by Grace Kagni
Liam’s Best
Book 1 of the Miller Family Series
Published by Grace Kagni at Smashwords
Copyright © 2018 Grace Kagni
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
This novel is dedicated to women who love Italy and dream about falling in love in the Eternal City.
From the Author
I started this new series because I fell in love with the characters of my first Italian romance series entitled Famiglia Conti. Many of those characters reappear in the Miller Family Series so it would be advisable to read the Famiglia Conti Series before this new series. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the new series without having read the other Italian romance novels.
A warm thank you to Ada Frost for the stunning book cover http://adafrost.co.uk/
Other books by Grace Kagni
Famiglia Conti Series
Book 1 - Marco's Vines
Book 2 - Giacomo's Patience
Book 3 - Serena's Cellars
Book 4 - Matteo's Challenge
Italian Politics Series (The Billionaire's Affair)
Book 1 - Scandal
Book 2 - Breakup
Book 3 – Promise
The Miller Family Series
Book 1 – Liam’s Best
Book 2 – Dalton’s Embrace
Book 3 – Tessa’s Flame
Stand alone novels
Dreaming Victoria
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Prologue
The Rome airport was packed with people when Liam Miller walked out the gate from the International Flights Terminal. He looked around for his brother and noticed all the beautiful Italian women waiting for someone. He smiled, knowing he’ll have a great time in Rome. Just when he turned to look again for his brother, James, he found him standing by a post, grinning at him.
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me you were here,” Liam said as he hugged him tight. “Is it always this hot here?” He knew it would be hot but didn’t expect it to be like a sauna.
“I wouldn’t have had the opportunity of seeing you gawk at the lovely women if I’d called out to you and yes, it’s always this hot in September. Hope you brought your swimsuit. It’ll be a hot week,” James said.
They walked to James’ car and placed Liam’s two suitcases into the back of his Mercedes SLS AMB GT Coupé. “Wow, it’s a beauty, James.”
“Yeah, it runs like a kitten and drives like a cougar,” he grinned as they got into the car.
“So, how are the plans for the wedding?” Liam asked, wondering if he needed to do anything as Best Man.
“Well, most of the arrangements have been made but there are still a few things that need to be decided before the wedding.” James looked over at his brother, hoping he won’t feel like the last minute arrangements have been dumped on him. The impromptu wedding took a little effort on everyone’s part so James was happy to have his family there to help with the planning.
“Hey, I’m here to help any way I can so just point me in the right direction and I’ll get it done. My one doubt is that I don’t speak Italian.”
“No problem. Serena’s best friend and Maid of Honor, Milania, will help you with the task.” James hoped his brother would be able to deal with Serena’s friend, Milania. She’s very proper and extremely tidy – not the type of woman Liam is acquainted with but on the up side, she speaks English.
“We’ve been really busy at work and haven’t had a chance to finish the wedding plans. Serena is nervous because we’ll be away on our honeymoon, which means she’ll be away from her baby – the vineyard and the cellars. She’s never been away for more than a day since she took over the management of the business so she’ll be spending most of her free time there before the wedding.”
“That’s why I’m here so point me in the direction of the Maid of Honor and we’ll do the rest.
James smiled at his brother, Liam, knowing he’ll have his work cut out for him.
They talked about the opening of their latest hotel in Rome as they drove the rest of the way to James’ apartment. Liam worked night and day with his team to ensure the hotel’s marketing strategy will be the most effective when it opens.
“Hotel build is proceeding as planned. It stopped in August but I’ve had the builders working overtime since then so you’ll really need to stay on top of them when I’m away,” James told his brother.
“No worries. I’m here to step in for you. Now what I really want to talk about is Serena. She must be really special if she’s captivated your heart,” Liam questioned. He’s never known his older brother to fall for a woman this fast so she must be extraordinary.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how I feel about her. She set a spell on me and I can’t live without her anymore. Just wait until you meet her,” James responds, turning back to the Rome traffic.
They drove to James’ apartment to drop off Liam’s suitcases before going to Villa Conti where the family was gathered. As soon as they drove through the Conti gates, Liam turned to James and flashed one of his broad smiles. “I’m going to really like it here.” Then he pulled down his window to have a better view. “Not too bad. This is where Serena grew up?”
“Yup, every summer until she was an adult. Wait until you taste the food. Serena’s sister-in-law, Leena, is an exceptional cook and we’ll be lucky if she brings some food over tonight,” James said.
