“You can’t go around fighting everyone, Liam.”

  “You wanna bet?” he quips.

  Sighing, I push against his chest, but he doesn’t budge.

  “I was planning on doing this later, but after that shitshow downstairs, I’m not waiting any longer.”

  “To do what?”

  “To ask you to be my girl. Official, like.”

  Him throwing punches fades from my mind.

  “You like me that much?” I purr, trying to be funny.

  “Yeah, I do. What do you say? Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

  I don’t even hesitate to answer. “Yes.”

  Leaning up on my tiptoes, I go to kiss him, but he leans back with a wicked grin on his lips.

  “Ah-ah-ah. I don’t wanna ruin our makeup,” he taunts, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “But I’ll be kissing you in places that’ll have you screaming my name later.”

  Pushing away from the wall, he takes my hand. And like the last five minutes didn’t happen, he leads us downstairs where we gather with his friends.

  Alice leads me to the dance floor in the living room, and together we dance, song after song, swaying to every beat, while I sneak glances of Liam watching me from the couch. I dance because it feels freeing to lose myself in the music. But mostly, I dance for Liam because it turns me on to see the lust shining in his eyes.

  It's not long before he pulls himself up and prowls toward me. Wordlessly, he pulls me toward the stairs, and this time, he kicks out the couple who are occupying the first bedroom. They don’t need to be told twice. Once we’re left in the room alone, Liam pins me to the spot with his heated gaze.

  “I made you a promise earlier, and I’m going to make it a reality now.”

  He prowls toward me, taking long, slow strides until he reaches me. Running his finger down my cheek, it drops to my cleavage, and then he’s lifting my dress up over my hips.

  “Tell me now. Do you want this?”

  “Yes,” I breathe.

  Dropping to his knees, I look down and watch his every move. Heat builds as he tugs my panties down my thighs, leaving them in a pool around my ankles.

  “Spread your legs, Gabriella.”

  His order has my legs moving before my brain kicks in. His hands roam up my legs and squeeze my ass. His warm breath hits my inner thigh before he presses a kiss to my skin, and I suck in a sharp breath.

  “Do you want another kiss?”

  I nod, forgetting he’s not looking up at me.

  “Yes.”

  I roll over to find Liam’s side of the bed empty. Reaching over, I frown when the sheets feel cold to the touch.

  Now, with the early morning sun pouring in through the windows, I see we slept in Ethan’s younger sister’s room. The pink is very pink, and the shelves are lined with ribbons and trophies.

  Slipping out from under the sheets, I groan when it hits me that I have to dress, get a ride from Liam, who’s probably downstairs with his friends, and go home in last night’s costume. In desperate need of a bathroom, I rush down the hall and step inside, nearly hurling when the stench of vomit fills my nose. Seriously, how do Ethan’s parents trust him to be home alone when they leave town? The only obvious answer is that he has a damn good cleaning service.

  Cracking open the window while trying not to gag, I spray an expensive cologne I find on the counter and work quickly to wash the last of my make-up off. Opening the drawers, I find an abandoned hair tie and pile my hair up on top of my head.

  It’s the best I can do without climbing into the shower.

  Once downstairs, I hear laughter spilling out from the kitchen. I’m surprised when I don’t see anyone lingering around the living room or in the hall, thinking some would’ve crashed last night from getting too drunk to leave.

  “Pay up, dudes. It took me all night to earn it.” Ethan huffs as Liam passes him a wad of bills just as I walk into the kitchen.

  Callum, being the one who sees me first, tips his chin at Liam. Both he and Ethan look over their shoulders at me, while Ethan quickly shoves the cash into his pocket.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, coming to a stop beside Liam.

  Throwing his arm around my shoulders, he says, “Nothing, babe.”

  “Aw, aren’t you two the perfect couple now?” The snark in Callum’s words has me edging closer Liam.

  “Can you take me home now, please?”

  “Sure. Let me find my keys. I think I left them upstairs.”

