My One And Only (Very Irresistible Bachelors)

by Layla Hagen

  A small smile played on her lips. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “That goes both ways, Tess.”

  “I want you to keep me posted on every step, okay?”

  I nodded. She narrowed her eyes.

  “I mean it. Not just drip information or tell me enough to keep me from worrying.”

  “Why? That’s a perfectly acceptable plan.”

  She groaned, smacking my shoulder. “No, it’s not, you stubborn man. I’m not some fragile thing you have to keep in a glass case.”

  I tilted my head, considering this. “Actually, that’s another good idea. Or just sending you to the Bahamas on an all-inclusive trip until I fix it.”

  She pinched my abs this time. “I mean it. I don’t want you to be looking for solutions on your own. I’m part of this too. And Skye.”

  “I know.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Aha. I’m not sure you do. Your grandmother did say you’re a lone wolf.”

  “When?”

  “While you were fixing the bell. I told her I’ve got this huge family and we’re always in each other’s business, and she said she always hoped you’d get a sibling.”

  It was true; I always preferred to do things on my own, but it was just the way I’d grown up, and I liked it.

  “What are you thinking about?” Tess asked.

  “Many things. Like what I’m going to do to you this evening.”

  She sighed. “You’re really great at this wooing thing.”

  “It’s more than that, Tess. I don’t want you to ever doubt that you’re important to me. That I’d move mountains to make you happy, keep you safe. Not just now, always. Don’t doubt that.”

  “Okay.”

  I put an arm around her shoulders as we turned into a very narrow alleyway covered by ivy, which in the city was unusual but charming. There was one other topic I wanted to bring up.

  “By the way, Thanksgiving is coming up. I always spend that with my grandmother, and I want you there too.”

  Tess elbowed me lightly. “I was hoping to convince you to come to my mom’s place.”

  I wanted to pump my fist in the air, feeling victorious that we were on the same page. Our lives were converging in a way I hadn’t planned for, but damn if it didn’t feel amazing. And right.

  She bit her lip. “If you want to. I mean...I don’t want you to think I’m pressuring you into meeting my family—”

  “Tess, I want to meet your family. Do I need to pamper you more for you to believe I want to spend as much time with you as possible?”

  She grinned. “Well, no. Truthfully, you’re doing a great job, but I’ll never say no to even more pampering.”

  Then why do you keep expecting the worst? I wanted to ask, but then I realized that in the grand scheme of things, she’d only known me for a few months. She had years of disappointments.

  “So should we go first to your grandmother’s and then to Mom’s?”

  I laughed. “Two thanksgiving dinners?”

  “Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. And I’ve learned that you don’t upset a chef unless you want to risk an empty stomach.”

  “I think there is zero risk of that.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Liam

  Over the next few weeks, I did what I knew best. I buckled down to work, reviewing all contracts and looking out for any loopholes. I didn’t find any. I needed more information, the kind that wasn’t easily available, so I did something I’d never done before: I asked a detective to look into Albert’s personal life, get me any information he could. I didn’t condone such actions usually. It wasn’t my style. But desperate times...

  “Holy shit, I can’t believe you actually did this,” Becca exclaimed on Thanksgiving afternoon. The report had been dropped off at the office because the person in charge insisted on not leaving any electronic trails.

  “I just wanted more information,” I retaliated.

  David looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “Yeah, but usually for you, that means taking some bullshit high road. Man, I can’t believe you’re finally turning out to be an actual human being like the rest of us.”

  “Are you two done so we can look over this?” I asked.

  “No, actually, I’m absolutely not done. But it can wait until later,” David said.

  Becca moved to the edge of her seat. I opened the envelope and handed each of them a stack.

  “You actually asked the detective for three copies?” David asked. “Okay, time out. I do need to give you more shit. You don’t even know how to be sneaky. Next time you’re dealing with a detective, just let me handle it.”

  “David, I usually appreciate your lax attitude, but it’s annoying me right now.”

  Becca held her hands in a T-shape, signaling a time-out. “Boys, behave. Let’s read this.”

  “Yes, David. Let’s read it.”

  He looked as if he wanted to add something sarcastic, but as both Becca and I started reading, he said nothing.

  The report was a detailed overview of Albert’s moves over the past few years—financial and interpersonal.

  “Fuck, the moron’s broke?” David exclaimed seconds after I just read the same information. There was no trace of humor in his voice anymore.

  I saw red. My palms were itching with the need to punch something as the detective went into great detail about the amount Albert was in debt.

  “Well, this is worse than I thought,” Becca said slowly. “I actually assumed that he wanted to sell right now just to put us in a bad position. Turns out he’s just desperate for money.”

  I said nothing, but I’d come to the same conclusion and didn’t like it one bit. Albert was a problem even when he wasn’t desperate, but now?

  “I guess this means there’s no talking him out of wanting to sell his side,” David said through gritted teeth.

  “No, I don’t think there is,” I said.

  “So that only leaves us with pulling out of the investment we did this year,” Becca said. “Our reputation will take a hit, but we’ll recover. And—”

  “No,” I said. My voice was dangerously calm.

