Chapter 9
Kendall
Istand there and try to look like my normal unbothered self as I nod at Liam.
But I am not cool. Not even close.
I’ve been holding myself back from saying “aww” out loud at all the sweet things he’s said and done since I arrived at his place.
If I’m honest, I’ve been quietly swooning over him ever since he treated my aunt and me to brunch. That was a side of Liam I haven’t seen before: doting, generous, and kind.
But then I think about when we were friends in college.
When we’d meet at the library to study or do homework together, he’d always bring me a matcha bubble tea because it was my favorite study time drink.
And whenever we were at a house party together and some creep was bothering me, Liam would always step in and tell him to back off.
And he’d send me happy birthday texts right after midnight because he always wanted to be the first to wish me happy birthday.
He’s always been like that—I just forgot about it because after we fell out, I stopped hanging around him so much.
When I saw that he ordered me sesame beef, I felt so giddy. I couldn’t believe that he remembered my favorite Chinese takeout dish from when we were in college.
And then when he praised me for taking care of my aunt, I could feel the blush creep up my cheeks, especially when he insulted my ex for breaking up with me because of it.
The way he looked at me, like he was in awe of me, threw me off too.
I’m used to him teasing me and giving me a hard time, not defending me.
I’m used to his handsome face pulling a smug, cocky smile.
I’m not used to him looking at me like I hang the moon.
It was just as sweet to hear him talk about how important family is and how he wouldn’t have a problem living with his significant other’s family member.
My knees actually felt weak. Because never in a million years did I think that Liam would be open to something like that.
I figured he’d be too busy bedding hockey groupies to ever want to share his space with a partner, let alone a family member.
But he sounded so sincere when he said he would.
My heart was doing full-on flutters in my chest.
But it’s what he said about the whole sex noise issue I brought up that made my vagina flutter.
We’d figure out a way to make it work.
The way he smiled when he said it, that teasing flash in his gaze…
That was unexpectedly hot.
I silently order myself to stop thinking about that. Liam probably didn’t mean it in a dirty way. Or if he did, he was probably joking, like he always is.
I down the rest of the water in my bottle and refocus. Liam sits down at his dining room table, and I take the chair next to him. He opens his laptop and shows me a spreadsheet.
“You made a spreadsheet for the bachelor party?” I say.
“Yeah. I figured that would be easier. I shared the doc with you too, so you can have access to it. That way you can add stuff or make changes.”
“Wow.”
He turns to me, an amused look on his face. “Is that all it takes to impress you? A spreadsheet?” he teases.
I skim the text on the screen. “Liam, you planned almost everything.”
He runs a hand through his wavy blond hair.
“It’s only fair that I took the reins on this, since you planned the engagement party,” he says.
“I called Aidan and Micah the other day, and they want to do a joint bachelor/bachelorette party. They thought it would be fun to go on a getaway for a few days, but they said they didn’t care about the location, so I suggested Cabo San Lucas. ”
I hold back a moan at the thought of a beach vacation. “That honestly sounds amazing.”
I see that Liam has listed a handful of all-inclusive resorts. He compiled info about the restaurants and amenities at each place. They all sound incredible. He also included a list of all the people who will be attending the trip.
“Have you been to any of these resorts?” I ask.
“Yeah, all of them. The first one’s my favorite. It has the best food options, and it’s a short trip to a lot of cool bars and shops in town, in case people want to explore off the resort.”
I can see his laptop and he says of course and slides it over to me. “We should start looking at prices for flights so people can book their tickets soon.”
“It’s okay, I’ve got it covered.” He stands up and heads to the fridge.
“What do you mean?”
“This trip is my wedding gift to Aidan and Micah.”
I blink at Liam as he guzzles an organic juice. “Um, what? Wait, are you seriously offering to pay for the entire trip?”
“Yeah.” He doesn’t even blink as he puts the juice back in the fridge.
“You’re paying for everyone’s flights and for the resort?”
“Uh-huh.” He grabs an apple and takes a bite.
