Accidental Proposal (A Year Agreement Book 1) (10 page)

The closer we got to the door, the more I noticed how big the house actually was. The front yard was big with two tall trees shading the lawn, and from here I could see a cobblestone path that probably led to the backyard. The house was easily on two to three acres of land; it kind of reminded me of a ranch. My foot was about to land on the first step leading to the front door when the deep cherry-red door flew open.

“Liam, my baby!” a female voice yelled from in front of us. Liam dropped my hand to catch the woman who flew at him. I watched as a smile spread across his face. He wrapped his arms around the woman, who I assumed was his mother. As she pulled away from him, I took that moment to study her. She had dark brown hair that went to her shoulders. I couldn’t tell what color her eyes were, but I would bet they were the same color as Liam’s. She looked to be in her early fifties, if that. Her face wasn’t marred by plastic surgery. Instead, I could see the slight wrinkles by her eyes and mouth, indicating she smiled a lot. She stood a little taller than me and was wearing a pretty sundress that showed off her tan arms. After she was done hugging Liam, she turned to me, and I was correct. She had blue eyes just like Liam’s, but softer.

“You must be Jenna! I’m Lilly.” She smiled at me before engulfing me in a big hug. I was surprised, standing stiff in her arms, but I found myself relaxing instantly and hugging her back. “My, aren’t you a pretty little thing?” she said, pulling away but keeping her hands on my shoulders. I blushed from her comment, looking down so my blonde hair would cover my face.

“Is that who I think I it is?” said a deep voice through the door. Lilly moved to my side, swinging an arm around my shoulder. A tall, older, handsome-looking man walked through the door with a wide grin. He stood about six foot two, had brown hair with a little grey in it, and a face like Liam’s. Liam had the same cheekbones and jaw line as his father. As Liam’s father hugged him, I couldn’t help but think he was very handsome for being in his fifties. After hugging Liam, he turned to me, and I was surprised as a pair of grey eyes stared at me. His face was sprinkled with laugh wrinkles, and a few were probably from stress in having to run a company. He smiled kindly at me before coming to a stop just ahead of me. “You must be the girl that has gotten my son tied down.” I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

He suddenly pulled me in for a bone-crushing hug. I stood still in his arms. This was the third time someone has hugged me in years. For having never met them before, it felt good to be in their arms. They both radiated love and “parent,” if that was a thing. Being hugged by a parent figure was different than being hugged by someone else; you felt warm, safe, and protected from everything.

“I’m Adam,” he said finally, pulling away from me. “You sure are pretty. What are you doing with a boy like my son?” he joked, grinning widely at me, then at Liam. I looked over at him just in time to see him roll his eyes at his dad but smiling anyways. It was weird seeing Liam relaxed and with a smile. Whenever he’s around me he was just cold, his face like a stone.

“Julie’s not here yet, but let’s head inside and start getting the table ready for lunch.” Lilly suggested, nodding at both of us before walking ahead of me into the house. I followed after everyone, and as soon as I passed the entryway, I tried not to gawk at everything or drool from the amazing smell running through the house. The inside was decorated wonderfully with pictures on the walls of most of the family, and what looked like fake flowers were placed in the hallway and probably throughout the house as well.

Following Liam, we went under an archway and came into a pretty kitchen. It was a little bigger than Liam’s, with light brown wood and a little dark mixed in with the cabinets, speckled granite counter tops, and a flat stove-top. There was a swinging door on the left side of the kitchen a little further down, which I assumed went to the dining room. Pots and dishes littered the stove and counter, making the smell of yummy food even stronger than ever.

“Boys, can you grab those plates and bring them to the dining room?” Lilly asked, to which Liam and his father nodded, each grabbing a plate filled with something I didn’t get a chance to see. Turning, I saw Lilly struggling to grab enough wine glasses. I quickly ran over to her.

“Here, let me grab those,” I said, taking most of them and strategically placing them in my hands and arms so they wouldn’t fall. Tell-tale sign I use to be a waitress.

“Oh thank you, hon. Are you okay carrying all of those while I grab the wine?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Seeing her move around the kitchen, I instantly knew she did a lot of cooking. She walked around like she owned the room and could probably grab something blindfolded. After she grabbed a bottle of red wine from the fridge, I followed after her to the dining room. I didn’t really have the heart to tell her I didn’t drink, nor was I of age to do so. Liam’s mom set the wine down and started grabbing the glasses from me. I looked around and saw expensive-looking plates and even silverware on the table. I felt like I was in the wrong house. I was used to eating off paper plates or cheap plastic ones from the dollar store, not ones that were easily the amount of my rent.

