9. Liam
CHAPTER 9
liam
Friday night finally rolls around and I’m eager as fuck to get Hannah out and alone. We spent last weekend together taking Charlotte ice skating and had two movie nights over the week. But it’s not enough. People are starting to whisper, but we haven’t outright come out and confirmed anything except to Owen. Besides not living together and the physical displays of affection, Hannah and I have been operating like a married couple since Charlie was born. I take her to school most days of the week, leaving work to help get her ready for the day while Hannah juggles Bean Haven, and whenever Hannah is running late, I pick her up. Our lives are already deeply embedded with each other, it’s been tricky to change anything up and expect people to notice. But that all changes tonight.
Carter and I meet up behind Bean Haven so that I can talk to him in person before heading up to Hannah’s.
“What up, Casanova? You ready for your fun Friday night?”
“Fuckin’ babysitting. I’m the goddamn king of this little town, could spend it with whoever I want, and you got me chillin’ with Little Miss Sass.”
“Hey, I’d say that’s the best Friday night if you ask me.”
“Didn’t though, did I, lint licker?”
“For fuck’s sake you all gotta find a better nickname,” I blurt, rolling my eyes. “Hannah is probably already putting Charlie to sleep, but she may get out of bed a few hundred times before she finally stays put and crashes. Just keep taking her back there and she’ll eventually give in.”
“Sounds easy enough. I’m the cool uncle anyway, she’s gonna wanna hang. She can’t stay up?”
“No, idiot. She’s three. She needs to stick to her routine, she’ll be crabby as shit tomorrow if you keep her up.”
“Well what the fuck am I supposed to do while she sleeps?”
“What are you, twelve? Watch a damn movie or start a new show for all I care. Stay out of Hannah’s bedroom or I’ll fuckin’ strangle you slowly, bring you right to the brink of death, let you think you’re gonna survive, and then do it again and again before finally watching your life slip from your eyes. Got it?”
He bristles. “Fuck, you’re scary when you wanna be.”
I poke him hard in the chest. “Yep. So remember that. C’mon, let’s get upstairs so Han and I can hit the road.”
I take confident strides across the small parking lot and up the stairs to the apartment, nothing but excitement fueling each step. All bets are off starting tonight. It’s time I show Hannah that I can be so much more. She may be fake dating me to change her circumstances, but there isn’t anything fake about any of this for me.
I knock twice on the door before opening it slowly since Carter is with me. I’m not about to allow him to see Hannah less than fully dressed. She’s probably one of the only girls he hasn’t messed around with .
“Han? I’m here, and I brought the dipshit with me. You ready?”
Hannah pops around the corner, her violet hair left down, falling around her shoulders in big waves. She’s done her makeup in a way that makes her pretty light brown eyes pop, and is wearing a pair of denim jeans that look like they were painted on, a pair of boots that come up slightly past her ankle with big buckles, a large T-shirt with Valek on the front, and her leather jacket. She’s so fucking cute.
“Casanova! You’ll be flying pretty solo tonight. She is wiped out and it’s only seven. I’d be surprised if she got up, but you never know,” Hannah tells Carter.
“Lame. We’ll be fine, I brought my laptop to get some work done anyway.”
“Working on anything fun?”
Carter scoffs. “Nah, big fucking headache lately. A huge Pacific Northwest magazine wants to feature the distillery but narrowing down the details has proven to be ridiculous. They could make or break us, and I want everything to be perfect. It’s almost like they want to find a story and not just celebrate and promote the distillery and everything we’re doing over in our tiny-ass part of the world.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out and they’ll all love you.”
“Psh,” I add. “Just as long as it’s a female. Maybe he can fuck his way into a good feature.”
“Shut up, lint licker. Don’t you guys have a movie to get to?”
“Yep. On that note, you ready, Han?”
“Been ready! Mama needs a night off. Let’s go eat our weight in junk food and get jump scared!”
Hannah pushes past us, doing a little shimmy as she does, looking cute as hell as I watch her walk out of the apartment.
“Damn, you’re not even holding it back anymore. ”
“The fuck are you talking about now?” I ask my brother.
“The way you just watched her leave. You’re a goner.”
He’s not wrong.
Hannah and I drive up the road a few blocks to Barrel House. Normally we would walk, but it’s too damn cold for that shit, plus we need to grab our food and get over to the drive-in. After pulling into a spot, I jump out of my truck before rounding the hood and opening up her door, grabbing her little waist and easing her out. When she’s planted firmly on the ground, I crowd her space, caging her in with my hands on either side of her head against the side of the truck.
“Remember, this isn’t two friends grabbing a bite, we’re dating, time to act like it. Can you do that for me?”
Her eyes blink rapidly like she’s attempting to clear her thoughts.
“Yeah, yeah. I know how to act, bear. I got this.”
I feel like testing the waters, and maybe I’m playing with fire here, but damn, if she was mine, this is exactly how I’d behave anyway. It’s time she sees that. Lifting my hand from the truck, I rub the back of my knuckles down the side of her face, temple to jaw in a slow motion. She doesn’t jerk away but fuck if she doesn’t hiss in a quick breath of air and hold it, her eyes glassing over slightly, the pulse point in her neck throbbing rapidly.
