Liam (The Murphy Boys Series Book 4)

by Holly C. Webb

  Once more she replied with a lick of her lips.

  “You’re going to be nothing but trouble, aren’t you?” Liam chuckled as he picked up a piece of bacon and tossed it at Sky, who jumped to snatch it from the air.

  “You’re giving her bacon,” Lexi said from the doorway. “You are going to create a monster.”

  “Something tells me that ship has already sailed,” Liam laughed as he gave Sky another slice of bacon. “I’m going to have my hands full with the two girls in my life.”

  Lexi just stuck out her tongue as she took her seat at the kitchen counter. Liam set her breakfast down in front of her, before he joined her at the breakfast counter too.

  He smiled to himself, as Lexi picked up a piece of her bacon, and gave it to Sky, who was now sitting next to her, with her head resting on Lexi’s lap.

  He watched her for a moment, as suddenly the memory of the night before crashed into his mind. He’d asked her to marry him. Not his finest hour, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t meant what he had said.

  He knew that blurting it out during sex wasn’t the most romantic thing in the world, but now that he’d asked her, he needed her to know it wasn’t just him lost in the moment.

  “So,” he finally said, unable to bite his tongue any longer. “I believe I asked you a question last night.”

  Lexi stilled the moment he said the words.

  “I asked you a question,” Liam continued. “And you… you said yes.”

  “I did,” Lexi replied, gulping down the piece of bacon that was in her mouth, as she turned to look at Liam.

  “So,” Liam continued. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I… I don’t know,” Lexi replied, her face now burning with embarrassment. “Do you?”

  “Lexi,” Liam said, turning in his seat to look at her. “Okay, it wasn’t the hearts and flowers I always imagined it would be when I asked you that question. But you have to know I meant it.”

  Lexi stared at him, but she didn’t say a word.

  Liam smiled, as he stood up from his stool, kneeling down in front of Lexi on one knee.

  “Alexandra Ellen Daniels,” Liam said reaching out, taking hold of her hand. “Would you do me the greatest honour, and become my wife.

  “Yes,” Lexi nodded, with the biggest smile on her face. “Yes, I will marry you.”

  Chapter 20

  Lexi

  Lexi clipped Sky’s lead to her collar and headed for the front door. She had agreed to meet Nikki for lunch that afternoon, much to Liam’s horror.

  When Lexi told him she was going to take Sky for a walk, then she was going to meet Nikki that afternoon for lunch, Liam freaked out.

  “I think this is a really bad idea,” Liam said as he followed her around their bedroom as she was getting dressed. It was only three days since she saw the guy in the park and they still hadn’t been able to identify the man from the photo yet.

  Liam had been overprotective of her all week long. The door to the apartment was like a revolving door for the Murphy family. Lexi knew Liam was afraid to leave her alone, even though she had Sky. And while Lexi loved Liam’s family, and had enjoyed getting to know Emmy, Amelia and Georgie better, she was feeling a little suffocated being cooped up in the apartment.

  “I’ll get a cab there and a cab back,” Lexi assured him as she pulled some clothes from the closet. “Liam, I will be okay. I know you’re worried, but I can’t spend the rest of my life hiding away here, waiting for this guy to come and get me.”

  “You don’t know that he will come,” Liam replied with a deep sigh. “We have no reason to think he will.”

  “Exactly,” Lexi replied, giving him a knowing smile. “I need to stop hiding out in here. Please!”

  “Then take Sky with you,” Liam offered an alternative. “Meet Nikki somewhere you can take Sky. At least I’ll know then that you’re safe.”

  “Because of Sky?” Lexi asked with a smile, as Sky, who was lying on the bed, sat up, as her ears pricking up at the mention of her name.

  “Sky is a trained police dog,” Liam reasoned. “I know she seems like a big pussy cat, but she is protective of you now. If anyone came for you, she would keep you safe.”

  “But…” she began to protest but stopped when Liam gave her a pleading look.

  “Please, Lex,” he pleaded.

  “Fine,” she said, giving him a big smile.