“I hope you like lasagna, Jenna. I didn’t have time to make anything more than that. And I hope you’re not a vegetarian,” Lilly apologized, looking at me pouring wine into every glass.

“No, that sounds wonderful, and I’m not,” I said sincerely. It had been such a long time since I’d had a real homemade meal, that anything sounded good.

“Mom! Dad! Is Liam here yet?” a sudden voice yelled as I heard the front door close, the sound of heels clicking on the tile coming in the kitchen. Before anyone could reply, a gorgeous, tall brunette came into view. She had long, thick dark hair that fell in waves down her back. She was wearing a pair of light blue skinny jeans that showcased her long legs and a cute lace shirt that hugged her upper body. Staring at her, I felt really self-conscious. She had a gorgeous face and just as gorgeous of a body. I felt little and ugly next to her. Liam’s parents moved away from the table and hugged her before a pair of matching grey eyes like Adam turned to me. They landed on Liam, who was next to me, her smile widening.

“Baby brother!” She grinned, coming toward us.

“I’m not your baby brother. I’m older than you, dimwit,” Liam said but grinned widely at his sister, coming around the dining table to hug her.

“Well, you act like a baby even though I am the youngest, so that makes me older than you,” she retorted. I held back my grin, liking the way she talked to Liam. “And you are Jenna,” she said, once her and Liam had separated. It seemed like everyone already knew me.

“And you must be Julie,” I said, rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans and sending her a small smile. I was surprised yet again as she pulled me into a hug.

“I am. It’s nice to meet the girl who tamed my brother,” she said, pulling away. We were all silent for a minute, and I quickly took that time to look her over. Liam or even Lennon hadn’t told me what Julie did for a living, and I couldn’t ask her point blank since I’m supposed to already know. Just from first glance I figured she was a model. With her tall, slim body and good looks, she had to be one. In the second I’d seen her walk in, that confirmed my theory. Having worked at the diner for hours with nothing to do, I would people watch, and I got pretty good at it. It was actually pretty sad that I could figure out a random stranger’s life but not my own. I turned to Lilly after Julie and studied her. Liam’s father, of course, founded their company, but from looking at Lilly I could tell she wasn’t really a business type of person. She seemed more free, or at the very least less uptight. Seeing as the house was beautifully decorated, I was also going to guess she was a designer. I really hoped my guesses were right or I’d make an utter fool out of myself.

“Okay, let’s eat,” Lilly said, clapping her hands. We all moved to the table at the same time. Going around to the opposite side of Lilly and Adam, Liam pulled out my chair for me. I shot him a smile in thanks, taking a seat. He sat to my left, Julie sat at the end of the table to my right, and Liam’s parents sat across from us. I grabbed the napkin under my silverware and placed it in my lap, watching as Lilly stood up and spooned portions of lasagna onto everyone’s plate. Liam grabbed mine and held it out for his mom before placing it back in front of me.

“There is plenty more, you guys, after you’re done. I made extra, just in case.” Once everyone had their plates filled with food, Adam raised his wine glass.

“To Jenna. I know we have just met you, but I can already tell you are perfect for my son,” he said with a smile at me. “You’re already great for putting up with him. Cheers.” I laughed softly and clinked glasses with everyone. I took a small sip and had to force myself not to make a face. To me it tasted bitter, but I didn’t want to offend anyone.

“Nice, Dad,” Liam said, shaking his head and taking a bite of his garlic bread. When I took a bite of my lasagna, I almost moaned. It tasted amazing!

“So, Jenna, tell us a little bit about yourself. Liam here hasn’t been too forthcoming about you.” Feeling all nervous again, I swallowed my food.

“There’s not really much to tell,” I said quietly.

“Yes there is. About how old are you?” Lilly prompted, eating her food and looking at me patiently, waiting for an answer. I felt Liam’s father and sister staring at me as well, waiting.

“I am nineteen. I’ll be twenty in a few weeks.” She raised an eyebrow at my age but didn’t say anything, thankfully. “I, uh, grew up here in New York, and I work at a coffee shop called Juice N’ Java,” I said, not wanting to talk about myself.

“Isn’t that the place across from the office?” Lilly asked, turning to Liam.

“Yes, it is. That is how Jenna and I actually met,” Liam answered, reaching for his wine. She nodded at him.

