Page 79 of The Arrangement
“Bullshit,” I snarled. Grabbing Liam’s arm, I pulled him back against my chest, wrapping my arms tightly around him. “I appreciate you worrying about me, but you are the only person I want at my side. You’re perfect for me. You get my stupid sense of humor, and you aren’t easily insulted by the ridiculous things that pop out of my mouth.”
“I want to get better at protecting you from the assholes and con artists.”
“You will. Thankfully, it doesn’t come up that much, but when it does, all you have to do is give them Shonna’s business card.”
“Really?”
I huffed a laugh and pressed a kiss to his nose. “Yep. I don’t keep a regular staff at home because it’s just me, but I have a service that comes three times a week to clean and do laundry. And Shonna has an entire team of people who vet charities and work to make sure that every dime I give is going to the people who need the help. Not to mention, I also have several advisors monitoring my finances. The only thing I don’t have that you mentioned is a bodyguard. But if I were to suddenly find myself with a boyfriend, I would definitely look into hiring one or two bodyguards because I would want to make sure my boyfriend was always safe.”
Liam gasped and pushed at my chest, but I didn’t budge. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”
“I’m dead serious. You are the most important thing to me, and I don’t want anyone to hurt you, ever.”
Liam raised his hand to my face, his fingertips lightly tracing along my features as if he were trying to memorize them. “I love you.” His words were a whisper, but there was strength and conviction behind them, putting a knot in my throat.
“As a friend?”
A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and his eyes rose to meet mine. “Always as a friend. But then, as a lover and now as so much more. I love you as a boyfriend.” With each sentence, his grin grew wider and more mischievous. “We are going to date and have so much sex. We’re going to have amazing dates, and you’re not allowed to always pay!”
“Does this mean I can spoil you? Surprise gifts? Trips?”
Liam narrowed his eyes at me and tried to look serious, but his lips twitched as if he were fighting a laugh. “Maybe.Littlegifts.”
I leaned in, bumping my forehead on his. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to go hog-fucking-wild buying you stuff?”
“No.”
“I swear the first thing I’m buying you is that black BMX with all the chrome and the wheel pegs—” I couldn’t even finish because Liam was laughing so hard in my arms.
“Wha-what are you talking about? A bike?”
“It’s the bike you had your heart set on when you were twelve. You wanted it for your birthday, but the damn thing was so expensive. Your parents couldn’t get it for you, and I kept trying to convince my parents to buy it for you, but they said it wasn’t right. I even argued that we could keep it at our house and you could ride it each time we had sleepovers.”
Tears glistened in Liam’s eyes. “Fuck. You’re so adorable. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Please, don’t buy me a bike.”
“A car?”
“No.”
“A house?”
“No.”
“A dinosaur?”
“How about a dinosaur costume to match mine?” Liam suggested. “We can have antics and shenanigans around town.”
“Yes!”
Liam was perfect for me. And there would never be anyone else whom I could love more.
EPILOGUE
LIAM ROSE
