The Dating Plan(101)
“I’ll text him right now.” She pulled out her phone and saw the messages she’d missed while she’d been busy at the party.
Saturday, 11:06 A.M.
LIAM: Confirming Date #8 in expectation of family approval. Sunday, June 24, 3 p.m. Las Vegas. Objective: Wedding.
Saturday, 12:15 P.M.
LIAM: At your house. Couldn’t wait any longer. Not much time to get sherwani and book flights. Not taking no for an answer.
LIAM: If no, will steal you away so we can elope.
LIAM: Max can come, too.
Saturday, 12:25 P.M.
LIAM: Paging Humraaz. Where are you? What about the plan?
LIAM: Joking about Max. Dogs not allowed in chapel.
LIAM: I chose an Elvis song: “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Saturday, 12:36 P.M.
LIAM: Talked to your neighbor. You’re getting married. All Shook Up.
Bile rose in Daisy’s throat when she read the last message, and she stared at her brother, aghast. “Oh God, Sanjay. Liam went to the house to see me, and our neighbor told him this was my wedding! He thinks I’m marrying someone else.” Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might explode. She called and messaged, but Liam didn’t answer his phone. “What if he goes back to New York?” Her voice shook as panic took hold. “I have to find him.”
? 33 ?
DAISY checked her phone again as she ran down the road to her car. Liam hadn’t responded to her messages. Where was he? She had his work address, but she had never been to his apartment. Would he have gone straight to the airport? Would he have stopped at Brendan’s place to say goodbye? She knew all about his plans to fix up the distillery with Brendan and his dream of starting his own venture capital company after he turned down the Evolution partnership. Snuggled together in the dark after he’d climbed over the roof to be with her, they’d shared their hopes for the future and their regrets about the past. Would he give up his dreams to go back to New York? Maybe he’d just gone for a drink at the Rose & Thorn . . .
She reached the corner of Sheridan and Montgomery just as the heavens opened. Across from an open field, with only the grand Presidio buildings behind her, she was totally exposed. Her salwar kameez, a lavender faux georgette pantsuit with jewel-tone beadwork and an embroidered floral pattern, provided little protection from the downpour. With no umbrella and a ten-minute walk ahead of her, she wrapped her dupatta around her and raced for the nearest bus shelter to wait out the storm.
Fists clenched, fingernails biting into her palms, she paced in short spans, willing the rain to stop before it was too late. An engine rumbled in the distance. She poked her head around the glass and saw the silhouette of a motorcycle inching slowly through the rain.
Unlike Liam’s sleek and sporty XDiavel, this motorcycle was a monster, slow and steady, the mechanics encased in shiny blue, black, and chrome.
The motorcycle rumbled to an unsteady stop at the curb in front of her. She recognized Liam even before he pulled the helmet off his head. Who else would find her at a bus stop in the rain?
Her heart lifted in her chest, filling her with light, her voice with wonder. “You came.”
Liam parked the bike and joined her in the shelter, pulling her into his arms. Her light clothes were instantly soaked, but she didn’t feel anything but the warmth in Liam’s eyes.
“I hope you’re not married to Roshan because I’m going to kiss you.” His voice was rough and tender at once. “And then I’m going to challenge him to a fight. No one can beat an Irishman in a brawl.”
She drank in the slightly mussed dark hair, the clear blue eyes, the cocky smile. “I’m not married.”
“Thank God.” He let out a shuddering breath. “I’m still bruised from climbing onto your roof.” He framed her face between his warm palms and met her gaze. Everything inside her clicked into place. She was exactly where she needed to be.
“I thought I lost you once,” he said softly. “I’m not going to lose you again.”
She melted against him, her lips yielding to his passionate kiss.
“Tell me this is real,” Liam murmured, nuzzling her neck. “Did your dad say yes?”
“I don’t need anyone to tell me what I know in my heart.” She slid her hand around his nape and pulled him close. “I love you. I want you and only you. So, yes, Liam. This is real.”
Liam dropped down to one knee and clasped her hand. “From the first day we first met, I knew I needed you in my life. You took the chaos and made it calm. You lifted my heart with your smile and awed me with your brilliant mind. I kept every secret valentine, every scribbled note, your stuffed rabbit, and the answer to every math question I gave you. I hoped one day to be the kind of man you could love, a man who would hold and cherish you, a man worthy of you, and who would protect you with the sword you are going to allow him to have at our wedding.” He fumbled in his pocket. “I didn’t really plan this . . .”
Daisy laughed. “Of course not.”
“I did try, but it wasn’t me, and if I had, I would have missed this incredible opportunity to turn the ultimate cinematic symbol of uncontrollable passion upside down and make the fantasy of a love so intense that nothing else matters into something real.”
Her face softened. “You remembered all that?”