“How are your parents taking this engagement, Jenna? Are they excited? I bet they and your siblings were surprised,” Adam said suddenly. I instantly froze at the mention of my parents. This was the part I had been dreading. I was hoping the subject wouldn’t come up, but I knew that thought would be too good to be true. I didn’t want to say anything and get their pity. They all sat there waiting in silence for my answer, even Liam. I could tell Liam was confused on why I wasn’t answering, but my throat seemed to be clogged. Feeling all of their gazes, I forcefully swallowed, knowing I had to answer.

“I…I don’t have any parents or siblings,” I said softly, looking down at my plate.

“Oh…I…” Adam trailed off, obviously looking over at Lilly for help.

“We’re so sorry, Jenna,” Lilly said, her voice filled with sincerity and sadness. I looked up at them, sending them all a small smile.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” I could tell they knew I didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so Julie started talking. I could have hugged her in that moment.

“How long ago did you guys meet?” she asked, chewing and waiting for our answer.

“About a year ago,” I answered before I could stop myself. I felt Liam’s hand suddenly on my thigh, squeezing it, making me look toward him.

“That’s weird. I thought you were still with Carmen a year ago,” Julie pointed out, clearly confused.

“Well, we met a year ago, but we didn’t start dating for a while. It was a good two months before we even went on our first date. I had spilt coffee all over his suit the first day we met,” I lied. Time to get my acting on. “He wasn’t the happiest at that moment, and he didn’t say anything to me. He just walked out.” I turned and faked a smile up at Liam. He seemed surprised at first but quickly recovered.

“Sounds like Liam,” she said, grinning and shaking her head.

Thankfully no one asked anymore questions after that, but I knew after dinner Liam and I were going to have to come up with some good lies to tell his family. I sat there, quietly eating and watching as everyone talked to each other. Liam seemed relaxed and had a carefree look on his face, which made me wonder why he acted so cold toward me. Lilly and Adam included me in their conversations, and I could feel myself relaxing and enjoying myself throughout the meal. Something about Liam’s family pulled at something inside of me that I hadn’t felt before. I felt myself letting down my walls a little bit as I smiled and laughed.

Chapter Ten

Lunch and dinner went by smoothly after the awkward conversation about my parents. Thankfully, Liam’s parents didn’t say anything else about it, and I was actually starting to relax around them. They were definitely different than I’d originally assumed; I thought they would stuck-up and rude, but instead they were all really nice and pretty sarcastic when they wanted to be. Lilly, Liam’s mom, was very down to earth and was always smiling. Adam, Liam’s father, was just as nice and seemed to always have something to say, even if it was just a sarcastic remark. And Julie, Liam’s sister, was mix of both her parents; she was really sarcastic and witty and made everything less tense. I knew I would be getting along with her just fine.

We had just finished eating and were sitting there when Julie suddenly gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. I looked at her confused and then looked up at Liam next to me.

“Is that your ring?” The moment Julie said it, Lilly snapped her head toward me. Her blue eyes looked down at my hands, which were on the counter. I had actually forgotten it was there.

“It is…beautiful!” Lilly exclaimed, grinning widely at Liam and me. “You have to tell us how Liam proposed to you, Jenna!”

“Yes. Was it sweet and amazing?” Julie joined in.

“Liam, you tell it the best,” I said, turning to him and smiling sweetly at him. He glared down at me.

“No, you do, sweetie,” he bit out. I shot him a look, but an idea popped in my head.
Well, he asked for it.

“Okay. Well, we had already been going out for eight months when Liam all of a sudden started acting weird and rude. He kept pushing me away and wouldn’t answer my calls or texts,” I said.

“Liam!” His mother turned and glared at him. I stifled my laughter at the glares Lilly and Julie sent Liam, who in turned glared at me.

“After about three days of avoiding me, he suddenly showed up at my work and asked me to go on a date. Since I was really in love with him, I said yes, although I was hurt. Anyways, that night he picked me up and drove toward the beach. For our second date, he took me to the beach after a romantic dinner. As we pulled up and walked a little ways in the sand, we came to a stop in front of a blanket and candles. Apparently Liam here had someone set it up for us while we were on our way.” I plastered a smile on my face, looking at Liam and moving my hand up his arm. “He was so nervous and kept stuttering as we sat there. After a while of him trying to say something, he finally got down on his knee just as the sun was setting. It was perfect, aside from his nervousness and his red face.” My hand was now on his shoulder, squeezing it. “He acted the way he did because he was scared of my answer and wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Awww, that is so sweet,” Lilly cooed, smiling at us.

