Page 37 of Liam

Tears prick her eyes at the kindness they showed her. “What if he does not wish to wait until marriage?”

“Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know. I am trying to figure out if my culture is still a part of me that I want to keep, but I do not know yet. At the moment, Liam is more important than anything, and I want us to share this connection on every level.”

“Then Liam will wait, and if he doesn’t, then he’s not the man I think he is. But trust me, Liam cares for you. Alex told me he’s seen it.”

“As for your traditions and history, you’ll know when the time is right to move things forward with Liam, and if that involves marriage and you want that, he’ll wait and if it doesn’t involve your cultural traditions and you still want to wait, then that’s your choice. Personally, I think you should play it by ear. You’ll know when you know.”

“How did you know when it was Blake?”

“When he washed my hair after my attack. He was so gentle and tender with me, and he never left my side the whole time.”

Taamira turned to Callie. “And you?”

“When he made sure my dog was safe even though everything was going to hell around us.”

Taamira glanced at Evelyn.

“The moment I set eyes on him when I was six years old, and when we were reunited it was the second he showed me the room he’d set up in his home for me to paint in, in case he ever found me.”

She sighed with emotion, her hand coming to her heart at that story, as she looked at the women surrounding her—her new friends—and Taamira realised Liam had given her this too and she fell even deeper for him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

LIAM SIGHED AS HE SAW HIS HOME COME INTO VIEW. HE AND ALEX HAD BEEN UP SINCE THE ASS CRACK of dawn, both wanting to get the early start so they could get home. Liam smiled to himself at the thought of home, which was something he’d not done in a good long while. He and Alex had checked the venue as best they could, and all threats had been mitigated as much as possible.

When they were both happy with how to move forward, they had emailed a plan to Jack for him to approve and left. The only worry that Liam couldn’t get out of his head was her brother’s attendance, but he had no plans to leave Taamira’s side while she was there so that would hopefully eradicate that one.

Grabbing his overnight bag from the boot of his car, he stepped in the front door and heard music coming from the kitchen and the scent of something sweet. He dropped his head in the office and saw Waggs working on his laptop.

Waggs looked up, eyebrow raised. “Get everything sorted?”

“As much as possible. You know how these things go.”

Waggs pursed his lips. “That I do, my friend.”

Liam jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “The Princess in the kitchen?”

Waggs chuckled. “Well, it ain’t Mitch baking and listening to pop music.”

“Best go see if I have a kitchen left.”

Liam dropped his bag and strode to the kitchen. He entered quietly and leaned his shoulder on the door jamb as he watched Taamira jigging to the music as she overfilled a pie shell with apple. The grin on his face tipped in a full-blown smile as he watched her make herself at home in his kitchen, and a feeling of completeness settled around him.

Liam moved forward quietly and slipped his hands around her waist, causing her to jump and shriek, as she tried to spin.

“Princess, it’s just me.”

He saw her fright turn into happiness at the sight of him.

“You’re home!”

She didn’t know how right she was when she said that, and another lock clicked into place around his heart.

“Yeah, treacle, I’m home.”

The light in her eyes shone as she held her messy, sticky hands away from his shirt. His arms rested on her hips, her body close to his, driving him wild as her scent and the softness bombarded him.