“What?” I laughed at his ridiculous suggestion. “I’m watching the girls. I can’t go anywhere.”
He made a face. “Sure you can. Let’s take a walk, go to the park, stop for lunch somewhere in the village. The girls could use some fresh air.” He turned to Elizabeth and Eleanor who were gazing up at us with wide, interested eyes. “What do you think, girls? Want to go for a walk to the park?”
They jumped up with excitement, dropping their dolls, one whose hair was now tangled in a hairbrush Eleanor had been using.
I sighed and turned to Liam with a gentle laugh. “Fine, but you get to pull Brendan off the phone. He’s been talking to some girl for the past hour.”
Liam chuckled before turning. “On it.”
Minutes later, we were heading down Blackstone Boulevard with Elizabeth on Liam’s shoulders and Eleanor on Brendan’s. At the park, we played chase and helped the girls down the slides until everyone was out of breath.
It was Liam’s idea to walk a little farther to Spill the Tea. Apparently, he hadn’t shown his face in there since he’d seen himself on television, but he was in need of a tea fix, so I agreed. The girls didn’t argue a bit. They knew if they went to visit my parents, they would leave on a sugar high we would all regret later. So we went.
Dread sank into my gut when we walked up to the tearoom and I spotted Gwen sitting at a round table outside with a small group of her friends. They had already seen us approaching and were waving before we could do anything about it. Not that I would have made everyone turn around, but I would have been lying if I didn’t admit that I hoped to avoid the woman every time I paid my parents a visit.
“Chelsea,” Gwen said, clapping her hands together like we were old friends.
“Happy to see she’s kept up with the accent,” Liam muttered to me, making me stifle a laugh.
“It’s been ages.” Gwen’s friendly eyes had moved to the twins, but now they were on Liam, her lids shooting wide in surprise. “Oh my.”
Ignoring the woman’s reaction, I pushed the door open. “Has it been ages?” I smiled and placed my hands on the girls’ backs to keep them moving.
“Wait, dear. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend?”
I pinched out a smile and darted a look at Liam. “Oh, of course. Forgive me. Gwen, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Liam. Liam, this is Gwen, a regular here at Spill the Tea.”
“You don’t say,” Liam said, his charming smile as perfect as could be. “It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Gwen.”
I stifled a laugh at his exaggerated British accent.
Gwen’s mouth fell open at the sound of him speaking. “Oh, you’re British. How on earth did you and Chelsea meet?”
I jumped in, not wanting Liam to say more than he should, for his benefit and mine. “He’s just visiting the Hogues from London, Gwen. Don’t get too excited.” I smiled at Liam, hoping he understood my explanation to the woman.
“Very well,” she said, giving us both a suspicious glance, then her eyes widened again. “Wait. Did you say your name is Liam?” A smile blossomed on her face. “As in William?”
I looked at Liam, twisting my brows in confusion. But a second later, I made the connection before she even said a word. Oh, shit. No.
Gwen clapped her hands together with glee. “As in—”
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.
“Willy?”
I. Was. Mortified. My entire body felt as if I’d just walked straight through an inferno. Thank God Brendan and the girls had zero idea what Gwen was talking about.
“Well,” I said, rushing the girls along. “I hope you’ve been well, Gwen. We better get inside. It was nice seeing you again.”
With that, I shoved everyone inside the tearoom and let the kids run behind the counter to greet my mom. Liam chuckled beside me while Brendan followed the kids but stayed in front of the counter.
I sighed and turned to Liam. “Is it normal to feel so anxious over a woman you hardly know? She’s just so nosy.”
Liam shrugged. “She strikes me as a lonely woman who lives vicariously through others. She’s a fan of yours, I’d say.”
I laughed. “A fan of my sex life.”
“With all those giant willies you manage, I can see why.” He winked and wrapped an arm over my shoulders. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Don’t worry, love. I know mine is your favorite.”
Mortified, I jabbed Liam in the side with my elbow, causing him to wince while laughing way too hard at his own joke. I joined Brendan at the counter, smiling at my mom, who had one twin in each arm as she let them pick treats from the glass display case. When she finally set the girls down, they each had a cookie in their hands, and she looked up at the rest of us. That was when she saw Liam coming up behind me.
I hadn’t thought much about my mother’s reaction to seeing me with Liam, but I had expected her to be shocked—then have lots and lots of questions.
“Well, hello there,” she greeted him with a curious twinkle in her eyes. “You’re back for another tea?” Then she looked between the lot of us and twisted her lips at me.
My pulse raced through my veins and my heart hammered away in my chest as I waited for the first question to strike.
“Sweetie,” she started, “do you mind giving this gentleman some room?” Then she smiled politely at him.
“Um.” Liam darted a panicked look between me and my mom. “That’s quite all right. She’s no bother.”
Brendan nudged my side and leaned over to me. “Are you going to tell her, or should I?”
Biting back my laugh, I gestured with my hands for him to do the honors.
“Actually, Mrs. Banks, this is Liam—a friend of my dad’s. Liam’s been staying with us for the past few weeks.”
“Oh,” my mom said, her eyes shooting wide in surprise then fading into whatever connection she was making. Her gaze shifted between Liam’s and mine. “So, then you two know each other.”
I nodded, suddenly wondering if I should have told her about Liam sooner. I definitely wouldn’t mention all the times she’d seen him on the television but hadn’t put two and two together. I imagined that one day I would tell her the funny story about the British Bachelor who’d often visited her tearoom when she was none the wiser, but for now, I was happy for the secrecy.
“That’s right,” I said. “Liam’s on holiday from London.”
“Is that so?” she asked him. “When do you have to return?”
There was an awkward silence that settled between us, namely Liam and me. I swallowed. He darted a look at me, but I didn’t dare turn to meet his gaze. I didn’t want to pressure him to respond, partly because I didn’t want him to respond at all—not until we’d had a chance to talk just the two of us.
“Soon, I’m afraid.”
Liam’s words were all the makings of a whirlpool, sending my heart into a spiral to the pit of my stomach.
“But I quite like the area,” Liam continued. “I’ll have to plan another visit once I take care of some things back home. Maybe Chelsea will be my tour guide again.”