Page 20 of My Knight Before Christmas
He stared at me. “Kissing my Grams on the cheek was better.”
“Ewwww.” I held up a hand. “Don’t say anything more.”
He shuddered. “Are you almost ready for the main course?”
I took one last bite of my salad and nodded.
He signaled to Bash, who cleared our salads, bringing us steak, potatoes, and asparagus on large white plates.
“How did you even keep this warm?”
“Insulated bags. Also, Bash picked it up while we were at the beach, so it wouldn’t get too cold.”
I moaned while chewing the creamy garlic potatoes. “This is excellent. Thank you.”
“Only the best for My Girl.”
There he goes with the “my”again. I inhaled, causing the food in my mouth to lodge in my throat, sending me into a coughing fit. My throat spasmed. Tears gathered in my eyes. Mucus leaked out my nose.Lovely.
While continuing to suffer from the effects, I shielded my face with my napkin so Liam couldn’t see the mess happening. Good thing I wore waterproof mascara.
Liam’s movements were drowned out by my coughing, so when his hand patted my back, it startled me even more, bringing a new wave of spasming coughs.
“Can you try a sip of water?” Liam asked tenderly.
Not until I at least wiped the snot off my face. Being discreet and trying not to gross him out, all the while doing my best to keep my make-up from smearing too much, I used the napkin to dab at my cheeks and upper lip.
Satisfied I only resembled a red-blotched-faced chipmunk, I lowered the filthy napkin and gulped my ice water. Immediately, my throat found relief as the cold liquid soothed the scratchy feeling.
“Are you okay?” he asked while crouching beside me with a worried look on his face. With his body close to mine, I got lost in his gorgeous milk chocolate eyes. He saidMy Girl AND My Avery tonight.We barely reconnected. Did he already see us in a serious relationship despite my telling him I wanted to take it one day at a time?
Being with him tonighthadreminded me of how easy it was between us. How at peace I felt around him. How I was my truest self without worrying what Liam would think of me (except for when snot was on my face). I missed it. I immediately dropped eye contact, focusing on my plate. “Yes. Sorry about that.” I waved a hand toward my throat.
Liam went back to his side of the table. “When I first started college, a buddy of mine became an EMT. At the time, I thought it would be a great way to meet women while helping people. Until he told me about a car accident where the driver didn’t make it. That’s when I decided to do pre-law instead. Every now and then, I wished I’d learned those skills.”
“You can’t do much for someone who is having a cough attack. Regardless, I’m glad I’m fine if you’re useless in medical situations,” I teased, trying to ignore what I really wanted to talk about—My Girl.
“Me too. How’s your family been?”
I deserted my potatoes, opting for a bite of perfectly grilled steak. After swallowing, I said, “Same old, same old. My parents are about to retire. My mom is ecstatic except she worries my dad will get bored and bug her to death.”
I’d chuckled when she told me he might end up in a noose. Only mom could get away with threatening dad, since she couldn’t even kill a spider. She made dad capture any that came into their house and release it outside.
I cut a bite-sized piece of steak on my plate. “And my older sister loves owning her own florist shop. My brother just started his MBA program at Boston College. We see each other on holidays and random weekends throughout the year, but now that we’re all adults, it’s harder.”
“I’m thirteen hundred miles away from mine. I get it.”
I chewed my food, then asked. “Do you miss being home?”
“When I first moved here, I did. Making friends, loving my job, and meeting you helped.”
My heart turned to goo like the melted parmesan cheese on my asparagus. “And now?”
He took his time eating the bite of potatoes he forked into his mouth. “Considering how messy things are, I don’t miss home at the moment. I also have this pretty awesome person who occupies a lot of my time.”
A soft smile grew on my lips. “Sounds annoying,” I teased.
“It’s not.”
