Chapter 24
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
SOPHIE
The sky is overcast as I begin the drive to Misty Lakes.
Liam’s dad’s estate is on the other side of the state line, in Virginia, and I’m thankful for my car’s GPS because I have no sense of direction at all.
Liam called me early this morning – he arrived at his father’s place with his brothers late last night.
When I told him I should be there in the early afternoon he sounded pleased.
I don’t know why I ever thought I’d be able to do this trip there and back in a day. It’s not exactly short. And as I get closer to Virginia, the clouds darken ominously, reminding me that later on there’s almost certainly going to be a deluge.
When I make the turn onto a graveled road, the tree canopy above casts a dark shadow on the path ahead. Ava told me that there was a kind of forest between the road and Misty Lakes. Liam’s dad likes his privacy and they provide a welcome barrier.
I’m starting to wonder if this forest will ever end when I finally drive out of the other side, and in the distance I see the main house sitting on the top of one of the rolling green hills.
The road meanders and then ascends up the hill, and I get the most gorgeous view of the lakes that the estate is named after.
They don’t sparkle because there’s no sun to reflect off them, but they look tranquil and beautiful.
When I reach the house the driveway is filled with cars. There are three men wearing yellow vests over their white shirts and black pants and one of them walks forward. “Miss West?”
“Yes.” I nod. Impressive, Liam must have given them my car details.
“If you’d like to go up to the house we’ll park your car and take your luggage down to your cabin,” he tells me.
So I climb out and grab my bag and phone, as well as the paper bag that has Linda’s birthday gift inside, and I walk up to the steps, taking a deep breath because I’m going to be seeing him again.
And then he’s opening the impressive oak front door, his expression unreadable as he walks down the steps to meet me.
“Sophie.” He kisses my cheek. “How was your drive?”
“It was good,” I say breathlessly because this man has such an effect on me.
“I’m glad.”
I’m a little perplexed by his reaction to me. I’d envisioned him sweeping me off my feet, kissing me until I couldn’t regain control of my muscles. But instead he’s being cool. Almost aloof.
And then I look over his shoulder and I see his mother and stepmothers, plus his father and brothers, all standing at the door.
“I don’t know how you want to play this,” he whispers in my ear. “Are you okay with everyone knowing about us?”
I take a deep breath, remembering my dad’s words from last night. It’s about the future. And I don’t want to be afraid of that.
“Yeah, I am,” I tell him.
“Thank Christ for that.” Before I can say another word, he spins me around and pulls me against him, his mouth warm against mine as he kisses me.
I curl my arms around his neck, rolling onto my toes to try to get a little bit higher, loving the way he holds me so tight. His tongue slides against mine and there’s a low rumble in his throat that sends pleasure straight to my thighs.
Somebody lets out a whistle and Liam pulls back, his smile huge.
“Hello,” he tells me, as though we’re starting over. “I missed you.”
“I missed you,” I tell him honestly.
He slides his fingers through mine, taking the gift bag out of my other hand, and leads me up the stairs to the door. Eli lifts a brow at him and Myles looks at me and mouths, “You okay?”
And I know he’s asking me if I’m okay with this. With Liam outing us. I nod at Myles and he smiles. The next moment, Ava is putting Charlie into his arms and pulling me away from Liam, hugging me tight.
“You and I have a lot to talk about,” she tells me.
“I know. And I’m sorry.” I should have warned her about this.
“Don’t be. I’m just happy for you both. Come on in, I’ll get you a drink.” She slides her arm through mine.
The noise levels reach a high point as we walk inside.
Liam’s brothers are teasing him, but he seems to be taking it in good humor.
His dad is there, too, but his mom and Deandra along with Julia – his dad’s other ex-wife and his current one, who is carrying their little girl – walk ahead with Ava and me.
“Thank you so much for giving me the storm warning,” Linda says, sliding her arm through mine. The hallway is so large it can easily allow us to walk three abreast. “I would have panicked when I woke up this morning if I hadn’t already made contingency plans.”
“I just wish I could have chased the storm away,” I tell her.
“Ah well. Maybe next time.” She leads us into the kitchen, a huge room with windows that look out over the hills and lake.
There’s a patio right outside, filled with tables and chairs, and a path that winds down the hill past beautiful flowering bushes and ornamental trees until it reaches the lake.
A pair of arms encircle me. I smile and lean my head back on Liam’s chest. “I’ll take you down to your cabin,” he tells me. “Help you get settled in.”
From the hard ridge pressing against my bottom I’m pretty sure that’s not all he has planned.
“Can you wait for ten minutes?” Linda asks. “Ria will be here with her girls. I’m putting Ariel in the cabin with Sophie, and Ria and Claire will share the last room in here.”
Liam stiffens, but not in a good way. “What?”
“You’ll like Ariel,” Linda says, ignoring his pissed tone. “Ria’s my oldest friend. Ariel and Claire are her daughters. They practically grew up with my boys.”
“Give them all Eli’s cabin,” he says to his mom, his voice louder this time. “Sophie can share with me.”
“That won’t work,” Linda tells him. “Linc and Brooks need to go in with you. Their cabin flooded this morning, didn’t they tell you?"
From the look on Liam’s face, I’m guessing they didn’t.
“It’s too short notice to get the plumber out. They’ll just bring some sleeping bags and hunker down on your floor for the night,” Linda continues. “Which leaves Ariel needing somewhere and there’s a spare room in Eli’s cabin.”
“Won’t Ariel want to be with Claire?” Deandra – Liam’s stepmom – asks.
“No, Claire needs solid electricity for her machine.” Linda glances at me. “She has sleep apnea so she and Ria will share the last room in here. But Ariel’s very much looking forward to meeting you, Sophie.”
I nod. “I’m looking forward to it, too. I’m just grateful you’ve found somewhere I can stay.”