  “Thank you,” he said, pulling her into his arms, kissing her on the forehead. “And I was thinking. Maybe we could go do a little shopping tomorrow.”

  “For?” Lexi replied with a broad smile.

  “Well, I was thinking,” Liam continued, his smile widening. “You said yes, but something is missing from an important finger.”

  “I said I wanted to wait until after the wedding,” Lexi sighed, knowing that Liam was afraid she was going to change her mind. “I promise you; I meant it when I said yes, but Saturday is Finn and Emmy’s day. Once the wedding is over, we can tell the world that I am going to marry the love of my life.”

  “I know, and I get it,” Liam replied. “But there is no reason why we can go look for the perfect ring before then.”

  “This is very important to you, isn’t it?” Lexi asked, looking up into his eyes.

  “It is,” Liam whispered, smiling down at her.

  “Then okay,” she replied.

  Lexi smiled as she pulled open the door to the elevator, then stepped inside, closely followed by Sky, who quickly sat down next to her, then looking up at her expectantly.

  “You’re such a good girl,” Lexi said as she reached down and softly stroked Sky’s head. Lexi was rewarded by a wag of Sky’s tail, and a lick on her hand.

  She couldn’t believe how quickly she had become so attached to this stupid dog, but she had. Lexi adored her and couldn’t imagine life without her.

  And it wasn’t just her who thought so. Liam’s whole family loved Sky too. Especially Macy and Henry.

  When Amelia and Georgie dropped by the day before, they brought the two children with them. Both Macy and Henry had been so excited about meeting Sky, and they weren’t disappointed. Sky was so good with both of the children, even when Henry got a little over excited.

  Lexi smiled as she thought about the two children. They really were the sweetest kids she’d ever met.

  But then she remembered how Liam was with them when he’d arrived home from work and found them still in the apartment. Lexi remembered how his face lit up when he saw them both, and how they both squealed with excitement the moment they saw Liam.

  She had never seen him looking happier. His whole face lit up when he was with the kids.

  Lexi hated that she would never be able to make him that happy, and for the first time since the night she turned up at his apartment, she wondered if maybe she’d made a big mistake. She loved him, of course she did. And she knew he loved her too. She just didn’t know if he loved her enough to give up the dream he had of one day being a father.

  The pain Lexi felt in her heart, right at that moment, was almost suffocating. It took everything she had inside her not to show how she was truly feeling; to hide how sad she was from everyone else, especially Liam.

  Everyone that was, except Sky.

  Lexi was surprised when Sky came up to her and placed her head on her lap, Sky’s big brown eyes stared up at Lexi’s, almost like she was looking into her soul. Like she could see the hurt that was inside her, and she was telling her that she was there for her.

  Still, she knew she was going to have to talk to Liam; she just couldn’t seem to find the words she needed. Lexi knew the longer she left it, the harder it was going to be. She was just afraid she would lose him once more.

  She glanced down at Sky once again, as the elevator came to a stop, and was rewarded with an excited bark before they stepped off into the hallway.

  It was a short fifteen-minute walk to the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Nikki. Nikki explained that there was an o
utdoor terrace, where they could sit out, seeing as she was bringing Sky with her.

  When she reached the restaurant, she found Nikki there, already waiting for her.

  “Hey, Sweetie,” Nikki said, greeting Lexi with a broad smile and a hug. “How have you been; and who is this beautiful girl?”

  “I’m good,” Lexi replied, honestly, returning her smile. “And this beautiful girl is Sky.”

  “Well hello, Gorgeous,” Nikki exclaimed as she crouched down to greet Sky. She rubbed behind her ears, as Sky sniffed her, then licked her face “You are just stunning.”

  Sky wagged her tail before she looked up at Lexi as if checking on her too.

  The two friends took their seats, as Nikki waved for the waitress, ordering a bottle of white wine.

  “It’s a bit early for wine,” Lexi sighed, giving her friend a wicked smile.

  “It’s been too long since we had a girlie afternoon,” Nikki said returning her friend’s smile. “I told Landen not to expect me back this afternoon. We have some serious catching up to do.”