  His arm slips from around me, and I’m left with Callum and Ethan both staring at me.

  “Did Alice go home?” I ask when the silence becomes unbearable.

  Callum tips his head up. “She’s still sleeping upstairs.”

  The silence stretches on. When I hear Liam’s footsteps pounding down the stairs, I back up and murmur, “See ya later.”

  Liam hollers to everyone that he’s out. I sigh in relief once we’re in his car, and it’s just the two of us again.

  “Callum and Ethan don’t like me, do they?”

  “What are you talking about? Of course they do.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  He raises his brow. “Do you honestly care?”

  “Not really.”

  It would be nice, though, if they did. They’re a huge part of Liam’s life, and now that I’m his girlfriend, I am too.

  “Listen, now that we’re officially together, I want you to meet my family.”

  I have no idea what to say to that. Does it mean he wants to meet my mom? I only let him in the house when she’s at work, and that’s not often, because she’s an unreliable employee.

  He reaches over and takes hold of my hand. “It’s not a big deal, but gossips around town have been telling my mom about the girl I’ve been hanging out with, and she’s on my back to meet you. She’s nice. There’s nothing for you to worry about. She’ll love you.”

  I force a smile for him. He’s obviously looking forward to me meeting the people he’s closest to in his life besides his friends.

  About twenty minutes later, we pull up outside of my house and he shuts off the engine. As he’s undoing his belt, I see mom’s car in the driveway and panic.

  “Aren’t you going home?” I ask when he makes a move to get out of the car.

  “I’m waiting for you to go get ready so you can meet my parents.”

  “You mean now? Today?” I nearly shriek.

  “The sooner the better. She won’t shut up until I bring you over.”

  “Okay… but can you wait out here? I’ll be fifteen minutes tops.”

  “Why can’t I come in?”

  I’ve managed to keep my mom’s habit from him to save me the humiliation.

  “My mom, she’s…” Shit. How do I say it out loud?

  “Is she ill?” he asks, angling his body toward me.

  He grasps my hand in his, and I focus on our entwined fingers rather than looking into his eyes.

  “Something like that,” I mumble.

  “You shouldn’t be embarrassed about me meeting her because she’s sick, Gabriella. I’m not a complete asshole.”

  “She’s an alcoholic. She’ll probably be passed out, but I’d rather you not see her.”

  Letting go of my hand, he jumps out of the car and walks around to open my door. Kneeling down beside me, he reaches for my hand again.

  “We’re together now. You don’t have to deal with that shit alone. If you have to live it, I want to know what you deal with.”

  “This is going to be so embarrassing,” I groan. As I move to get out, he stands and backs away.

  “If you won’t wait for me, let’s get this over with.”

  I go to walk by him, but he grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. Wrapping his hands around the back of my neck, he locks me in place, right where he wants me.

  It’s when he touches me like this, I grow hot and needy.

  “I couldn’t care less who or what your mom is. You’re my girl, and nothing will change how I see you.”

  Before we started dating, I judged him harshly. I never would’ve thought he could be this sweet and caring.

  He presses his lips to mine, but the moment doesn’t last as long as I’d like it to.

  Unlocking the front door, the place is silent. Not even my brothers are awake yet. I’m thankful the living room isn’t in a state, but the same can’t be said about the hall leading upstairs.

  Mom’s clothes are scattered along the carpet, as if she undressed on her way to bed. I quickly pick them up as Liam follows behind me.

  “See? Nothing to worry about. No one’s up.”

  At his words, I almost sigh in relief until my mom’s whiney voice rings in my ears.

  “Axle, is that you? Connor?”

  Shit.

  “It’s just me, Mom.”

  I try to close her door before Liam can peek inside on our way to my room, but I’m too slow.

  “I heard…” She stops and begins to heave.

  The sound of her chunks hitting the carpet is undeniable, and then her cries grow louder. She always does this. She hates being sick, yet she doesn’t grasp the concept that if she doesn’t drink so much, she wouldn’t have to puke.