“I can’t wait. How about the wine? I can imagine there is never a lack of wine in this house,” Liam smirked. He preferred beer but wine would be a nice change and he was sure there would be plenty of it in honor of the wedding celebration. His mind went back to the last few weeks and knew he really needed to get away so it was the perfect opportunity. Not to mention the relief he felt getting away from his ex-girlfriend. She appeared everywhere he went and she had started to get under his skin. He needed a change and this was the right moment to break away.
“Hey, you’re really quiet. Don’t tell me you’re already jet lagged?” James asked, knowing his brother could party all night. It wasn’t like him to be this quiet.
“Nope, just taking in the view and looking forward to being with family. It’s going to be great, James. I really needed a break from my busy schedule.”
The car stopped by the other ones and they got out. James showed Liam into the house and Serena and her family immediately greeted them. Introductions were made and when the family members all met, James introduced Liam to Milania, the Maid of Honor.
“This is my brother, Liam, who will be my Best Man,” James said to Milania.
“And Liam, this is Milania Alessandrini, Serena’s best friend and Maid of Honor.” Once introductions were made, James stood back to observe the two most important people in the wedding after the bride and groom.
Liam looked at her a moment before responding. She came up to his shoulder and had long auburn wavy hair. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m looking forward to worki
ng with you on the last minute wedding arrangements,” Liam said as he looked over the pretty young woman and wondered why he hadn’t met her before now. She was small and looked fragile but he was more than sure she could handle just about anything. Her eyes were the color of emeralds found in Zambia.
“We have quite a bit to do so we should start as early as possible tomorrow morning. How are you set for time?” Milania asked. She looked at the tall, blond guy with sparkling blue eyes like the depths of the ocean.
Liam was still gazing into her beautiful green eyes and didn’t hear when she spoke. Her long auburn hair and green eyes gave her an exotic look that made him lose his concentration.
“Liam?” She asked, touching his arm. She wondered if she would get any work done with someone like him. He didn’t seem to be paying attention, which meant they weren’t off to a good start.
His mind came back to what she was saying and he grinned. “I’ll be free whenever you want.”
“Great so I’d say we should go over what still needs to be done with James and Serena tonight and then meet tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. for our first round of planning.” Milania looked at Liam, waiting for his acknowledgement but when he didn’t say anything, she continued. “Are you listening?”
“I’m sorry. I’m listening but I’m having a hard time paying attention to you,” Liam smirked. He had a feeling it would upset her but he couldn’t help it. There was something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on but he felt physical attraction so he pulled her to the side where nobody could hear them. “Do you feel it too?”
She wasn’t impressed with James’ brother and now his self-assurance was the proof that he was what she would call a womanizer. She started to realize she would have to deal with the wedding arrangements on her own. He was nowhere close to focusing on the wedding so she held out her hand to shake his. “Listen, it was really nice to meet you but I can see that your priorities are elsewhere so I’ll deal with the wedding arrangements on my own.” Having said that, she walked away not wanting to spend another second with the man.
Liam stood watching as Milania walked away and realized he needed to do something before his brother found out he’d put his personal interests before his brother’s wedding. It was not what he had intended and he needed to make it right so he followed Milania to the sofa and sat down.
She gave him a nasty look when he sat beside her but he needed to show her he could focus on the wedding. Milania wanted to get up and walk away but she didn’t for the simple reason she didn’t want to upset Serena. She looked over at her best friend and saw how she looked lovingly at her soon to be husband, James. How could James be such a family man and his brother is such a ladies man? Well, Milania was happy Serena found the right brother to marry. Milania just had to put up with the Best Man for the wedding and then she would be returning to her own life.
Chapter One
Milania found her way to the first address on the list provided by Serena. She needed to choose a cake for Serena’s wedding and knowing how her best friend hated custard; it had to be something different. As she was about to walk into the bakery, she stopped by the window when she saw Liam inside chatting with the baker. His hands were moving in the air – obviously trying to describe what he couldn’t explain. What was he doing there? She told him she could deal with the list on her own and now that he was there, she needed to find a way to get rid of him before he spoiled the arrangements. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and walked in.
“Hello gorgeous,” Liam grinned as she walked in. “I thought I’d get the ball rolling and meet with the baker before you got here so we can sit down and try the samples when you arrive.” He pointed toward a table where samples of five different cakes were placed.
She looked at him in disbelief. How could he take over as if the cake selection was up to him? There really were no limits to his interference. Ignoring his presence, she went to the baker to ask for samples that didn’t contain custard.
