Page 111 of Somebody's Watching Me
“A little anxious, but she and Rowan found a spot to hang out,” he said, returning to her side. “You’ve got thirty minutes.”
“Or less,” she exhaled, peering around the hedges at the party. Over a hundred people were scattered in groups across the promenade, with even more in the hosting shops or crowded outside the winery. Some wore elaborate costumes, while others donned less theatrical attire. “But I don’t want to leave Annabeth behind.”
Music blasted out of nowhere, and she launched into Liam. “What the hell?”
“It’s the DJ gearing up, Jamison.” He rubbed her back. “If you don’t think you can handlethis—”
“I can do it.”
“Wecan do it.”
They entered the fray, and Liam kept his hand wrapped low around her waist. “Who was the lying whore you and Hillary were discussing?”
Unable to take her eyes off the crowd, Jamison spotted Annabeth leaning against a wall with Rowan. “Taylor,” she whispered. “There’s a rumor going around that she and my dad are having an affair, and they’re getting married because Taylor’s pregnant.”
“Yeah, I noticed she was a little touchy with Ben in the kitchen. She kept putting her hand on his arm, or leaning just the right way so she could give him an eyeful of cleavage.”
She waved at Annabeth. “It’s so gross.”
“And the thing about the blowjobs?”
“Evie and Hillary don’t think I can win you back by giving out an endless number of blowjobs.”
“I’m not saying they’re wrong, but I’m not saying they’re right.” Liam slid her hair back from her shoulder to reveal the red mark he left earlier to the world. “We should test the theory.”
“Yeah, I thought you might say that.”
Chapter 25
1995
“Ilove you, Daddy.”
Charlie grinned. In his whole life, no one ever looked at him the way Livy did.
“And I love you, sunshine.”
She giggled at her nickname. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,” she sang. “You make me happy when skies are gray.”
Hugging her close, Charlie inhaled the scent of his daughter’s cotton candy shampoo and continued the song. “You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”
From above, a crisp, clean sheet fluttered in the air, gently falling to cover them as they lay on the bed. “Oh, no,” Becca called out, tucking the sheet under the ends of the mattress. “Daddy and Livy got lost while I was making the bed.”
Two sets of bare feet pounded on the wood floors, hurrying into the cottage’s main bedroom to see what the fuss was about. Livy covered her mouth, and Charlie gave her a conspiratorial wink when Tobias and CeCe climbed on top of them.
“Where’d they go?” CeCe pondered as she came to sit on Livy’s sheet covered head.
The giant mass that could only be his son settled on Charlie’s chest. “Found them.” Tobias bounced his butt. “I win.”
“Jesus, Tobias.” Whipping the sheet back, Charlie gasped for air. “Get off.”
Tobias fell into the middle of the bed. “I always win.”
“Nah.” CeCe moved to squish herself up against Charlie’s chest. “I win.”
“Yep, you got me.” The four of them cuddled close, and he draped an arm over the kids. “Come on, Mama.”
Kicking her shoes off, Becca joined them, sliding in behind Livy. Tonight was family night. With Viv away in Texas, he could stay over without the fear of being caught.
