by Kaylee Ryan
Liam: I miss you. I can’t sleep without you.
Me: I miss you too.
“Is that my brother?” Hailey questions me.
I’m glad it is dark, so she can’t see me blush. “Yeah,” I reply.
We’re quiet for several minutes, my phone buzzes again.
Liam: I love you, baby. Sweet Dreams.
Me: I love you too.
“He really does, you know.”
“He really does what?” I’m confused as to what she’s referring to.
“Liam, he really loves you. I heard him talking to our parents, he told them that you’re ‘the one’,” she says.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “The one?” I question her.
Hailey laughs softly. “He’s different with you, better.”
I debate on what I should tell her. She’s his sister, but she’s also my friend. I decide to go with honesty without the intimate details of our relationship. “I love him so much. I really feel like he’s my soul mate. Is that crazy? We’ve only been together a short amount of time.”
“No, it’s not crazy. I wish I could say I had found ‘the one’.”
I don’t respond as my mind drifts to Liam and the depth of my feelings for him. In such a short amount of time he has become my world. I have to admit I’m a little worried about the draft and how those events will affect us. I try not to think about it and just enjoy the time I have with him.
“There’s this guy that I have kind of had a thing for, for a while now,” Hailey speaks into the darkness of the quiet room. “He doesn’t see me the same way, but I would give anything for him to look at me the way my brother looks at you.” She reaches over and grabs my hand. “I’m so glad he has you and that you and I have become friends. Both of our lives have been changed because of you.”
“I love you both,” I whisper through the cloud of tears in my eyes. Neither one of us says anymore as we drift off to sleep.
Chapter 28
Liam
Let’s just say last night sucked. It took me what seemed like hours to fall asleep and here I am wide awake at six in the damn morning. I’m so used to sleeping with my girl by my side that it’s not possible for me to get a full night’s sleep without her. I remember her telling me she had to be up early to put in the turkey, so I decide to text her.
Me: Good morning, beautiful.
I hold my phone tight against my chest anxiously waiting for her reply which comes rather quickly considering the time.
Allison: Good morning. Missed you last night.
Me: I missed you too, baby. Did I wake you?
Allison: No, I am up had to put the turkey in can’t get back to sleep.
Me: Can I come over?
Allison: Please.
I hop out of bed, pull on a t-shirt and sweats, and head out. I open the door and run into a sleepy Aiden.
He looks at me confused. “Where are you going?” he asks, still half asleep.
I show him my phone, which has a picture of Allison on the screen. “Allie’s up, she’s putting the turkey on and can’t get back to sleep, so I’m going over to keep her company.” That’s my story anyway. I know if I tell him I can’t stand to be away from her a minute longer he would razz me about it all day. Although by the look in his eye, he already knows the real reason.
“What time is it?” he asks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
“It’s a little after six.” I step to the left to walk around him and hear him chuckle behind me.
“Whipped bastard,” he mutters as he laughs.
“Love sick bastard,” I call back to him. Might as well call a zebra a zebra and not a horse, I’m madly in love with the girl and want to be with her every second of the day.
Allison’s waiting at the door for me when I get there. I immediately pick her up and hold her close. She buries her face in my neck. “I missed you,” I whisper in her ear.
She leans away, and I set her back on her feet. “Come in, I made coffee and cinnamon rolls.”
We end up in the den, her on my lap, eating cinnamon rolls and drinking coffee. At a little after seven, Allie hears Gran starting to stir, so she goes to help her out of bed and into the den. While she does that, I make Gran a plate of fresh fruit and oatmeal and pour her a cup of black coffee. I have everything ready and waiting on the TV tray beside her chair by the time they make their way into the den.
“Liam—How did? How did you know?” Allison asks me.
I shrug my shoulders. “I pay attention and I listen when you talk.”
