One Chance (26 page)

“But I’m still friends with Brody,” I state.

“It’s different though.  Now when you come over, it’s not to hang out with Brody, but to see me.”

Kenzie starts laughing, “Please, she always came over to get a glimpse of you.  Hanging out with Brody was just an added bonus.”

“Oh yeah?” he asks with a sexy smirk.

“Shut it,” I say glaring at Kenzie, causing her to laugh more.  “Maybe I should talk to Brody,” I suggest
, while also changing the subject off of me.

“You can, but I don’t think it’ll make a difference,” Liam states.

“Well, I will let you two love birds alone and go see what Brody’s up to,” Kenzie says as she gets up and heads out of the room.

“What are you up to today?” Liam asks.

“Hmm…I was thinking of seducing my boyfriend,” I say as I lean up to kiss him.

“That sounds like an amazing plan, but we need
to wait the full two weeks Hails,” he says as he pulls away from me.

“But I feel fine.”

“We need to listen to the doctor babe.  Once the two weeks are up, you can do whatever you want with me,” he says with a devilish look.

“But I want you now,” I say as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

“You will have me soon babe, but I’m not budging on this one.”

I pull away giving a full
out pout, “You’re no fun.”

“I’m definitely fun baby, but we can’t have sex right here either, your parents would kill the both of us,” he says as he leans in and gives me another kiss.

“I hate it when you’re right,” I sigh.

“
I’m right a lot babe, get used to it.  Now why I came over here, what do you want to do for New Years?”

“I don’t care.”

“Do you want to go to a party or something small and quiet?”

“You can decide.”

“Fine, small and quiet it is then,” he says with a look.

“
That sounds perfect.  I will let you know that Kenzie wants to throw a small party here, but I don’t foresee that happening, because Mom and Dad are not going to supply alcohol to minors, then let them drive home.”

“Yeah
, I don’t see that happening,” he says with a smile.

“
What are you doing now?”

“Hanging out with you,” he says with a confused look.

“Want to watch a movie with me?”

“Sure, let’s go,” he says as we head downstairs to the den to watch a movie.
  Liam knows my house as well as I know the ins and outs of his.

We spend the rest of the day and evening hanging out, watching movies, talking, and making out.  I end up falling asleep on Liam halfway through the third movie.
  Needless to say, New Year’s didn’t go quite as planned.

The rest of the week is spent hanging out with Kenzie, Brody, Isaac, and Liam. 
Break comes and goes and before I know it, Liam and I are heading back to school.

I’m excited to see Quinn;
she’s already back at the house.  I already filled her in on all the news that happened with me.  She was quite shocked to find out I was pregnant.  I didn’t get happy or upset, I guess, because I didn’t really know I had it until I lost it.  I’m not sure.

The drive back to school is so much better.  We are able to laugh, talk, and joke around like normal and for once it feels great.  I didn’t think I could love this man any more than I already do, but I can.

Liam pulls up at the sorority house around 7 p.m. to drop me off.  “Do you want to come in?” I ask as he grabs my bag out of the trunk.

“No, I’m sure Quinn and you have lots to talk about.”

“Yes we do,” I say with a smile.  “You have practice tomorrow?”

“
Yeah, early.  I’ll talk to you tonight though,” he says before leaning down to give me a chaste kiss on the lips, “I love you Haley.”

“I love you too,” I say excitedly.  It feels so great to say that out loud to him and to hear him say it back.
Swoon.  I watch as he walks around to get in his car before making my way up the few steps to head inside.

“Finally bitch,
I feel like you guys drove extra slow to get here,” Quinn says from the living room.

“
We didn’t I assure you,” I say as I drop my bag to give my roommate a hug.

“So
, I want all the details,” she says as she pulls me along to the couch.

I end up telling her everything that happened, even down to the point where Liam won’t have sex with me yet
, because of what the doctor said.

“Aww, so you two are officially a couple.  How awesome is that?!”

“I know right.  I never thought I would see the day.”

“I did, you two are great together.”

“So, how are things with Mark?”

“Good, I really like him,” she says with the biggest smile.

“That’s great, I’m really happy for you.”

“He wants me to meet his family,” she says looking nervous.

“That’s great.  They will love you,” I say proudly.

“I hope you’re right.”

“When are you doing that?”

“Spring break.”

“Nice, that’s not long from now.”

“I know and I’m nervous, like really nervous.”

“Don’t be.  It will be fine, you’ll see.”

We spend the rest of the evening hanging out with each other and some of the other girls in the house before calling it a night.  I talk to Liam on the phone for a few minutes before its lights out.

Chapter Fifteen

The next few months go by without too much chaos.  Liam’s team won the BCS Championship game
, which is awesome for him and the school.   Now, he’s getting ready to hopefully get picked up in the draft.  I couldn’t be more excited, though as we sit here, Brody looks like he would rather be somewhere else.

Liam’s
predicted to go in the second round so we are all here at home, waiting to see what happens.

“I need to talk to you now,” I say to Brody as I walk out of the room.  He follows behind.

“What’s up?”

“What the hell is your problem?” I snap.

