Between Us

chapter eight

I nod. "Of course," I tell him, giving him a weird look. "Why wouldn't I be into it?"

He shrugs. "Well, you've changed a lot in the past few years, I didn't know it that changed too," Liam says. "So what are you making?"

"Two pecan, a pumpkin, two chocolate, a coconut, and some homemade rolls, if that counts," I list.

Liam whistles lowly. "Damn, that's a lot," he says, his eyebrows raised.

"There's going to be a lot of people," I reply, shoving a loaf of bread into a cabinet. I turn around to face him. "Your family, mine, my grandparents, and my aunt and uncle and their kids."

"Shit, that is a lot of people," Liam says with a laugh. "Need help?"

I look around, noticing that Mom has somehow disappeared. "I could probably use a little," I say, running through what I need to do in what order I need to do it in. "Wash your hands and we'll start."

* * *

"How do you do this all the time?" Liam groans, throwing himself in a chair at the island. I laugh as I continue rolling out dough for pies crusts, the dough for the rolls rising in a bowl on the counter next to me.

"Weren't you some hot-shot football player? Shouldn't you be able to handle standing in the kitchen for a few hours rolling dough?" I ask teasingly.

"In football, you don't roll dough and stand for hours," Liam tells me. The oven dings, meaning the pecan pies are done. He groans.

"Okay you big baby, I'll get them," I say, putting the rolling pin down. I wipe my flour covered hands on my jeans, then stick my hands into oven mitts.

I pull the pies out, relishing their sweet smell. I set them on the counter gently, grinning at their golden crust and perfectly cooked filling. "Look, they're so pretty! The prettiest I've ever made, I think," I say, pulling the mitts off. I look over at Liam to see him staring at me with a small smile, one I seem to be seeing a lot lately.

I gesture him over and he gets up slowly, making his way over to me. "They're very pretty," Liam says, his voice turning husky for a moment. I look up and he's not looking at the pies, but rather at me.

I try not to blush as my heart picks up its speed. "Thanks," I say, smiling.

Liam's standing close to me, so close I can feel the warmth radiating from his body. If I moved closer, just a little, and tipped my head back, just a little, we could almost kiss. Almost. Could. Because we can't. I try not to think about the fact that I'm slightly disappointed.

"You have flour on your cheek," Liam whispers, taking his thumb and brushing it over my cheekbone.

I laugh softly and step back, knowing it was probably just an innocent gesture. He clears his throat and looks away. "I have flour everywhere," I say, looking at my flour-dusted arms, shirt, and jeans. "I even have it in my hair, don't I?"

  Liam smiles again and chuckles, nodding. "Yeah," he says, eyeing my hair. I release my hair from its bun (if you could even call it that) and bend over, shaking it out. I flip my hair back as I stand up, and twist it back haphazardly before wrapping a rubber band around it.

"Next is the chocolate pie," I say, smiling brightly, almost forgetting the moment before that had my heart skipping beats. "Ready?"