“You’re a smart boy, Evan.”
He smiled. “Ronan told me it would happen, and he was right. I’d already figured that.”
We sat and watched Finding Nemo for the one-millionth time this week. Lucy was fixated on the little fish with the bad fin, and we went through bouts of watching it to excess. She insisted Liam had to see it since Ronan had watched it last night. Luckily, she fell asleep halfway through. Evan headed down the hall to do some homework, and I tucked Lucy into bed.
Liam was stretched out on the sofa when I got back, his feet hanging over the end. I smiled at him. “Tired?”
He held out his arms and tugged me on top of him. I settled on his chest, and he stroked up and down my back.
“I shouldn’t be,” he mused. “We had a good nap this afternoon.”
“After we finished your little lesson,” I muttered.
“I needed to figure out all the no-no places. Not my fault I kept forgetting. I needed to be sure.”
“Well, you made sure, all right. Twice.”
“Um, three times,” he corrected. “You sort of slipped right into that last one pretty fast.”
I slapped his chest. “You are no gentleman.”
“I cleaned up pretty good today.”
“Oh yeah,” I agreed. “You were so sexy in your suit.”
He looked pleased. “Oh yeah? You thought so?”
“How could I not? All the women were staring at you. You were so hot. You must know that.”
He shrugged. “I’m okay. But I like to know my woman thinks I’m hot.”
“I do. Smoking hot.”
He shut his eyes. “Stop.”
But he was smiling.
Chapter Eleven
Liam
Saturday, I picked up Paige and Lucy around three. I hadn’t seen Paige since I’d kissed her goodbye Friday morning before dawn had broken. I hated driving away and I hated not seeing her, but it had been a crazy day since I had pushed so much to the side all week. I had meetings late into the evening, and when I had called her, I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. It amazed me how much I missed her. How quickly she’d become vital to me. Her voice and her smile made my day. Touching her, feeling her mouth underneath mine, was addictive.
I was glad when she agreed to come out to Port Albany and get ready for the dinner here. Ava was excited, and she and Gracie had all sorts of plans for Lucy. Lucy was looking forward to seeing them, as well as Gracie’s daughter. She was quite fascinated with Kylie and even brought her a gift of one of her favorite stuffed toys.
“Momma says it’s good to share,” she informed me when she showed it to me.
“It is,” I agreed, ruffling her hair. “You are a great kid, Munchkin.”
She huffed. “I knowed that.”
I held back my grin.
Paige looked nervous when I picked her up, and I knew tonight was making her anxious. I took her hand in mine as we drove down the highway. “Tonight will be fun. Mom and Dad are looking forward to having you there. Bentley and Emmy will be there. So will Mad Dog and Dee. We have a whole table, so it’ll be great.”
“I’ve never been to one this fancy.”
I shrugged. “They really are all the same. Lots of people, probably a bland catered meal, free bar, which means people will overindulge. A silent auction and lots of posturing.” I winked. “Am I selling it?”
She laughed. “I can hardly wait.”
“We have a good time. We mostly keep to ourselves. There are people we talk with, I always like to see what’s on the auction table, and I overbid. It goes to the charity. BAM and ABC donate.”
“What do you donate?”
“A weekend on the houseboat. A consult with Liv for design. Me for landscaping. Bentley often offers a trip to one of the properties the company owns.”
Her eyes widen. “I guess I won’t be bidding.”
“There’re lots of things. Last year, Mom bought a painting by one of the kids the charity helped. She loved it, and the kid was thrilled. Emmy bought a cake someone had made. There’s often a huge range.”
“Oh.”
“The only constant is we usually eat pizza after we get home. Dad stops and picks it up on our way out of town. No matter the venue unless it’s our winery, the food is usually flavorless, and the portions are minute.”
“Rubber chicken?”
“Basically.”
“I’ll remember that. You make this date sound like so much fun, Liam,” she said dryly.
I flashed a grin at her. “I’ll be there.”
“Then it’s a great date.”
“I figured.” I pulled into the complex. “Let’s drop the munchkin off and get ready.” I winked at her. “We might even have time for a nap.”
I tugged down my sleeves, the cuff links glinting in the light. I went all out tonight with a black suit, pure-white shirt, and a tie in royal blue my mom gave me to match Paige’s dress. I trimmed my beard, made sure my hair was neat, and shoved my feet into shoes so shiny I was blinded by the glare. They were uncomfortable as hell, reminding me why I preferred to dress casually.
I walked into the living room, glancing at the closed door to the guest room. Paige had wanted to get ready in private and refused to use my room. I was anxious to see her, having caught a glimpse of the dress my mom had brought over. I had a feeling she was going to knock me off my feet.
I rolled my shoulders and stretched my neck. Our “nap” had done me good, and I was relaxed and ready to take my girl out and show her off. I made sure my credit card was in my pocket in case I saw her eyeing anything on the auction table. I wanted to spoil her.
A soft throat-clearing made me turn around, and I drank in the sight before me.
Paige was a goddess.
The rich blue silk swirled around her knees. Her sexy shoulders and collarbone were on display, the skin creamy and soft against the blue. Her hair was swept up, and her earrings sparkled under the light. Her legs, always firm and shapely, looked amazing in those heels. She wore more makeup than I was used to, her eyes smoky and sexy and her lips stained in a deep red.
She took my breath away.
I drew closer, shaking my head. “Paige, baby. I have no words. You are stunning. That dress. Those heels. Jesus, I’m going to have a hard time taking you out in public.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, inhaling her soft scent. “I don’t want to share. I want to keep you here and ravish you.”
She blushed, looking down. Then she smiled and met my eyes. “I like those words.”
I lifted her hand and kissed it. “Good. I’ll keep them coming all night.”
“You aren’t going to kiss me?”
“I don’t want to mess up your, ah, mouth. The lipstick.”
“It’s non-smudgeable. Kiss-proof.”
“Really?”
“That’s what the ad says.”
I stepped closer. “Frankly, that’s like a challenge, then. I can’t say no. I need to prove them wrong.”
Her eyes danced. “Good.”
I lowered my head. “Let the games begin.”