Chapter Eleven
Christmas Eve- Roni/Louis' birthday
Thankfully Veronica's ailment was just a twenty-four
hour bug and cleared up quickly enough so she could enjoy her birthday.
"Today's my birthday! Today's my birthday!" Roni shouted as she jumped up and down on her bed while I tried to dress her.
"Do you want to run around outside naked?" I asked exasperatedly.
"Nope," she replied but kept jumping.
"Then let me put some clothes on you!"
"Can I pick them out?"
"Sure," I sighed as she giggled and ran to her suitcase.
"I wanna wear this and this and these!" She said as she threw the items out behind her.
"Are you sure, Roni?" I asked timidly.
"Mm-hm," she grinned.
"Alright then..."
Fifteen minutes later I had Roni dressed and ready... ready if she was to be attending the circus as a crazy cowboy.
Roni had decided on wearing blue cowgirl boots, neon green and orange tights, a skirt with a pink cow-skin print, an aqua t-shirt, denim jacket, and multicolored cowgirl hat. My child was most certainly the most unique and impeccably dressed child in all of England.
"Wow, Roni-girl... You look fabulous!" Liam complimented. She took a bow as her grandparents applauded. "You could give Woody a run."
"Who's Woody?" Roni quirked her head to the side. Uh-oh... knowing Liam, this could get dirty.
"You know! Woody! The cowboy?" He looked crestfallen when she shrugged and replied with a 'don't know him' look. "Haven't you seen Toy Story?"
"What's Toy Story?" I could see Liam's heart ripping in two at the words as if he'd never been more insulted.
"Are you meaning to tell me," he said finally, turning his attention to me, "that my child has never seen Toy Story?" I nodded ruefully, trying to keep the smile off my face. "WHAT?" He practically exploded as he bent down and gathered Roni in his arms. "I'm so sorry she's been so negligent about your movie-cation."
"What's negligent mean?" She tried to say but it came out muffled against Liam's chest. "And I can't breathe." He held her at arms length and she giggled.
"Sorry, I get worked up about that movie."
"Then why don't we watch it?"
"It's your birthday, we'll do what you wanna do." He responded, picking her up and swinging her around.
"Can we watch it tonight?"
"Course... now, do you wanna play outside? Cause I have a really cool idea."
"Sure! Let me go get my coat!" She jumped out of his arms and ran into our bedroom in a bolt of energy.
"So how's Liza?" I asked.
"Lisa," Liam corrected me.
"Whatever," the parents got up and left to do whatever old people do at ten o'clock in the morning.
"She's better today... In the shower right now."
"Oh?" I asked with what I hope was an interested look. "Will she be joining us today?"
"Probably, yeah."
"Mm... I think I'm going to get ready now." I said as I backed away awkwardly.
"Yeah? Yeah... you should do that... me too," he stuttered as he stumbled past me on his way to his bedroom, "yeah."
What the hell just happened?
"What's your brilliant idea, Mr. Payne?" I grumbled playfully as I shivered in the snowy air.
"My bril-LIAM idea, Ms. Jacobson, is to make an igloo."
"An igloo?" I responded incredulously. "Do you even know how to MAKE an igloo?"
"Someone's doubtful of my skills," he pointed an accusatory finger in my direction, "of course I know how to make an igloo."
"Yay! Igloo!" Roni shouted excitedly as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands, "Can we carve our names in it when we're done?"
"Sure can, Roni girl," Liam smiled, "C'mon, let's get cracking."
"This is hard," Lisa whined after half of the first wall was finished, "how about we take a cocoa break?" Why did she have to look seductively at Liam when she said cocoa?
"Okay!" Roni said as she bounded up the stairs to the back door. Well, she agreed to it so... why not?
"Hey, Leyla!" She called just as I was about to follow Liam and Roni up the steps.
"It's Mila," I replied dryly.
"Oh yeah... anyways!" She moved her hands as she talked and the way the sun glinted off her perfect nails pissed me off. "I know we haven't really gotten along with each other very well."
"Oh?" I tried acting surprised.
"Yeah, I know right? Anyways!" Again with the hands. "I just wanted to let you know that I'd really like to be your friend."