“Honey.” Liam looked down at me. “I don’t remember it being that way.”

“It was, sweetie pie, but it was perfect.” I squeezed his upper arm hard, but he didn’t even flinch. Any opportunity to embarrass him, I was going to take it.

“Look at you two.” I held back my smirk. Hey, if Liam wanted me to tell the story of our proposal, then he’d better like what I’d come up with. “Let me go get the dessert really quick,” Lilly said suddenly, standing up.

“Here, let me help you,” I offered, feeling Liam’s hand tighten down on my thigh.

“No, you’re the guest, you sit down. Adam, you can come help me?” She shot Liam’s father a look, silently telling him to get up.

They left the room, and I sat there awkwardly, feeling the warmth of Liam’s hand on my thigh soaking through my jeans.

“You’re going to pay for that later,” Liam suddenly whispered in my ear. His warm breath tickled my neck, and his voice was deep, making a shiver run down my spine.

“So, Julie, you’re a model?” I asked, breaking the silence and Liam’s hold on me.

“I am, actually.” She grinned over at me. Relief ran through me. I was right and didn’t make a fool of myself. “Right now I’m one of the Victoria’s Secret models.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I thought I recognized you from somewhere.” When I was sitting in my room bored watching TV the other day, several commercials came up for Victoria’s Secret, and Julie had been one of the girls. “How did you get into modeling?”

“I honestly don’t know. I kind of just went with it a few years ago, and now I love it. I don’t always do Victoria’s Secret campaigns. Sometimes I do other modeling, but it’s mostly on the side. Right now I’m doing both modeling and going to school.”

“Oh, wow. What university are you going to?”

“Columbia. How about you? Are you attending a university?” Julie asked, drinking her wine and looking at me.

“Um, no, not at the moment.” I’d never really thought about going to college. I’d just been so focused on trying to make ends meet that college wasn’t even in the picture. I’d graduated high school, but barely. I was more absent than not because I had to watch some of the younger kids at the home while everyone was at work. Sitting next to everyone who had or was going to college made me feel very stupid.

“That’s okay. College isn’t for everyone,” Julie said kindly just as her parents came back into the room. They both carried plates with some kind of pie that looked amazing.

“Here you go. Jenna, I hope you like blueberry pie,” Lilly said, placing a plate in front of me.

“Thank you. It looks great. Did you make it yourself, Mrs. Stanford?”

“Oh please, call me Lilly. I didn’t make it. I actually bought it at the store. I can’t make a pie this good.” She chuckled, taking a seat as everyone dug into their pies. As I took a bite, I held back a moan at how good it was. Who knew blueberry pie could be so delicious?

We ate in silence, and I glanced around at everyone. Liam was strangely quiet the entire meal, only saying a few words. He was eating in complete silence, not even paying attention to anything else. Julie was eating her pie slowly while occasionally looking at Liam and me, and Liam’s parents seemed to be in a silent argument, giving each other pointed looks. I ducked my head, not wanting to be caught staring.

“So, Liam and Jenna…” Lilly’s voice broke the silence, making all of us look at her. She seemed to be trying to decide if she should say what she wanted to or not. “When is the wedding?” she finally blurted out. She looked a little ashamed, but not really. She sat there, staring at us expectantly.

Not knowing what to say, I turned to Liam, who thankfully was looking at me too. I asked him what we should do with my eyes, and he seemed to get the hint.

“We haven’t decided just yet,” came his simple, yet perfect, response.

“You haven’t thought about the date, location, guests, anything?” Lilly looked like she was about to have a heart attack any moment.

“No, Mother, we haven’t. We’ve only been engaged a few weeks.”

“It’s okay, no need to stress. I’ll help you guys get everything ready, and so will Julie. We are going to make this the greatest wedding ever,” Lilly said, taking deep breaths. “We have so much to do!” She clapped her hands together. I stared at her wide-eyed, not really liking the excited look she had on her face. Why did I have a feeling this wedding was going to be over the top?

“We need to get a date set, then think about a theme, guests, and bridesmaids! And a dress!” Lilly rambled, not even stopping to take a breath of air.

“Honey, not right now. We can figure that out later,” Adam said, putting his hand on his wife’s arm.

“Sorry, you are right. I’m just so excited.” Her blue eyes sparkled.

“How about we take this to the living room?” Adam asked, sliding his chair back. Everyone got up and out of their seats. As Adam, Liam, and Julie started walking out, I looked at the table and saw it was still covered with dirty plates. The room was emptied a second later, and the waitress in me started piling up the plates, balancing them all in my arms. Using my butt, I opened the swinging door to the kitchen and set them by the sink. I knew I was the guest here and should be out there with them, but I needed a moment.