“That’s my girl. God, you’re pretty.”
Her eyes light up in surprise, like she didn’t know I thought that, and I make a mental note to tell her more often.
“You ready?”
“Ye—” She clears her throat before trying again, leaving me grinning like a fucking idiot. “Yes. I’m good, I’m ready.”
Clasping her hand in my own, we walk around the corner and down the steps to Barrel House to pick up the to-go order I had placed earlier. Sawyer’s wife, Ivy, is the head chef here and the food is beyond good. She’s extremely talented and all of us frequent the place for lunch and dinner. Holding the heavy steel door open for Hannah, I place my palm on the small of her back and guide her inside before taking her hand in mine again, keeping her body close.
The hostess greets us with a huge smile, eyes flashing down to Hannah’s and my clasped hands before going wide, nearly bugging out of her head. They’re fairly sizable to begin with, and enlarged, they remind me of one of Charlie’s toys that you squeeze and the eyes pop out of the sockets. It’s actually a little concerning, and I cock my head at her.
“Liam Hayes, what do you have here?”
“Hey, Luna. Picking up a to-go order for Hannah and me.”
“Eeek!” she squeals and we both flinch, Hannah’s back pressing to my front. Whelp, I don’t mind this position at all. I release her hand and settle mine on her hip, right under her leather jacket. Luna goes to the back with a skip in her step, clapping her hands together the entire way.
“I wanted to get our first date in and be seen a little before we come clean to your grandmother tomorrow. So, let’s give ’em something to talk about.”
“Pretty presumptuous of you that we’re going to tell her tomorrow, bear, Jesus.”
“We are. Didn’t expect Luna to be this happy.”
“Yeah, me either. Did you tell your brothers? Cause here comes Ivy.”
I look up to find my sister-in-law in all her pregnant glory heading right for us, Luna behind her carrying our to-go boxes.
“Is it true?”
“That Hannah and I are together?”
“Holy hell, finally! ”
Hannah throws her hands in the air. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
I lean my mouth to her ear, rubbing my thumb against her skin softly, and whisper just for her to hear, “Because it’s the truth.”
“Took me long enough, but I got her locked down,” I tell Ivy.
“Who knows?”
“You two, Carter, and Owen,” I reply confidently. “Been together a bit now, just over keeping it a secret.”
“Holy shit. How did I miss this? Well, don’t I feel special to know before Sawyer. Is it still a secret? I can’t keep anything from him, he’ll know something is up right away. He reads me like a damn book.”
“Nah, Iv, it’s not a secret. Wouldn’t ask you to keep anything from the shithead. But I’ll tell Dallas. He’s been a little preoccupied.”
“Ya think? Preoccupied would be an understatement,” she says with concern in her eyes.
Hannah and I accept our food from Luna and say goodbye to Ivy before packing back up in my truck and heading to the drive-in, a place where Hannah and I have been going since we were teenagers. They’re notorious for showing classic thriller and horror movies and that’s where we fell in love with the genre. It’s been our thing for years, and I knew it would be the perfect place for our first real date.
“Do you want to get stabbed? Quit eating my nonpareils! Mother above, bear, I swear. You’ve eaten half the box!”
“Are you kidding me right now, Hannah? You picked out all of the red and green Skittles from my bag, ate more than half of my popcorn—that you said you didn’t want, by the way—and I’m scared to pick up my box of Hot Tamales ’cause you’re not as sneaky as you think you are. And I can’t have some of your precious nonpareils?”
“They’re only sold here, and you know I save them to bring home!”
“You’re being a baby. Quit yapping and watch the movie. This is my favorite part.”
“You hate this part, you big liar!”
“Shh! No talking at movies!” I push her farther away from me in the bed of my truck to annoy her. Her feet come fast and hard as she retaliates by kicking me in the thigh and ribs. Thank God she took her shoes off and is only wearing socks or that would have hurt like a sonofabitch. I grab her ankle and yank her closer so I can pin her legs under mine to keep her still when her quick little hand comes out of nowhere and slaps me in the chest.
“That’s it.”
Popcorn flies as I sit upright and yank Hannah into my lap, grabbing her wrists and wrapping her arms like a straitjacket, holding her back to my chest, my legs wrapped around hers, holding her still. The little monster keeps trying to fight me, even though I’m at least triple her size, her battle cries loud enough for everyone parked nearby to hear.
“Quit.” I jerk her closer, trying my hardest not to hurt her but not letting go as she wrestles me in the back of my truck. Her head falls back onto my shoulder, and I should have expected what she was about to do but goddamn she’s fucking quick. Her wet tongue licks up the side of my face as she struggles to breathe through her laughs. I release her arms and legs pushing her back so that she flops off of me, using the back of my sweatshirt to wipe her saliva from my face.
“For fuck’s sake, Hannah! Gross!”
“Gotcha to let me go. It always works. ”
“You’re pure evil. Payback is always a bitch, watch your back, beauty. I’m comin’ for ya.”
