Page 15 of Rejected Heart

“Well, let me go answer the door so he can see you.”

My mom took off toward the front door, and I remained rooted to the spot. Though I felt a lightness in my chest at the excitement I was experiencing over what was ahead tonight, there was no question I did feel some nerves. My stomach was fluttering, and I cleared my throat several times to prepare myself for seeing Liam.

The door opened, and his voice floated toward me. “Hi, Mrs. Snow. I’m Liam Westwood. I’m here to pick up Layla for the Christmas party tonight.”

“Hi, Liam. It’s wonderful to finally meet you,” my mom returned. “And it’s just Meredith, not Mrs. Snow.”

Crap.

I hadn’t mentioned anything to Liam about how it was just my mom and me, that my dad had walked out on us nearly ten years ago. She hadn’t changed her name or anything, wanting to keep it the same as mine, but being called Mrs. Snow would sting.

“My apologies.”

“No worries at all, Liam. Layla just finished getting ready.”

As she stepped back and to the side, Liam had a direct line of sight to me. I was floored when I saw him dressed in a suit. He looked amazing.

His lips had parted as I finally moved in his direction and came to a stop a few feet away. “Wow,” he mumbled. “You look… Wow, you look beautiful.”

I could feel the flush creep over my skin. “Thank you. You look very nice, too.”

He wore a proud smile. “Thanks. I brought these for you.”

Liam handed me a gorgeous bouquet that was the perfect complement to the Christmas holiday—bright red roses, green hydrangeas, red berries, and some evergreen stems.

I lifted the bouquet to my nose and inhaled. “Thank you, Liam. They smell wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like them.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Both of my parents are here. They’re driving us, and they’re happy to meet you, Mrs… I mean, Meredith. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I’d love to meet them.”

Liam dipped his chin, turned around, and waved at his parents to join us. It was at that point when things changed for me. I was feeling much more nervous than before. For some reason, I hadn’t considered the meeting of the parents until this moment. And it seemed strange that I would even feel concerned about it. Liam and I weren’t exactly a couple. Sure, he’d said a lot of sweet things to me, but he’d never talked about wanting to make anything official, nor had he ever attempted to do anything to take us out of the friendship stage.

Mr. and Mrs. Westwood walked up to the front door, looking stunning and wearing big, bright smiles. Immediately, Liam’s father extended his hand to my mom and said, “Hi. I’m Malcolm Westwood, and this is my wife, Evelyn.”

“Meredith Snow,” my mom returned, her grin matching theirs.

“Evelyn and I wanted to give Liam an opportunity to come to the door on his own, but we realize your daughter is still fourteen, so we thought it was appropriate to introduce ourselves as well.”

“I appreciate that. I do trust my daughter’s judgment, but this is a first for both of us, and she’s still a kid. So, thank you for giving me even more peace about this.”

Evelyn looked down at me, her eyes shining. “You look lovely, Layla. That dress is beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“The whole family has heard so much about you, so we’re thrilled to finally be able to meet you.”

I hadn’t ever had the need to practice schoolingmy features, so when Liam’s mom made that declaration, my eyes nearly fell out of my head. Had he been talking about me that much? And the whole family? What did that mean?

“I’m… I’m happy to meet you, too.”

It was probably faster than was polite, but I quickly tore my attention away from her and met Liam’s stare. He was still smiling brightly at me, and that smile helped to take off the edge as Malcolm Westwood spoke again.

“This Christmas party tends to run rather late. We don’t want to keep her out past her curfew, though. What time would Layla need to be home?”

Curfew?

I’d never been out with anyone late enough to need a curfew.

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