I started washing the dishes, thinking about everything. Liam’s parents seemed to buy our lie about how we met and when we got engaged. I always thought that when I got engaged it would be really sweet and real, not some made-up scheme with a guy I didn’t even know and who didn’t like me. I already felt bad about lying to Liam’s parents, especially after how nice they had been to me today. They seemed like really nice people, and I didn’t even want to begin thinking about how they’d act when they learned this was all fake. It was honestly very sad that I had stooped this low, lying to strangers for money. I had only a few dishes cleaned when Lilly suddenly appeared out of nowhere, scaring me.

“There you are! What are you doing?” she asked. I jumped and put a wet hand to my chest.

“Lilly, you scared me.” I put my hands back in the sink.

“Honey, you don’t have to clean those. I can do them later.” She tried to stop me, but I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine, honestly. I need to help with something. I’d feel better if I did.” I felt her staring at me before she moved to my right side, grabbing a towel.

“You wash and rinse, and I’ll dry,” she said, taking a plate from my hand and drying it. I nodded, a small smile upon my lips. We silently washed and dried for a few minutes. “You know, you are the first girl to ever offer to help,” Lilly said suddenly.

“Oh?” I already kind of knew I wasn’t the first girl Liam had brought over to meet his parents.

“I mean he has only brought home two girls, but they never even lifted a finger to do anything. Not that I really care since I don’t mind doing it, but even the thought would be nice. I think you’re perfect for my son,” she said and glanced over at me.

“B-but you hardly even know me,” I stuttered, surprised by her remark. She just shrugged.

“I don’t need to know a lot to know you’re the right one. Thank you for helping me clean.” She changed the subject before I could say anything.

“It’s no problem. I grew up in a home, and all of us always had a chore to do. I was one of the oldest, so I did more than the little kids, but one of mine was doing the dishes.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but how long were you there?” Lilly asked softly.

“My mom left me when I was five, and I emancipated myself at seventeen.” I found myself opening up to her, and I couldn’t figure out why. I was usually a closed book, but there was something about Lilly that made me want to tell her stuff; maybe it was her mother vibe. “The home wasn’t that bad, honestly. I mean, it had its down times, but my time spent there wasn’t horrible. There had been about six of us at the one home; it was me and another guy my age, a boy two years younger than us, and three little ones who were about three to six. Two girls and a little boy.” I thought back to the kids and smiled.

Matt, the guy my age, who had been sixteen at the time, was okay. He never really had anything to do with any of us. He mostly kept to himself and stayed in his room. Ryan, the boy two years younger than me, was kind of the same but slightly more outgoing. Sometimes he would play with me and the three little ones, but he would always be a little reserved and kept to himself most of the time. Then you had the three little ones; Carrie was the oldest of the three at the age of six, and she was an angel always helping me. Then there was Thomas, the middle one at four, who was rambunctious and liked to get into everything, and finally Lea, the youngest at three, who was the cutest thing ever.

Of course the girls were my favorite, but even Thomas had a piece of my heart. When the foster caretakers were busy with work, I watched all three, and we kind of became our own group. Right before I had turned seventeen, all three of them had gotten adopted, thankfully. I was grateful and sad that they were going away, but I didn’t want them to stay here like I was. They deserved nice, loving families. That was kind of why I emancipated myself a little after I turned seventeen, because I felt even more alone. The two other boys never talked to me after the kids left, so I decided I was ready to leave. After graduating, I packed my stuff and left.

I hadn’t realized I was rambling until my hand hit the empty sink and the clink of the glass plate being put away filled my ears.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been rambling,” I said, apologizing.

“You’re fine, Jenna, really. I was the one who asked,” Lilly said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I smiled back at her, feeling my stomach churn.

A part of me was happy that I’d told someone about a little bit of my childhood and also glad that Lilly didn’t interrupt me or even judge. But the other part of me was upset with myself for easily spilling stuff about my life, and the worst part was that feeling was starting to overcome the other. I could almost physically feel myself closing myself in, like a book shutting its front cover. Shutting out my emotions was something I’d always done. Not being able to feel anything was better than feeling it all and getting hurt.
Don’t get close enough to anyone because they are just going to leave and hurt you
. That used to be my mantra, but now that I’d felt a little of what a family was like, I didn’t feel like doing that anymore.