"Liam. Liam! Are you still sleeping at this hour?" A cheery voice rang throughout the house as I drifted into consciousness.
Then I realized what I'd heard and I shot up in bed. Liam was still sleeping soundly next to me, but I’d definitely heard the sounds of a woman humming and moving about the house. Then I noticed the amazing smell of sizzling bacon drifted closer.
Was there a woman inside Liam's house and was she cooking for him? What in the world? Did he have a housekeeper or some kind of weird estranged lover that broke in every now and then and made him breakfast?
That actually wouldn’t be so bad… free pancakes.
I turned toward Liam and shook him awake. "Hey, babe, wake up."
He moaned then blinked his eyes open.
"There's someone in your house calling your name. It's a woman and I think she's making breakfast. Do you have any crazy stalker fans that would do that?" I asked, only half kidding.
He squinted his eyes and then shot up suddenly.
"Oh crap. It's my mom," he said, throwing the covers off himself.
"Your what?!" I asked, my eyes growing wide.
He grabbed a t-shirt out of his closet and pulled it over his head. Did he have to cover up his abs? Wait no. I couldn't think about that right now.
I hopped out of bed and went to my oversized purse to get my clothes that I'd packed the day before. I had a pair of shorts and a summery blouse, so I pulled on the outfit quickly and tried to calm my nerves.
Let’s recap. We’d just had some raunchy sex in his living room last night and now I was meeting his mother. And oh yes, I’d gone to bed with my hair still damp. I reached up to feel around the web of tangles that had at some point been my hair. On a scale of one to toe-up, I was probably looking similar to Courtney Love on a bad day.
How would this even work? Would he walk out first and then I would follow him fifteen minutes later and explain that I'd slept in the guest room?
"Oh, ha-ha, I always come over to Liam's house at the crack of dawn... no, of course, I didn't have sex with your son last night."
"I forgot she was coming into town." He eyed me with amusement. "I've been a little preoccupied."
I wiped my hand down my face and then ran to the bathroom so I could pee and brush my hair. Thankfully once I was done, I looked semi-presentable.
"Ready?" Liam asked when I'd returned from the bathroom.
I gulped. "Are we going down together? What are you going to tell your mom? Does she know you have girls stay over?"
"I'm 25, Kinsley, not 15."
I rolled my eyes. That wasn't helping. He stepped closer and wrapped me up in a tight hug so that only my tiptoes were left on the floor. "Besides, she knows about you and she's wanted to meet you."
I pressed my lips into a thin line. Had he really talked to his mom about me? I remembered him mentioning her visit the other week. I couldn’t believe we'd completely forgotten. I should have had it tattooed on me somewhere.
He loosened his grip and then took my hand to lead me toward the kitchen.
"Mom!" Liam yelled as we rounded the corner.
"Liam!" she exclaimed, turning from the stove and throwing her arms around her son. I pulled my hand out of his so they could have a private moment, but it only took her a second before she glanced up and saw me standing there with my hands clasped in front of me.
"You must be Kinsley!" she beamed, pushing Liam aside like he was yesterday's news and then stepping forward to wrap me in a hug. Citrus. His mother smelled like fresh citrus, and I took a deep breath as she enveloped me in her arms.
"Hello, Mrs. Wilder," I smiled when she released me. Her eyes scanned over me, not to size me up, but rather just to get a good look at me. She was an inch shorter than me with the same dirty blonde hair that sat atop Liam's head. Hers was mixed with a few strands of grey though. She was probably in her mid-fifties, but she exuded a youthful air and I think I fell for her instantly. I wanted her to like me.
"You have the best taste, Liam,” she winked at me. “He gets that from me," she said before going back to tending the stove. "Do you like bacon and eggs, Kinsley? I've got some muffins going in the oven as well." The more she spoke, the more I noticed her slight English accent. It added to her charm.
"I love all breakfast foods," I said, patting my stomach. She beamed at me again and then I finally glanced toward Liam. He'd been resting against the refrigerator wearing a playful grin. I winked and stuck my tongue out at him before turning back to his mother.
"Do you need help with anything? I'm pretty good with eggs. Wait, let me rephrase that, sometimes I can scramble eggs without burning them," I offered.
"Could you start making some coffee? I was filling the pot when you guys walked in," she answered. I immediately started tending to the coffee while Liam grabbed the cream and sugar.