So stupid. I am so stupid. What if he says he changed his mind? What if he decided to cancel the trip? What if he's got some girl in there?

Ayumi took a deep breath and knocked on Liam's door. There was shuffling sound inside, but no one answered. Maybe he really was with someone. Her nerves went up a notch, which of course made her force herself to knock again. That time, she could hear actual footsteps. She schooled her features into their usual look of boredom and disdain just in time for him to pull open the door. He stared at her in surprise, a toothbrush hanging out the side of his mouth.

“I have to babysit Brie,” she blurted out, not sure what else to say. His eyebrows shot up.

“Excuse me?” he asked around the brush.

“Can I come in?” she asked, then she didn't bother waiting for an invitation, she just pushed past him to walk into his apartment.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, shutting his door and then hurrying into his kitchen. He spit out of the toothpaste then turned to face her. “So what's going on?”

“Brighton hasn't done any of the things she promised Wulf she'd do,” Ayumi explained. “He's at the end of his rope. He's trying to make her grow up, and he thinks I'll be a positive role model.”

Liam burst out laughing.

“I'm sorry, has he met you?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, so how did this all come about? And why did you agree to it?” he asked, leaning back against his counter.

“He offered me a lot of money,” she replied.

“I don't think I could get paid enough to live with Brie.”

“That's what I thought till he named the amount,” she said. “And I just ... the minute I thought I couldn't do it, I knew I had to at least try. It's just in my nature.”

“Not shocked. But how does all that lead you to my door?” he asked, then he glanced at the luggage she'd wheeled into the room behind her.

“I told Wulf I needed some time off before I started this new job,” she said. “And the other day you invited me on a trip. I assumed the invitation would still be good.”

A huge grin spread across his face.

“I knew it.”

“You didn't.”

“I so knew it. Why do you think I'm still here? I could've left last night.”

“How you could possibly know I'd be forced to babysit some brat?” she demanded, putting one hand on her hip and gripping the handle of her luggage with the other.

“I know because I have Jedi powers,” he said, tapping his temple with his toothbrush.

“You are quite literally a stupid person.”

“And you, my dear, are a sexy talker.”

“This isn't, like, a vacation together,” she babbled. “This is me escaping before I start a job from hell. You were just already going somewhere.”

“See? More sexy talk,” he sighed, then he tossed the toothbrush into the sink. “You are just going to be the most fun, aren't you?”

“Hey, we both know I'm not fun – you knew it when you invited me. If you don't want me tagging along, just say so,” she said.

“Oh no! I feel it is my mission in life to show you that having a good time won't entirely melt you, Ice Queen. We're going to have the most epic fucking road trip you've ever been on in your entire life,” he informed her as he marched into the bedroom area of his apartment.

“That shouldn't be too hard, I've never been on a road trip,” she said.

“See? Progress already. This is going to great. I can just tell.”

*

A HALF AN HOUR OUTSIDE of San Francisco, Ayumi could feel the beginnings of a panic attack starting.

What am I doing? What in the hell am I doing?

She could've gone anywhere. Two weeks was a long time. Paris, Singapore, Bali. Spend a week in Bora Bora, and then a week in London. Literally anywhere, she had more than enough money.

But instead of any of those places, she'd panicked and she'd needed to get away fast, and Liam's trip had barely popped into her head before she'd found herself knocking on his door.

“Are you okay?”

She refused to turn her head, but she knew he was looking at her.

“Fine,” she said through clenched teeth. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

“You look kinda green,” he ignored her instructions and kept his eyes glued to her face.

“I just ...” she tried to think of something to say. “I'm under a lot of stress, and it's all sort of hitting me right now.”

“You? You feel stress?” he burst out laughing, and she finally glanced at him. Only for a second. She wouldn't allow herself any long looks. “I didn't think the ice queen felt anything.”

“Liam, I regularly work ten-plus hour days, six days a week – not including the almost pro-bono accounting job I do for you. Wulfric is one of the top real estate agents in the entire country, which means also the entire world, and it is my job to ensure he stays at the top of his job. Does that sound stress free to you?” she asked. “And I won't even get into the multiple Stone businesses I help run. You may have heard of some of them, a tiny one called Masonry Management might sound familiar.”

There was a long pause and she hazarded another glance. Liam was staring out his windshield.

“Huh. I never would've figured,” he mumbled.

“Figured what? That I have a stressful life?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“That's ridiculous. Everyone has stress – except you.”

