.
“Yeah. It was just a shock seeing Callum here. If he’d told me he needed more hours, I would have spoken to Dad about it.”
“Or just decided yourself. It’s your business as well.”
“I know. It’s just . . . why didn’t he say anything? Am I a shitty boss, do you think?”
Austin chuckled. “Definitely not. Everyone there thinks the world of you. Remember, Callum’s the youngest of five brothers. He probably doesn’t ask for help easily, especially given his siblings. You know how much they baby him.”
That was fair. The Longe brothers lived in Roseville and were all successful in different ways.
Liam remembered his mum saying Callum had specifically wanted a job out of town so his family wouldn’t bother him all the time.
Liam wasn’t getting into all that, but Austin was right – this wasn’t about him.
He was still going to see if he could get Callum some more hours, though.
Doing early shifts at the bakery and then late shifts in the pub couldn’t be good for his health, even if he was only twenty.
“What’s good here?” asked Liam.
“Do you like steak?”
“Of course.”
“Kevin cooks a brilliant steak, which comes with his homemade chips and onion rings using his own homemade batter.”
“Sold,” he said, closing the menu.
“I’ll have the same,” said Austin. “Are you all ready for the weekend?”
“Yeah, just the baking to do on the day.”
It was the Festival of Spring this weekend, and they had a stall again.
They always sold out of everything, so it was profitable, but they did little more than they would usually do on a regular Saturday trade, so Liam wasn’t sure of the value.
It was something he would need to talk to his dad about.
His mum had signed them up for all the festivals this year, so there was no rush to have that conversation.
The festival was fun, but it was a lot of work, and Liam was feeling selfish, as it meant he couldn’t use the day for his fifth date with Austin.
He was going to combust if he didn’t get that man into bed soon.
“What are you doing after the festival?” asked Austin.
“Collapsing into bed probably.”
“Would you prefer to collapse in my bed?”
“Really?”
“Maisie is staying with Nathan, so I thought I could cook dinner for us, as our fifth date, and then take my boyfriend to bed.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Well, what would you call us?”
Liam chuckled. “It feels different this time. Most guys just want to get me on my back and then leave.”
Austin growled. Literally, growled. It made Liam feel funny, but in a good way.
“Those guys were idiots for not realising what an amazing man they had in front of them. I won’t be making that mistake.”
Fuck! Was it hot in here?
Before Liam could attempt to speak after that, Callum arrived with their drinks and to take their food order. Once that was done, Liam’s heart rate was back to normal. That was until Austin took his hand again. Any touch from this man made his heart race.
“I’d like to tell Maisie about us, if you’re okay with that?”
Austin had told Liam he’d had the bisexual conversation with his daughter. Her response had been adorable. What an amazing woman she was going to become.
“She’s your daughter, Austin. That’s your decision to make.”
“No, Liam. This is a decision we need to make together. I know she’s my daughter, but if you’re going to be in our lives, we’re a package deal.”
“I know that. I love Maisie. She’s an amazing kid.”
“She loves you too. So, what do you say? I don’t enjoy keeping something so important from her.”
“Can you tell her after the weekend?”
“Want to be sure I can live up to all my promises first, do you?”
“No. That’s not what I meant.” It was getting even hotter in here. “It’s just, I like this little bubble we’re in at the moment. I know everyone is speculating and trying to poke their nose in, but I like that it’s just us.”
“And we’ll still have that, Liam. I’ll always make time for you.”
“We can do things with Maisie as well, you know.”
He smiled. “I’m sure she’d love that.”
“She won’t think . . . you know what, never mind. What time do you want me on Saturday?”
“What were you going to say? Remember what we agreed?”
“I just don’t want her to think I’m trying to replace her mum or anything,” he choked up on the last couple of words.
He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to lose his mother when he was seven years old. He was struggling with it now, and was nearly thirty. His eyes watered, and before he could blink away the tears, Austin was by his side, pulling him into a hug.
“Sorry, I’m just missing my mum today. I didn’t mean to put a downer on the evening.”
“You should never be sorry for missing your mum. I miss mine all the time.”
Austin’s mum had died five years ago, and his dad had followed her within a few months. He couldn’t imagine what that would feel like. Compared to Austin and Maisie, Liam’s experience wasn’t nearly as horrendous.
“We can get the food to go if you prefer?”
Liam shook his head. “No, I’m happy to stay. Steak doesn’t travel well either.”
Austin kissed his temple and stood up before stopping. Liam looked up and Gerard was standing there with his hand on his heart.
“Swoon!” he said.
“Get fucked!” said Austin.
Liam burst out laughing. Gerard feigned mock offence, before smiling and leaving them to it. Not long after that, Callum arrived with their food, which looked more impressive than the Michelin-starred meal they’d had on their first date.
It tasted even better than it looked, and they kept the conversation to less heavy topics whilst they enjoyed their food.
Kevin had his sticky toffee pudding as the special dessert tonight, so of course they had to have some.
After the heavy start, the rest of the evening was relaxed, with Austin not being able to stop touching him every few minutes.
After they’d had a minor disagreement about who was paying for dinner, Gerard had said it was on the house and told them to piss off.
His boyfriend then drove him home before giving him a goodnight kiss, which almost took him to his knees again. In two days he was finally going to get Austin into bed, and it couldn’t come soon enough.