Page 87 of Pressure Point

The Thai food place that was along their three-block walk from Mrs. Jenkins’s apartment to theirs had smelled so good as they had passed, Avery had pulled him inside, claiming starvation. Even though they’d been force-fed enough food for three armies by a sweet southern old lady at lunch. But Avery was not to be stopped. Liam didn't mind one bit though. Even if his mind had been on getting her home and getting her naked ever since Mrs. J had implied it. None of that mattered though. What mattered was seeing the bright smile on her face and knowing that Thai takeout meant getting to curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

“Nothing bad,” he said, trying to calm the panic he could see rising in her. Settling in on the couch next to her, he placed his hand on her knee, wanting to reassure her. “Just I talked with Mum, and she thought that she and Da would be able to make it to Vegas for the Fremont Cup next month, but with Orla’s due date fast approaching, now she’s second-guessing the whole thing.”

“That makes sense. I thought it was weird that they said they were coming, with how all the dates lined up.”

“I don’t think Mum was really thinking that one out,” he said, forcing a smile.

“Are you okay? I mean, about that.”

Liam’s pulse jumped, and his smile eased into something a lot more natural. Avery always knew just what to say or ask. He’d always known that there was something missing in his relationship with Orla—he'd just never been able to figure out exactly what it was. Truth be told, he still didn’t have a word for it, but he knew he had it in the cute redhead who was sitting cross-legged in the corner of the couch. Everything about her set him on fire, but it was her heart that never seemed to stop surprising him. As if it were wired directly into his, she always seemed to have her finger on the pulse of his emotions. It was just one of the many things he loved about her.

“I am. I think in the back of my head I knew that it probably wouldn’t work out, so my hopes weren’t up.”

And that was the truth. He’d looked at the dates multiple times and had known there was no way that even if Orla had the baby early his parents would leave their first grandchild to come to America. His parents had always insisted they didn’t have a favorite child, but Liam knew that even if that were true, all of them would now take a backseat to the little boy or girl who would be greeting them in a month.

“But, she did say that she bought tickets, and they will be here for the last game of the regular season.”

“Oh, good!”

“And those weren’t the only tickets she bought.”

Liam’s heart rate kicked up another notch, this time out of nerves more than anything else. He’d rehearsed this in his head a bunch as he was moving the bedroom furniture from one side of the room to the other this afternoon, and he thought that he had it down. But now that the moment was here, it was a different story.

“She also bought tickets home for Christmas. For both of us.”

There, he’d said it.

Avery’s face twisted a little, seemingly working out what he’d just said.

“Both of us?” she repeated, setting her container of pad thai on the table. “You want me to go to Ireland with you for Christmas?”

“I do,” he told her, his heart filling with hope. “I want to show you Dundalk. The house I grew up in. Show you all the spots where my brothers and I used to cause trouble. Sit with you the first time you get to see the Lilywhites play at home—the Lilywhites are what we call the club back home. I want to sit by the fire with you on Christmas Eve and sleep in late and wake up with you in my arms on Christmas morning after Mum dragged us to midnight Mass.”

He turned to face her, holding his breath. Avery’s mouth was open slightly, her eyes filling with tears. Fuck, I hope those are happy tears…

“I know you have your Dad and brothers and probably have your own Christmas traditions. And I don’t mean to brush them off like they’re nothing. But—”

Avery cut him off with a kiss, launching herself at him. Her lips met his hot and hard, her tongue gliding along his bottom lip, sending shock waves through him. She continued to kiss him for a long moment, before slowly pulling back. Her eyes were still filled with tears, but there was a light in them that told Liam everything he needed to know. She couldn’t be happier.

“Of course I want to go,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his. “I want to meet your family, I want to see where you come from. I even want to snuggle that yet-to-be-born baby.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged.”

“Just know that if this Christmas is as magical as you just made it sound, then I might be ruined for all other Christmases.”

“I promise you, I will do everything I can to make every Christmas for the rest of our lives even more magical than the last. I love you, Avery.”

“I love you more.”