Page 42 of Trusting You
I continued. “So if people ask, we are dating casually and seeing where it goes.”
“But it can’t go anywhere, Liam.”
I wracked my brain to give her some reasons why it could work. But I knew I had to tread carefully with her. “You say that, but let’s give ourselves a chance. Let’s enjoy this time and have some fun. It’s not even October yet.”
She seemed comforted by that. “Okay, you’re right. I would be honored to casually date you, Liam.”
“Back atcha, babe.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking coffee and staring. Our chairs were pushed up against one another in a crowded corner, and my arm rested lightly around her shoulders. I leaned in to catch a whiff of her hair, and she nuzzled into my chest. Sitting with her was just so perfect. When was the last time I felt so giddy and at peace at the same time? I leaned in and kissed her temple. It was an intimate gesture, especially in such a public place, but I couldn’t help it. I craved her.
Unfortunately, the peace was short-lived. All of a sudden, a large figure descended on our table. My brother. “What’s up, guys? Enjoying your coffee?” Declan grabbed a chair, flipped it around, and straddled it right next to Cece. I could feel my face fall.
“What are you doing here, Declan? I assume you need coffee. The line is over there.” I tightened my grip around Cece’s shoulders.
“Callum and I stopped by to see you, actually.”
“Really?”
“Yup.” I sat in silence contemplating how I could drag his Neanderthal ass out of here without making a scene.
“Mom called us.” He smiled. “And she told us that you are dating the lovely Ms. Leary here, so we just wanted to come and confirm with our own eyes.”
Just then, Callum walked over looking like he stepped off the cover of a magazine. “Declan, don’t scare the poor girl.”
He handed him a large cup of coffee. “Here you go, Dec. Black like your soul.”
“Ah, just the way I like it.”
“So, now that you guys are together…”
I needed to stop this immediately. “Actually guys, Cecelia and I are just casually dating. She is my friend and my employee. Please don’t pressure her. In fact, just leave now, and we’ll be good.”
Callum rolled his eyes at me and turned his attention to Cece, who had been sitting silently. He gave her a big smile, and I was half afraid he would kiss her hand or something stupid like that. “We’re here to formally invite you to family dinner next Sunday. Mom insists you join us.”
“No,” I shouted a little too loudly. “She is not coming to family dinner.”
Cece seemed offended. “It’s not a big deal, Liam. I can come.”
Declan and Callum exchanged evil smiles. “The Captain is so delighted and is going to wax the boat this week to make sure she is shipshape for you.”
“Sorry. I’m not following.” She looked at me with total confusion, and I knew I was sunk.
“Our family does family dinner on my dad’s sailboat. It’s family tradition when the weather is nice. We go out on the boat, and my mom packs a picnic and it’s a whole thing. You do not have to come.”
“That sounds fun.” She turned back to Callum. “Please tell your mom I accept.”
“Cece, you don’t know what you are agreeing to. We will be out on the ocean. There is no escape.” My heart was racing and I was panicking. These assholes were going to ruin this for me. I finally met the woman of my dreams, and they were going to ruin it.
She ignored me as I started to sweat. “I would love to come. It’s been years since I’ve been out on the water.”
I want to punch those fuckers in the face. This was so typical. They had been ganging up on me my entire life. I finally got one good, amazing thing all to myself and they came here to make me look like a jackass.
Cece was, of course, not fazed at all. She handled everything with good humor. When she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room, I decided to lay it down for them.
“You assholes need to get out of here. You are going to scare this nice girl away.”
“I think you can do that yourself, dumbass.”