  It’s so self-inflicted, and unbelievable how she doesn’t see it herself.

  Turning to Liam, I point to my door at the end of the hall. “You don’t need to see this. I’ll be there in five.”

  Thinking he’ll listen to what I actually fucking say, I slip into my mom’s room and go to shut the door when Liam sticks his foot inside to keep it from closing.

  “Liam,” I hiss.

  “Gabby, baby. Help me.”

  Mom is half-hanging off the bed, her face turning a funky shade of purple and red as the blood rushes to her head.

  For fuck’s sake.

  Rushing across to her, I’m careful not to slip on the empty bottles and get a hold on her.

  She barely weighs a thing, yet she’s still more than I can cope with sometimes.

  Getting her onto the bed, I lay her on her side, knowing that she vomits more when she’s lying flat.

  “Is that the Harris boy?” she mumbles, trying to lift the sheets up over her head to hide herself.

  “Yes. So, if you could get a grip on yourself, that’d be great.”

  “Why is he here?”

  Because he wouldn’t wait for me where he didn’t have to see this spectacle. But I say, “I’m going to meet his mom. He’s waiting while I get ready.”

  Now comes the tears.

  “Don’t worry, baby. Molly isn’t a drunk like me… Don’t hate me, Gabriella.”

  “I don’t hate you. I’m just tired, Mom. Come on, go back to sleep, and you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

  Bottles clink behind me. Spinning around, I find Liam picking up the empties. Oh, God. This could not get any more humiliating.

  I look back to my mom, who’s now out for the count. I doubt she’ll even remember this when she wakes up later; she usually never does.

  “You really don’t need to do that,” I grate out through gritted teeth.

  “Saves you from doing it.”

  With an armful of bottles, he backtracks to the living room, with me following closely behind. Directing him to the kitchen, he dumps them into the trash can.

  “Go get ready. I’ll wait here.” His tone is cold, like he’s dismissing me.

  He said nothing could change the way he saw me, but standing stiffly with his back to me, it’s like he can’t even bring himself to look at me now.

  I take the quickest shower in history and throw on my best skinny jeans and blouse. Slipping into clean socks and my boots, I braid my hair around the side of my head and apply minimal make-up. Squirting two pumps of perfume into the air, I walk through it and close my door on the way out.

  Liam doesn’t say anything when I tell him I’m ready to leave, and he doesn’t hold my hand on the way out of the house. He does walk next to me toward his car and opens the door for me.

  “How long have you been looking after her?” he asks once he’s seated behind the wheel.

  “Since my dad passed away nearly three years ago.”

  “Is it like that every day?”

  “Sometimes. Depends how far she is into her depression. She’s heartbroken, Liam. It’s like she can’t function without him.”

  He finally looks at me, and I can’t work out if it’s disgust or pity shimmering in his eyes.

  “Even so, it doesn’t mean you have to be the one looking after her. It’s her job to look after you. If you didn’t come home this morning, how long would it have taken for her to notice?”

  “I don’t know.” I want to be done with this conversation. “Can we go now?”

  “I’m not judging you, Gabriella, but I don’t like you having to play parent to her because she lost her husband. You lost your dad. Does she think about that?”

  I’ve often wondered this myself, but it’s a rabbit hole I don’t like going down. You don’t always find the answers you’re looking for.

  “You won’t tell anyone about her, will you?”

  His brows pinch together. “Of course I won’t.”

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter Seven

  Senior Year: Thanksgiving

  I thought it would be weird spending Thanksgiving with Liam’s family, but it isn’t. The holiday hasn’t been the same in my house since my dad died. Liam asked me a week ago how my mom is around this time of year, and when I told him she drinks her way through it, he basically told me I’d be spending it with him.

  My brothers didn’t even care when I told them. Connor will probably spend it with Cassie. He’s fallen head over heels for her, and barely spends any time at the house as it is. Axle will be the only one left to deal with Mom, but he’ll probably just drink with her and pass out when there’s nothing left to consume.