“Me?” he laughed again. “Have you met me? I'm always getting myself into trouble, and then before I can get out of it, I usually get into even more shit. I'm a fucking mess about ninety percent of the time. Compared to me, you're practically perfect.”

Ayumi scowled.

“Don't say that, that's awful. I'm not perfect. Perfect is impossible,” she snapped.

“Whoa. Okay. Not perfect. Incredibly fucked up, duly noted,” he said quickly.

They went around a curve and Ayumi held onto the door drip with both hands.

“Are we going kind of fast?” she asked.

“We're going ten under. Do you get car sick?” he asked back.

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you say anything?”

“I didn't want to make it a bigger deal than it is.”

“Well, I'd rather you not puke in this car,” he laughed. “C'mon, I'll pull over and you can drive.”

“I can't,” she replied.

“Why not?”

“I don't know how to drive a stick.”

“No way,” his jaw dropped as he looked over at her. She shook her head.

“Never learned. Watch the road!” she snapped as they drifted too close to the center line.

“Oh, sweetheart, you are missing out. Gunning the engine off the line, shifting gears, taking corners hard – gotta be the best feeling,” he said, and as if to prove it, she could feel the car start to accelerate quickly.

“What? No, don't! I don't want to die!” she shouted above the wind whipping around them. He just laughed at her and kept moving the stick around.

“Don't worry,” he said, and she almost did throw up when he took his hand off the gear shift and grabbed hers. “I'll keep us safe.”

She felt even sicker.

When Ayumi had first seen the car they were taking on their road trip, she'd tried to back out. Had started babbling excuses and tried to walk away. Liam had blocked her path, then eventually just picked her up and shuffled her back to the vehicle.

She didn't really know much about cars, but she knew a piece of shit when she saw it, and that description was being a little too generous for their car. It was a sort of gold color, or had been at one point. One of the doors was a buffed silver. There were patches of rust on the hood. It was a convertible, as was evidenced by the lack of a top, but Ayumi was pretty sure it didn't have any top, at all. What would they do if it rained?

“We're going to be in southern California, it never rains. Get in the car, Ice Queen.”

He'd explained to her that they were in a classic. A 1963 Pontiac Tempest. She should feel honored to be riding in it. Liam had been storing it for a friend, keeping it in the tiny garage under Twin Estate building two. The friend had moved to San Deigo, which wasn't a long drive at all, so of course Liam had agreed to take the car down there. It would be easy peezy, a nice leisurely trip.

“When you said 'road trip',” Ayumi started, sinking lower in her seat. “I imagined like a fully loaded Escalade. Possibly with a driver.”

“Oh, you're too much fun. This is going to be the best time ever,” he laughed loudly, then sped the car up even more.

Everyone babbled on and on about the coastal Highway One – it was beautiful! Stunning! A road carved out of the California coastline with the most amazing views, it had to be experienced.

Fuck that. Ayumi had never liked it. It was too curvy, it made her motion sick even when she was driving. And for the short distances she was able to drive, the constant speeding up and slowing down between curves was awful. A person couldn't enjoy the view because they were too busy concentrating on making turns and not killing themselves. She didn't understand the point. Now I-5, that made sense to her. Straight shot, from the Canada-Washington border clear to Mexico. Multiple lanes, true and straight. Orderly. Simple. Boring.

They drove in silence for a while – most of it spent with her looking into her lap, praying for it to just end. Liam attempted to make conversation a couple times, but she'd gone into what she liked to call “shut down” mode. She tuned any and everything out, just focused on her breathing and her heart rate. It's how she got through her grueling work outs.

Good to know it's good for something else.

After another hour of torture, they finally came to a stop. She looked up as he pulled into some tiny road side diner. She could just imagine the different kinds of hepatitis she was about to contract, but she didn't care. Anything to get off the road.

“Thank you,” Ayumi groaned as the car lurched to a stop.

“You were starting to look pretty green,” he commented as they both climbed out of the vehicle. “I seriously don't want you ralphing on the leather. It's original.”

“My 'ralphing' would be an improvement to that piece of garbage,” she informed him. She reached out for the door handle, but he hustled ahead of her and grabbed it, holding the door open for her. They stared at each other for a second, Liam smiling. Her not. She would not fall for his shenanigans. She was not Katya, or Tori, or Brighton Stone. She wouldn't be blinded by his false idolization. So she breezed on by him.

“You can't call American Muscle 'garbage',” he said, walking around her and heading to the counter. “What do you want? I'm buying.”