He understood no cream or something to that effect. “Doll, the cake needs to have some cream or it will be too dry,” Liam whispered in her ear.
“First of all, please don’t call me Doll and second, the bride doesn’t like custard – so no custard!” Milania said as her eyes went dark with fury. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have a groom to go bother?” She really wished he would leave but by the way he grinned at her, she was sure she had a battle ahead.
“Okay, listen. I think we started off on the wrong foot so why don’t we start over. Hi, I’m Liam. The groom’s brother,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand.
She looked down at his hand and then up at his face. “Why are you still here?” She hoped he’d get the picture and leave, but unfortunately he didn’t and he stood grinning at her which made her more angry.
“Okay, let’s look at some cakes without custard since the bride doesn’t like it.” He looked at the baker and waited for her to acknowledge his request before taking Milania’s hand to lead her to the table. “Please sit down.” His eyes were dark and for a moment she thought he would leave but it wasn’t meant to be. He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you in any way. Will you please give me a second chance? It’s my brother’s wedding and if he should find out I upset you; he’ll have my head. Please?”
She stared into his pleading blue eyes and decided she needed to give him another chance. She didn’t want to upset Serena so she smiled and nodded. “You better be on your best behavior or I will tell Serena that you are not cooperating, understand?” Milania blurted.
“Understood. So how about we try some cake now?” He grinned as he watched her pull out a list of tasks for the wedding. She’d already made a checklist with things to do and timing needed for each.
“Your little stunt this morning will delay the planning schedule I’ve made,” she said, making changes to the checklist while they waited for the baker to bring cake samples.
“I’m sorry and I’ll be good from now on. Just let me know what I can do,” he said still watching her work on her list. It was the first time he could really look at her and he suddenly felt the urge to touch her beautiful soft skin. He liked the way she wiggled her nose as she wrote and then when she lifted her emerald green eyes to look at him, he was mesmerized for a moment.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, confused by his lost look. She noticed his eyes were the color of the sky sometimes and for some strange reason, they felt like they were caressing her. She needed to shake off this feeling because it wasn’t happening.
“Nothing, Doll.” He looked down at her list and saw how she wrote everything tidy in columns. She was certainly a neat and tidy person by the look of it. Nothing compared to Liam. He couldn’t keep track of a single thing, which is why he had a personal assistant who took care of the formalities for him.
The baker brought them samples she could prepare for the wedding. They looked at the samples and tried a piece of each, debating which would be better. Milania wanted the vanilla cake decorated with hand made candy red roses - whereas Liam wanted the chocolate cake with strawberries.
“It’s a wedding cake so it should be elegant,” she said, trying to convince him the chocolate cake wouldn’t be appropriate.
“I really like the chocolate cake. It tastes better, Doll.” He winked as he had another bite of the chocolate cake.
“Listen, can we agree to disagree? We are here for Serena and James, right?” She waited for him to pay attention to her but he was caught up in the delicious taste of the chocolate cake. “Are you listening to me? We can’t have chocolate cake at a wedding.”
He turned to look into her beautiful eyes that were smoldering and when he saw she wasn’t going to step down, he knew he had to give in and agree with her. “Sure, Doll. Whatever you say.”
She looked at him once more wondering how she was going to put up with him the next few days and then got up to tell the baker which on
e. It was decided the vanilla cake with the red roses would be the wedding cake. Then she put on her coat and pulled out her list to see what was next before checking the time. It was late and she needed to get going if she wanted to do what she had planned for the morning.
Liam watched as Milania pulled out the list and then checked her watch. He realized she was a control freak – a neat and tidy control freak. Pretty but a freak just the same. There was something in the way she scrunched her nose when she read the list that made him want to kiss it. He was going to enjoy spending time with her.
“Are you coming or are you going to stand there and gawk at me?” she asked, impatiently while she started to walk out.
“I’m coming, Doll.” He grabbed his coat and followed her out.
“Stop calling me Doll.” She walked to her car to get to the next destination.
“So, where are we going next, D…?” He was about to say Doll but he stopped himself just in time. “If you don’t want me to call you Doll then what can I call you?”
“How about my name. It’s Milania if you’ve forgotten,” she growled as she got behind the wheel and turned on the engine.
“Okay, Milania, where are we going now?”
“We need to order the flowers,” she said, merging into the Roman traffic.
He sat back to watch her drive and was impressed with the way she moved the car expertly through the traffic. He grinned as he watched her.