Liam Read online

  “Meg,” he said and moved next to her. When he looked down, Violet was freshly changed and grinning at the two of them. “You really are good at that.”

  “Years of practice,” she said and picked up Violet. Liam watched as she spread out a blanket on the floor and laid the baby down. He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in.

  “I didn’t know you babysat,” he said and struggled with his tie.

  Meg sighed and walked over to him, swatting his hands out of the way. “I’m going to bet that there’s a lot that you don’t know about me.”

  Her sweet floral perfume drifted around him. He swallowed hard as she looked at him. When her hands stilled, he looked in the mirror at his now perfect tie.

  “There,” she said and patted his chest. “Perfect.”

  His heart twisted at her sweet smile.

  “Meg, have you…”

  Her mother came in, and they jumped away from each other.

  He wanted to say something as Meg stared at him with those still wounded eyes. This wasn’t what he wanted. What he wanted was a normal life, a chance with someone that wouldn’t put them in danger. She turned from him to look at her mother.

  “Oh, there’s my little pumpkin,” Mrs. Allen said and picked up Violet.

  “All changed and ready to go.” Meg smiled.

  “Thank you, dear.” Her mother leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Me too, Mom.” Meg smiled.

  Mrs. Allen’s all too sharp eyes cut to him. He was certain she knew everything there was to know, just by looking at a person. She just had a way of staring right into your soul.

  “Put on your jacket, dear. We’re already lining up,” she said and moved away with little Violet in her arms.

  Just like that, he was alone.

  *

  Meg sat at the main table and picked at her fish. Normally, she was a big fan of fish, but today had been a long day. Technically, today had been a long thirty-six hours. At this point, she was about ready to drop. She watched the others around her. Her mom and dad hadn’t stopped smiling all day. Little Violet snuggled close to her grandmother.

  “I think I’ll have to take her home here soon.” Her mother smiled at Olivia.

  She nodded and teared up a little. “Her bag is all packed in your car and ready to go.”

  Meg watched as Reed rubbed her arm. “It’s just one night,” he whispered. “But we don’t have to. I just want you to be happy.”

  Olivia shook her head and smiled at him. “I am happy. It’s just some mommy hormones.”

  Reed grinned and leaned over to whisper in her ear. There was no need to hear the words. It was clear by the color of Olivia’s cheeks that whatever he had said had been well worth it.

  Meg looked away, embarrassed.

  Her eyes landed on her older brother Jet, his wife Heather and their two children. Beside them were her cousin Mason and his two children. She frowned and turned to Cage.

  “Where’s Sarah?” she asked quietly.

  Cage glanced down the table. “Things aren’t going well.” He turned so only she would hear. “We haven’t seen her around in months. As far as we know, she’s still living with him, but it can’t be for much longer.”

  “How could she do that to the children?” she mumbled.

  Cage shook his head. “You know she wanted nothing to do with having kids.”

  Meg grunted in annoyance. No Sarah wanted nothing to do with anything that didn’t involve her being the center of attention. And that included her husband and children. She would have thought someone who was in their late twenties would be less flighty, but Sarah had only become worse. All those acting classes hadn’t helped, but at this point, it really didn’t matter. Meg looked down the table at her sad cousin and wondered the same thing they had all been wondering since he brought Sarah home. What the hell had he been thinking?

  “Can we get the bride and groom out here?” the DJ called from the dance floor. She watched as they made their way out, and a romantic song played on the speakers.

  Olivia and Reed moved across the dance floor. They looked so happy and in love. Meg couldn’t be happier for them. Standing with them as they married had been special. Not just because her brother was happy, but because they were all adding such an amazing person to the family. When little Violet fussed during the ceremony, no one seemed to mind that Reed walked over and picked her up. Happy in her father’s arms, they continued like nothing had changed. Of course, that was the way of her family. Roll with the punches.

  She jumped when the DJ came over the loud speaker.

  “Can we get the rest of the wedding party on the floor?” he said just slightly too loud and too close to the speaker.

  “Shit,” she groaned. There was no ignoring Liam now, especially since he was standing behind her, his hand stretched out for hers.

  Chapter Four

  Liam smiled a little when Meg put her hand in his. He led her to the floor. She wouldn’t be able to avoid him now.

  All during their walk down the aisle, she had barely spared him a glance, and her hands had been pretty much non-existent. Then at the table, she had traded his card with Cage’s and wouldn’t even look toward his end. By the time they stepped on the dance floor, he was pissed.

  He pulled her hard against him, leaving no room to get away. She was going to look at him.

  His larger hand engulfed her small one, and he marveled at her small waist. The dress looked great on her.

  They moved slowly on the floor. He wasn’t exactly a skilled dancer, but he loved the feel of her pressed against him.

  “You look nice,” he said softly to her.

  Her head snapped up, and she set her dark brown eyes on him.

  “Thanks,” she said and smiled. A frown followed. “You didn’t say anything about my hair. It had to be a shock.”

  “Not really.” He frowned. “You posted about it a while ago.”

  His mouth snapped shut, and he groaned inwardly.

  “You read my blog?” she asked.

  Liam looked down at her hopeful face, and it ate at him.