“Do they have anything organic?” she asked, glancing up at a menu that hung over the bar. Liam laughed loudly, catching the attention of several women in the establishment.

“No. Want me to order for you?”

“I literally cannot imagine anything more terrifying than you ordering food for me. I'll just have water for now.”

“Suit yourself,” Liam sighed, then stepped up to the register. An very eager looking blonde girl smiled up at him.

“What can I get you, Tiger?” she asked, showing all her pearly white teeth. Ayumi snorted, which just made Liam smile even bigger.

“I dunno, I'm not very hungry today, so maybe juuust ...” he dragged the word out as he leaned down and put his elbows on the counter. “Two orders of shrimp poppers, curly fries, some jojos, a double bacon cheeseburger, a large Dr. Pepper, aaaaaand ... hmmm ... what is the best dessert you've got?”

Ayumi wanted to vomit, and not just because of the ridiculous amount of food he'd just ordered. The blonde was clearly already in love. How did he do that? He was advertising himself as a human garbage disposal, and this girl looked ready to propose marriage. It wasn't fair.

“Oh gosh,” the girl breathed, leaning close to him as if to share a secret. “Most people say ice cream, but between you and me, I think the cherry pie is to die for.”

Liam's smile shifted almost imperceptibly from innocent to naughty, and his eyes dipped down to the cashier's lips.

“Then I'll also take a piece of cherry pie – have the ambulance on stand-by.”

Ayumi made a gagging noise and turned around. She couldn't watch this, it was just making her motion sickness even worse. She headed for a booth in the farthest corner of the tiny restaurant and sat next to a window, pressing her head against the glass and trying to cool down. After what felt like forever, Liam slid into the seat across from her.

“You engaged yet?” she asked, not bothering to look at him.

“Not quite yet,” he replied. “But I think she gave me her phone number.”

“Seriously?”

Ayumi lifted her head. He was busy slurping down his jumbo sized soda, but he managed to nod and held out his receipt. At the bottom, where his customer order number should've been, was a ten digit long number that did look an awful lot like a phone number.

“You asked for it?” Ayumi checked. He shook his head.

“Nope. Gah, brain freeze,” he groaned, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead.

“You're awful, you know that, right? You're like the embodiment of ... awfulness,” she told him.

“Jealousy is sexy,” he managed to laugh. “Green looks good on you. Wanna make out?”

Ayumi just snorted and turned back to the window.

Plastic basket after basket of fried food was delivered to their table, all by the love-struck blonde girl. Liam smiled and winked at her each time, throwing out cheesy one liners like it was his job. When he'd polished off a basket of poppers and jo-jos, Ayumi finally spoke up.

“You have no intention of seeing that girl again,” she stated. Liam glanced up from his bacon cheeseburger.

“Excuse me?” he asked around a full mouth.

“That chick. You're working over time to make her fall in love with you,” she pointed out. “Yet you don't care about her. Less than that – saying you don't care about her would imply you possibly could at some point, which you couldn't. So why expend all this energy?”

Liam paused for a long time, chewing his food carefully before swallowing. Then he took a large sip of his drink and leaned back in his seat.

“Because it makes her feel good,” he finally said. Ayumi barked out a laugh.

“Sure, right, it's all about her,” she snorted. “Cut the shit, Edenhoff.”

There was another pause.

“It's very annoying when someone knows things about you that most people don't,” he finally said. She shrugged.

“I'm sure it is, but here we are. Shouldn't have invited me if you don't like the fact that I know what a douche you can be.”

He looked away from her, staring out over the ocean on the other side of the highway.

“It really is partly because I know it makes her feel good,” he insisted. “Some chicks, they like it. It ... I don't know, makes them feel like a woman. Makes them feel good about themselves. Can you imagine working in a place like this? I would fucking hate it. So if I can make her feel beautiful and special for an hour out of her awful day, why not?”

“You said 'partly',” Ayumi pointed out. “So what's the other part?”

“Do we have to get into this?”

“You were the one turning into Don Juan. Don't put on a show if you don't want questions.”

“It makes me feel good, okay? For a couple minutes, knowing someone wants me and only me, it makes me feel good. Great, even. Especially after a two hour long car ride with someone who can't stand me.”

Well. That was putting it bluntly. Normally, Ayumi liked it when people spoke plainly. Wulf always spoke his mind. However, hearing someone speaking so bluntly about her was a different story. She almost felt guilty.

“You shouldn't need other peoples opinions, even shallow ones, to validate yourself,” she finally said in response.