“Nothing.”

“Could you look any more pissed
off that you have to be here; if you want to, you can leave.”

“No, I want to see him get drafted.”

“Then stop looking so pissy.”

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s going to be leaving to who knows where.  Where
does that leave you Hails?”

“At college to finish my degree,” I argue back.

“Do you really think you’re going to marry him one day?”

“Yes
, I do.”

“You aren’t though.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because you were supposed to marry me,” he says
, shocking the hell out of me.

“What?  Where is this coming from?”

“Hails, you are my best friend, we were supposed to date in school; it was supposed to be you and me, not you and Liam.”

“You are with Kenzie and have been for years.  What the hell are you talking about?” I argue, not believing what he’s saying to me right now.

“It was supposed to be you and me, it always was,” he says softly.

“Don’t you love Kenzie?”

“Yes I do, but I’ve always loved you Hails.”

“You can’t do this, not to Kenzie, not to Liam, and not to me.”

“He’s going to be leaving Hails; he’s not going to be faithful to you. You know that already.”

“You’re wrong.  He lo
ves me.  We can make this work,” I argue.

“But you shouldn’t have to try.  You need someone w
ho’s going to be there for you,” he says longingly.

“And that’s supposed to be
you?  Who’s at a college hundreds of miles away from me?” I snap.

“Shit, I don’t know Haley
, but it was never supposed to be you and Liam.”

“Yes it was.  I’ve been in love with
him since we were little Brody,” I holler.

“Why?”

“You can’t help who you fall in love with; just like you couldn’t help falling in love with Kenzie.  She deserves better than what you’re doing right now.”

“Shit,” he curses.

“Is everything alright?” Liam asks as he approaches us.

“Everything’s fine,” I state as I plaster on a smile.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Liam asks.

“Sure,” I say as we move into one of the bedrooms to talk.

“Are you sure you’re okay?  You look pissed,” he says as he tips my chin up, so I have no choice but to stare into the abyss of his sexy blue eyes.

I take a deep breath, “I’m good.  I’m excited for you tonight, this is your night.”

“There’s something else I want to ask you Hails.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“No matter how today turns out, I want you to know that I love you.  If I don’t play ball anywhere, I’m okay with that, because I have you.  We are a team Hails, you and me,” he says as he lowers down to one knee.

“Oh my God Liam, what are you doing?” I ask nervously and excited.

“Haley Lawrence, I’ve known you practically my entire life.  I’ve crushed on you, picked on you, and fallen in love with you.  It doesn’t matter how today goes, but when it comes to my future, you are what I see.  I know it’s soon, but I know what I want baby, would you please do me the honor and marry me?” he says as he pulls a box from his pocket.

“YES,” I shriek as I drop down to him to plant a kiss on him.  Throwing my arms around his neck, I continue kissing him.  He starts laughing, “Thank you for making me the happiest man alive,” he says as he opens up the ring box and pulls out a ring, sliding it onto my ring finger.

“It’s beautiful,” I say in awe, as I stare at the emerald cut stone.

“You’re beautiful,” he says as he leans up and takes my lips with his.  The kiss starts out slow
and starts heating up quickly.  I start tugging on his blonde hair, which is getting longer, but looks sexy as hell.

“I want you,” I whisper between kisses.

“We need to make this quick,” he says as he picks me up, I quickly wrap my legs around him, feeling his erection at my stomach.

“Quick, got it,” I mumble breathlessly between kisses.  He walks us over to the bed just as there’s a knock at the door.

“What’s up?” Liam yells.

Kenzie opens the door, “Sorry to interrupt, but the draft is about to start and your agent wants you out there,” she says looking apologetically at me.

“We’ll be right out,” I tell her.  She closes the door, “I guess we’ll have to celebrate after you get drafted,” I say with a smile.

“I guess so,” he says as he leans down and kisses me again.

“I love you,” I say between kisses. “I love you too, baby.”  We get up off the bed; adjust ourselves before walking back out into the living room.  People are still talking, so it’s like no one noticed we were gone, which is good.  “I’ll be right back,” Liam says as he walks toward his agent.

I take a seat on the couch beside where Liam will sit and wait for him to come back.  Kenzie is on the right side of me.  My sexy man walks back towards me looking so hot in his suit and tie.  He has a dark gray suit on with a blue tie that matches his eyes perfectly.

“Hey babe,” he says as he sits beside me, giving me a quick kiss, “Charlie thinks I may go sooner than the second round, which is why he wanted us out here,” he says with a sexy smirk.

“That’s great,” I say as we hold hands, hiding the diamond that’s no
w on my finger.

What we didn’t expect is when Liam’s name is called as the third overall pick in the first round.  The amount of cheers cannot even describe this moment.  Liam is selected by the Vikings.  He spends the next twenty minutes talking to his agent
, while the rest of us laugh and enjoy the happy news.

“Oh my God, what is that on your hand?” Kenzie says barely above a whisper as she grabs my hand to check out my ring.

“Do you like it?” I say excitedly.

“He proposed?  When?  Where?”
she asks all at once, as she stares at my ring.