My jaw hits the floor. “Liam, that’s thousands of dollars.”
He shuts the refrigerator door and looks at me, his expression unbothered. “Yeah, I know.” His tone is so light and casual. It’s like he just offered to pay for pizza and not a luxury vacation for eight people.
I stand there and stare at him with my mouth open. I shake my head, “Liam, no way. It’s too much.”
He chuckles and sits back down. “It’s really not.
” He takes another bite of apple and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
“The owner of the Wolves said we could use his plane to fly down to Mexico, so that’ll be free.
His family will be on vacation there at the same time, but they’re coming back to Nashville a few days before we are and will need the plane for that, so we’ll have to fly commercial back home.
But paying for that won’t be bad at all. ”
I laugh out of sheer disbelief. “Wait, the owner of the team you play for is letting us use his private plane to fly to Mexico for your brother’s bachelor party?”
He flashes that ridiculously handsome lopsided smile. The one that used to annoy me. The one that I don’t mind so much now.
“Yeah. I hosted a youth hockey fundraiser this past winter and his grandkids attended it and had a great time. He’s letting me use his plane as a thank you for that.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know Liam hosted fundraisers for kids. That’s so sweet.
That fluttery feeling swoops through me again. I try to ignore it.
“Still, it’s too much for you to pay for everything.”
I tell him that I can at least pay for my stay at the resort, but he shakes his head, that infuriatingly sexy half-smile still on his face.
The urge to push back persists. My parents taught me from a young age to never expect anything, to always work for what you want. But that’s not entirely what this is about.
I think of my ex, how he always insisted that we split everything fifty-fifty, even though he earned more than double what I earn as a professor. I’m so used to paying for everything that I need and want, it feels weird to accept this gift from Liam.
“I can pay my own way, Liam.”
“I know you can. That’s not what this is about though.”
I start to insist again that I pay for my part of the trip, but he shakes his head and places his hand over mine.
“No way, Kendall. I’m paying.”
I still at the soft growl of his voice, how it borders on the edge of bossy.
That fluttery feeling bubbles up inside of me again. “Okay. Thank you.”
He nods and slides his hand off mine, then looks at something on his phone.
I spend the next few seconds trying not to think about how nice his hand felt on mine…and how I’d like to hear his soft, bossy growl again.
I pretend to look at something on his laptop screen. “Well, I guess the bachelor/bachelorette party is all taken care of.” I’m pleasantly surprised at how normal my voice sounds.
“That just leaves the rehearsal dinner,” I say.
“And the best man speech.” He clears his throat. “I was hoping you could help me with it.”
“Yeah, of course.”
I pull up a new Note from the app on my phone. “What are you thinking for the tone of the speech?”
“Something sentimental and romantic.”
I burst out laughing as I type on my phone. “Right. So, I’m guessing you want to go the funny route. Maybe throw in a bunch of hockey and sports metaphors that only you and your brother will understand.”
I expect him to lob a wise-ass joke back at me, but he doesn’t. He just frowns and rubs the back of his neck.
“Would it be okay if we saved this for our next meetup? I’ve got an early training session in the morning and I should get to bed soon.”
“Oh. Sure.”
I stand up and walk over to the kitchen island to clean up the food, but Liam stops me.
“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” His tone skitters on the edge of curt.
He doesn’t look at me as he packs up the food. It’s so jarring from just a minute ago when he was smiling and being so sweet and playful.
For a second, I stand there, wondering what I did or said to put him off. But then I start to feel awkward. Clearly he wants me to leave. I grab my purse from the table and head to the front door.
“Same time next week?” I ask before I open the door.
He flashes a tight smile. “Sounds good.”
An unsettled feeling gnaws at me. He’s never smiled at me like that before, like he’s faking it.
Even the times when we’ve bickered and I’ve been so frustrated I flipped him the middle finger or told him off, at least those interactions were genuine.
I hate how artificial this moment feels.
That gnawing feeling stays with me the rest of the night.