Chapter 27
Tess
When Liam said he spent Thanksgiving with his grandmother, I hadn’t realized it was just him. Ellen was a wonderful cook, but even as we finished our turkey, I still couldn’t believe it was just the three of us.
“Ellen, this is all delicious. Thank you so much.”
She beamed. “You’re a darling. By the way, Liam, I spoke to your mom this morning. She said we should give them a call when we’re all together.”
“Sure.” Liam got his phone out, and I broke out in a sweat. His parents? Oh my God, why didn’t he prepare me for this?
I tugged at the hem of my sweater under the table, crossing and uncrossing my legs.
He positioned the phone on the table so all three of us were visible.
Sweat dotted my palm when the call connected and his parents appeared on the screen.
His mom looked like a younger version of Ellen.
His dad had jet-black hair and round glasses.
“Hey, Mom! Liam! And you must be Tess.”
“I am. So nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” his dad said. “Liam, how is business?”
Liam went on to explain some details about our collaboration. The whole conversation felt a little stiff and cold, at least compared to how we spoke to each other in my family. The call only lasted five minutes, and neither Liam nor Ellen seemed surprised when it was over.
“What time do you have to be at your next dinner?” Ellen asked us.
“In one hour,” Liam answered.
“Oh, that doesn’t leave us much time.”
She started rising from the table, but Liam immediately gestured for her to sit down. “Don’t get up. I’m cleaning this up.”
I loved how he treated his grandmother.
“I’ll help,” I said.
Ellen smiled. “Well, then, I’ll just be a lady of leisure. Why don’t I pour us some brandy?”
“I’m your girl,” I exclaimed.
Between Liam and me, we managed to carry all the plates and saucers to the kitchen.
“Liam, does Ellen have plans after we leave?” I asked tentatively.
“No.”
My heart broke a little. I didn’t want to leave the poor woman alone.
“You think she’d like to come with us to Mom’s?” I asked just as Liam closed the dishwasher.
He straightened up, turning slowly toward me. His eyebrows were so high they were almost lost in his hairline.
“Umm…I didn’t want to cross any boundaries. Just thinking about her all alone made me sad. We don’t have to?—”
“Tess, stop.” He closed the distance to me, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. “Stop always thinking you’re crossing boundaries.”
“It can happen, though. You told me that when we first met. That you have a very clear line…for everything.”
“Yeah. I did. Before I fell in love with you.”
My heart felt about to explode. Seriously. My pulse went from normal to haywire in a millisecond.
“You love me?” I whispered. My voice sounded a bit strangled.
He brushed his nose against mine. “If this surprises you, then I really have to do a better job of showing you.”
“Oh yeah. How?”
“I have so many things in my mind. None appropriate for this very moment.”
Slowly, I felt my mouth curl into a smile, then stretch into a grin so big that my cheeks were aching.
I pointed to my teeth. “See this grin?”
“Hard to miss it.”
“I love you so much, Liam.”
His shoulders dropped a little, as if tension just left them.
I poked them. “What’s this? You’re surprised too?”
He tilted his head with the cutest grin, saying, “I’m just fucking happy.”
I jumped him the next second, because why not put all this extra energy to good use?
He stumbled for a brief moment before regaining his balance. His hands went under my ass, and he carried me to the counter.
As soon as I was sitting on it, he took control of the kiss, deepening it until I gasped for breath. I was shaking slightly from his actions.
“You’re the most amazing woman, Tess. Warm and funny, and so damn caring that it brings me to my knees. Thank you for wanting to bring Gran with us.”
“You think she’ll want to go?” I asked.
“Let’s find out.”
Ellen was so ecstatic that she was ready to leave within fifteen minutes.
She was certainly fast for her age, and she claimed the knee injury was actually slowing her down.
We chugged our cognac right before heading out the door.
Liam and I had initially planned to take a train to Brooklyn to avoid traffic, but we just missed it.
Our little episode in the kitchen had sidetracked us, but it was totally worth it.
He loves me!
I was floating on a cloud so high that I could tolerate even the traffic in this city with a smile on my face.
Uber had no cars available, but Liam flagged down a yellow cab, and the three of us slid in the back seat. I was in the middle, a bit squished from both sides, but I really didn’t mind.
I was still floating on my amazing cloud when I realized this was the first time Liam was meeting my brothers and Hunter. I told them more about him when we’d finally gotten around to having lunch together, but meeting him was different.
“Ummm…I forgot to tell you. All the male members in my family are going to pay extra attention to you. They might be a bit intense, but it’s just because they don’t know you.”
