LIAM (Book Two)

TWENTY

"Lily, are you sure you want to get through this?"

I hissed, placing the heated pot of masala on the counter, and waved my hand to cool the heat off. "Yes, I'm sure, Effie. I realized he needed to know; otherwise, I would regret it once I moved in with Birdie."

Effie had a large tablecloth from the storage closet of my house. Clark and Sam are grabbing the portable table to put in the back.

"I know. But you first decided not to tell him, but after returning from the cruise, you changed your mind. You guys had called it quits."

"We didn't call it quits; we simply became friends."

"But it isn't weird that you're telling a friend he's the father of your child."

"Effie, why are you such a mom about Lily and Liam's relationship status?" Clark popped up, holding the table under his arm. "Let the poor girl have her dinner date with her dream guy."

"Just the other day, you were going crazy once I told you about it, and you're backing her up?"

I turned off the stove and checked the chicken I had bought from the supermarket. Tonight I'm serving chicken masala and rice. I was supposed to add the chicken to the masala, but I decided to do it differently. Once the roast chicken is done, I'll have it cut into pieces evenly, place them on a plate, add the white rice and then pour the masala sauce. Just a simple dish I've learned watching on YouTube.

Yeah, YouTube is a very reliable site for getting quick answers.

"Effie," I said while looking at her. "I'm doing this. No matter what. And if it works out, he and I will arrange for us to spend time with our child."

"This is Liam we are talking about," Effie sighed, "I mean, when Rex learned about my sister's pregnancy, he went on Papa Bear and shit being with her, watching her like a hawk, and never left her side. Liam will be the same as you. I mean, if you two agree to "just" be friends, what will happen if you two decide to date other people while they learn you got a kid together, and you are not even married."

"Effie, there are lots of couples who aren't together and have a kid and still make time to share custody," Clark explained, grabbing his bag off the couch. "I know you're worried about Lily, but she has made her choice."

Effie wanted to say something, but nothing came from her open mouth and pout. "I'm just worried he might hurt you again. I know he is Logan's twin, but they both have different personalities."

"Effie, I know what I'm doing," I went around the island table and embraced her. "It's going to be okay. I've already brought it up to him; don't worry."

Effie continued to pout like a child, which made me laugh then Clark took her wrist.

"Come on, Effie; we had done our jobs here. Let's leave before you sabotage their dinner."

"Bye, Lily," Effie whimpered like a puppy getting kicked out for bad behavior. "Don't forget to call me and detail your dinner."

"I won't," I followed them to the door until Clark and Effie got inside Clark's car. Effie waved goodbye as the car drove off the street.

Once I could no longer see the car, I glanced at my watch, looking at the time and rushing to get changed before Liam showed up.

I took a shower, shaved my legs, of course; I don't want to forget that, did my makeup, and had my hair braided into one to have my hair in waves since I don't have enough time to use my straightener to easy do it for me, and wore my most stunning dress Dad had made for me last year as a birthday gift. He told me the dress could only be worn if it was a very "special" occasion. I wasn't sure before what he meant, but now I do. The dress was styled of a grey off-the-shoulder sleeve mini dress. I blow-dried my hair for a few minutes to get the waves in shape; I headed outside to see the setup that me, Effie and Clark worked hard on as if I'd entered a fantasy world. The whole decorations were a little; I had to improvise with some of Dad's outdoor figures he uses to decorate the house during the holidays. The table was set off an Alice and Wonderland theme with two different chairs. The pool has fireproof water lily lanterns that float to create a pond. I didn't want to go all out with the decorations, but I couldn't help myself.