She carefully helps Gran into her chair, then turns and launches herself at me. I catch her in my arms and hug her tight. “I love your hugs,” she whispers to me. She pulls back and touches her hand to my face. “I love you more every day, you’re amazing.” Then she kisses me.
She kisses me full on lips with tongue right in front of her gran. I’m not sure how her gran feels about intimate displays of affection, and I don’t want to disrespect her, but there’s no way I can tell Allison no. We’ll just have to ask for forgiveness later. Allison pulls away and smiles at me. I’m lost in her eyes, the emotion I see in them. She finally breaks the trance when she pulls me to the couch and plops down beside me, never letting go of my hand.
“Allie girl, can you get me my medication?” Gran asks her. Allison nods, gets up, and walks toward the kitchen.
I’m a little nervous, I just made out with this woman’s granddaughter right in front of her and now she’s obviously trying to get me alone. I clear my throat and rub my hands together. My palms are sweaty.
“Liam,” her gran says my name so softly I almost don’t hear her.
“Yes, ma’am?” Okay, now I’m really worried.
“You love her, you love my Allie?” she questions me.
I nod my head vigorously. “I do, more than I ever thought possible,” I tell her.
“Good, can you promise me something?” she asks. Her voice is laced with so much emotion, sadness or concern, maybe. I can’t really tell.
“That depends, ma’am. If you’re going to ask me to stay away from Allison, I’m sorry I just can’t do that.” I’m not sure what she’s going to ask of me, but I’m sure it has to do with Allison and me. Agreeing to stay away from her isn’t an option.
Gran laughs softly. “No, I see the way you look at her and her at you. I would never take that away from either of you.” She smiles at me. “Although, after your statement my fear of what I’m about to ask you is no longer palpable.” She reaches her hand out to me, so I stand up and walk over to her chair. I kneel down in front of her, taking her hand in mine while her other rests on my cheek. “Take care of her for me, Liam. I’m her only family and, well, I won’t be on this earth forever. All Allie has ever wanted was to have a family.” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “I was never able to give that to her. After her parents died, it was just us. It has always been just us. I need to know she’ll have someone who will be there for her forever after I’m gone.” She’s looking at me as if she can see inside my soul. “Can you love her for me, give her the life she deserves?”
I have to fight to hide the fact that her words have me choked up. Allison’s grandmother is asking me to love Allie forever, to give her the family and life she has always dreamed of. I have to gather my wits before I can respond. “I love Allison with everything I am. She has changed my life in ways I never thought possible. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her. I’m honored I have your blessing.” I lean over and kiss her cheek.
Gran nods, tears in her eyes. “I met my late husband and knew by the end of our first date he was the one. Love like that is hard to find. I see it in the two of you.”
I hear Allison and Hailey coming down the hall. I nod my head, letting her know I’ll cherish Allison always and rush back to the couch. When Allison walks in, she offers me her genuine I’m happy smile. The one she reserves for me, I smile back. The old Liam would have been out the door and runnin
g for the hills after that speech. The new Liam is elated to have her blessing. I want to go look at rings today, although I know that’s not possible. Allison and I have talked about the draft, but never what it’s going to mean for our relationship. To me, it doesn’t change things, I love her. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, and I want her to go with me. I need her with me always. I’ve been afraid to broach the subject with her. Afraid I would be pushing things too far too fast, but after last weekend, my mind is made up. Allison is mine, always, and I’ll do everything in my power to show her she belongs with me. I can give her the love and the family she has always wanted. My mind veers to a pregnant Allison, and I have to readjust my position to hide the evidence of my erection. I want it all with Allison. I want to give her the family she’s always craved.
The rest of the day goes off without a hitch. Hailey, Allison, and Aiden’s mom make dinner while Aiden and I keep Gran entertained. Aiden’s mom made the desserts. She really outdid herself, but Aiden and I graciously volunteer to take the extras back with us. Hailey and I clean up the kitchen while Allie and Aiden spend time with his folks and her gran. We stay in the kitchen longer than necessary, giving them all time to visit.
