CHAPTER 10
BROOKE
Over the next week, Liam and I managed to spend a lot of time together. We’d worked a few shifts, but the majority of the time, we hung out together away from the restaurant.
During those days, I discovered that Liam loved food just as much as I did.
He’d come with me for my dinner with Evan and Miranda.
And I’d accompanied him to dinner at Xander and Samantha’s place.
We’d had an outstanding meal in Boston because Liam swore that all the restaurants were better there. I wasn’t sure that they were better. Sullivan’s served some pretty amazing food. But the restaurants were definitely fancier.
Being raised poor, we ate whatever we could afford, which usually consisted of a casserole we could throw together from leftovers, and lots of cheap sandwiches. It wasn’t ideal for a food-obsessed kid, but I hadn’t really thought much about that until Liam started taking me from one gastronomical orgasm to another. I was pretty sure I’d gained several pounds from the seven days, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to complain.
In a very short period of time, being with Liam had become as natural as breathing. So far, we’d held to our agreement of getting to know each other without sex, but I went to bed every night thinking about him, wanting him with a gnawing pain that got worse and worse with every day that passed.
“I’m getting very spoiled,” I muttered to myself as I pulled into the driveway of Liam’s house located outside of Amesport.
Although Liam wasn’t the type of guy to throw around his wealth, he had his toys. When he’d renovated his childhood residence, the new plans had included six garages to house vehicles, and every one of them was full. I’d refused to drive the expensive sports cars, but I’d accepted his offer to drive one of the two SUVs he’d housed in his garages.
Life was just easier with a car.
“Don’t get used to it,” I reminded myself aloud as I parked on the asphalt beside his house.
I had no idea how this fairy tale was going to end. I trusted Liam, but we hadn’t discussed my departure, which was growing closer and closer every day.
I don’t want to be destroyed when I have to leave.
Even as I cut the SUV’s engine, I knew that this might not end well. I was already used to seeing Liam every day, and even though my body craved him, my heart wanted him even more.
I didn’t regret the time I’d spent with him. Whether we saw each other after next week or not, these days would always be the happiest of my entire life. I’d known I was taking a chance, but it was a gamble I’d had to take.
If I have to deal with the fallout of getting close to Liam, I’ll worry about it later.
The last thing I wanted to do was spend the next week waiting for a bomb to drop.
I grabbed the bag of Chinese food I’d picked up on my way to Liam’s, smiling as I got out of the car.
He’d bragged about his fishing skills, so we were supposed to be eating freshly caught fish for dinner. Xander and Liam had gone out on Liam’s boat to fish this morning.
They’d come back empty handed.
I wondered if he was still mad because I’d laughed and offered to pick up Chinese.
Liam was mostly good natured, but I might have slightly wounded his male ego.
“Liam,” I called as I walked in the door. “I come bearing food.”
“Smartass,” he grumbled as he came out of the kitchen to greet me.
What did he expect? I had four brothers. I’d had to have some kind of protection mechanism from that childhood trauma. My best weapon had always been sarcasm.
I went to walk past him to get some plates, but he snagged my waist before I could get by him. “But I forgive you,” he said huskily, getting a kiss before he let me go.
I shivered as he released me. I loved the way he never let me get past him without touching me.
“I didn’t mean to injure your manly ego,” I said with a laugh.
“You didn’t,” he said gruffly. “I’m pretty secure in my masculinity.”
“I know you are,” I mumbled as I made my way to the kitchen. Liam’s maleness was never in question. He produced way more testosterone than he should.
He whacked me on the ass playfully as I set the bags down on the kitchen counter.
I squealed. “What was that for? I brought the food,” I said with feigned outrage.
He folded his arms in front of him and grinned. “Your ass is way too beautiful to resist.”
I rubbed my butt cheek as I smiled back at him. “Remind me that you get crabby when you don’t catch any fish.”
He shrugged. “It happens, but it was a wasted morning. I would have rather spent the time with you.”
Since Xander and Liam had already made plans to go fishing this week, I’d encouraged him to go. I’d spent a pleasant morning hanging out with Samantha. “I like Chinese,” I said. “And I’m here now.”
It was pathetic, but I’d missed him as much as he’d missed me.
“Thank God,” he grumbled. “If I had to listen to Xander bitch one more time about not getting any fish, I would have thrown him overboard. Next time you’re coming with me. I’ll teach you to fish.”
I gaped at him. “You’ll teach me to fish?” Did he think I had encouraged him to go with Xander because I didn’t want to go? Or because I was useless in a boat? “I’ve been fishing since I was old enough to walk,” I said huffily.
“You fish?”
