Lost and drowning in his sorrows, Liam decides to disappear. He ends up finding the perfect spot to heal his mind, body and soul. Now, he just needs to fix his heart.
Penny had no idea what time she finally fell asleep, but when she woke, Liam was gone and there was a note.
Pen,
I had to go record and didn't want to wake you. I'll be back by 3. Get dressed in something nice. I'm taking you out for dinner, a show and shopping. I love you.
Liam
Penny looked over at the clock. It was 2:15. She had slept the day away. She hurried to get dressed, sending texts to Liam, trying to get an idea of what to wear.
Liam: It's a surprise. If I tell you too much, I'll give it away!
Pen: But what if I wear jeans? And you take me somewhere fancy?
Liam: Fine! Wear the purple dress.
Liam: And the thigh high stocking. *devil face grinning*
Penny giggled to herself and put on the dress. Liam arrived on time and in a black suit. He looked so handsome and so like "Liam Payne Pop Star" that she felt her knees go weak. He held out his arm for her and she put her hand on it.
"You look ravishing!" Liam said.
Penny laughed out loud. "Ravishing? Seriously?"
Liam looked hurt. "I needed another word for beautiful. I looked it up."
Penny turned and put her free hand on his cheek. "Well, thank you. You look quite ravishing yourself."
Liam grinned. "Thank you. Now, you are missing one thing. Let's go!"
Liam led her down to the lobby and into a black SUV, Paddy at the wheel. He drove them down the street and onto the Magnificent Mile, an area of Chicago know for it's shopping. They stopped in front of Tiffany's Jewelry store. "Oh, for the love of god. You talked to Marian, didn't you?"
Liam nodded. "I had to thank her for whatever she said to you last night that convinced you to give me a second chance."
"How'd you know I'd talk to her?"
"Uh, you call her before you buy a dress. I figured this was bigger than a dress." He turned to her and winked. "She told me that if I didn't get you some jewelry, then she'd take back her advice. So, here we are."
Penny blushed. "You DO NOT need to buy me anything, Liam. I am not that kind of girl. You don't need to buy me off! I don't want fancy things. I break stuff, for gods sake!"
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"No, you don't! You will be fine. And I want to. We can call it an early birthday present if it makes you feel better." Liam pulled her out of the car and took her into the store. He walked her around, looking at bracelets, necklaces and earrings. She was overwhelmed.
"Uh, why don't we just go to like Kay Jewelers or something? I like their commercials. And they have lower prices! This stuff is crazy expensive!"
"Stop looking at prices! I'm not taking you to some mall jewelry store. You like something and then you look at the price and set it down! Stop looking!" Liam pleaded.
"I can't help it! Some of this stuff costs more than my CAR!"
"Okay. I'm picking. Come here." He dragged her to the case that held necklaces. "You looked at this one the longest. It's not expensive, it's white gold like you like and it's perfect. A heart made of olive leaves. Peace, forgiveness, right?"
"Not expensive? It's nearly four thousand dollars! We could buy a hot tub for that! Let's buy a hot tub. Come on." She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away. He didn't budge. Penny sighed and let the sales woman put it on her. It looked perfect and sat perfectly on her upper chest, just below that little dent at her throat. She looked in the mirror and watched it sparkle. She loved it. She wanted it. God Damn, Liam, she thought. He knew what he was doing, making her put it on. She sighed and nodded her head. Liam gave her a huge smile and turned back to the saleswoman.
Penny wandered around, not wanting to see him spend so much money and found herself gazing at engagement rings. By the time she snapped out of her fantasy of a beach wedding, a tropical honeymoon and four brown eyes babies to steal her heart, Liam had walked over to her. She jumped as he put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "What are you thinking about?" Liam asked.
"Oh, you don't want to know. Trust me!" Penny said, untangling herself and walking out to the car.
Liam followed. "Yes I do. Were you thinking about marrying me?" Penny blushed and turned away. Liam grinned. "Yep. I knew it. And I bet you want to get married on your beach, right?" Penny refused to turn back. "Don't be embarrassed. I think about that stuff, too. I really do. And our six kids, three dogs and a cat."
That made Penny turn back. "Six! Six? Are you kidding me? Six?"
Liam roared with laughter. "Well, I guess I didn't get that part right!"
