Unwrapping Liam: A Good Girls Don't Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

back in here? You don’t want me. Get married? You’ve made it clear no one will want me.” I was shouting, my butter knife clutched tightly in my fist.
    “I just want you to be realistic about what a girl like you—”
    “Shut up, Tara.” The words were low but dangerously clear. I stared at my father in amazement. He’d never stood up for me before. My dad could be counted on for one thing: turning a blind eye.
    “George!” Tara clutched her chest in surprise. “I will not be spoken to like that at my own dinner table.”
    “Then leave.” And with that he picked his fork up and continued eating.
    Tara pushed her chair back so quickly that it fell over. She didn’t bend to pick it up before she fled the room.
    “Have you thought about looking for internships together?” Dad asked, returning to the previous topic as though nothing had happened.
    “We, um, we...” I couldn’t find an answer to save my life. Surely, my father could see how tenuous things were with Liam. After all, he’d spent a lot more time with him this week than I had. 
    “It’s a little too early to be looking,” Liam said, saving me from the question. “We’ll both need to think about our summer plans when we get back to Olympic State this week.”
    This time when my stomach rolled, its contents heaved into my throat. I stood and grabbed my plate. “Excuse me. I’m finished, so I’ll clean up.”
    I was barely aware that I’d just volunteered to do the dishes as I stumbled toward the kitchen. I needed to get out of there and away from all my dad’s questions about Liam and I’s future—and away from all of Liam’s vague answers. But when I rounded the corner I realized the kitchen wouldn’t be much of a haven. Tara stood against the counter, bottle of wine in her hand.
    “Finished already?” she asked.
    “I am,” I said. “Are you?”
    She huffed and took a swig. “You think I’m a terrible bitch for making you face facts, but, Jillian, that boy is going back to Scotland in a few months.  And you’re right, he is good for you, but what happens when he’s gone? It’s time you ask yourself that before it’s too late.”
    “It’s never too late.” I slammed my plate on the counter and ran out of the room before she could see my face. Before she could see that she’d rattled me. Tara had successfully spread her holiday spirit and it was spreading through me like a nasty, seasonal virus. Christmas was coming. The only Christmas I would ever spend with Liam, and she’d probably ruin that, too. Maybe she was right about girls like me—we never get what we want.

CHAPTER FIVE
    T he Christmas tree lights had been left on, bathing the living room in warmth. The aroma of dinner lingered, rich and spicy, and the quiet house looked as if it belonged in a magazine. The last few embers glowed in the hearth. It was past midnight, which meant it was Christmas morning and the world felt magical. Tara always kept the lights on for Santa, and maybe it was sentimentality but she’d continued to do so even when I was long past the age where I believed in Santa Claus. Now it filled me with a sense of peace that I wondered at. After our disastrous dinner and show down in the kitchen, it amazed me that I could feel so content.
    Stealing down the last few steps, I slid onto the couch, hugging my knees to my chest and staring dreamily at the tree. Something stirred in the corner of my vision and I jumped up, surprised to find I wasn’t alone.
    “You don’t look like a jolly old elf.” Liam’s mouth cracked into a sleepy smile. He was nestled under two blankets in the corner armchair, and he slid an arm out to beckon me over to him.
    “Waiting up for Santa Claus?” I settled onto his lap as he drew the blanket back up over us.
    “I must have missed him,” Liam said, “because my present is already here.”
    “It is, huh?”
    “You’re all I wanted for Christmas,” he murmured, his lips brushing my ear.
    “You already