Know Me Well (Wishful 3)

Entirely unrepentant, he said, “I come from a PDA kinda family. You know this.”

And she’d always loved the easy affection between John and Molly. “Yeah but…” What could she say to that?

Molly nodded, satisfied. “I swear, you two move slower than molasses in winter. It took me six months to even get you near each other.”

Liam shifted his attention to his mother. “It…what?

“Well you weren’t doing anything about getting together on your own, so I had to do something to push you together.” She looked so pleased, Riley half expected to see feathers peeking out from her mouth.

“So you blew up the water heater?” he asked.

“No! Of course not. But that apartment’s been sitting empty for ages. I figured having you renovate it would put the two of you in the same general vicinity and nature might finally take its course.”

?

??You were trying to get us together?” Riley couldn’t wrap her brain around the idea of that.

“Of course I was. I’ve been waiting years for you both to grow up enough to figure it out. It’s about damned time, too. Honestly, I thought I was going to have to bring in reinforcements.”

“Years?” Riley repeated. “But how did you…”

Molly tapped a finger to the medallion around Riley’s neck. “Because you wouldn’t have given this to him if he didn’t matter, and he wouldn’t have worn it all these years if you didn’t.” Smiling, she picked up the casserole dish and headed for the kitchen. “Sharilyn, tell me all about you.”

Riley and Liam watched them go.

“You know, I used to think I was in control of my life,” Riley said.

“She likes to leave people with that impression.”

Somewhere in the middle of all her embarrassment, Riley felt a bit of a glow at the idea that not only had she earned Molly’s approval to take over the business but also as a worthy match for her son. She respected Molly more than almost anyone else, so her approval meant a lot. But at the same time…what went along with that approval? Expectations of…what?

Riley shied away from that thought.

Liam combed both hands through her hair, massaging her scalp as he went. “Relax. It’s just dinner. You’ve had dinner over here hundreds of times.”

“I wasn’t thinking about getting naked with you all those other times,” she murmured. “Not most of them anyway.”

Liam laughed. “Why, Miss Gower, have you been fantasizing about me?”

“It’s the dimples.”

Confusion flickered across his face. “I don’t have dimples.”

“Oh but you do. That summer you lifeguarded at the city pool? You had these board shorts that rode really low on your hips so the dimples at the top of your very fine ass showed. You wouldn’t guess half the things I’ve thought about doing with you because of those dimples.”

“Your fantasies and my fantasies should talk.”

“Given that we’re more or less back in high school with our living situations, talking is about as far as they’re going to get.”

“There’s always the back seat of the Mustang. Classic for a reason.”

“I’m not that desperate yet.”

Liam bent to press a kiss just above her collar bone. “Bet I could change your mind.” His voice was a dark velvet promise that proved they’d both be winners of that bet.

“Liam, come set the table!” Molly called.

He winced. “I’m too old for this.”