Page 68 of Hired By the Enemy
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Elf?”
He shrugs. “I figure we’d go for a Christmas theme today.”
I’m still laughing when we arrive downstairs into the kitchen. Sure enough, my mother has an amazing breakfast spread laid out with a frittata shaped like a Christmas tree, eggnog French toast, and gingerbread pancakes.
Liam’s dad is already there, enjoying a cranberry mimosa.
“Breakfast first, then presents,” my mother says to us.
She meets my eyes and gives me a co-conspirator smile. By necessity, I’ve had to rope my parents and Liam’s dad into helping me with Liam’s Christmas present.
I can barely eat a bite of breakfast because nerves are swarming in my stomach.
I really, really hope Liam likes his present.
When everyone has finished breakfast, we move to the lounge, where a stack of Christmas presents is waiting under a blinking Christmas tree.
“Where’s Dad?” Liam asks, looking around for his father, who has disappeared between the kitchen and the lounge.
“I think he said something about going to your house to get presents,” Mom says.
“Okay.” Liam’s forehead is furrowed.
“I’ll go help him carry them.” I bolt in the direction of the door.
Liam’s eyebrows fly up, but I’m out the door before he can question me.
I meet Liam’s dad at the front door where he’s coming in. He hands Liam’s present to me with a smile.
Liam looks up when I enter the room, the confused expression on his face morphing into shock.
“Merry Christmas,” I say.
The golden retriever puppy in my arms squirms, so I carry her over to Liam and put her in his lap.
His arms immediately come out to cradle her, and she licks his face.
“Holy shit,” he says. He buries his face in her fur.
I hover next to them. “That’s a good ‘Holy shit,’ right? Not a ‘Why the hell did you make a major life decision without consulting me’ curse?”
When he glances up at me, his face is full of emotion. “It’s definitely a good holy shit.”
“I thought we could try out our skills with a dog first before we advance to kids,” I say.
“I can’t wait to see the kind of kids you two produce,” my dad comments.
Liam just throws me a grin as he pets our new family member. “Imagine the pranks we’ll be able to teach them. They’ll be the most awesome pranksters ever to live.”
I laugh at that as I sit on the couch next to him, reaching out to pat the puppy. She moves to lick my hand, continuing to cuddle into Liam’s chest.
“I thought we could call her Maxine,” I say. “In tribute to Max.”
He smiles. “I love that.”
“Anyway, it’s your turn to give me my gift.” I don’t add thebeat that buttercupat the end of the sentence, but it’s definitely in my intonation. Liam and I have still retained our desire to one-up each other, only now it’s morphed into a contest over who can be the best boyfriend. Which might be a tad healthier than the dynamic we had growing up.
Liam gently moves Maxine off himself and onto my lap, then gets to his feet. He looks hesitant.