  “Of course,” he said. “Someone had to make sure you were all right. Going to live with two men over the summer… I can’t believe your parents let you go.”

  Meg stopped moving, and he knew he had gone too far.

  “Let me go?” she whispered harshly to him. “Let me go?” Her face reddened.

  Meg tried to pull free, but he held on.

  “Wait,” he said. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Oh.” She stood still and stared at him with her mother’s piercing eyes. “And what did you mean?”

  “I was just…” He sighed. “I was worried.”

  Meg yanked her arm free and glared up at him. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t be.”

  He watched as she pulled away from him and made her way back to the table. Liam stood alone on the floor and watched her go.

  *

  Meg gulped down another glass of bubbly as she glared at Liam from across the room, where he sat at a table with his cousin Finn. He looked over to her, as if he felt her eyes on him. She hoped he did, and she also hoped they felt like the daggers she intended.

  “You going to give him the evil eye all night?” Irene said from beside her.

  Meg glanced up. “You going to avoid my brother all night?”

  She watched as Irene stopped mid-drink. “I’m not avoiding Ryder.”

  Meg turned, not in any mood for games. “What’s the deal? What is it that you don’t like about him?”

  Irene swallowed. “Nothing,” she said quietly. “He’s sweet and always has nice things to say.”

  Meg frowned when she picked up her near-empty glass. “Well, what’s the problem then?”

  Irene glanced around and moved in a little closer. This had to be good if she was moving in close.

  “I…” Irene stared and blushed. “I don’t have much experience with men,�
� she whispered.

  Nearly laughing, Meg bit her lip. “I couldn’t tell.”

  Her mouth turned to a pretty little pout, and Meg wondered just how inexperienced Irene was with men. She had always seemed innocent but thought it might just be an act.

  “My family was different than all of you,” Irene said. Her face pinched tight. “They are very traditional. Men work. Women tend to the home. Both the church and my family expected I would finish high school and marry Todd.” Her eyes dropped to her hands as if she was ashamed of her choices in life. “But I wanted to open the bakery.”

  Meg frowned. There was traditional, and then there was archaic.

  “I take it they didn’t approve,” she said.

  Irene shook her head. “Women shouldn’t own businesses. There would be plenty of chances to bake for bake sales they said.” She sighed. “It just wasn’t what I wanted.”

  All her life, Meg had always been supported in whatever she decided. Her parents had never in her life tried to tell her no. As a matter of fact, the only people to try that were her brothers, and that usually didn’t go so well.

  “When we graduated, Todd asked me to marry him,” Irene continued. “Everyone was so sure I would say yes. Well, everyone except for me.” She looked up to me, worry in her eyes. “I tried to tell him we should just wait a bit. Let me at least try the bakery. The next day it was all over the community. He had told everything we did together. All the private things we did together.”

  Meg clenched her fists. It was clear what came next.

  “The church stripped my membership, saying that I had let the Devil guide me. My parents came next. They gave me two weeks to leave. I guess I should be glad they didn’t kick me out that day,” she said sadly.

  “Or they could have tried not to be such pricks,” said a blonde woman who came to sit next to them at the table, Irene’s cousin Taylor. “Aunt Lisa should have stopped it.”

  Irene smiled at her. “You know my mom has little sway around there.”

  Meg watched them quietly.

  “Well, she should have left with you,” Taylor said.

  Irene leaned forward and smelled her cousin. “Have you been drinking?”

  Taylor rolled her eyes. “It’s a wedding. Just a little champagne. Not exactly like they are serving the hard stuff here.”

  “But you’re under age,” Irene said firmly.

  Taylor wrinkled her nose. “By six months. Not exactly a kid.”

  Meg laughed. She had used that same argument at her own cousin’s wedding.

  Irene ignored them. She tensed. Meg glanced over and saw her brother Ryder making his way over.

  “I’ve got to go,” Irene blurted out.

  Meg put her hand on Irene’s. “Or you could dance with him and see where things go. He’s gruff but a good man.” She liked talking about Irene’s love life. It helped keep the focus on her own.

  Irene looked at her, panic in her eyes. “I know but…”

  “We’re not like them,” Meg said softly. “Let yourself have a little fun.”

  Irene looked between Taylor and Meg before turning to look at Ryder as he closed. Meg could see why she might be a little intimidated by him. Ryder was easily the biggest of her brothers and that was saying something. He face was usually hard to read, and it was rare that he smiled, at least since the job that had gone wrong several years ago. Nearly losing Reed and being held hostage had taken its toll on him. Like the jagged scar on his face, he never seemed to fully heal.

  “Would you like to dance?” Ryder said to Irene.

  He held out his hand and when Irene placed her hand in his, his eyes widened with surprise.

  “Okay,” she said softly.

  They watched as the two walked out on the floor and swayed awkwardly together.

  “She seems fragile, but she doesn’t give herself near enough credit,” Taylor said quietly. “After they gave her the boot, she worked full time and took business classes at the community college. When she had saved enough, she put a down payment on the building and built her business piece by piece.”

  “And what about your parents? How do they feel about you living with her?” Meg asked.