  David blinked. Even he knew better than to joke right now.

  “You have another suggestion?” Becca asked.

  “Right now, no, but we’ve just received this information. I’m sure I can get more out of it if I have enough time to analyze it.”

  Becca bit her lip. “It’s because of Tess, isn’t it?”

  David straightened in his seat at that.

  “I’m not going to do anything that risks her business.”

  “What about us?” Becca asked softly.

  “Or ours. I give you my word.”

  She chewed on her lip. “I trust you. You’ve never led us astray. But we don’t have that much thinking time, do we? If we don’t make him an offer until Christmas, he’s free to shop around for another buyer.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay, I know we’re knee-deep in problems, but...I do need to give you shit,” David cut in. “The opportunity is too good to pass up. Besides, it’ll lighten up the mood.”

  “Go ahead. We can use some of that,” Becca said before I could answer. I disagreed but didn’t voice that thought.

  “I can’t believe you’re actually going all out for a woman like that. How does it feel? Is it more good than bad? Should I take notes?” David asked.

  “You definitely should,” Becca said.

  I glared at the two of them. “That’s where your mind just went?”

  “It’s a coping mechanism,” Becca explained. “Much better than us sulking like we usually do when it’s about Albert.”

  Okay, that was true. It was definitely an improvement over having to run laps with David and take Becca for coffee.

  “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have two Thanksgiving dinners to attend,” I said.

  David laughed. “What?”

  “Holy shit, is one with Tess’s family?�
�� Becca exclaimed. “David, you should definitely take notes, or it’ll take you a year to be invited to your future girlfriend’s Thanksgiving feast.”

  “I promise I’ll give you enough material to write down after the dinners, but right now, I need to go.”

  David held up his hands. “I won’t hold my breath. It was a rhetorical question. Since when are you taking everything so seriously?” The last part was directed to Becca.

  She shrugged, smiling coyly.

  I got up from the chair, bidding both goodbye. I didn’t have time to linger today.

  On the way to pick up Tess, I kept replaying the newest bits of information in my mind. Two things were clear. One: I was going to do whatever it took to protect everyone I love. Two: I was determined not to ruin anyone’s dinner by being in a shitty mood.

  ***

  Tess

  “Holy shit, I can’t be late.” I glanced at the clock on my phone, hairbrush in hand. I was trying to multitask...and was thoroughly failing.

  I was trying to keep an eye on our new online shop. It had gone live last week, and we were smoothing out all the bugs ever since. Yesterday had been a bug-free day, and I was hoping today was going to be the same, because tomorrow was Black Friday. It was one of the most important days for retail.

  We were going to officially open the second store in the first week of December, and things were moving so fast I barely had time to keep up.

  But today I had to press Pause. It was a big day. A happy day.

  I closed the website, focusing on the here and now. I was ecstatic.

  Liam wanted us to have Thanksgiving with his grandma. And then meet my whole family.

  I loved Thanksgiving dinners at Mom’s place. I always felt like a kid. Over the years, the crowd had grown bigger what with everyone getting married or having kids. This year, Isabelle was joining us, of course, since she now lived here. Ian and Dylan were also in the city, so they were coming too. I speed-brushed my hair, then applied mascara and eye shadow.

  Once I was done, I noticed I had a message.

  Isabelle: Just a reminder that Dylan’s going to be there. Extra optimism required.

  Tess: Oh no. Why?

  Isabelle: I MIGHT have suggested he and Ian go on a double date with some friends of mine. Let’s just say I am not his favorite sister right now.

  Tess: Extra optimism on the way!

  I grinned at myself in the mirror, pointing at my reflection. “That’s right. All that frog kissing was worth it.”

  I just had to convince Dylan of that too. Of course, his case was a bit different. I had a string of bad dates and short failed relationships, and even that had chipped a bit at my optimism.

  Dylan had a long-term relationship. He’d been in love. That left scars for sure. But I really did believe that time healed everything. I wished I knew the cause of the breakup though; it would help me come up with an angle. But no one was saying anything about it. It was still a bit of a mystery.

  A few minutes later, the bell rang. When I opened the door, my breath caught a little.

  Liam was wearing a very elegant coat with a dark-blue and silver scarf around his neck.

  His cheeks were red, which meant it was definitely not a warm Thanksgiving Day.

  “Well, hello there. Let me just grab my coat.”

  Liam let out a little growl, and I jerked my head back in surprise before batting my eyelashes at him.

  “Hey, don’t take this wrong. I love those growls. Very sexy. But what are they for?”

  “You.”

  I glanced down at myself. “No, I’m wearing a sweater. And jeans. What about my outfit spells indecent?”

  My sweater was even all buttoned up.

  “Not indecent, just fucking gorgeous.”

  Before I had a chance to ask anything more, he pinned me against the open door, kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around his neck, instinctively pressing myself against him. He kissed me until I rose on my tiptoes, dragging my hands down his shoulders. I was resenting his sexy coat already, because I couldn’t touch him properly. He really did smell like a cold winter day mixed with aftershave.