“So, how you feeling about the draft?” Aiden asks me later.
I shrug. “I’m nervous, man. How about you? Nervous?”
He nods. “Yeah, I am. I mean, coach says you and I are in line for first round picks. It would be bad ass if we could go to the same team.”
I laugh. “Hell, yeah, it would, but the chances of that happening are slim and none.”
Aiden clears his throat. “So, what about you and Allison?”
“What about us? I love her, man. You know this,” I reply defensively.
“That’s obvious, dude. You’re different with her. What I meant is how do you think the two of you will do with the long-distance thing?” he questions.
I’m shaking my head no before he even finishes his sentence. “I don’t want to do it. I can’t be away from her for that long.” I hesitate before telling him more, but he is my best friend, who just happens to have been her best friend first. If anyone can tell me how they think she’ll take my suggestion, it would be Aiden. “I want her to come with me.” I hold my hand up to him to keep him from talking. “I know it would be a lot to ask, but fuck, man, she’s like the air I breathe. I would support her and help her finish school, or not, she can just travel with me. She can do whatever she wants, just as long as I get to come home to her every night and wake up with her every morning.”
Aiden raises his eyebrow at me. “Wow,” is all he says. Maybe it’s all he can say. In the four years we’ve been friends, I’ve never talked about a girl and forever.
“Do you think she’ll come with me?” I ask him so softly I’m surprised he heard me.
“She loves you, but it’ll be hard for her to be that far away from her gran,” he tells me.
“I know, man, I thought about that. I want Gran to come with us. I want Allison with me always, and Gran is her family, I want them both to come with me.” This is something I’d decided earlier today when Gran gave me her blessing to love Allison with everything in me. She deserves the same, and I would give those two the world if I could.
Aiden nods his head. “Then, yeah, I think she’ll go with you.” He curses under his breath. “We better get drafted to the same damn team. I’m losing both my best friends.” He hesitates then he says, “Uh—what about Hales?”
“What about her? I assume she’ll stay at UNC and finish out her degree.”
Our conversation is cut short when Allison and Hailey come walking into the kitchen. I can tell something is off by the look in her eyes. She walks toward me, and I open my arms wide for her, welcoming her into my embrace. “What’s wrong, baby?” I ask her.
“It’s time for us to go, but I hate leaving her,” she speaks so low I can barely hear her.
I hug her tighter. It takes all the willpower I can muster not to tell her when I’m drafted she and Gran can come with me and be together all the time. I know now isn’t the time, but seeing her sad is tearing me up inside.
Chapter 29
Allison
Saying goodbye and leaving Gran always causes an ache deep in my chest. She insisted I go to college and experience life. I never really wanted to go to college. My parents’ life insurance left me enough money that I never have to work. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be some spoiled princess blowing through money, never having a job or responsibilities. I have dreams for my future, just not the same as other nineteen-year-old girls. I want a family of my own. My dream is to be a wife and a mother surrounded with family and love. All the things I lost at the young age of ten. Gran did the best she could, but growing up with your ill, elderly grandmother as your only family, well, it’s lonely.
When we arrive back at Liam and Aiden’s apartment, Hailey immediately crashes on her futon, Aiden crashes on the couch, and Liam and I stumble to his room. We go through our routine of brushing our teeth and changing for bed. I, of course, am in one of Liam’s old t-shirts. We crawl into bed, and Liam immediately pulls me to him. I rest my head on his chest while he holds me tight with one hand and gently strokes my arm with the other. He sighs deeply.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him, never moving from my spot on his chest.
“Nothing, baby, nothing at all. I just missed you last night. I barely slept, and now you’re here in my arms, in our bed where you belong. I’m just happy,” he replies softly.