  Taylor shrugged. “My dad isn’t like his sister. They are still a part of the church but don’t give me heat. I live how I feel is best, and they respect that.”

  Meg thought about that. It seemed that Irene’s family was just on the extreme end of things.

  She smiled as she watched the two out on the floor. Her brother’s big frame made Irene seem smaller than she was. If the pink in her cheeks was any indication, it had been some time since she had allowed any man to pay so much attention to her.

  “I like Ryder,” Taylor said with a smile. “It’s good for her to get out of her comfort zone. All she does is bake.”

  “Yeah, but she’s really good at it.” Meg grinned.

  Taylor laughed. “I know,” she said. “I think I could eat my weight in her cupcakes. If I didn’t have school, I might have tried.”

  “You know,” Meg said. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked what your degree is in.”

  “Forensic science.” She grinned. Meg was surprised. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing she would be into. “Criminology to be exact.”

  “Wow,” she said. “That,” she couldn’t think of what to say.

  Taylor grinned. Her long, blonde hair swung in front of one eye. “Not what you were expecting?” She hitched a brow. “You and everyone else, but I just like to know why things happened the way they did. To look at the details.”

  Meg nodded. She could understand that. That’s why she’d studied computer science.

  “Well, you should talk with my brother when you finish,” Meg stood. “Reed could use someone like you.”

  Meg yawned and stretched. It had been more than a long day for her. She was ready to find Cage and get out of there. She needed to escape before Liam cornered her again.

  “Thanks.” Taylor smiled. “I’ll do that.”

  “Have fun,” Meg gave a small wave. “And not too much champagne. You’ll thank me tomorrow.”

  She winked and went to find her brother.

  *

  Meg found Cage on the dance floor, plastered to Sheryl, some distant friend of the family that no one particularly liked. Well, no one but Cage, and she assumed that had less to do with liking her and more to do with her being easy. Not that he was any better.

  “Hey.” She tapped him on Cage’s arm. Sheryl huffed in annoyance. “I’m ready to go home.”

  Cage groaned and looked back to Sheryl, who made a pouty face.

  “Already?” he asked and looked at his phone. “It’s only ten.”

  “Yeah, well I just flew in from the other side of the world.” She glared at him.

  “I’ll take her,” Liam said from behind her, and she jumped.

  The last thing she wanted was to be alone with him again.

  “There,” Sheryl snipped. “Now that’s settled.”

  Meg turned her eyes on the tacky brunette. “Yeah, except that it’s not,” Meg said with irritation. “See, my lazy brother said he would take me home, and I was kind of expecting that.”

  “And now Liam will take you home,” she said. Sheryl looked her up and down. “Looks to me like you should be happy about that.”

  Anger burned through Meg.

  “Now listen here you—” she began.

  “Just let me take you home,” Liam said. He turned her around to look at him. “You’re tired, and I’m ready to go.”

  Meg turned around to glare at her brother and his tramp.

  When she smiled at them both, Meg could see her brother wince in anticipation.

  “You’re right, Sheryl. I hope you two have a lovely night.” She smiled sweetly at them both. When Meg leaned toward Cage, he edged slightly away from her. “I hope the rash has cleared up,” she whispered loudly. “That’s a really sensitive spot to get a rash like that.”

  �
��Rash?” Sheryl stared at Cage. He frowned.

  “Night.” Meg grinned at them both and walked toward the door with Liam.

  He paused as they passed Finn’s table. Her friend Alyssa sat quietly next to Finn, and Meg regretted not being able to chat with her. Despite her absence, she had been kept up to date on her progress after being shot protecting Finn.

  “Are you two leaving already?” Finn smiled at them both.

  “She’s tired,” Liam said tightly.

  “Oh how was London?” Alyssa asked excitedly.

  “That’s right.” Finn smiled slyly. “Weren’t you staying with two men while there?”

  She felt Liam tense beside her and, despite the tiredness, she was annoyed with the way he acted. He wouldn’t be with her, but then he didn’t want her to have anyone else.

  “I did.” She smiled broadly. “They were amazing. We did things I’d only dreamed of.”

  “We should be going,” Liam said tightly.

  Meg ignored him and pushed closer to Alyssa. “Let’s get together, and I’ll tell you all about the trip.” She winked and pulled back.

  “Love to,” Alyssa said eagerly.

  Meg wondered how often she was able to get out considering the Russian mob threat against Finn. He loved Alyssa, and that made her a target.

  “Don’t forget my offer,” Finn said pointedly to Liam.

  “I’ll let you know my decision soon,” Liam said gruffly.

  Meg wondered what the offer could be as they gathered their things.

  Despite herself, she did worry about him. The last thing she wanted was for him to be put in harm’s way any more than he already was working for Reed.

  They made their way out of the building to his car. When they had climbed into the car, she turned to look at him.

  “What offer?” she asked directly.

  Liam groaned and started the car. She wasn’t sure he was going to answer when they drove out of the lot and onto the street in silence.

  “A job,” he said stiffly.

  She crossed her arms over her chest to ease whatever might come.

  “He’s offered me the position of his first,” he said.

  “As in the guy right under him?” She frowned. “Why would he do that?”