Why can't I just talk normal? Why can't I just tell him that I can stand him? That I even sometimes actually like him? That I wish I could be like him?

“Thank you, Obi Wan, I'd never considered that before! I'm so glad I have someone completely perfect in every way to give me such great life advice,” he chirped at her, a big fake smile plastered on his face.

“I deserved that,” she said. “I'm sorry. It's just ...”

“Just what?” he asked after she was silent for a moment.

Be brave. Be more like him.

“It's just that,” she took a deep breath. “Despite what you may think, I actually consider you to be ... to be ... a pretty good human being. That you think you need outside validation, when you're already great the way you are, frustrates me. You don't need me to like you, and you certainly don't need some random road side stranger to like you, to feel good about who you are. Who you are is pretty great.”

“Was that a compliment?” he gasped, pressing his hand to his chest. “An honest to god real life compliment from the ice queen!? I think I just died. You never responded to my marriage proposal, you know. I'm taking your silence as a yes.”

“You are so annoying,” she groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

“Actually, I'm great. Your words.”

“Shut up. You said the first stop was Santa Cruz, right?” she asked, sitting upright. “We're like ten minutes away, if that.”

“Because I wanted to mentally prepare you,” he replied, polishing off his burger.

“Oh jesus. For what?” she groaned.

“I planned my route before I knew you were coming,” he said. “And I can't change it now. I already told them I'd be staying for the next couple days.”

“Who?”

“My family.”

Ayumi stared at him for a long moment.

“You're taking me to meet your family,” she finally said.

“No, I was going to meet my family – you just wound up tagging along,” he clarified.

“I don't want to meet your family. Remember the no friends rule part of our deal? Family is an extension of that,” she pointed out.

“A – I canceled our deal the other day. B – you don't have a choice. We're staying at my mom's house for the next two nights,” he informed her.

“Does she even know I'm coming? What does she think I am, your girlfriend? You told her I was your girlfriend, didn't you,” Ayumi groaned.

“Calm down, Ice Queen. She knows you're coming, I texted her. She made up a guest room for you. And don't worry, I told them you were my accountant who just needed a ride. No one will think you're dating Mr. Loser McLoser Pants,” he chuckled, collecting all his dirty napkins and wrappers. He balled them up together and put them in the center of the table, then started sliding out of his booth.

“I just don't want people thinking we're something we're not,” she stressed. “I really am just an accountant taking a ride with you.”

“Got it. I will have all that put on a banner and we can carry it into the house together.”

Liam stopped at the counter for one last chance to flirt with the blonde server, getting a soda to-go from her and giving her one last wink. Then he held open Ayumi's door for her before hurrying around and getting behind the wheel.

“You said your mom's house,” Ayumi asked after they'd been driving for a minute. “She doesn't live with your dad?”

“Nah, they got divorced a long time ago. Still friends, though.”

“Well, I guess if it's just your mom, that's not so bad.”

“Uh ...”

“What does 'uh' mean?”

“It means she organized a huge family dinner tonight,” he said, wincing from behind his sunglasses. “All my aunts are coming, their kids, some uncles, my dad and his brother.”

“So I'm tagging along to a family reunion,” she sighed.

“Reunion? I'm Mexican, Ayumi – this is just a regular Tuesday for us,” he laughed. “Whenever I come down to visit they do this.”

“I didn't know you were Mexican,” Ayumi was shocked. Liam was actually pretty racially ambiguous – tall and lanky, with cinnamon skin, warm brown eyes, and thick brown hair. If she'd had to guess his ethnicity, she probably would've said German, but only because of his last name.

“Half Mexican,” he said. “Mom's side. You'll laugh when you see her, she's this tiny thing, but she can still totally kick my ass.”

“Half – what is your dad?” she asked.

“White?” he laughed. “I dunno, a whole mix of stuff. Irish, German, English, I'm sure. Want me to take a DNA test?”

“Sorry, I find that kind of stuff interesting,” she explained. “I found out I was adopted when I was five, so I grew up not knowing what the hell I was. A couple years ago I did get a DNA test done.”

“Oh wow, adopted. I had no idea.”

“Yeah. My dad is white, too, but my mom is Korean and Japanese. They were living on the U.S. military base in Japan when they found out she couldn't have children, so they decided to adopt over there. She wanted a full Japanese baby and thought I was one,” she told him.

“But you're not Japanese,” he deduced. She nodded.