I sit up on my elbow to look at him. “Thank you for today, Liam. Spending the day with Gran, the house full of people, it’s what I always wanted growing up. Aiden and his parents would stop in after their family things, but really, it was only ever Gran and me.” I take my hand that’s resting on his chest and bring it to his face, tracing his jawline with my fingers. “You made one of my dreams come true today. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I felt like I had a family.” I scoot my body up, so my face is mere inches from his. “I love you, Liam MacCoy, so much.” Then I kiss him. He immediately responds and moans as I slip my tongue past his lips. He rolls onto his side and pulls me close until we’re wrapped up in each other’s arms, legs entwined, lips fused, tongues battling as my heart bursts with happiness and love.
We pull back from the kiss, mainly due to the fact we both need to catch our breath. Liam gently brushes my hair behind my ear, stroking his hands across my cheek. “Allison, I need you to know I’ll always do everything in my power to make all of your dreams come true. You and your happiness are the most important things to me.” He pauses, staring deep into my eyes, neither one of us saying anything. It’s almost as if he’s searching for my acceptance of what he just told me. He must have found what he was looking for because he continues, “Baby, I want you in my life forever. I’m not proposing at this exact moment, but I’m going to. I need you to know what this is for me.”
I feel tears leaking from my eyes, but I don’t move to wipe them away. I’m afraid if I move, this moment will end, or maybe it isn’t real, and I don’t want to wake up if I’m dreaming. Liam wants me, forever. He gently wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. His eyes find mine again and they’re also glassy with emotion.
“Allison, I don’t know what my future holds with the NFL. I know it’s rumored I will be picked in the draft, how do you feel about that? Are you okay with being the wife of an NFL player? Because, baby, if you don’t want that, I’ll withdraw and start searching for jobs in sports medicine.”
“Liam, the NFL is your dream. It’s what you’ve always wanted,” I counter.
He shakes his head no. “No, baby, the NFL was my dream. Now my dreams consist of you, you and me and a long happy life together wherever that may be. I refuse to make a decision about our future without you giving me your blessing. What do you see for our future, beautiful girl?”
I study him, this man who has completely captured my heart and soul. He�
�s telling me he wants to marry me. That he’ll give up his lifelong dream just to make me happy, to be with me. Liam, the guy with a major fear of commitment, is telling me he’s committed to me for a lifetime. I feel more tears roll down my cheeks. “I’ve never told you this, partly because I didn’t want to scare you away. It’s also not all that ambitious for a nineteen-year-old.” He scoffs at that, but I keep going. “I’ve never had the desire to go to college. I’m here because Gran wants me to experience life and not taking care of her all the time. I’ve focused so much on school to honor my parents that I’m burnt out. My dream has always been to be a wife and a mother. I want a family, a house full of love and happiness. My parents, when they died, both had large life insurance policies. I received ten million dollars at the time of their deaths between the policies and the court settlement. I live off the interest.” I watch his expression; he’s simply listening to me, hanging on every word. “I could never allow you to give up your dreams for me, Liam.”
“Allie, I can get drafted to a team hundreds of miles from here.” He pulls me tighter against him. “I can’t go into the draft knowing I’m going to be leaving the love of my life behind. I need to know that wherever I end up you’ll be with me, by my side. I know it’s a lot to ask, but none of it would mean anything without you there.” He kisses my forehead. “We can bring Gran with us, she can live with us, and you guys can be together every day. Hell, we can build a house and give her her own damn wing; I don’t care as long as you’re next to me.”
My heart is racing, beating so loud I’m sure he can hear it. I take his hand and place it on my chest, right above my heart. I can tell, by the expression on his face, he can feel my heart’s thunderous rhythm. He places my hand on his chest in the same position, and I can feel his heart mirroring the beat of mine. I take a deep breath and repeat the words he said to me in the emergency room a couple months ago. “Liam, I’ll go anywhere with you. You’re my dream,” I whisper. I watch as a single tear leaks from his eyes. I gently kiss it away. When I pull back, he’s grinning so widely I think his face might crack.
