“Okay, hold on,” he says as he jumps out of his side of the car and rushes around to mine, he opens the door and pulls me out of the car, holding me in his arms.
I can’t help but laugh, “What are you doing? I can walk.”
“You can, but I can also carry you,” he says as he makes his way across the street. Kenzie and Brody pull in as he carries me to the front door. “You know your parents are probably going to ask what’s going on, since you’re with me and not Ashley.”
“Oh crap, I can’t tell them. Liam, we can’t tell them,” I plead.
“We won’t tell them babe, it’s alright,” he says as he stops at the door.
“Maybe we should go to your house,” I say suddenly nervous.
“It’s up to you.”
“Yeah, let’s do that,” I say, as he spins around and starts heading back across the street.
“What’s going on?” Kenzie asks as she gets out of her car.
“Please don’t tell Mom and Dad,” I plead.
“I won’t, but why aren’t you going inside?” she asks.
“I don’t know what to say,” I admit.
“We went and hung out,” she says like it’s no big deal.
“Oh, yeah that can work,” I say as I look at Liam, he turns back towards my house. Kenzie and Brody go in first to talk to Mom and Dad while Liam carries me up the stairs.
He takes me into my room where the blanket I got blood on yesterday is gone and a new one is in its place. Liam pulls the covers down and sets me slowly on the bed. “Thank you. I’m going to try to get some sleep,” I say as I turn over to try to get comfortable.
“I think that’s a good idea,” he says as he crawls in behind me.
“You don’t have to lie here with me.”
“I want to Hails. I want to hold you,” he says as he pulls me towards his chest, spooning me. “I’m sorry you’re so sore, I wish I could make it better.”
“You are, just by being here,” I say before closing my eyes.
Waking up a few hours later, I see it’s now evening and Liam is asleep beside me. His arms are wrapped around me tightly. I need to relieve myself, so I maneuver out of his hold and hurry to the bathroom. Trying to deal with the soreness, along with not waking Liam up is no easy task. I change what I need to and head back to bed.
“Are you alright babe?” he asks.
“I will be,” I say as I crawl back into bed.
“I wish I could make you feel better,” he says as I snuggle into his side.
“Me too.”
The next couple days go by before I start to feel a little like myself again.
Christmas is in two days and I’m excited to be with Liam for our first Christmas as a couple.
Kenzie and I go to the outlets to finish our Christmas shopping. We take our bags into the house before heading across the street to hang out with the boys. It’s cold out and it’s snowing lightly. We head inside and are surprised to see Mom and Dad over at the Masters too.
“What’s going on?” I ask as they laugh and joke around.
“Just hanging out. So, we want to know when you two started dating,” Denise asks, not holding back.
“A while now,” Liam says as he enters the room and heads straight towards me. He gives me a kiss on the lips, not caring who watches.
“I must say that I’m excited to hear that,” Mom says while Denise agrees.
“That’s good because she’s stuck with me,” Liam says as he wraps his arms around me. Brody enters the room looking anything but happy.
“I can’t believe both of my daughters are with your sons. We couldn’t have dreamed for anything better,” Mom squeals.
“How much have you had to drink?” I ask, laughing out their sudden outbursts.
“Just a few,” Denise says.
“We’re going to head downstairs, if you need us, just yell,” Liam says before leading me towards the stairs.
The four of us, along with Isaac hang out and play some games before calling it a night. I say goodnight to my new boyfriend before Kenzie and I make our way across the snow-covered road.
Before we know it, Christmas is here and gone and New Year’s is on its way. “What are your plans this year for New Years?” Kenz asks.
“I don’t know. There are some parties we could go to.”
“I was thinking we could ask Mom and Dad and see if we could have a small party here.”
“Oh yeah? Who are you thinking of inviting?”
“Not sure yet, but do you think they would let us drink?”
“Not with friends here no. They won’t let people drink here then drive home,” I say truthfully.
“This sucks,” she whines.
“I don’t really care; I’m good to just hang out with Liam.”
“I bet you are,” she says sounding irritated.
“What’s that mean?”
“Nothing, I’m just not in a good mood.”
“I can see that. What’s going on?”
She turns and looks straight at me, “Can you tell me why my boyfriend gets so pissed off with the mention of you and Liam?”
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asks with a stern look.
“You know what I know Kenz. Brody told Liam to stay away because of him leaving, but we decided to give us a try anyway. I have no idea what Brody’s problem is. I can try talking to him if you’d like.”
“No, you don’t have to. Sorry, I’m just being bitchy,” she says apologetically.
“It’s fine.”
“When does Liam leave?”
“A few days.”
“Are you going to go back to school with him?”
“Probably because he drove me here, so if not, I need to fly or have Mom or Dad drive me back.”
“Why didn’t you drive yourself?”
“Honestly, I didn’t really think about it. Plus, I was in no condition to drive.”
“That’s right; well I won’t see you until what, March then?”
“No before that. If they make it to the championship game, we’re all going.”