“No. I mean, half, yeah. My birth mother was Japanese. I've seen pictures of her and her family, I don't really look a whole lot like them, but no one could tell me about my birth father. So I took the DNA test and hired a detective who specialized in adoptions.”

“Jesus, when you want to know something, you don't let it go,” Liam mumbled, driving through downtown Santa Cruz.

“Nope,” she agreed. “Turns out my birth father was from Kazakhstan. He died before we found him, I only ever got one picture. I look like him.”

“Then your dad is pretty gorgeous,” he teased. She rolled her eyes.

“Flirting by way of hitting on my dead birth father is not the way into my pants,” she informed him.

“Pffft, I already know the way into your pants – cheese dip and cheap liquor.”

“Shut up, Liam.”

“So why'd you go searching for your birth parents?” he asked. She frowned and turned to watch the houses go by.

“My mom ... it wasn't easy, growing up as an adopted kid. My mother is very strict and my dad was never really around. Like the day after I graduated high school, he left her, and basically left me, too. That's why my last name is my mother's maiden name - she changed it, acted like my dad never existed. She's a difficult person to love,” she tried to explain.

“So you thought maybe you could go find a mother who would really love you?” he suggested in a soft voice.

“I never thought of it that way, but I guess so,” she said in a soft voice.

“Did it work?”

Ayumi cleared her throat.

“No. My birth mother didn't want anything to do with me. What about your family? You all get along?” she tried to steer the conversation away from herself. Now it was Liam's turn to frown.

“Kinda. I mean, yeah? I dunno. I never had it hard, I always felt loved and all that jazz, but ... Landon is the favorite. Like no question about it, everyone knows it. It's been that way since high school. That's why I don't go home very often,” he said. “I don't like feeling like I'm not good enough.”

“I know what you mean,” she whispered.

You were right, Mr. Edenhoff. We're more alike than I ever could have imagined.

They stayed silent after that, both lost in their own miserable thoughts. It was probably the first time she'd ever been around Liam when he wasn't laughing and joking. She got the feeling she was seeing a side of him not many people got to, and she was surprised that the knowledge made her feel glad. Glad he felt comfortable enough around her to let his guard down. To just be “off” for a minute or two.

When they turned to pull up in front of a large, three story home, though, the silence ended.

“Oh, jesus,” he muttered under his breath. “Brace yourself.”

“Why? What's going to ...” Ayumi's voice trailed off as she watched several women file out of the open front door and stand on the porch. It looked like a receiving line at a wedding. “Who are all of them?”

“My aunts.”

“All of those are aunts?”

“Yup.”

She went to ask him how many other relatives were waiting in the house, but then his hand came to rest against her lower back, surprising her. It was a somewhat intimate gesture and she wanted to nip that kind of behavior in the bud, but then they were in front of the crowd of women.

“Mijo!” the tiniest woman of the bunch exclaimed, hurrying down the steps and practically throwing herself at Liam. She had to be his mother, but they looked absolutely nothing alike. She was curvy and compact, with a round shaped face and black hair, and she was as small as her son was big.

“Hola, mom,” Liam sighed, lifting his mother off the ground in a big bear hug.

“I missed you so much!” she exclaimed when he finally sat her down, and Ayumi was surprised to see tears in the woman's eyes. Then his mom frowned and lightly slapped her son. “You didn't come home for Thanksgiving! How can you do that to your poor mother?” And then she was hugging him again.

Ayumi felt like she had emotional whiplash.

“All the worrying I cause you keeps you young,” he laughed, then he reached out for Ayumi again. “Mom, this is my accountant, the woman I told you about. Ayumi Nakada, meet mom.”

Mom whacked her son in the stomach, then she stepped forward and hugged Ayumi, kissing her on both cheeks.

“Or you can call me Flor. Hello, dear, so happy to meet you,” she sighed before pulling away.

“Thank you for having me, I'm sorry to impose at the last minute,” Ayumi apologized. Flor shook her head.

“No! No, is no trouble,” she insisted, then she turned back to her son and started speaking in Spanish. “Que guapa, mijo!”

“Stop it, Mom, it's too early in the day for this. Let's just do the lightning round of intros for now, okay?” he asked. His mother rolled her eyes, very much a Liam-gesture, but she stepped to the side and let her son move onto the porch.

“Ayumi, this es mi Tia Rosa, Tia Angelina, Tia Irene, and mi Tia Lupita,” he gestured to each woman as he said their name. Each one stepped forward to give Ayumi a hug and double kiss and to exclaim over how nice it was to meet her.