“I know Ryker,” Liam said, taken aback. “I’ve met him at a few industry events.”
“You know Ryker the investment banker, not Ryker the brother. Big difference.”
Liam cocked a brow, like he didn’t quite believe me.
Ellen nudged me with her elbow. “Full of himself, this one. Always been like this. Can’t wait to see your brothers in action.”
“I really like you, Ellen.”
She struck me as really lonely, and I immediately resolved to ask Mom to invite Ellen over often.
“Don’t you two band against me,” Liam warned.
To say Mom’s place was packed was an understatement.
The whole family was there. But honestly, I loved that we were all crammed in here.
No matter where you were in the apartment, you could just hear everyone’s laughter and joy.
The place smelled delicious, of roasting turkey, baked apple and cinnamon, and even hot chocolate.
Isabelle, Dylan, and Ian were here too. Mom and her husband, Mick, were the first to notice us, and they immediately came to greet us.
“Liam, so happy to finally meet you. And Ellen, so delighted you could come,” Mom said.
Mick shook hands with Liam and kissed Ellen’s hand.
“Thank you for opening your home to me on such short notice,” Ellen said.
Mick nodded. “It’s our pleasure.”
Mom waved her hand. “We love big gatherings, though this place is bursting at the seams. Know that you’re always welcome here.”
While she showed Ellen and Liam where to put their coats, I caught Isabelle’s eye and waved at her. She immediately hurried over to us, checking out Liam appreciatively.
“Liam, this is Isabelle, my cousin’s sister-in-law and one of my favorite people.”
“Nice to meet you, Liam. Thanks for making my girl so happy and being such a sight for sore eyes. When I looked you up online, I rated you ten out of ten, but in real life, you’re like twenty out of ten.”
Liam’s eyes bulged, and I laughed. I was used to Isabelle’s balls-to-the-wall ways and sometimes forgot that others weren’t.
“I just have to make sure my brothers don’t scare him away. Then I’ll get on with Operation Dylan,” I whispered to Isabelle once Mom had Liam and Ellen engaged in conversation. We weren’t even out of earshot, but the constant chatter was loud enough to cover my whisper.
She grimaced. “Right… You know what? I think that can wait. I totally forgot that hottie here might get eaten alive.”
“I heard that,” Liam said, turning around.
I blushed. Isabelle held her chin high. “And yet you’re not cowering or even hesitating. Hmmm…can’t decide if you’re exceptionally brave or clueless.”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Liam said, full of cocky swagger.
Aww, I loved him so much.
The chatter quieted down as we entered the living room.
My brothers, and even my cousin, were a bit of a wild card when it came to this. They were all welcoming with Rob, though they might have given him the talk behind Skye’s and my back. That was always a possibility.
“Liam, good to see you, man,” Ryker said, clapping one hand on his back.
Cole shook Liam’s hand, and then Hunter did the same. I was eyeing the two closely, trying to gauge their thoughts, but it was impossible. When had they perfected their poker faces?
At any rate, they were silent, which I took as a good sign. Neither of them was glaring at my boyfriend—also a good sign.
“The turkey’s going to be ready in about half an hour,” Mom announced from the other side of the room. “In case anyone’s hungry already, there are some snacks on the table.”
I wasn’t hungry, but I was so looking forward to Mom’s cheese crates. They were my favorites. I headed straight to the table, along with Avery, Ryker and Heather’s daughter. She and I had similar taste in food.
“How are you, Avery?”
“I’m so excited about my sister. I can’t wait to meet her.” Avery motioned to the couch, where a visibly pregnant Heather was sitting, hands crossed over her belly.
I winked at Avery. “I was very excited too when I was waiting for my siblings to be born.”
She loaded her plate with a dozen crackers.
“You’re going to eat all those cheese crackers by yourself?” I asked, not wanting her to get sick or ruin her dinner.
“No. I’m taking them to Mommy. If she eats a lot, maybe my sister will grow faster and come out sooner. She won’t fit anymore.”
Avery’s tone was very serious. Clearly, she’d given this a lot of thought, and I was fighting laughter with all I had.
When she ran toward Heather, I put two crackers on my own plate. Mom had this amazing recipe where she mixed raisins, almonds, and three types of cheese. I hummed on my first bite. It was just as delicious as I remembered. As soon as I swallowed it down, I became aware that Liam wasn’t next to me.
Turning around, I saw him surrounded by my brothers and Hunter, who seemed very chatty. Really? They’d been waiting for me to leave?