  “You don’t have to help, sweetheart,” Mrs. Harris says when I walk into the kitchen with the dessert dishes.

  “I don’t mind. Dinner was amazing. Thank you for having me over.”

  Grabbing the dish towel, I pick up a plate and dry it off. She must’ve spent hours preparing dinner, and the least I can do is help her clean up.

  “You’re welcome over anytime if you help me with the dishes,” she chuckles lightly. “You know, Liam hasn’t been in trouble since he’s been with you. I can’t remember the last time I had a phone call from the school.”

  Frowning, I ask, “Was he in trouble that often?”

  His reputation proceeds him. I remember him being sent to the principal’s office often for fights in the cafeteria or after school, but I don’t mention it.

  I also keep my mouth shut about the guy he punched on Halloween.

  “I’m happy he’s found you.”

  I’m not sure how to reply, so I smile, and continue drying the dishes, getting lost in my head.

  “You’ll make a good wife someday.”

  I jump at Liam’s voice in the quiet kitchen, and wonder when Mrs. Harris disappeared.

  “Just because I’m saving my virginity for my future husband, doesn’t mean I’m going to do the dishes every night.”

  Smirking, he reaches for his car keys and nods toward the door.

  “You ready to leave?”

  Folding the dish towel, I place it on the draining board and grab my coat from the back of a stool.

  “I should thank your parents for having me before I go.”

  “You’ve thanked them a million times already. Come on.”

  Swinging the keys around his finger, he takes my hand and drags me out of the house, but I manage to say goodbye to his parents as we pass them. When we’re at his car, he opens the door for me, slams it shut once I’m seated, and rounds the car to slip in behind the wheel. I don’t know what it is, but I love watching him drive. It’s the way he steers the wheel while leaning to one side with casual ease. It’s sexy to me.

  I hold my hands in front of the heater until they’re warmed through and sit back in my seat, sighing contentedly.

  “Your mom’s an awesome cook. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat for the next couple of days.”

  “She always goes overboard on the holidays, but she went all out for you today. Doesn’t your mom cook?”

  Rolling my head on the headrest, I stare pointedly at him. “My mom’s a drunk. You think she stands at the stove cooking us feasts?”

  “I hear ya.”

  Before I know it, he’s parking outside my house, bringing my happy day to an end.

  Unclipping my belt, I lean across to kiss him goodbye. He pulls away too soon, but rests his forehead against mine.

  “I should’ve said it the night I asked you to be my girl. I don’t know why I didn’t, because I sure as shit felt it... I love you, Gabriella.”

  A smile spreads across my face, and I don’t hesitate to say it back. I fell in love with Liam after he first “met” my mom. I for sure thought he’d dump me and spread it around school about my mom being a drunk, but he didn’t. He doesn’t ask after her, but he always asks how I’m doing dealing with her. I suppose I didn’t really need to hear him say the words. Looking back, I’ve felt how he feels toward me for a while.

  I barely remember to change for bed, still reeling from Liam’s declaration. Lying in the dark with the moonlight shining in through the windows, I swivel my abstinence ring around my finger, fantasizing about what it would be like to go all the way with Liam. When we kiss, I want his hands all over me. When he goes down on me, I lose my mind. When I give him head, it turns me on when he growls in pleasure. I fight an internal war every day to lock down the words “I’m ready” so they don’t escape in the heat of the moment.

  He's the perfect mix of good and bad. A bad boy who’s good to me. He loves me, and my desire for him only intensifies.

  I think he would be the perfect guy for me to give myself to. But the little voice in the back of my head holds me back, telling me it’s not the time to go all the way with him.

  My mom once told me if a guy truly loves you, he’d wait a lifetime. I’m not sure I want to fall in love with a saint, but Liam and I have only been seeing each other for a few months. While there’s doubt, I can wait. Only time will tell.