  “Yes we do,” Lexi sighed, knowing she had so much to talk to her best friend about.

  “So,” Nikki said, leaning forward in her seat. “You and Liam.”

  “Yes,” Lexi nodded, not surprised that Nikki got straight to the point. “It’s been a weird couple of weeks; that’s for sure.”

  “But you and he… you’re back together?” Nikki asked, but the waitress returned with their wine before Lexi could answer.

  The waitress poured them both a glass of wine, before she took their lunch order, then left them alone once more.

  “Yes, we are,” Lexi confirmed with a bright smile once the waitress was gone, as she picked up the wine glass.

  “Oh wow,” Nikki exclaimed as she lifted up her glass too, holding it out to Lexi. They both clinked their glasses together. “Here’s to you and Liam. Though, if I’m honest, I’m not really that surprised. You and he were always meant to be together. You just needed to find each other once more.”

  “Thank you, Nik,” Lexi said, smiling once more at her friend's words. “But that’s not all.”

  “Oh, do tell?” Nikki asked excitedly, and Lexi couldn’t help but smile at the happy look on her friend’s face.

  “Well,” Lexi said, the smile on her face grew wider. “Liam asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

  “Oh my fucking, God!” Nikki squealed excitedly. “I can’t believe it. You and Liam Murphy, getting married. That’s insane.”

  “But a good insane, right?” Lexi asked, giving her friend a worried look.

  “Oh, God, yes!” Nikki assured her. “You know I love Liam. You guys are meant to be together. You know I’ve always thought that.”

  “I know, but…” Lexi shrugged. “It’s just a lot has happened…”

  “Yeah, it has,” Nikki replied, reaching over, taking hold of her hand. “But that doesn’t change what is meant to be.”

  “Yeah,” Lexi sighed, but stopped speaking when the waitress returned with the starters. Nikki watched Lexi closely as the waitress set the food down.

  When the waitress left them alone once more, Lexi stared down at her food, not really feeling very hungry.

  “Hey,” Nikki said, giving Lexi a worried look. “What is it? You’re…. you’re happy right?”

  “Yeah,” Lexi replied, giving Nikki a sad smile. “It’s just; there is still the whole baby thing. I know Liam, I know he will want to do the right thing, whatever he thinks that is. But I have seen him with Landen’s little boy and Callum’s little girl. He loves them so much, and they love him. He would make a perfect father, and I just don’t know if I can ask him to give that up for me.”

  “But you’ve told him about the baby, right?” Nikki asked, picking up her knife and fork. “How did he take it?”

  Lexi didn’t reply. She knew that Nikki would freak out when she heard she hadn’t told Liam about the baby or the crash.

  “Lex,” Nikki said, setting her knife and fork down. “You’ve told Liam about the crash, right?”

  “I…eh… it never came up,” Lexi shrugged, but she knew that wasn’t strictly true. She just wasn’t prepared to admit that to Nikki.

  “Of course it didn’t come up,” Nikki blurted out in a hushed voice, sounding almost angry. “How would he know to ask something like that? Jesus Lexi, what the hell were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know,” Lexi replied with a sigh, knowing her friend was completely right, but it didn’t make her feel any better about having this conversation. “I just didn’t know how to tell him.”

  “Lexi, he asked you to marry him,” Nikki sighed, giving Lexi that look she knew all too well. “He has this whole perfect future planned out for you both. The house in the suburbs, with three kids and a dog. Now, I know Liam. I know he loves you, and as long as he has you in his life, he will be happy, but he has the right to make that choice for himself. He has the right to know about the baby.”

  “I know, I know,” Lexi replied, hating that she had been so selfish when it came to Liam. She knew she should have never agreed to marry him until she’d told him about the baby. She knew that Nikki was right when she said Liam had the right to make that choice for himself. She was just so afraid she would lose him again. Or worse, he would stay with her for the wrong reasons, then end up hating her. “I’m just scared, Nik.”

  “I know, Sweets,” Nikki said reaching out, taking hold of her hand once more. “But this is Liam we’re talking about. He loves you so much. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to make you happy.”

