Planning Bliss (Bliss Series Book 1)

Part two

Who was I kidding? Two solid wood doors could not and would not deter Lily-Anne Stewart from coming right at us.

"Levi," I breathed out.

He hummed. "I know, I know." He pulled away, with a titled grin on his face. "I couldn't help myself. That was the best Christmas present." He ran a finger on my cheek. "You're so beautiful."

My face warmed. No matter how many times he had said it, it was still difficult for me to take the compliment. Not when he resembled a Greek god standing before me.

With another deep breath, he backed away. His eyes roved over me, all the way down to my painted toes, and back up again, stopping at my tassels. "Can you leave those on for later?"

I laughed at his request, shaking my head as I walked to my closet. "We better get dressed."

After picking a simple floral dress and cardigan, I made my way back to the living room to face judgement. Levi had to take a quick, cold shower. I found my mother sitting ramrod straight on my couch. Maggie and June chose the love seat across her. It wasn't hard to notice the thick tension in the room.

I avoided the chair that I had used as a prop for my little foiled dance number, and chose to stand. I spotted the red shoes I had worn earlier sitting on the coffee table that I had pushed aside to make room for my routine.

"Mom, I didn't know you guys were coming. I thought you didn't want to drive," I reasoned with her.

There was no point in avoiding the terrible awkwardness. My mother, my teenage sister and her boyfriend caught me half-naked under Levi. We might not have been doing the deed the moment they came in, but if they had arrived ten minutes later, we probably would have been. Not probably, most definitely.

My mother tilted her head up infinitesimally and flicked an invisible lint off her shoulder. "June offered to drive, and we thought we'd surprise you. I didn't realize we were the ones getting a shock."

I mentally rolled my eyes and glanced at Maggie and June. Both were too busy trying to avoid eye contact with me. "I don't even have breakfast food. I hadn't done groceries."

"It's noon," my mother bitingly corrected me.

"We brought some stuff. They're in the kitchen," Maggie explained. "We knew you'd been busy."

"Oh great. Thank you." I stepped towards the kitchen, risked another look at my mother, and chose not to fight this battle.

****
I knew Veronica was upset by the way she stood in front of the sink in her tiny kitchen. It wasn't her fault but she continued to beat herself about it. I walked over to her, wrapping my hands around her waist, and kissed her temple.

"I have an idea," I told her.

"Forget it. Mom is pissed off. She is going to fume the entire night." I made her face me, but she kept her eyes down. "It's like high school all over again with Frankie Peters at Emma Sterling's summer party. We didn't even get to kiss, and she still grounded me."

I bit back a chuckle. "Sweet Veronica," I murmured, rubbing her back. "Can you trust me on this? Will you let me take care of it? I know that you're the problem solver in this relationship, but I want you to be happy."

Veronica peered at me through her lashes. "Is it a fool-proof plan?"

"Yes." I grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen. "Everyone," I addressed the room. "Veronica and I came up with a plan that we hoped you'd like." I paused to make sure that I had everyone's attention. "How about we head over to my place and have lunch and dinner there? I've plenty of food. We can open presents. There are guest rooms each of you can have if you decide to stay for the night."