“I didn't mean to be late,” Liam explained, still holding Beth. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."
“Not at all,” she replied. Beth wasn’t sure how to handle his affection. It felt so different from the last time she'd been there.
Liam led her up to the walkway, explaining that he wanted her to be there early so they could spend some time together. As they walked hand in hand to the front door, discussing their days thus far, Beth noticed Liam veering to the side. There was a fancy alarm system attached to the house, and Beth was a little surprised. Watching Liam punch in the code, she remembered the man she had seen earlier.
“So, does all your staff know the alarm code?” Beth asked, curious.
“No, someone is always home when the staff is in. It’s my mother's rule. She's a bit paranoid.” Liam grinned.
“Oh, so your mother is home. Lucky for me she didn't answer the door then."
"No," Liam replied. "No one is home."
"But I saw a man come out of the back door when I got here. He looked like he was heading to the vineyard.” Beth remembered it like it had happened seconds ago.
“Are you sure?” Liam shrugged, taking her hand again and leading her to the front door now that the alarm system had been disabled.
“I definitely am,” Beth insisted.
“Well, that’s impossible. Only my mom and I know the code.” Liam walked inside and glanced around the foyer. "Everything looks fine so far. I'll check the rest of the house."
After walking through multiple rooms and finding nothing wrong, Beth decided to let it go. She couldn't explain what she had seen but maybe she got confused. Beth sat with Liam in the living area, and two joked and laughed about the drunken things they'd said the night before. Eventually, they were interrupted by the arrival of the catering staff.
Beth glowed with confidence and ease. So far, her night was very different than the last time she'd been at the King mansion. Beth knew instantly that things would be different this time. They had to be.
Chapter 11
Time flew by when Beth was with Liam. Before she knew it, she began noticed expensive cars, and shiny black limousines pull up in front of the King's mansion. One by one, as if rehearsed, guests entered the party wearing the same runway garb that Beth remembered from last time. Their designer heels clicked on the white marble flooring, and the diamonds hanging off of their ears reflected like rainbows across the room.
“That’s my mom,” Liam whispered.
Beth looked out the window and saw a car pull up in front of the house. She stood up along with Liam and smoothed her dress. Beth breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. Would Judith confront her about last time? Would she ask Beth to leave? So many thoughts floated through Beth’s mind.
Unlike three years ago, Beth did not feel threatened or self-conscious by Judith’s appearance. Rather, Beth studied Judith's choice of attire and thought it looked off. Judith didn’t seem as put together as she'd remembered. Mrs. King quickly made her way to Liam as soon as she spotted her son in the corner.
“Hello, Liam,” Judith said, her eyes looking Beth up and down, but no shade of recollection showed on her face.
“Mother, this is Beth.” Liam paused, waiting for his mother to say something but her expression was blank.
“Oh yes, lovely to see you,” Judith said, reaching out to shake her hand. Beth was astounded and also relieved that Judith didn't seem to remember her. Beth wasn't about to bring up their last meeting either.
“Likewise,” Beth answered, though her response was a total lie.
“Beth is a good friend of mine.” Liam nodded as if silently reassuring his mother that Beth needn't be worried about.
“Well then, enjoy the party you two.” Judith smiled at them before eagerly excusing herself from the conversation.
Beth turned to Liam. She was already feeling much more comfortable, almost as if she belonged this time. She just wished that things had gone this smoothly three years ago.
“So, I guess my purse is safe this time,” Beth joked. She placed a hand on her purse, thinking of the time she'd overturned it on the patio just to prove a point.
“You never know with my family," Liam joked back. He shrugged, knowing that his family did have the tendency to act out unexpectedly.
“Well, I cleaned it out this morning just in case.” Beth laughed quietly. The sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted their conversation. "Excuse me for a second."
"Of course," Liam obliged.