“Possibly, if Brody can get the stick out of his ass.”
“He will. It’s his brother and it would be the chance of a lifetime to see a game like that.”
“I hope so,” she says looking bummed.
“How are you two?”
“Good at times.”
“Are you happy Kenz?”
“Most of the time, yes. I love him, but lately I feel like it’s not enough,” she says as she falls back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“He’s just in a mood; he’ll get over it soon. Then hopefully things can get back to normal,” I say being optimistic.
“I hope so.”
“Hope what?” Liam asks as he comes through my bedroom door.
“Brody’s being weird,” I state nonchalantly.
“He’s being an ass,” he says as he takes a seat beside me on my bed.
“But why?” Kenz whines.
“Because I’m with Hails.”
“So,” Kenz says.
“He’s jealous.”
“What?” Kenzie roars.
“Not like that,” Liam says laughing, “Before, he has you as his girlfriend and Hails as a best friend. It’s not really like that much anymore. Now, he still has you as a girlfriend, but lost his best friend to his brother.”
“But I’m still friends with Brody,” I state.
“It’s different though. Now when you come over, it’s not to hang out with Brody, but to see me.”
Kenzie starts laughing, “Please, she always came over to get a glimpse of you. Hanging out with Brody was just an added bonus.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks with a sexy smirk.
“Shut it,” I say glaring at Kenzie, causing her to laugh more. “Maybe I should talk to Brody,” I suggest, while also changing the subject off of me.
“You can, but I don’t think it’ll make a diff
erence,” Liam states.
“Well, I will let you two love birds alone and go see what Brody’s up to,” Kenzie says as she gets up and heads out of the room.
“What are you up to today?” Liam asks.
“Hmm…I was thinking of seducing my boyfriend,” I say as I lean up to kiss him.
“That sounds like an amazing plan, but we need to wait the full two weeks Hails,” he says as he pulls away from me.
“But I feel fine.”
“We need to listen to the doctor babe. Once the two weeks are up, you can do whatever you want with me,” he says with a devilish look.
“But I want you now,” I say as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.
“You will have me soon babe, but I’m not budging on this one.”
I pull away giving a full out pout, “You’re no fun.”
“I’m definitely fun baby, but we can’t have sex right here either, your parents would kill the both of us,” he says as he leans in and gives me another kiss.
“I hate it when you’re right,” I sigh.
“I’m right a lot babe, get used to it. Now why I came over here, what do you want to do for New Years?”
“I don’t care.”
“Do you want to go to a party or something small and quiet?”
“You can decide.”
“Fine, small and quiet it is then,” he says with a look.
“That sounds perfect. I will let you know that Kenzie wants to throw a small party here, but I don’t foresee that happening, because Mom and Dad are not going to supply alcohol to minors, then let them drive home.”
“Yeah, I don’t see that happening,” he says with a smile.
“What are you doing now?”
“Hanging out with you,” he says with a confused look.
“Want to watch a movie with me?”
“Sure, let’s go,” he says as we head downstairs to the den to watch a movie. Liam knows my house as well as I know the ins and outs of his.
We spend the rest of the day and evening hanging out, watching movies, talking, and making out. I end up falling asleep on Liam halfway through the third movie. Needless to say, New Year’s didn’t go quite as planned.
The rest of the week is spent hanging out with Kenzie, Brody, Isaac, and Liam. Break comes and goes and before I know it, Liam and I are heading back to school.
I’m excited to see Quinn; she’s already back at the house. I already filled her in on all the news that happened with me. She was quite shocked to find out I was pregnant. I didn’t get happy or upset, I guess, because I didn’t really know I had it until I lost it. I’m not sure.
The drive back to school is so much better. We are able to laugh, talk, and joke around like normal and for once it feels great. I didn’t think I could love this man any more than I already do, but I can.
Liam pulls up at the sorority house around 7 p.m. to drop me off. “Do you want to come in?” I ask as he grabs my bag out of the trunk.
“No, I’m sure Quinn and you have lots to talk about.”
“Yes we do,” I say with a smile. “You have practice tomorrow?”
“Yeah, early. I’ll talk to you tonight though,” he says before leaning down to give me a chaste kiss on the lips, “I love you Haley.”
“I love you too,” I say excitedly. It feels so great to say that out loud to him and to hear him say it back. Swoon. I watch as he walks around to get in his car before making my way up the few steps to head inside.
“Finally bitch, I feel like you guys drove extra slow to get here,” Quinn says from the living room.
“We didn’t I assure you,” I say as I drop my bag to give my roommate a hug.
“So, I want all the details,” she says as she pulls me along to the couch.
I end up telling her everything that happened, even down to the point where Liam won’t have sex with me yet, because of what the doctor said.
“Aww, so you two are officially a couple. How awesome is that?!”
“I know right. I never thought I would see the day.”
“I did, you two are great together.”
“So, how are things with Mark?”
“Good, I really like him,” she says with the biggest smile.
“That’s great, I’m really happy for you.”