“Of course. My brother Aiden taught me when I was little, and I go as much as I can. He’s a commercial fisherman, and he’s a little bit competitive sometimes, but I blow his arrogance off for the chance to get out on the water.”
“Then I guess I’m not going to be able to bullshit you with my fish stories.”
I smiled. “Nope. My brothers tried it all the time. I stop listening when they get to the part where the fish got away.”
When a woman has four brothers like I do, she learns to be tolerant. But Jade and I had to draw the line somewhere.
I got some plates from the cupboard and started loading them with food. Liam grabbed the silverware and drinks so we could sit down at the table.
After we were seated with plates of Chinese food, Liam asked, “So you’re all pretty close?”
“As close as a female can be to brothers who know it all. Honestly, it wasn’t easy growing up with all that testosterone, but Jade and I managed to survive,” I joked.
“What is it like?” he asked. “Growing up with that many siblings?”
“For us, it was scary sometimes, and I can only imagine what it was like for Noah. When my mom died, he was all we had. And he really wasn’t old enough to take on five kids under the age of eighteen. He grew up way too early. But we were used to pitching in to help. My mom worked a lot. We lived on a pretty tight income, so we had all tried to bring in some money to help her. It was the same once she died.”
Liam frowned. “You didn’t have any family who could help?”
“None of us really knew our father. He died when we were all pretty young. My mom was an only child. Her parents died when she was nineteen. She talked about a few people, but they never came to see us in California.”
“That’s rough,” Liam said hoarsely.
“It wasn’t all bad,” I explained. “All of us learned to be independent, and we took care of each other.”
Liam was inhaling his food. I was guessing he hadn’t eaten much that day.
When he paused for water, he asked, “Are you ever going to tell me about your life there, and why you left?”
I nearly choked on my lo mein. It wasn’t like I hadn’t expected that question, but not in the middle of rice and kung pao. I took a drink of water before I answered. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t brought that up before.”
“It isn’t that I don’t want to know, Brooke. I guess I just wanted to give you time to trust me.”
I surveyed his gorgeous face, and the earnest look in his eyes. My heart melted. “Oh, Liam. It isn’t that I don’t trust you. I’m just not sure where to start.”
He shrugged. “Anywhere you want. But finish eating first.”
I started eating again, pausing when my stomach was full.
Glancing over at Liam’s plate, I noticed he’d completely demolished his food.
“There’s more,” I offered.
He held up a hand. “I’m done.”
We quickly made short work of cleaning up, and then went to sit down in the living room. I’d poured myself a glass of Merlot, and Liam had gotten himself a soda.
We’d made ourselves comfortable on the couch before I spoke. “I’m not a waitress anymore. At least, I wasn’t always one in California.”
I’d decided that my career was a good place to begin my explanation.
“I wouldn’t have guessed that,” he replied. “You’re pretty damn good at it.”
“My references were real. I was a waitress from the time I could legally work until I completed my degree. I’m a financial analyst. I was working in a small branch of a national bank in Citrus Beach before I came here.”
“I should have known you had a financial job, since you strangely love numbers.” He paused before inquiring, “Is this about a guy? A stalker?”
I could see that Liam was ready to kill the fictional weirdo in my life as I smiled at him. “No. It wasn’t like that.”
He looked relieved. “Thank fuck.”
I wasn’t sure the truth was any better. “I’d been working at the bank for a year. I loved my job. Then one morning, the bank got robbed.”
I saw Liam visibly tense, but I kept talking. “I was in a back office, but I heard the shots. When I went to see what had happened, all of my friends and coworkers were dead. The bastard had shot the two tellers and the assistant manager.” My heart was racing from reliving that horrible day, but I couldn’t stop. “I should have been dead, too. But the police pulled into the parking lot while he was filling a paper bag with money from the drawers. He had to escape through the back.”
Liam reached for my hand and pulled me against his chest, his arms wrapping around my waist to hold me.
“You don’t have to talk about it, Brooke. You don’t,” he said hoarsely.
I shook my head. “I do. I want to.”
“You’re crying,” he argued.
“It’s okay. Sometimes it’s okay to cry.” I’d figured that out soon after I’d moved to Amesport. I’d needed to mourn in private, and the small coastal town had given me that opportunity. I was seeing a local counselor who had kept my secrets safe, and I’d slowly worked my way through the fear, anger, guilt, and despair.
“Then finish,” he agreed.
“He saw me, Liam. But he saw the police, too. So I guess he decided he was going to take his chances by leaving a witness in order to avoid getting arrested.” I paused to take a shaky breath. “All of my coworkers died for a sum total of twelve hundred dollars.”
Once I’d gotten the whole story out, I hugged Liam and sobbed.