"Really?" Her statement caught me so off guard I almost fell over.
"Yeah, totes! But I know that you have feelings for Liam and I don't mean to hurt your feelings or anything, but I really don't think he likes you that way."
'Is this bitch for real?' I thought, staring at her with a blank face.
"You know what I mean?" She continued. "He and I have this totally deep relationship between us and I really don't think it can grow if you're still in love with him. Plus, I don't think he wants to be saddled with a baby right now... he's still a teenager," she giggled.
Apparently so... American girls are insane and should just stay in their own freaking country instead of coming to mine and telling me what to do.
"I don't have feelings for Liam," I stated. "We've just been friends for a very long time."
"Don't tell me you've never thought about having at least a one-off with him?"
"Why would I do that? He's practically my brother!" Huge, ginormous, fat-arse lie... but she can't know about Liam and I.
"Don't deny it, Martha-"
"Mila." I growled.
"Whatever, all I'm saying is that you should back off... he's mine." I could feel my eyes widening.
"Excuse me?" I sputtered.
"You heard me," she held the air of someone who was talking to a five year old who couldn't understand the difference between one and two, "he's mine."
"You're insane!" I exclaimed.
"Listen bitch," her eyes turned dark, "roses are red, violets are blue, he's for me and not for you, if you ever take my place, I'll take my fist and smash your face." She flicked her hair with a triumphant smile.
"Get that from your book of nursery rhymes? What are you, eight?" I rolled my eyes, "Now it's time for you to listen to me."
"What could you possibly have to say to me?" She put her hands on her hips and smirked at me with disdain, her obviously highlighted blonde hair shimmering in the early noon sunlight.
"I don't have romantic feelings for Liam," I pointed a finger in her face and she stepped back a bit, "second of all, it's not YOUR place to tell me where my feelings for other people should lie. They're MINE and I will do with them what I feel is appropriate."
"I-" I cut her off.
"I'm not finished! You and Liam do not have a strong bond, I've known him since we were babies and I know what he looks for in a girl, it's not anything like you! He likes smart girls, girls who have feelings and are nice, not plastic whores! Whatever you think you have now isn't real and it won't last, not for even another second if I go and tell him what you really are."
"And what am I really?" Lisa demanded to know with a stern expression, it would have worked had her eyes not shown a deep fear within them.
"A stone cold bitch," I replied as I turned my back on her, "welcome to England, honey." With that I trudged up the stairs with a smirk on my face, you can't beat me.
"Do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate, Mila?" My mum asked as she poured the delicious mixture into three mugs and a child's cup for Roni.
"Yes, ma'am," I responded, taking off my heavy coat and shaking the snow out of my hair.
"There you are then," mum smiled as she set the cups down on the table just as Lisa walked in, "enjoy!"
"Thanks mum," I gave a fake grin as I blew on my cocoa.
"Yeah, thanks Mrs. Jacobson!" Liam complimented as he chugged the steaming drink without a blink of his eye.
"Thank you," Lisa said as she sat next to Liam and stirred hers carefully with a spoon.
Soon Roni was the only one talking, going off about how she wanted to open her birthday presents as soon as possible. Because Roni's birthday was on Christmas eve, I only gave her one present the day of her birthday and she got the rest of her presents Christmas morning.
"Do you wanna open them now?" I suggested once I'd finished my hot chocolate and just wanted to avoid Lisa's careful glare.
"Yes!" She screeched as she ran into the living room where we'd put all the presents under the tree.
"Which one are you going to open from
mummy?" I asked as I sat on the floor next to her, Liam and Lisa sat on the brown couch behind us.
"This one!" She picked up a box wrapped in gold paper and began tearing it off, when she lifted up the lid of the box she squealed with such delight I covered up my ears but smiled. "IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED!"
"What is it?" Liam asked with what appeared as genuine curiosity.
"It's a cowboy teddy bear!" She pulled it out of the box and hugged it so tightly I thought the stuffing would burst out of it, "so fluffy!"
"You're welcome," I laughed, "do you want to open one from Nana and Grandpa?" Veronica nodded and took the present that I held out for her. There was a knock on the door and I stood up to answer it.
I started when I opened the door and saw who it was; "One Direction?"