Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
LARK
T he outside of my parents’ house looks exactly the same as it did when I left nearly two years ago, minus the plethora of cars dotting the driveway and street out front. Today is their annual Fourth of July beach barbecue, and despite my nerves about being back home, I knew I couldn’t miss it. It helps that I have a 6’6 bodyguard determined not to leave my side.
When Keelan and I moved away for college, our parents decided to downsize from the large mountainside home we grew up in to this adorable two bedroom cottage on the beach. Me and Keely like to joke that they only downsized so we couldn’t move back home and cramp their retirement, but we both know that our parents would never turn us away no matter how little room they had.
“You ready for this, Red?” Liam’s deep voice is almost as reassuring as his presence against my side. Enough people have seen us holding hands around town that we decided it would be best to clue my parents in on the whole fake dating thing, so that’s our second order of business today .
The first is telling them I’ve already been home for almost a week.
With a heavy sigh, I briefly lean my head against his beefy bicep. It’s hard as a rock, so not exactly comfortable, but his intense espresso scent does wonders to soothe my frayed nerves. “No, but I can’t put it off any longer, either.”
His arm comes around my shoulders in a quick squeeze. “That’s my girl. Let’s go tell the fam their prodigal daughter has returned.”
The snarky retort is on the tip of my tongue when an ear-piercing squeal splits the air around us. Mom comes racing out of the house and all but tackles me in a hug. If Liam didn’t have such impressive reflexes, my ass would have been grass.
Literally.
Mom babbles in my ear as she rocks us back and forth, but I hug her back just as fiercely. It didn’t hit me until this moment just how much I missed my parents. They were only able to make it out to New York twice last year, and with how crazy my schedule was I never actually managed to visit after I moved, so it’s been more than eight months since I last saw them.
“Hey, Mom.”
Liam moves into my line of sight with a happy smile on his handsome face, and Mom finally lets go of me, only to turn around and hug him with the same level of enthusiasm she just gave me. “Two of my babies have come to see me! This is the best day of the entire year. John!” she shouts, calling for my dad.
His blond head, streaked with grey, pokes out of the open front door. His mouth is open, likely to scold her about volume control, but the moment his eyes lock on mine he lets out a similar ungodly loud shout and races down the steps. “Our baby girl is home! Kristy, do you see this?”
His arms go around me in a bear hug as he picks me up and spins us in circles on the front lawn. If the neighbors don’t come out to see what all the fuss is about, I’d be shocked. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming to visit? We would have picked you up from the airport! Did Jacob come with you?” He looks around me like my ex-boyfriend is going to pop out from behind the full snowball bushes lining the sidewalk.
The question makes me cringe as I pull away, moving slowly back to Liam’s side. His huge hand moves to my lower back, and though Mom is too busy fussing to notice, Dad doesn’t miss the gesture. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you both about that. Can we go inside?”
My somber tone finally gets their attention, and Mom’s expression goes serious as she leads us inside to the pristine white couches. Once we’re all seated, Liam and I with fresh huckleberry margaritas, I lay out every event from the last two weeks, starting with Jake’s disastrous appointment and ending with the red streak in Liam’s hair.
Well, not every detail. There are some things parents just don’t need to know about their children. Even if those children are nearly thirty years old.
When I finally wrap up my story, Mom smacks me on the arm. “Ouch!” I yelp, glaring at her.
She glares right back, arms crossed over her chest. My mom has always been beautiful, and when I was little everyone thought I would grow up to look just like her. For the most part, that happened. Her hair is a few shades darker than mine, edging into the light brown territory, but Keelan and I both have her light blue eyes and pale, freckled skin.
Those same eyes are dark with irritation now, even as my dad watches on in amusement. It takes a lot to ruffle his feathers, which is why Keelan and I have always gone to him first if we were in trouble. “That was for being home and not coming to see your mother, Lark Joy.” She leans forward and pulls me into another hug. “And this is for having to deal with that ass canoe alone.”
The murmured words make me laugh, because she tries so hard to keep up with slang, but never quite gets it right.
“Alright, Kristy. Let the girl breathe, would you?”
Mom lets me go, shooting an irritated glare at my father that only lasts a few seconds. They have the kind of love I’ve always wanted for myself. Together nearly thirty years and still just as in love as they were as teenagers, according to my grandparents.
Dad soothes her with a hand on her back. “Our girl is home, we have an entire day full of activities to prep for, and there are guests arriving any minute.”
With a deep breath, she acquiesces, quickly snapping back into hostess mode. The doorbell rings but before she goes to answer, she points a stern finger at my face. “You and I will be having a discussion about all of this later.”