Beth made her way to a room with more privacy, stunned when the name Carter Vanderson flashed in front of her. It was the man she'd met at the bar. Beth cursed in her head. She had lied to Liam about being in a serious relationship with this man, but now all she wanted was to be with Liam again.
“Hello?” Beth finally answered the call, remembering she had sent him her portfolio that morning.
“Beth, it’s Carter Vanderson.” His voice was much deeper than she'd remembered.
“Hi, Carter. Did you get my portfolio?” Beth bit the side of her nail as she waited for him to respond.
“Yes, that’s actually why I’m calling." Carter paused, sending chills down Beth's spine. "I’m very impressed with your work. I want to send your portfolio to some galleries that I know will be interested. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes," Beth blurted out. "I mean … that would be just fine. I appreciate it. Thank you very much.” Beth gasped excitedly, noticing Liam coming toward her.
“You can thank me at dinner," Carter answered. "How about tomorrow night?"
“Oh … um.” Beth hesitated, not sure what to say.
Carter was handsome, but Beth didn’t want him to get the wrong impression. After being with Liam again, she knew that no man could steal her heart the way Liam had. She knew she had very little time to make an important decision.
“Carter, can I call you back?” Beth needed more time to sort through her feeling for Liam. As always, he had taken hold of her life yet again.
"Sure," Carter answered.
"Thanks." Beth hung up the phone. She hated rejecting people, but she wanted to be fair to Carter.
“Dinner is in a few minutes," Liam said. "By the way, I wanted to introduce you to Brock Hill. Well, re-introduce you." Liam studied Beth’s reaction, vaguely remembering that they hadn’t gotten along in the past. But Brock had been his good friend for a very long time.
“Bring it on,” Beth muttered.
Liam placed his large hand on the small of her back, leading her to a man who was intently examining a sculpture. Beth noticed his black suit, and she was overcome with the feeling of déjà vu. She’d seen that suit before, but where? The man looked up at them.
“Beth, this is Brock Hill. Brock, you remember Beth from school, right?” Liam rested his hand on Brock’s shoulder.
Brock reached out to shake Beth's hand, and Beth immediately noticed a large diamond ring shining up at her. She had seen that suit earlier. Brock was the man Beth had seen leaving the King's mansion through the back door. He had to be. She remembered the ring reflecting light into her eyes like it had happened just seconds ago.
“Yes, hello,” Brock said quietly. He avoided eye contact like he had the last time she had spoken to him.
“Brock is my family’s financial advisor, “Liam explained to Beth, “He handles all of our accounts now.”
“An enormous responsibility,” Brock replied. "But I was happy to accept the job seeing as I've known the King family since I was a child." Brock nodded at Liam. "Excuse me, will you?"
“It was him,” Beth whispered as soon as Brock left. "He is the man who was inside the house when I got here."
“That’s impossible.” Liam pulled her close to him. "I would have known if he was at the house earlier today. Besides, he told me he just flew in."
“I know what I saw. It was Brock.” Beth raised her eyebrows, unwilling to back down from her theory.
“Why would he be snooping a
round the house?” Liam continued. "This is Brock we are talking about. If he really needed something, all he would have to do is ask I would have let him inside. No problem."
“I don't know, but it sounds strange to me." Beth shrugged. "Maybe he's mixed up in something dangerous? Maybe he's been smuggling money or stealing from you? Doesn't that stuff happen all the time?" Beth had jumped to the worst conclusions without meaning to. She gulped, knowing that Liam would be cross that she had just accused his best friend of something serious.
“No," Liam answered. "No. Brock wouldn't do that. And he wouldn't steal from us. There's nothing in this house of real value anyway.” Liam took a deep breath. His thoughts were running a million miles an hour.
“It was just a theory,” Beth reminded him, feeling in her gut that something weird was going on. "And don't kid around. This house and everything in it is worth a fortune."
“To tell you the truth, it's not what it used to be," Liam quietly confessed. "This is the reason I came back to Ruby Valley in the first place. My parents have sold off a lot of their assets. Our business has been bleeding money for the past few years.”
