I poured him a glass of champagne from the mini-bar and put a comforting hand on his knee — the hand with the ring on it. I no longer feel like a fraud wearing it after we had decided to make our once fake relationship official. We weren’t actually engaged yet, but I was then certain enough that we would be eventually that I didn’t think it of it as lying so much as being chronologically challenged.
The limo pulled up with the rest at the front of the church, and we get out, Liam putting on his top hat as he did so. I couldn’t believe how sexy he looked in his tuxedo. I usually thought they look goofy, but somehow, on him, it worked.
“You made it!” Carl exclaimed as we head up the church steps, Liam’s cane matching his tux. He looked over to me and reached out to shake my hand. “And I’m so glad that you brought this peach. Hi, Hayley.”
I smiled and shook his hand.
“Did you really think I would bail on you?” Liam grunted.
“For a second there yeah, but then I realized that was stupid. I mean, you’ve never let me down before have you?”
“Damn straight,” Liam said, and they shook hands.
The wedding was lovely, and the reception was a few miles away at a country club Carl belonged to. It, too, was a grand affair held in a ballroom complete with dancing. As Carl and his wife had their first dance, Liam and I watched, holding hands.
“Guess you two will be next,” Ann said from beside us at the table.
“Yes, actually, it likely will be us next,” Liam said, almost aloof.
I couldn’t really tell if he was kidding, but even so, I had to pull my jaw up off the floor.
****
I sat at my desk, getting ready for a day of work. It was a few days since the wedding, Liam and I were still together and happy as ever — his three times a day guess actually coming true. Truth be told, we could barely keep our hands off each other. I liked and craved his body as much as he liked and craved mine. Both of us were happy to give each other a helping whenever we could.
Things were going better outside of our relationship, too. Jacob was doing a lot better, and we were actually able to have full conversations again, which was awesome. He still lived with me, Mom and Dad, claiming that they weren’t able to handle him, so Liam and I went over to his place when we were feeling frisky.
That morning, the last thing I expected was for Liam to come into the office. Particularly when he had his own business to run. Maybe he had left Carl to take care of all that while he was away, which still didn’t really explain why he was away in the first place.
“Hey, baby,” he said, kissing me on the cheek.
“Hey,” I said.
Ann and the others started walking over to out to see what was happening. For some reason, seeing that crowd made my heart start to beat faster. But it wasn’t nerves, not anymore. It was excitement.
“I have to ask you something,” Liam told me.
“Um, sure, I guess it’s pretty important, huh?” I asked, trying to keep from grinning.
By way of an answer, he got down on one knee, the one on his good leg, in front of me. I did my best not to cry. Especially when he brought out the little black box. I had stopped wearing the three-stone ring, it was no longer needed to pretend that we were engaged.
“Hayley Kathleen Booth. You have made my life better in two weeks that it has been in the last two years. I know it took me a while for my stubborn ass to realize it, but I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he opens the black box, “will you do me the honor of being my wife.”
“You idiot,” I said, making the assembled group gasp. “I thought you would never ask! Of course, I will marry you!”
To the applause of everyone else there, Liam got up and put the ring on my finger and kissed me passionately.
“Can you leave work early?” he asked.
“Oh, go on, have fun,” Ann said, whipping tears from her eyes.
We practically ran out of the building, jumped into the hummer, and got to Liam’s apartment as soon as we could. He took me to his bedroom, using his cane to get there, and at the last minute, he swooped me up and carried me in like a new bride. It made me giggle and kiss him deeply, glad he was finally planning to make an honest woman out of me.
Laying out on his king-sized bed, Liam slowly and gently undressed me until I was completely naked. Unlike other fuck sessions, he didn’t pounce right on me. He just stood there for a moment, looking at me.