I nod, grateful for the interruption of guests arriving. The second she’s out of sight, I sag into Liam’s side, briefly forgetting about my dad. He watches silently with knowing eyes as Liam’s arm snakes around my back, tucking me into his side.
Whatever he’s thinking goes unsaid as he sighs, hauling himself off the couch to go play dutiful host with my mom. He stops to drop a kiss on my forehead. “Glad you’re home, kiddo. We missed having you around.”
When it’s only the two of us left in the room, Liam chuckles. “I gotta be honest, I expected more theatrics from your mom.”
I nod, exhaustion weighing me down despite the fact that we’ve only been here half an hour. “Don’t worry, I’m sure that will come later.”
Hearing the weariness in my tone, Liam looks down with concern shining in his honey gaze. “We can go home if you aren’t up for this, Red. You’ve been going nonstop since you got back, and nobody would blame you for needing more time before mingling with the masses.”
His concern for my wellbeing has butterflies cascading through my belly, and before I know what I’m doing, my lips are on his in a kiss I hope shows how grateful I am for his kindness. It’s short and sweet, but we’re both a little breathless when I pull away. “You’re amazing, Liam Blackwell.”
The smile he gives me could light up the darkest room. “Only for you, Lark Monroe.”
My heart skips a beat, and my cheeks bunch with a cheesy smile.
I think I might be falling for my fake boyfriend.
“Abs like that should be illegal,” Kelsey murmurs in my ear. I jump, having not heard her come up behind me. She snickers, knowing she just caught me ogling my fake boyfriend. There’s a big group of guys playing beach volleyball, and more than half the women at the party have set up camp in lawn chairs on the deck to watch the show.
I’m only a little bit embarrassed to admit I’ve been shamelessly drooling over Liam’s sexy, tattooed form. Glancing to my side, I see Kelsey with her sunglasses perched low on her nose, watching the game with rapt interest. Her words finally register, and I hum. “The abs alone wouldn’t be so bad, but the way his sweat makes all those tattoos glisten? It’s disgusting.”
It’s like Liam can feel me talking about him, because as soon as I turn my attention back to the beach, I find his dark honey eyes locked on mine. His gaze slides away from my face and over my body in a sensual way that feels like a physical caress, sending a shiver down my spine even though it’s eighty degrees outside.
The guys finally call the game, and Liam stalks our way, coming to a stop right in front of me. “Red,” he rasps, biting his lip. “You look downright edible in that bikini.”
For a girl who’s spent most of her life living in Washington state, I have a pretty impressive collection of bathing suits. The one I picked out today is very on-theme. The white material is dotted with different summer berries. It’s red, white, and blue without being in your face, and after the way Liam reacted to my taste yesterday, I may have chosen it to tease him a little.
Smirking, I place a single finger on his chest and drag it down slowly. “You’re one to talk, plant boy. I didn’t even know they made board shorts that short.”
Liam Blackwell has an endless supply of slutty little shorts, apparently.
His smug smile would annoy me if I couldn’t feel how quickly his heart is beating under my finger. Leaning down, he pauses to nip my ear before whispering, “I figured if you were going to be tormenting me in this scrap of fabric all day, the least I could do was return the favor.”
Heated eyes drag down my body once again, and the smile turns into a mischievous smirk. “But I have to say, you’re looking a little hot. Maybe we should do something about that.”
The meaning behind his words hits me about a second too late because by the time I start to back up, he’s scooping me up over his shoulder and sprinting across the sand with one meaty hand planted firmly on my ass.
“Liam! Put me down right now!”
Laughter and several suggestive shouts follow us from the house, but soon the crashing of waves against the shore drown out everything but the man who sets my body on fire. “You want down?” He laughs. “You got it.”
And then he drops me in the damn water.
I come up sputtering, a sneeze wracking my frame. “Are you fucking crazy?” I screech.
I’m not really mad, but it’s easier to revert back to my normal bitchy ways rather than show him just how much he affects me. Rather than humor me with a response, he lets out a fierce battle cry and dives into the water with me, resurfacing a few short seconds later sporting a blinding grin.
“You know, if you were anyone else I’d be lecturing you about getting in the ocean with freshly dyed hair.”
He snakes his arms around my waist, pulling us deeper into the water. “But?”
I bite my lip in a pathetic effort to contain my smile. “But you didn’t let me suffer this freezing water alone, so I’ll give you a pass this time.”
Strong hands wrap around my thighs in a motion that’s as reassuring as it is arousing. “Maybe I’m just hoping it’ll fade so we can have a repeat of last night.”
Biting my lip, I look up at him through wet lashes, using his neck to pull myself up so I can whisper in his ear. “You don’t need your hair done to get a repeat of that, plant boy. I’ll get on my knees for you anytime, anywhere.”