“Right before the draft started in the bedroom.”

“Seriously?  Wow,” she says as she hugs me tightly.

“Just don’t say anything yet.  He deserves this time to enjoy being drafted,” I whisper.

“I won’t say a word, but people are going to notice your finger.”

“I’
ll figure it out,” I say as I look at Liam who is now getting hugs and congratulations from his family.

“We’re pretty lucky aren’t we?” Kenzie asks.

“We sure are,” I say as I watch Brody congratulate Liam, looking truly happy for him.  Five minutes later my fiancé is sauntering towards me.

“Hey sexy lady,” he says before planting a kiss on me.

“Congratulations baby,” I say as I throw my arms around his neck, wanting him closer.

“Definitely unexpected, but I’ll take it,” he says on a laugh.

“Congratulations on being drafted and engaged,” Kenzie whispers.

“Thank you.  It’s a pretty awesome day,” he says with the biggest smile ever.  “I guess we should tell everyone right?” he asks as he looks at me.

“No.  Today is your day to enjoy being drafted,” I state.

“Babe this is the best day, I’d like to tell our families while they are all here,” he says looking all sexy.

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t,” he says before giving me a sweet kiss. “Let’s go.”  “Hey everyone, we have some news we would like to share,” he says as everyone in the room stops and stares, “Haley and I are engaged,” he says joyfully.

“Oh my gosh, that’s wonderful,” Mom coos as she rushes up to hug me.

“Congratulations,” Denise says as she runs over behi
nd Mom to us.

We explain the engagement, which was only before the draft occurred.  We all sit down and laugh, enjoying the congratulations and encouragement from everyone around, everyone except Brody.

“Where’s Brody?” Liam asks.

“He said something about running somewhere,” Kenzie says with little information.

“Let me talk to him,” I say as I get up and go to grab my phone.  I shut the bedroom door behind me as I call his number.

“What Haley?”
he says, sounding irritated.

“Where are you?”

“I just needed some air.”

“So you’re outside?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” I say before disconnecting the call. 
I grab my coat and head down the stairs; everyone is in their own conversation that they don’t even notice me slip out the side door.

“Go back inside,” he snickers.

“No, we need to talk.”

“How long have you been engaged
Hails?” he asks with a crack in his voice.

“He proposed right before the draft started.”

“So today then?”

“Yes, today.”

“You can’t marry him.”

“Why not?”

“He’s going to let you down.  He always has and always will.”

“That’s not true,” I argue.

“Yes it is.  I knew you liked him years ago, but he was never nice to you Hails.  He treated you like crap, even when we all played games together; he purposely set out to hurt you.  Do not remember that?”

“We were kids Brody.”

“So the time he broke your arm when we were playing football, or the time when he made you eat worms, or how about more recently at college how he had people haze you.  You’re willing to look past all the shit he’s done to you and be with him?”

“Yes I am, because I love him.  Brody you and I were best friends growing up, you started dating Kenzie and you’ve been with her ever since.  If you don’t wa
nt to be with her any longer then don’t string her along, she doesn’t deserve that.”

“I love her.”

“Then what is the problem?”

“I love you too.”

“There are different types of love Brody.  I love you, but it’s not the same way that I love Liam.  I’m in love with him, I want to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him.  I love you and would do anything for you.”

“You would?” he asks curiously.

“Yes, I would.”

“Then don’t marry
him,” he says as he stares at me intently.

“
Why not?”

“He’s my brother
and I want him to be happy, but I don’t want him to be with you.”

“So who am I
supposed to be with then?”

“Me.”

“You?  That’s not possible and you know it.”

“I love you
Hails, I always have.”

“Then why have you been with
Kenz for so long?  Why would you do that to her?” I argue.

“I love her, but I never thought I had a chance with you.”

“You never asked.  There was a time when I would have said yes, but things change Brody.  I love your brother and my sister loves you.  You can’t do this to her.”

“
Give us one chance before you get married,” he says catching me off guard.

“No.  Do you even hear yourself right now?  Brody you are with Kenzie, she loves you,
and she would do anything for you.  How could you say this to me right now?”

“What’s going on?” Kenzie asks looking pissed.

“Yeah, that’s what I would like to know too,” Liam says looking furious.

“It’s not what you think,” I say hoping to calm Liam down.

“That’s good, because from what I could see, it looked like my fucking brother was hitting on my fiancé.  Which is crazy considering he’s dating your twin sister,” he says in a heated tone.

“That’s exactly what I was doing,” Brody says not holding back.

“What?  Why?” Kenzie shrieks.

“I’m trying to stop her from making a terrible mistake,” Brody states.

“From marrying me?” Liam roars.

“Yes
, from marrying you.  She deserves better than what you’ll be able to give to her.  Yeah you’ll have money, but it’s not the same, she needs more, she deserves more,” Brody shouts.

“Do you fucking hear yourself?  I think I’m pretty sure I know what Haley wants and needs.  What she doesn’t need is you out here ruining a perfectly good night because
you’re fucking jealous,” Liam shouts into Brody’s face.