“Are you sure? I would never have guessed.”
“Now you know why my parents pushed me to marry Francesca Elton, but I couldn’t do it.” Liam hung his head. "The King family tradition of unhappy marriages has to end sometime."
“Liam, whatever the family business is going through it can't be your fault. You've only been involved in it for a few years.” Beth grabbed Liam’s hand.
“That's just it. When I came into the business things were great," Liam said, unable to meet Beth’s gaze. "The problem must be me. I ruin everything I touch I guess."
“No." Beth frowned as she thought back to the moment she had arrived at King's estate. "If anything, it's probably Brock who is tanking your finances. Didn't he join the business the same time you did? He was always horrible in school. I was surprised to hear that he was even attending college all of those years ago." Beth thought of the man sneaking around the King's mansion. It had to be Brock, and he had to have been up to something.
"This is all a bit much for a casual party conversation," Liam commented, attempting to lighten the mood.
"I'm serious, Liam. At least ask Brock if he was at the house earlier. If he was here for whatever reason, at least you'll see that I'm not crazy."
“Maybe I'll talk to him after dinner,” Liam responded. "And I don't think you're crazy."
Beth saw the sadness sifting beneath his irises. She felt guilt build up in her stomach for suggesting that Liam's best friend was a traitor, but she knew she needed to tell Liam. There was always a chance that she was right.
Liam mustered a smile and grabbed Beth’s hand. They made their way to the dinner table, and Beth was shocked at the amount of affection Liam showed her at dinner. Like last time, the courses were timed perfectly and carried out by an impeccably dressed wait staff. Liam and Beth talked as if they were on a private date. Liam asked Beth all about her photography. There were no awkward silences that lingered in between.
After dessert, Beth was satisfied both with her meal and the conversation at the dinner table. She enjoyed getting to know some of Liam’s other family friends. However, her giddiness from the success of the evening slowly faded as she watched Liam approach Brock. Her heart pounded as she quietly followed him.
“Hey Brock, did you come to the house earlier today?” Liam questioned him, trying to maintain their casual repertoire.
“No, I didn’t,” Brock retorted, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Wasn't it you I saw on the back patio earlier today?" Beth chimed in.
“I don’t know what you saw, but it wasn’t me,” Brock insisted, refusing to look at Beth. Brock's eyes darted around the room. Liam studied him curiously.
“You are certain about that?” Liam narrowed his eyes as Brock took a few steps back. "You are acting a little strange."
“I can't believe what I'm hearing," Brock responded loudly. The room fell silent as Brock chuckled. He glared in Beth's direction. "Are you seriously going to believe this jealous nobody over me? I've known you since we were kids.” A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Beth gulped, looking across the room at Liam's mother, Judith King. Her heart raced the same way it had when Judith had accused her of stealing. Beth felt queasy. Would Liam stick up for her this time? Had things between them really changed?
“Why are you so defensive?" Liam demanded. "All I did was ask you a question. There's no need to drag Beth into this."
"You are always were a sucker for the lower class." Brock rolled his eyes.
"Don't speak about Beth that way." Liam gritted his teeth. His hands clenched into fists as he took a step closer to his friend. "Now answer me once and for all. Were you snooping around the house earlier today?"
Brock rolled his eyes again, refusing to answer right away. He glanced around the room and then back at Liam as he crossed his arms in disappointment. Brock cleared his throat, but instead of speaking he ran for the nearest exit.
Liam ran after him and Beth froze. She couldn’t believe that she had been right. Some of the guests made their way to the front yard, eager to watch the drama unfold. Beth remained in the dining room. She sat quietly beside Judith King who was having trouble hiding her embarrassment.
Yes, Beth thought, this time turned out to be very different than last time.
Chapter 12
The California sunshine greeted Beth as she woke up and headed to the kitchen to make her morning cup of coffee. There was a note stuck to the fridge. Get ready for a surprise! It had been written in Liam’s sloppy handwriting. Beth smiled instinctively, and then looked at the calendar hanging on her wall. Beth had been dating Liam for a while and today was their three month anniversary.