“He wants me to meet his family,” she says looking nervous.
“That’s great. They will love you,” I say proudly.
“I hope you’re right.”
“When are you doing that?”
“Spring break.”
“Nice, that’s not long from now.”
“I know and I’m nervous, like really nervous.”
“Don’t be. It will be fine, you’ll see.”
We spend the rest of the evening hanging out with each other and some of the other girls in the house before calling it a night. I talk to Liam on the phone for a few minutes before its lights out.
Chapter Fifteen
The next few months go by without too much chaos. Liam’s team won the BCS Championship game, which is awesome for him and the school. Now, he’s getting ready to hopefully get picked up in the draft. I couldn’t be more excited, though as we sit here, Brody looks like he would rather be somewhere else.
Liam’s predicted to go in the second round so we are all here at home, waiting to see what happens.
“I need to talk to you now,” I say to Brody as I walk out of the room. He follows behind.
“What’s up?”
“What the hell is your problem?” I snap.
“Nothing.”
“Could you look any more pissed off that you have to be here; if you want to, you can leave.”
“No, I want to see him get drafted.”
“Then stop looking so pissy.”
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s going to be leaving to who knows where. Where does that leave you Hails?”
“At college to finish my degree,” I argue back.
“Do you really think you’re going to marry him one day?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You aren’t though.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because you were supposed to marry me,” he says, shocking the hell out of me.
“What? Where is this coming from?”
“Hails, you are my best friend, we were supposed to date in school; it was supposed to be you and me, not you and Liam.”
“You are with Kenzie and have been for years. What the hell are you talking about?” I argue, not believing what he’s saying to me right now.
“It was supposed to be you and me, it always was,” he says softly.
“Don’t you love Kenzie?”
“Yes I do, but I’ve always loved you Hails.”
“You can’t do this, not to Kenzie, not to Liam, and not to me.”
“He’s going to be leaving Hails; he’s not going to be faithful to you. You know that already.”
“You’re wrong. He loves me. We can make this work,” I argue.
“But you shouldn’t have to try. You need someone who’s going to be there for you,” he says longingly.
“And that’s supposed to be you? Who’s at a college hundreds of miles away from me?” I snap.
“Shit, I don’t know Haley, but it was never supposed to be you and Liam.”
“Yes it was. I’ve been in love with him since we were little Brody,” I holler.
“Why?”
“You can’t help who you fall in love with; just like you couldn’t help falling in love with Kenzie. She deserves better than what you’re doing right now.”
“Shit,” he curses.
“Is everything alright?” Liam asks as he approaches us.
“Everything’s fine,” I state as I plaster on a smile.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Liam asks.
“Sure,” I say as we move into one of the bedro
oms to talk.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You look pissed,” he says as he tips my chin up, so I have no choice but to stare into the abyss of his sexy blue eyes.
I take a deep breath, “I’m good. I’m excited for you tonight, this is your night.”
“There’s something else I want to ask you Hails.”
“Okay, what’s up?”
“No matter how today turns out, I want you to know that I love you. If I don’t play ball anywhere, I’m okay with that, because I have you. We are a team Hails, you and me,” he says as he lowers down to one knee.
“Oh my God Liam, what are you doing?” I ask nervously and excited.
“Haley Lawrence, I’ve known you practically my entire life. I’ve crushed on you, picked on you, and fallen in love with you. It doesn’t matter how today goes, but when it comes to my future, you are what I see. I know it’s soon, but I know what I want baby, would you please do me the honor and marry me?” he says as he pulls a box from his pocket.
“YES,” I shriek as I drop down to him to plant a kiss on him. Throwing my arms around his neck, I continue kissing him. He starts laughing, “Thank you for making me the happiest man alive,” he says as he opens up the ring box and pulls out a ring, sliding it onto my ring finger.
“It’s beautiful,” I say in awe, as I stare at the emerald cut stone.
“You’re beautiful,” he says as he leans up and takes my lips with his. The kiss starts out slow and starts heating up quickly. I start tugging on his blonde hair, which is getting longer, but looks sexy as hell.
“I want you,” I whisper between kisses.
“We need to make this quick,” he says as he picks me up, I quickly wrap my legs around him, feeling his erection at my stomach.
“Quick, got it,” I mumble breathlessly between kisses. He walks us over to the bed just as there’s a knock at the door.
“What’s up?” Liam yells.
Kenzie opens the door, “Sorry to interrupt, but the draft is about to start and your agent wants you out there,” she says looking apologetically at me.
“We’ll be right out,” I tell her. She closes the door, “I guess we’ll have to celebrate after you get drafted,” I say with a smile.
“I guess so,” he says as he leans down and kisses me again.
“I love you,” I say between kisses. “I love you too, baby.” We get up off the bed; adjust ourselves before walking back out into the living room. People are still talking, so it’s like no one noticed we were gone, which is good. “I’ll be right back,” Liam says as he walks toward his agent.
One Chance (Part One) Page 22