Chapter 15

Chase

Liv left this morning without saying anything to me first. And to be honest, the first thing I thought was that she’d left left. Packed all her stuff up and gone back to Eve’s, where no one messes with her head (or her body). I was so sure of it that I didn’t even feel like I was invading her privacy when I peeked into her room—the door was partially open—to see if her stuff was still there.

I can’t even tell you how relieved I felt when I saw it was.

Still, I figure she’s probably not planning to stick around for the dinner with my parents. Not after the way I acted yesterday.

So I’m shocked when she shows up after lunchtime with her arms full of grocery bags. Shocked, and ridiculously glad to see her. “I thought you’d bail.”

Her eyes fly up to meet mine, startled. “I told you I’d help you with the dinner. And I will.”

Her tone is brisk, though. Businesslike.

“You don’t have to.”

My words come out curt, too. Because I don’t want her to do anything because she feels like she has to.

“I don’t do stuff because I have to.” She begins unpacking the bags efficiently, briskly, putting stuff away in the refrigerator and the cabinets as easily and comfortably as if she were in her own kitchen. I can’t help it; I like it. I like that she feels that comfortable in my kitchen, that it’s almost like she—

Like she lives here.

I push the thought away. First things first. I need to repair the damage I’ve done to our friendship.

She comes back to where I’m standing, hands on hips. “Let me try that again. I want to help you with this dinner. After all, I am your friend.” She laughs, a short, unamused laugh. “Even if you are a total idiot.”

I recognize an opening when I hear one. “I am a total idiot,” I admit. “I did that all wrong.”

“What are you saying?” She narrows her eyes.

“I shouldn’t have—” No, that’s not what I mean. Not what I mean at all. “I should never have made you feel like I was kissing you to prove a point. I wasn’t. Not at all.”

“You weren’t?”

Does she sound…hopeful? And is the hope in her voice and on her face starting a cascade of that same emotion in my chest? And is this really going where I think it’s going?

I fucking hope so. “Nope.”

“Then why were you doing it?”

Her eyes are huge, fixed on my face. The moment feels super-charged.

“Because I wanted to.”

Her expression is a question. I have to stop myself from grabbing her and kissing her. I have to tell her the whole truth first.

“I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. Because I wanted you. Want you. And I’m sorry if I made you think it was for any other reason.”

“Oh,” Liv says. “Wow.” Her cheeks are pink. She bites her lower lip, which makes me want to lean in and lick the bitten spot. And kiss the hell out of her.

I take a step toward her.

“Daddy, can I watch Frozen?”

All the air goes out of the moment. It’s like we were both holding our breaths and when Katie stepped in, we exhaled. It’s both a relief and a disappointment.

I glance at Liv. She looks—stunned.

I’m perversely glad I’ve knocked her so off balance. And I want to knock her more off balance. I want to sweep her off her feet. I want to make it impossible for her to think straight.

“Let’s find something else for you to do,” I tell Katie, and I take her hand.

As we’re walking out of the room, I turn back.

“Because I wanted to,” I repeat to Liv, because saying it felt so good and because the color high in her face makes her look even more beautiful than usual. “And unless you tell me you don’t want me to, I’m going to do it again.”