Always Then and Now

Chapter 23

HANNAH

"How are my favourite girls this morning?"

Emily and I were at the kitchen island, eating breakfast when Liam joined us Monday morning, looking gorgeous as ever in his expensive suit. Of course, nothing could hold a candle to the sight of him shirtless, sweatpants slung low on his hips, his bare chest mouthwateringly muscled, his hair tousled and his eyes sleepy, as he'd been the other night. I wasn't sure how I'd been able to function after that. I'd been trying for two days to banish that memory from my mind. It wouldn't do any good at all to dwell on it. I pushed it away and focused on the here and now.

Liam greeted Emily with a kiss to the top of her head and me with a smile and warm hand on my shoulder before sitting down in his seat across from me and taking a sip of the coffee I'd made for him. He closed his eyes as he savoured the taste and swallowed. "Mm, thank you. What would I do without you?"

I gave him an odd look. "You'd...make your own coffee? Like you always did before me?"

"Mm, but it tastes so much better when you make it for me," he said contentedly and took another sip.

I rolled my eyes. "Well then, it's a good thing I'm gonna be here for another—what was it? Sixteen years?"

"Oh, at least," he agreed with a grin. "Maybe even longer. After all, I'll still need my coffee, even after Emily is all grown up and moved out."

"How can I say no to that? Room and board, plus my salary just to pour your coffee every morning? Done!" I grinned playfully back at him.

"Best money I'll have ever spent." He laughed, and it warmed me from my head to my toes. I loved that sound.

I shook my head at him. "You're ridiculous," I said affectionately.

"And that's just the way you like me," he countered and took another sip of his coffee.

I couldn't disagree. I loved the friendly banter between us. It was fun and silly, and it brought us closer together, strengthened our friendship. It was important to me, and I had a feeling he felt the same way. Though, anything more than that was strictly off-limits. We were already pushing past the line of what was appropriate by being as affectionately friendly as we were.

Not that I ever expected anything more to happen between us anyway. That was nothing more than a pipe dream that I wouldn't even begin to entertain. Thus, the banishment of forbidden thoughts, like how warm and smooth that muscled chest would feel under my fingertips and what the rest of him would look like underneath those sweatpants...

"Hey, so I found a solution to our Henrietta problem," he said casually as he finished his coffee, bringing me back to reality again.

It took me a second to focus, and then I narrowed my eyes at him. "We don't have a Henrietta problem; you do. But go ahead."

"Come with me." He stood and picked Emily up out of her seat, then moved to the garage, leaving me to follow behind.