  I sighed when we pulled apart to take a deep breath.

  “Hmmm...I don’t know what that was for, but I’ll take it.” With a grin, I brought my hand to the top button. It was impossible to be around Liam and not have sexy thoughts. Just the way he looked at me, with those blue eyes blazing, was enough to make me forget what day it was.

  He caught my wrist even before I reached the button.

  “You do that and we won’t leave at all.” His gaze pinned me in my spot.

  “How do you know? Maybe I’m wearing something totally unsexy,” I teased.

  “You’re wearing code red.”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  “You have an extra swing in your hips. You always do.”

  “Wow, I have to up my game if I want to keep you on your toes, huh? Wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

  I’d meant it as a joke, but there was a bit of truth hidden in my words. A fear I couldn’t shake that maybe I was doing too much or too little and all this happiness would just disappear.

  “I won’t tire of you, Tess. Ever. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have found you. No way in hell am I going to let you go.”

  I melted, loving his warm words. But I also detected a hint of unease in his expression.

  “Is something wrong? You seem to have something on your mind.”

  Liam shook his head. “There’s always something on my mind. Let’s just enjoy Thanksgiving.”

  “Okay...”

  I didn’t like that he was placating me instead of opening up, but I didn’t want to cause a scene.

  “You’re right; there’s always something going on. I was trying to keep an eye on the website while getting ready, but it’s working great so far.”

  “Any bugs in the code?”

  “None so far. It works perfectly. I love it.”

  He kissed me again, even harder than the first time. I felt every lash of his tongue deep inside my body. When I fisted his hair, he groaned, taking a step back.

  “Tess, grab your coat and let’s go or we’re really not going to go anywhere tonight.”

  “Oh, Thanksgiving. Right.”

  I caught a hint of Liam’s smirk as he helped me slip on my coat.

  “Hey, mister. Don’t look so satisfied. Any woman would forget what day it is when you kiss her like that.”

  “Kiss you how?”

  “It made me wet,” I whispered.

  His pupils dilated as he exhaled sharply. “Mission accomplished. Now you’re feeling as off-kilter as I do. Come on, let’s hurry. I don’t want to make a bad impression.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tess

  When Liam said he spent Thanksgiving with his grandmother, I hadn’t realized it was just him. Ellen was a wonderful cook, but even as we finished our turkey, I still couldn’t believe it was just the three of us.

  “Ellen, this is all delicious. Thank you so much.”

  She beamed. “You’re a darling. By the way, Liam, I spoke to your mom this morning. She said we should give them a call when we’re all together.”

  “Sure.” Liam got his phone out, and I broke out in a sweat. His parents? Oh my God, why didn’t he prepare me for this?

  I tugged at the hem of my sweater under the table, crossing and uncrossing my legs. He positioned the phone on the table so all three of us were visible. Sweat dotted my palm when the call connected and his parents appeared on the screen. His mom looked like a younger version of Ellen. His dad had jet-black hair and round glasses.

  “Hey, Mom! Liam! And you must be Tess.”

  “I am. So nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” his dad said. “Liam, how is business?”

  Liam went on to explain some details about our collaboration. The whole conversation felt a little stiff and cold, at least compared to how we spoke to each oth
er in my family. The call only lasted five minutes, and neither Liam nor Ellen seemed surprised when it was over.

  “What time do you have to be at your next dinner?” Ellen asked us.

  “In one hour,” Liam answered.

  “Oh, that doesn’t leave us much time.”

  She started rising from the table, but Liam immediately gestured for her to sit down. “Don’t get up. I’m cleaning this up.”

  I loved how he treated his grandmother.

  “I’ll help,” I said.

  Ellen smiled. “Well, then, I’ll just be a lady of leisure. Why don’t I pour us some brandy?”

  “I’m your girl,” I exclaimed.

  Between Liam and me, we managed to carry all the plates and saucers to the kitchen.

  “Liam, does Ellen have plans after we leave?” I asked tentatively.

  “No.”

  My heart broke a little. I didn’t want to leave the poor woman alone.

  “You think she’d like to come with us to Mom’s?” I asked just as Liam closed the dishwasher.

  He straightened up, turning slowly toward me. His eyebrows were so high they were almost lost in his hairline.

  “Umm...I didn’t want to cross any boundaries. Just thinking about her all alone made me sad. We don’t have to—”

  “Tess, stop.” He closed the distance to me, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. “Stop always thinking you’re crossing boundaries.”

  “It can happen, though. You told me that when we first met. That you have a very clear line...for everything.”

  “Yeah. I did. Before I fell in love with you.”

  My heart felt about to explode. Seriously. My pulse went from normal to haywire in a millisecond.

  “You love me?” I whispered. My voice sounded a bit strangled.

  He brushed his nose against mine. “If this surprises you, then I really have to do a better job of showing you.”

  “Oh yeah. How?”

  “I have so many things in my mind. None appropriate for this very moment.”

  Slowly, I felt my mouth curl into a smile, then stretch into a grin so big that my cheeks were aching.

  I pointed to my teeth. “See this grin?”