After the fateful night a few months ago when Liam had found out that Brock had been stealing from the family company, Liam had been devastated. But Brock's behavior had explained the King family's recent money troubles. Liam had also been relieved that he'd discovered some answers. He knew that he had Beth to thank for that.
Beth and Liam's relationship hadn't been a secret this time. There was no sneaking around. No secret rendezvouses on the beach at night. Liam had no qualms showing his affection for her in front of his mother and tabloid photographers alike.
Though they'd wanted to keep their privacy at first, Beth knew as soon as Liam's business picked back up again the story of Brock Hill’s crimes would be front-page news. She'd been right. The tabloids had been all over Beth and Liam, but most of the frenzy had died down.
As Beth stirred her coffee, she leafed through a recent gossip magazine her sister had sent her. Beth saw an article about her inside. The article listed all of Beth’s gallery dates and the story behind her work. With the help of a very understanding Carter, she had gotten calls back from many galleries who wanted to display her work. Beth knew, looking at the article, that she was much closer to achieving her dream.
Beth happily got dressed for the day and met Liam outside by his car. He had called her and told her that they were going for a drive. Beth had grabbed her camera for the occasion.
“Where are we going?” Beth asked, unable to take her eyes off of Liam. He had been dressing very different lately in casual jeans and button down shirts.
“It’s a surprise,” Liam exclaimed. "Didn't you read my note?"
Liam drove through Ruby Valley for a half hour before stopping. Beth gasped. Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew exactly where they were. The car pulled up to a lone tree in the middle of a large, multi-acre vineyard. This was the tree where Beth and Liam had their first kiss. Beth remembered it clearly as she got out of the car and allowed herself to be flooded with memories of that day. She hadn’t been back to the scene of their first kiss for ten years. It hadn’t changed at all.
“You remember,” Liam said, pointing the tree. "I knew you would remember."
"How could
I forget?" Beth wiped her eyes. "I can't believe you remember."
Liam grabbed Beth's hands. Her dress ruffled in the wind as did her long locks. Beth's heart raced as she thought of the first time they'd kissed. She never imagined that ten years later she would be back with Liam standing in the same spot.
"There's only one way to say this, Beth," Liam began. “I love you." Beth's eyes went wide. "I haven’t just loved you for the three months we’ve been dating. I've loved you for ten years. You've been the only person in my life who has loved me for me, and I never stopped thinking of you after our first kiss all of those years ago.”
“I thought this was just a fling?" Beth remembered his words as if he had just spoken them.
“Not this time." Liam paused for a moment, squeezing Beth’s hands tighter. “I want to be with you forever.”
Liam kissed Beth gently. To Beth, after all this time, it still felt like the first time they'd kissed. Her lips tingled against his, and her whole body buzzed with excitement. They kissed for what felt like forever, reveling in each other’s pure passion. Beth realized that she felt the same way. She had for many, many years.
“I love you too, Liam King,” Beth whispered.
Liam wrapped his arms around her, hugging Beth so tightly that her feet left the ground. She felt as if she'd been launched into the sky. Beth wished that moment could last forever, but in his arms, she knew there would be plenty of moments like this.
If their relationship was just a fling, it was a fling that would last forever.
A Preview of HER SWEET AFFAIR by Anna Lakewood
Chapter 1
Charlotte Northfield brushed the flour from her fingers just before flipping the faded pastel sign from Closed to Open. She sighed as she did so. Charlotte opened her little bakery at six AM on the dot every morning, just like her father had before her. She rose at three so she could arrive at four, in time to get pans in the oven by four fifteen. She'd timed everything so that she had several dozen hot, fresh doughnuts to feed the hungry townies who descended on her as soon as she opened her doors.
The Forever Fling: A Billionaire Love Story Page 5