Liam called me that evening at 9pm.
I had a busy afternoon at work, but I had been home since seven, waiting patiently for him to call.
I picked up on the second ring.
"I was hoping you still had my number," I said, answering the phone. "I forgot to give it to you earlier when you came by."
"That would have been terrible," he said. "But I could have always called Courtney."
"How's she getting along in Memphis?"
"Fine. She and Daniel have a bunch of property, so I take Vera out there sometimes to let her roam."
"I can't believe you got a Basset Hound. I can't wait to meet her."
I reached down and rubbed Bishop behind the ears at the sheer mention of another Basset Hound.
"I was thinking about that, Liam said.
"About what?"
"About you meeting Vera. Why don't you and Bishop come for Christmas?"
"This Christmas?" I asked.
Liam let out a little laugh at my question.
"That's like two weeks away," I said.
"I know."
"I have awards season coming up."
"Don't you think you can slip away for a few days?" he asked.
"Plus, I can't take Bishop over there to meet your family. That would just be awkward and weird that I named my dog that. It's going to make it obvious that I had a big crush on you. I already thought about changing his name, anyway, since he's just a puppy."
"So change his name," Liam said easily. "Whatever it takes to get you guys over here."
I took a deep breath, thinking about that. "Where are you?" I asked.
"At my hotel."
"Can you come over and we can talk about it in person?"
"Yes," he said easily.
"So, you're coming now?"
"Yes. Text me your address and I'll leave in ten minutes."
"Are you done working with the band?" I asked.
"I have two guys flying here tomorrow. They'll be here in the evening sometime. I'll tell you about it when I get there."
***
It was thirty minutes later when Liam arrived at my house. My dog (who I had already begun to think of as not Bishop) ran to the door, barking when he heard Liam knock. I had the television turned to a nature show. I had been curled up on the couch watching it by myself, so when Liam got there, I pulled him into the living room with me. He kicked off his shoes and comfortably fell onto the couch like he had done it a hundred times before, coaxing me into the seat next to him. I curled up beside him, staring at the side of his face instead of the television. It was turned down so low that we could barely hear it, anyway.
It was almost impossible for me to believe that he was sitting on my couch. I had thought of our time together in August as a bright, shining moment in my life—one that I would never get to repeat. Yet here he was, in the flesh, sitting on my couch. I reached out and touched the side of his face with my fingertips. "You grew some whiskers," I said, loving the way the short facial hair shifted under my fingers.
He smiled and rubbed his own jaw. It was only a couple of weeks of growth—not anything that would hide his handsome face.
"You let your hair down," he said.
I reached up and ran my fingers through my dark, wavy hair. I had just brushed it, so my fingers easily slid through it.
"What am I gonna name him?" I asked, glancing at Liam.
"You mean the dog?"
I nodded, and he shrugged.
"No one would care if you kept his name Bishop."
"If I ever would plan on trying to visit Memphis, I'd have to change it. I'd be too embarrassed to tell your family that was his name."
"Well, you better change it, because you're definitely coming to Memphis."
"I am?" I asked, snuggling closer to him.
He put his arm around me, drawing me closer. "Of course you are. I don't know how often I'm going to be able to make it out to Los Angeles, and four months seemed a little too long to—"
"Four months was soooo long," I agreed, cutting him off.
"So, we need to think of a name, then. Victor, Vinny, Vernon, Virgil…"
"What's with all the V names?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I thought it would go with Vera. I figured they'd get married."
This statement made me laugh. I actually pictured the two Basset Hounds in bride and groom outfits.
"Vernon's pretty hilarious," I said.
I leaned forward and looked at my dog who was right next to the coffee table, curled up on one of his beds. "What do you think about Vernon?" I asked.
He lifted his head and tilted it at me when I asked the question.
"Vernon? Victor?" I paused between saying the two names, and I am not kidding when I tell you that the dog literally winked at me when I said Victor. It was so plain and clear and perfectly timed, that Liam and I both turned to look at each other with wide eyes.
"Did you see that?" I asked.
"Did he wink?"
I nodded.
"When you said Victor?"
I nodded again.
"Victor's a nice, tough name," Liam said.
"I'm good with Victor," I agreed, leaning back to cuddle up next to Liam again.
"I guess it's settled. You and Victor are coming home for Christmas."
I giggled. "I thought you meant the name was settled."
"That too, but also the trip."
"I think I can do it," I said. "I was going to take a couple of days off for Christmas, anyway. I think I could extend it enough to take a little trip."
Liam squeezed me. "Good. I'm so glad."
"Did the girls end up buying a puppy?" I asked.