“Well of course.” Linda smiles. “You’re part of the family now.”
Ava pours me a lemonade and drags me over to one of the tables on the deck. Myles is still holding Charlie and from the corner of my eye I can see Liam walk over and tickle Charlie’s chin. His expression still looks like thunder.
“Uhoh,” Ava says as soon as we’re out on the patio. “Somebody’s mad.”
Liam turns and looks at me, his gaze unwavering. I feel myself blush. “We haven’t seen each other for a couple of days,” I murmur.
“Oh, I remember those days. That was Myles and me when we came here for his dad and Julia’s vow renewal. There was so much sexual tension I thought I might explode.”
“Do you know Ariel?” I ask her. “This woman I’m sharing the cabin with?”
“No. I only know that Linda’s best friend is from London. They met when she was studying for a year in New York when they were both students. Her husband was a diplomat, I think, so they’ve lived all over the world.”
That should be interesting. I love hearing about different countries and cultures.
“So you and Liam, huh?” Ava grins. “I knew it. You two were way too invested in one-upping each other for there not to be sexual attraction between you.”
“You didn’t say anything,” I remind her.
“I know. Part of me wondered if it was wishful thinking, hoping my best friend would fall in love with my brother-in-law.”
“Who said anything about love?” I ask her.
She lifts a brow. “I know you. You don’t give yourself lightly. And I already know he’s head over heels in love with you.”
“You do? How?”
She tells me about his coming to see her and Myles that Sunday for help. And my chest twists a little more.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, he’s smitten. And he should be. Oh I’m so happy right now.” She claps her hands together.
“Which is more than I can say for Liam.” I can see him still scowling in the kitchen. He’s trying to talk to his mom but she’s shaking her head. And Eli and Holden are grinning at him. His other brothers – Linc and Brooks, are waving at me through the window.
I wave back. And Liam scowls a little more.
“I think he thought we’d be able to spend more time together,” I say to Ava, who’s smiling at his obvious annoyance.
“Well you can after the party. You’ll just have to go to his cabin.”
“That’s what he said, but that’s rude. I can’t leave Ariel to sleep alone, can I?”
“I guess not.” Ava wrinkles her nose. “But where there’s a will there’s a way.” She grins at me. “I think this place has some magic about it. It’s where Myles and I first admitted we felt something for each other.”
As though he knows he’s being talked about, Myles walks out to join us on the patio, carrying Charlie. I jump up and kiss his round, sticky cheek. Charlie’s that is. Myles’ cheek is more stubbled than sticky as I discover when I kiss him, too.
“I need to change his diaper,” he tells us. “I’m going to take him down to the cabin and let him have a nap, too.”
“I’ll join you in a minute,” Ava says smiling at him. He nods but there are some unspoken words there. She’s already told me they have the best sex when Charlie is napping. Apparently, the time limit really concentrates Myles’ mind.
“Hey,” Liam says, walking out to the patio. He’s managed to regain his composure and is looking his usual happy-go-lucky self. “Let’s go for a walk after you settle into the cabin,” he says. “I’ll show you around the place.”
“I bet you will.” Ava grins.
“I’m forty fucking years old and I can’t even be alone with my girlfriend for the weekend,” he tells her, lifting a brow. “So don’t push me.”
Okay, so he’s still annoyed. And it’s kind of hot if I’m honest. I stand and turn toward him, sliding my hand onto his face. His jaw is so tight I could bounce a ball off it.
“We can go for lots of walks,” I tell him. “Until our legs fall off.”
The ghost of a smile passes his lips. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“And I’m out.” Ava grins at us. “I need to go before Myles falls asleep.”
“Don’t you mean Charlie?” I ask her.
“Sadly not.” She grins. “I’ll see you in a while.”
“Sure.”
She follows the same path as Myles and Charlie did, and before long she disappears into the tree line that leads to the cabins.
She’s already told me that they were built by the Salinger brothers themselves, each of them designing them to their own needs.
They’re not huge and luxurious but they reflect their personalities.
I’m looking forward to seeing them.
Now that we’re alone, I slide my arms around Liam’s waist and rest my head against his chest. “I’m sorry the plans have changed,” I tell him.
He puts one hand on my back, the other in my hair. “It’s not your fault.”
“I know. But you’re annoyed.”
“I just wish people would think, you know? Oh maybe Liam might want a bit of fucking privacy with the woman who turned his world upside down.”
I smile against his chest because he’s so damn cute. “I turned your world upside down?”
“You know you have.”
Lifting my head up, I trace the line of his jaw. “You’ve turned mine upside down, too.”
He kisses me. And then there’s a whoop from the kitchen.
“Fuck my life,” he whispers.
“I’d like to,” I tell him. “If I get the chance.”
His gaze softens. He kisses my brow and my nose. “Remind me again why we’re here and not having sex in a hotel room until neither of us can walk?”
“Because it’s your mom’s birthday,” I tell him. “And you love spending time with your family.”
“I’m reassessing that situation.”
I squeeze his hand. “We have plenty of time for hotel rooms later.”
His gaze dips to my mouth. “I like the sound of that.”
“So let’s just get through this weekend, okay? It’s been a long few weeks and we’ve both been so busy. Let’s kick back and have some fun.”
“I like the sound of that, too,” he murmurs. He’s relaxed again. He leans down and kisses me, and this time it’s so sweet it makes my chest ache.
This man. He could own me if I give him the chance.
My breath catches at the thought.
“Liam, honey?” Linda calls out. He pulls back and raises a brow at me. There’s a promise in his stare. This isn’t over.
At some point he’s going to get me alone and I’m here for that.
“Yes, Mom?” he asks patiently, looking over my shoulder at her.
“Ria and the girls are here. Can you come help your brothers with their luggage?”