All the women swarmed around her, moving her away from Liam and into the house. They asked her about how the drive was and how San Francisco was and how Liam was and how long had she known Liam? Were they close? Was she hungry? Did she want something to drink? She needed to sit and have a drink, she looked tired. Very, very tired. She remembered Liam warning her to smile, so she pasted one on her face and everyone seemed to worry about her a little less.

She had hoped the aunts – the tias – would be it, but it turned out there were a lot more people to meet. Liam was nowhere around to introduce her, but it didn't seem to matter – his mother took Ayumi under her wing as if they'd been friends for years. She met primos and tios and even Liam's compadre. By the end, her head was spinning. She only ever saw her own mother maybe once or twice a year, and that was the only family she interacted with – she'd just met roughly thirty members of Liam's family, and that was only on his mother's side.

She was exhausted, but it was fun.

As the day wore on, she found herself sticking around the kitchen. She tried to help clean and prep food, but was mostly chased away by the army of tias. So she sat at the kitchen island and drank wine with his mother, laughing at stories about Liam and his brother and cousins. She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard a door bell ring. Flor jumped out of her seat.

“Oh, you have to come, that will be Liam's father,” she said, patting Ayumi on the arm and then gently pulling her out of her seat.

They got to the door just in time to see Liam open it. A tall man who almost could've passed as his son's brother stepped into the house. He was already laughing loudly, hugging Liam and clapping him on the back.

“Good lord, it smells good in here, Flor,” Mr. Edenhoff groaned before leaning down and kissing his ex-wife on the cheek.

“Rosa made her tamales just for you,” she assured him, hugging him quickly.

“Dad,” Liam suddenly popped up between everyone. “This is Ayumi Nakada – she's been doing the accounting at the club and she caught a ride down here with me.”

“No,” Flor argued. “This is Ayumi – my future daughter-in-law, I have decided.”

Ayumi could feel herself turning bright red, but Liam just burst out laughing. Mr. Edenhoff shook Ayumi's hand, then leaned down close to her.

“I know exactly how you're feeling,” he said in a stage-whisper. “The code word is 'orange peel' – yell that out, and we'll help you escape.”

This time, even Ayumi laughed with everyone.

I like his family.

Two folding banquet tables had been set up end to end along with a large dining room table, and eventually everyone sat down to eat. Ayumi wound up across the table and two seats down from Liam, squeezed between his father and Tia Lupita.

“Why is Landon not here?” Lupita asked. “He never has time for us anymore.”

“That boy,” Flor sighed. “Too busy to call his poor, ailing mother.”

“Mom, you're never been sick a day in your life,” Liam pointed out.

“Well, if I do get sick, it will be from worrying over the two of you, dios mio,” she swore, fanning herself with a napkin.

“Don't fall for it,” Mr. Edenhoff – or Frank, as he'd asked Ayumi to call him – said. “Flor lives to worry about her sons.”

“You hush,” Flor laughed, throwing the napkin across the table.

Surprisingly, that was the only time in the evening Landon was brought up. Ayumi had gotten the impression from Liam that his brother would be talked about often – he was the doctor, the golden child, “everyone loved him”, according to Liam.

Also, Ayumi knew she was an outsider. She hadn't known this family long and it was only one evening, one dinner, so her impressions could be off, but she really didn't understand where Liam's issues came from – his family very clearly adored him. His mother fawned and fussed over him, his aunts made sure his plate was always full, his father laughed with him. He was treated like royalty. She didn't see anyone acting like he was second best. Everyone loved him.

Some more than others.

A cousin had brought a friend, some twenty-one year old in a tight top and tighter pants. She had wound up next to Liam and was laying the flirting on thick. Ayumi could hear her murmuring things in Spanish, and she didn't need a translator to understand what was going on. Liam's flirty little smirk and the twinkle in his eyes painted a pretty clear picture.

When he caught her staring at them, he winked. Annoying man.

“I swear, that boy just asks for trouble,” Frank sighed.

“Excuse me?” Ayumi asked, turning to face him.

“My son is quite the ladies man, you may or may not know,” Frank continued. She laughed and nodded.

“Yes, I do know – I'm friends with some of his former 'ladies',” she said.

“Well, if you want my opinion, he's an idiot. If I had a beautiful, smart girl like you around me all the time, I'd snap you up in a second,” he told her and she laughed harder.

“I am single, Frank,” she told him.

“Hot damn! Let's blow this popsicle stand,” he said, scooting his chair back and making like he was going to stand.