He let out a breath of a laugh and shook his head at the thought. "Yes, they did. That's what I've been dealing with for the last few hours. They actually made a good decision, though."
"What?"
"The breeder had an older puppy. She was like eight months old. They were going to use her for breeding, but they changed their mind and decided to sell her."
"Was she potty trained and everything?" I asked.
Liam nodded. "I wasn't going to say anything if they were set on getting a puppy, but I definitely encouraged them to go with the older one once we figured out she was available. She was really cute. She reminded me of Vera—black and white with brown markings on her face. We had to go by the pet store and get food and a leash and everything. They spent a fortune on her before it was all over with—buying little outfits and everything. That poor dog. I had just gotten back to my hotel when I called you."
"And, somehow, you managed to fit in work while you did all that," I said.
He shrugged. "They really needed some security. A couple of them have husbands or boyfriends who moved here with them, but they don't know what they're doing with security. I've got two guys coming tomorrow and a third will join them on the tour."
"What'd they name the dog?"
"Her name was Pepper at the breeder's, but they're talking about changing it to Sassy or Sweetie to go with the name of the band."
"I guess Victor's not the only dog to ever get his name changed," I said.
"Nope," Liam said. "I don't think they mind much, either. He doesn't seem too stressed about it."
I glanced at Victor who was laid out on his bed, sleeping like a log. I tentatively snuggled closer to Liam, resting my head on the front of his chest. I was still somewhat shy and reserved, but the urge to be next to him was so great that I had to act on instinct—even if it was out of my comfort zone. He had on a thermal shirt that was thicker than a T-shirt, but I could still feel his warmth and his muscles under my ear. He put his hand on my head, absentmindedly scratching me.
"How are things going with work?" he asked.
"Great," I said. "I hired two new cutters and another tailor. One of the cutters was actually someone I knew from London. He's really good. He had always wanted to move to the U.S., so it worked out for both of us. We've got awards season coming up. It's been really busy. How about you? How's work? How's your family?"
"Work's been busy for us, too. I placed two guys in Istanbul last month. I've never been to Turkey, so that was an experience."
"I've never been to Turkey, either."
"It was really nice—at least from my experience. I tend to get the royal treatment no matter where I go because the people who hire us are usually filthy rich. The guys are really happy with their positions over there, though, and they've made some new connections. They said there might be need for a few more guys. I'll have to take you with me if I go back."
"You never know," I said. "I might end up opening a store in Istanbul."
"What about Memphis?"
"What about it?" I asked, tilting my head up to look at him.
"Maybe you should end up opening a store in Memphis."
"Maybe I should," I said. "How's your family doing?"
"Everybody's good. Owen and Darcy got married a couple of weeks ago. She's having a rock wall installed in their house, so I've been going over there to help them with that."
"A rock wall?"
"Yeah, you know, for rock climbing. We've got one at Alpha that Owen uses all the time, so Darcy's having one installed at the house."
"Just in their living room?"
Liam chuckled. "In the gym. It's about thirty feet tall with a curved wall. It's awesome. It's even nicer than the one we have at Alpha."
"Are they rich or something?"
"You could say that. Darcy's parents owned a ton of real estate and they left it to her when they passed away."
I remembered talking to Owen and Darcy when they were in California, and I would have never guessed that about them—although, I would've never guessed that about the rest of the family, either. They were just regular, jeans-wearing people, which was quite refreshing after the clientele I normally entertained at my store.
"I was thinking we could drive over to Arkansas," Liam said. "When you come for Christmas."
My heart dropped at the suggestion. I had been thinking of light fluffy things like the Bishops in jeans and the fact that I should go ahead and learn to ride my motorcycle, so the out-of-nowhere comment caused me to feel speechless. I was petrified by the suggestion, and my initial instinct was to say 'no way', but instead I said nothing.
"I could go with you," Liam suggested when I stayed silent. "I'd be happy to do that. We wouldn't have to stay long or anything."
"I don't know," I said. "That's not at all what I was expecting you to say. I'll have to think about it."
I didn't want to seem heartless and deny him right there on the spot, but at the same time, I really could not see myself knocking on my parents' door after nearly a decade.
Liam adjusted and squeezed me around the shoulders, snapping me out of my terrified trance. "You don't have to do it, Taylor. But you also don't have to be afraid. It wouldn't be a big deal for us to drive over there and say 'hi' to them while you're in the area. It also wouldn't be a big deal for you to wait till the next time you come, or the time after that. I'm not trying to rush you into anything. You don't have to do it at all if you don't want to. I just want you to know that it won't be as scary as you think, and I'd be there to help you if you want. We could do it together."