  “And that’s the problem,” Lexi sighed. “I know him. He will blame himself. He already blames himself for so much. I just don’t know if I can put this on him too.”

  “But you still need to tell him, Sweetie,” Nikki said giving her a sad smile. “And you need to do it soon.”

  “I will,” Lexi assured her. “I’m just so afraid that I will lose him again.”

  “You’re not going to lose him,” Nikki said, giving her friend a sad look. “You mean the world to Liam. Christ, when you left the last time, his whole life imploded.”

  “Oh?” Lexi replied, giving her friend a questioning look.

  “When you and he broke up,” Nikki continued, looking a little uncertain if she should. “Liam fell to pieces. Like, I mean badly. He began to drink really heavily, would go missing for days at a time. Then one night, Dylan found him passed out, covered in his own vomit. He wasn’t breathing. If Dylan hadn’t arrived when he did… Well, you get the picture.”

  “Jesus,” Lexi said, her heart breaking for the man she loved. “I had no idea. If I had…”

  “Hey,” Nikki said, giving her a reassuring smile. “You were going through your own crap back then. How could you have known about this?”

  “But I should have,” Lexi sighed as hot tears stung her eyes. “He should have told me.”

  “Like you should have told him about the baby?” Nikki asked, giving her another smile.

  “I guess you’re right,” Lexi shrugged, knowing her friend was absolutely right. Liam had kept things from her, just as she had kept things from him. She knew she needed to talk to Liam. They needed to put all their cards on the table if they were going to make it work this time. “I promise, I will talk to him, and I will tell him about the baby. Just after the wedding. He’s been so stressed out with this damn case, but he’s looking forward to the wedding. He needs this. But once that’s done, I promise, I will tell him about the baby, and the crash. I need to be honest with him, even if it means I could lose him.”

  “I think that’s the right thing to do,” Nikki smiled, give Lexi’s hand another squeeze. “And you know I will be there for you if you need me, no matter what happens.”

  “I know,” Lexi nodded, smiling once more. “I don’t know what I would do without you.

  Before Nikki could reply, her phone began to ring on the table.

  “I’m sorry,” she said when she picked up
the phone and saw Landen’s name flashing on the screen. “I should answer this. I swear this man can’t last a day without me in that office.”

  She brought the phone to her ear and started chatting with Landen as Lexi turned her attention to Sky. She picked up a piece of chorizo from her plate and fed it to Sky. She was rewarded with a tail wag before she glanced back over at Nikki.

  The moment she saw the look on Nikki’s face, a sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong; she just didn’t know what that something was.

  “Okay,” Nikki said, her eyes meeting Lexi’s. “We’ll be right there.”

  Lexi gave her a questioning look, but Nikki was giving nothing away.

  “No, no,” Nikki said, her eyes not leaving hers. “We’ll be fine; just tell him not to panic; we’re on our way.”

  Nikki hung up her phone, then signalled to the waitress.

  “Nikki, what is it?” Lexi asked as a feeling of panic rose in her chest, making it almost hard to breathe.

  “We need to go, Sweetie,” Nikki said, before turning her attention to the waitress who had just reached their table. “Could we have the bill, please? And can you cancel the rest of our order?”

  “Certainly, Miss,” The girl said before she turned and hurried back towards the entrance to the inside of the restaurant.

  Nikki was on her feet, pulling money from her purse at the same time. She left a wad of cash on the table, deciding not to wait for the waitress to return with the bill.

  “Nikki, can you slow down for a moment, and tell me what the hell is going on?” Lexi demanded as she was on her feet too.

  Sky barked, and was on her feet too, clearly sensing a change in the atmosphere.

  “We just need to go back to your place,” Nikki said, still not giving Lexi any information.

  “What?” Lexi exclaimed, “Why? What’s happened?”

  “Liam will explain once we get there,” Nikki assured her, taking hold of her arm, leading her through the tables on the terrace, towards the exit.

  “No, you’ll tell me now,” Lexi insisted, pulling her arm free, once they were out on the sidewalk.