“What's going on?” Liam's voice came in above the general fray.

“Your dad and I are now dating, I think,” Ayumi wiped at the tears in her eyes.

“Oh god. That's gonna make for an awkward fucking Christmas,” Liam groaned. At the dropping of the F bomb, the army of tias shouted at him and everyone started laughing all over again.

I really like his family.

When she was done eating, Ayumi forced her way into doing dishes. She felt bad if she wasn't able to help and besides, watching Liam flirt with the other girl was making her want to stab things. Ayumi wasn't a stabby kind of chick, she didn't like the feeling. So she worked out her annoyance on the dirty pots and pans.

“Since we're an item now, mind if I join you?” Frank asked, stepping up next to her and rolling up his sleeves.

“I have to warn you, I'm pretty high maintenance,” she said. He groaned and dunked his hands into the soapy water before bumping his hip into her, taking her spot at the sink. She picked up a dish towel and began drying.

“I guess it's over. At least we'll always have tamales,” he told her.

“Now I know where Liam gets it,” she laughed.

“Gets what?”

“His ... interesting sense of humor,” she tried to explain.

“You mean his almost overwhelming wit and charm? Why yes, that comes from me,” Frank replied with a big grin.

“Overwhelming is the perfect word,” she agreed, and he chuckled.

“That kid. I swear. Don't get me wrong, I love both my children equally, but Liam ... I think the funnest times I've ever had in my life have been with that boy,” he sighed.

Ayumi didn't like getting involved in other peoples' business. She had her rules and she stuck to them – the few boyfriends she'd had, she'd never met their families. Never introduced them to her mother. She had no real connection to Liam, just one night of meaningless sex. He didn't mean anything to her. Nothing at all.

And yet she couldn't stop herself when she opened her mouth.

“Have you ever said that to Liam?” she asked, glancing up at Mr. Edenhoff. He looked surprised.

“Oh, I don't know, probably not. It's not really the kind of thing you just randomly say. Besides, he was there, he knows,” he laughed. Ayumi shrugged.

“True. But you know, sometimes it's nice to hear it out loud. I wish my mother said things like that about me,” she said in a wistful voice. Frank smiled down at her for a second, then he took his hands out of the water and wiped them off on a towel.

“I'm sure she thinks them, dear. Now quit flirting with me – my ex has you pegged as a match for Liam, so you'd better go steal him back from that teeny bopper out there,” he told her.

“Liam and I aren't -”

Ayumi stumbled as she was good naturedly shoved back towards the dining room.

It was pretty late by then, almost ten o'clock at night. Everyone had moved out onto the back deck, only the tias were inside cleaning up the table. She smiled at everyone before making her way outside.

Finding Liam was easy – with his dad inside, he was the tallest person in the group. He was surrounded by a gaggle of girls, all of them laughing. He looked completely in his element, his smile big and bright, his skin glowing in the light from tiki torches that had been set up. It was almost like he was the light, and they were all moths being drawn to him.

And I'm not any different.

Before she could analyze that thought, he lifted his head and looked straight at her. Almost as if he'd known she was watching him. His grin dimmed and fell away, fading into a smile. It was smaller and it didn't shine so bright, but it was better. It was a real smile, and he was giving it to her. So she couldn't help but give one of her own back.

She watched as he made excuses and extricated himself from the women. Then he made his way towards her. It was slow going, someone had put on music and people had started dancing. He did a sort of salsa with an aunt for a moment, then dipped a cousin in another instant. Got caught up in a conga line of sorts. Finally he ducked his head and made a beeline for her.

“You're very popular, Mr. Edenhoff,” she said when he finally reached her side.

“You're the only lady who refuses to fall for my charm,” he replied, toasting her with his beer. “I think it's what I like best about you. Or hate most. I can't ever decide.”

“I also think you might be a little drunk,” she laughed. He grimaced.

“Yeah. I might be. Wanna dance?”

“Oh, no, I don't dance.”

“Of course you don't, Ice Queen. But tonight, you will,” he informed her, then he sat his beer on the deck railing and he grabbed her hand, dragging her into the crowd of people.

She didn't know the steps. Ayumi had some rhythm, she could get down in a club if she had to, but she'd never salsa danced before. She stood still while everyone moved around her, trying to see how she should move her feet.

“Liam, I can't do this,” she hissed while he danced around in front of her. He laughed and stepped up close, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“You're the girl who can do anything, remember?” he said, yanking her close. She squealed as she was completely pressed against him. Then he took her right hand in his, lifting it up next to them. “Just let go and for god's sake, let the man lead.”