She throws a handful of popcorn in my face, and the two of us drown out the noise of the movie with our fit of laughter. It’s always been like this between us. Easy, fun. I never wished my best friend was a guy because I’ve had my three brothers and that comes with enough competition and masculine pressure to keep up with them. With Hannah, I just get to be me. No judgment. No pressure to be anything or do things a certain way. I’ve never had to think. She just lets me be me.
After the double feature, Hannah and I pack up the bed of my truck and clean up our mess before driving back to her parents’ house.
“Hey, only ten minutes after curfew. Not too bad. Should only be questioned by the parental units for an hour.”
“Stay strong. Text me if you need anything.” Opening up the middle console of my truck, I pull out the box of nonpareils and toss them in her lap.
“Holy shit! When did you get these?”
“When you went to the bathroom—before you started bitching that I ate half of the ones you bought, by the way. Wanted you to have extra until we made it back up here to get more.
“What would I do without you? You’re too good to me.”
“You’d probably have just the half-eaten box of your favorites, so you should probably keep me around.” I shrug, not understanding what the big deal is. She loves them, I ate them and knew she would want some later. Seemed like an easy thing to do to make her happy.
I drive into The Moonlit Theater and pay our fee to the attendant, pulling into a slot at the very back so that everyone is in front of us. May not be the best spot in the lot, but I didn’t want eyes on us all night.
“It’s freezing, you want me to run in and get snacks or do you want to come with me?”
“And trust that you’re going to get exactly what I want? Not a chance. I’m coming!” she says as she unbuckles her seatbelt and reaches for the door.
“Two boxes of nonpareils, one Snickers bar, popcorn with extra butter, and a vanilla cream Dr Pepper.”
Hannah’s head whips in my direction, the skin around her eyes crinkling as a huge smile fills the face I’m obsessed with.
“Plus, you’ll eat my Hot Tamales, only the green and red Skittles out of my bag, and my salted popcorn when you pretend you hate the salt on top.”
She shrugs. “Lucky guess.”
“Not luck, or a guess. I know everything about you, Han.”
She squints as she bites her bottom lip in a devilish little look. “Not everything .”
“Fair. But I plan to change that.”
Leaving her stunned, mouth falling open, I jump out of the truck and head around the hood in her direction when I see a group of people from town that we went to high school with. They nod their heads at me in a hello and I wave back. When I get to Hannah’s side of the truck, she’s already got the damn door open and is bracing herself to climb out when I slide my hands up her thighs and settle them around her trim waist.
“I’ve got it, bear, I’ve jumped out of this beast a million times.”
“Yeah, but that was before you agreed you were mine. ”
I easily lift her out of the truck, setting her down on her feet in front of me, crowding her space with my body just as I did in front of Barrel House. My hand threads through the pretty muted locks of her violet hair that I love so much, tilting her head back to look at me. The little intake of air she pulls in through her teeth every time I’m this close is so fucking cute. And goes directly to my dick.
Leaning into her, her eyes flick to my mouth, her tongue peeking out and slowly swiping across her soft pink lips before disappearing. Shit, she thinks I’m going to kiss her and seems more than okay with it. My eyes shutter closed for a brief minute while I reel the control I’m losing back firmly into place. I wasn’t planning on that happening tonight.
Instead of kissing her, I lean my head down, running my nose up her jaw from chin to the bottom of her ear, inhaling as I go. “Mmm.” She smells like vanilla, chocolate, and something that is just so inherently her, and it wakes my dick right up. Hannah stands stock-still, frozen, probably in shock at how the close proximity is making her feel, fighting it.
“People are watching, fiancé . Thought you could act better than this.”
Her hand shoots out, clasping the back of my neck, nudging me closer to her. “Why didn’t you say so? You want me to act, I can fucking act.”
Her hips gyrate against mine ever so slightly, and I nearly groan out loud at the feel of her pelvis against mine. My dick is rapidly hardening now, and I wouldn’t be able to hide from her if she keeps this up.
She must see someone behind us because her spine straightens for a split second and before I can process what’s happening, Hannah’s hands grab the sides of my face, pulling me down, her lips crashing hard against mine. I stumble for a second before my brain catches the fuck up.
Hannah is fucking kissing me. Tightening my hold around her waist, my other hand still holding the back of her head, I press my lips more forcefully against hers. There’s no tongue, nothing about it is romantic or how I envisioned what kissing Hannah would be like. The entire thing is over quicker than it started, and I’m left stunned that she did it at all. When I pull back, she’s looking up at me with a smug-as-shit look plastered to her face, while I’m left dazed and confused.
Goddamn, Hannah just kissed me.
“Gotcha. Told ya I could act.”
“You’re gonna pay for that one.”
“Payback. Payback. Always with the threats. Our food is getting cold, let’s go get our snacks so we can eat!”
Hannah pushes against my chest, effectively bringing me back to Earth, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind her into the theater’s concession stand. We order our food and drinks and then pile back into my truck, Hannah kicking off her shoes and getting comfortable before the first movie starts.
I can’t take my eyes off her as we eat and relax into the comfortable silence between two people who have known each other, and been close, their entire lives. I just hope that I can change the future for us, because I want to keep my girls forever, I just need to get her on board.