Page 11
ASHLEY
Liam kept leaving little things around the house without telling her – but something was wrong. The roses, the treats, the scented soaps. And now, while she was away for the last two days, she had returned to see that there was a fresh driveway laid.
It was so unexpected, so surprising, and she was so exhausted from two back-to-back flights that she had driven right past the house before she realized that it was supposed to be her driveway – and had passed it.
There was no gravel turn, no dip at the road from where she needed to have more rocks put down.
It was smooth, perfectly paved and complete with two big bushes of bright pink peonies on either side that looked freshly mulched.
She put her truck into reverse on the empty road, backed up about twenty feet, and then pulled into the driveway… reeling.
They were supposed to meet the team that evening, and her flight had been delayed, but seeing his car in the driveway seconds before she saw him leaving the house, shutting the door behind her – that was enough to say ‘ We’re in a hurry!
’. He raced to her truck, hopping in like he’d done this v ery move for years, and yanked his buckle across his torso that was emblazoned with two huge numbers across his chest along with a jagged slash that looked like a claw mark.
“Let’s go,” Liam began – and her mouth dropped open.
“Are we not going to talk about the driveway?” she blurted out, putting the truck in reverse. As she backed onto the road, she caught a glimpse of him shrugging as he texted someone.
“I’m letting the coach know we’re on the way,” he offered without her asking – and then met her questioning look as she started to accelerate forward, picking up speed as they headed into the city.
“The driveway?” she prompted in disbelief.
“It’s gonna be nice this winter,” Liam replied easily and put his phone in the cupholder, turning to look at her.
“You mentioned working in the yard or helping around the house… and well, I’m helping.
If I’m going to be clearing the driveway this winter, it needs to be an actual driveway instead of a gravel one.
I don’t want you slipping or worrying about it later on, besides I like the peonies. They look nice.”
He was talking about the flowers, brushing off the fact that he had a driveway laid at her house.
The casual mention of winter together was well past that ninety-day mark and wasn’t exactly considered ‘yard work.’ This was something decisive, pushy, something that couldn’t be ‘undone’ easily…
and honestly? Expensive. If he’d whipped out a five-carat diamond ring, it would have had the same effect, leaving her stunned and speechless.
He bought her a driveway.
A truck, now a driveway and was discussing the peonies .
“I wanted to surprise you,” he began in the silence that seemed to hang between them, looking concerned. “If I’ve overstepped or…”
“The peonies are lovely – and my favorite flower,” she admitted, not looking at him and swallowing the confused feelings inside of her. “The driveway is gorgeous and looks so beautiful. I actually passed the house and had to back up. Thank you for this, Liam – and I mean it.”
“It’s for us… and you never have to thank me,” he offered in a hushed voice that seemed almost shy. “I’m trying out the whole ‘husband’ thing and wanted to surprise you.”
“I was very surprised and happy.”
“Good.”
“But you shouldn’t have,” she added, feeling guilty and chancing a glance at him as she pulled onto another road leading to the arena. “It was a lot of money, and you’ve already spent a lot on this temporary marriage between us.”
“Don’t worry about the money – and call it an investment in friendship between two people who are trying to put their best foot forward for both of our sakes,” he replied in a quiet voice, making her look at him again. “You look lovely.”
“I’m in my work uniform,” she hesitated in disbelief as they pulled into the parking lot that was already filling up with cars. “I’ve been on my feet for hours and…”
“I know,” he interrupted. “Which makes me appreciate you doing this for me even more, Ashley. Just please, please, act like you want to be there with me tonight. Pretend we’ve got our stuff all figured out because no one knows that I got married for this job - except you. I’m nervous that someone will know.”
“I can do this,” she replied, pulling into a parking spot and turning off the truck. “I’ve got a few more hours of ‘be polite ’ in me still, especially after you did something so kind as surprising me with the driveway.”
“I didn’t do it for that,” he began stammering, looking almost dismayed – and she reached out to touch his arm, steadying him.
“I know,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. “You look nervous.”
“I’m very nervous about tonight.”
“Breathe and watch me,” she instructed, “It’s all about your posture and the eyes. Relax your shoulders, breathe, and bring your eyebrows down. If you try to ease your expression, then you don’t come off as nervous but rather calm and in charge.”
“Oh, I could use that,” he chuckled, drawing in a deep breath, and looking at her across the center console. “You always look so calm and in control.”
“Plenty of practice in the mirror,” she admitted quietly.
“I used to be a nervous wreck when I was younger, always worrying about what people thought of me, how I looked, and so on… I had a counselor give me those tips, which is why you never see me talk much with my hands. It’s a dead giveaway I’m freaking out. ”
“Oh really?”
“Yup. When I interview, I usually sit on my hands.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Liam chuckled softly. “Shall we?”
“You bet,” Ashley replied and got out of the truck, walking around the vehicle and to his side.
She took his hand like it was nothing – and was in the middle of marveling at how good it felt to hold his hand, how warm it was, and how it just seemed to fit her own, when he leaned over and dropped the softest kiss on her cheek.
Startled, she met hi s eyes and saw his gentle gaze mixed with that devastating smile.
“If I haven’t already said it,” he began quietly. “Thank you for being an amazing person.”
“We’re on this roller coaster together,” she whispered, feeling her heart flutter wildly in her chest. He brought her hand up to his lips, kissed her knuckles, and nodded.
“C’mon…”
Nodding, they walked up to the arena, holding hands, and Ashley wasn’t sure what to expect, but certainly not this .
“’Bout time you got here!” a man called out arrogantly. “Does this mean I get to be late for practice if the captain is late?”
“No,” Ashley said bluntly, speaking out to shut down any disrespect immediately. She felt guilty like it was her fault they were late and heard Liam’s easy laugh beside her.
“You heard my wife, Acton – she said ‘No,’ and who am I to disobey?” Liam teased and gave her an easy look between them – but there in his eyes was a lingering look of gratitude. First hurdle crossed, now on to the next one, she mused silently, and then the next.
The place was crowded.
There were so many people, smiling and laughing together; children were running around everywhere, and it had an easy feeling to it— almost family-like, and that was not what she had been anticipating.
She expected it to be a sport-like event, full of yelling, cheering, and such – but this was more like a company Christmas party.
There were tables laden with foil chafing trays, tables full of Wolverine's stuff for everyone to take, and they were handing out T-shirts, stuffed Wolverines, teddy bears, and foam fingers in the bright red and blue that was the teams colors.
Liam was there, by her side, almost the entire evening and ta king her advice.
She kept seeing him tense up before relaxing his shoulders, drawing in a breath, and then tossing an easy smile her way, almost like it was a silent communication between them.
She couldn’t help but smile back. Sometimes, he could put his hand at the base of her spine, resting almost possessively – and if it wasn’t on her lower back, then it was on her hip.
They stood together and made small talk with a plethora of people.
She met each of the players and listened to the hockey stories they shared.
Her heels hurt her ankles, her calves ached, and she couldn’t wait to get home…, but nothing prepared her for how good it would feel to be here, beside Liam, as his wife. For the first time, she was seeing how he interacted with others around him and marveled at this man she’d agreed to marry.
She was taken aback at her own feelings that were starting to take hold within her – and how unexpected they were. What was going to happen when this whole agreement came to an end? How was she going to pick up the pieces if things continued at this pace?
She couldn’t be falling for him – could she?