She couldn't help but laugh at his tease, then returned one of her own, “introduce me to one and I'll be sure to let him.”

“Brat.”

His whole body moved forward, forcing her backward. She stumbled over her own feet and his, feeling awkward. But everyone around them laughed and encouraged her to keep trying. She could feel Liam's laughter through his chest, reverberating through her body, and it relaxed her. She loosened up and leaned into him, giving into his movements, letting his body tell her where to go.

“See? I knew you could do it,” he whispered.

“I never would've figured you for a dancer,” she said, looking up at him.

“Really? I thought my hip movements the other night were pretty impressive,” he replied, cocking up an eyebrow at her.

“I always figured you for a good lay.”

He burst out laughing so loudly, everyone around them turned to stare.

“You have a sexy way with words, Ice Queen,” he said when he finally got control of himself. “Dancing isn't like my thing, but we've always done it. Every birthday, first communion, wedding, quinceanera, birth, wake, you name it, there was dancing. I think some of my earliest memories are of my mom holding me while she danced.”

“I don't think my mother ever danced with me,” Ayumi replied.

“Pity, she missed out. You're a great partner.”

He was staring straight down at her, his real smile back in place. She hadn't realized it, but the music had ended. They were just standing there, still holding their dance pose. Still pressed together. Still staring.

“Beso!” one of his cousin's suddenly shouted. Everyone laughed and clapped, then it turned into a chant. “Beso! Beso! Beso!”

“What are they saying? What does that mean?” Ayumi asked, glancing around. He chuckled, then the arm around her waist got even tighter.

“Oh, Ice Queen, you are not gonna like this.”

“Like what?”

He dipped her so low, so fast, she let out a startled scream. It was quickly swallowed by his mouth as he planted a showy kiss on her lips. Everyone started cheering and when it started to die down, he finally let her up.

“What was that all about?” she hissed, clinging to his shirt.

“It means kiss,” he laughed. “Beso – they wanted us to kiss.”

She frowned and glanced around. Mostly everyone had gone back to dancing and drinking, but she caught a couple people eyeballing them. His dad standing over by the barbecue. His mother and one of her sisters, smiling while they watched them.

Not good. This is not good.

“You know what? I'm kinda tired. I got up early to get some work done before we hit the road, I'm beat,” she mumbled, pulling away from him. She expected him to say goodnight, then to go back to his gaggle of groupies. Instead, though, he kept his hand on her back and he walked back into the house with her.

“Yeah, it's been kind of a day. You've been a trooper, really,” he told her.

“Your family is amazing, Liam.”

“Thanks.”

His smile was gone when he said it, though.

They got her suitcase out of the car and he carried it upstairs for her. She was in a guest room across the hall from his room. A sofa bed had been pulled out for her, with a soft afghan stretched across it. A bottle of water had also thoughtfully been left on the end table, along with two fluffy towels.

“There's a bathroom right next door, it has an amazing shower,” he explained as he folded his arms across his broad chest. “Or if you want more privacy, my room has an en suite. Or if you want mind-blowing orgasms, my room has me in it.”

Ayumi glanced over at him, but he was staring at her ass.

“No more deal, remember?” she said. “We're just two buddies, taking a road trip together.”

“Sometimes buddies fuck each other,” he pointed out.

“Not us buddies,” she laughed. “Good night, Liam.”

“G'night, Ice Queen.”

He shut the door behind him when he left and she listened to his footsteps. He didn't go back downstairs, like she'd expected, but instead he went into his room across the hall. His door slowly creaked shut.

While she got ready for bed, Ayumi thought about everything that had happened. She had assumed meeting his family would be annoying. A little awkward, a little forced. She'd sit down to a lame dinner and then escape to her room as fast as possible – that's how the night should've gone.

But she'd instantly clicked with his family, and Ayumi never clicked with anybody. She'd felt at ease with them and she was surprised to find that she was almost bummed that they wouldn't be staying longer than two nights.

She also felt kind of bad. How had Liam gotten the impression his family didn't like him as much as his brother? When had he developed such a low opinion of himself? She wished he could see himself the way everyone else saw him.

Because Ayumi knew what it really felt like to not be wanted. To be a burden. An annoyance. To literally be told “you're not good enough”, over and over again. To be pushed to the edge, and ever over it a couple times, by someone that was supposed to love her.

I'm sorry I can't be your daughter-in-law, Flor, but can I please be your adopted daughter?