The Invitation

The Bomb Drop

The next morning Alice opened her eyes expecting to see Liam still sleeping next to her. Finding the bed empty, she looked around the room. She wasn't in the same room she had fallen asleep in – in fact, she hadn't seen this room before at all. Sitting up, she clutched the duvet to her bare chest and rubbed her head with a groan.

The bathroom door opened and Liam walked out in his underwear, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. Seeing her perched on the bed, he smiled and padded over to drop a kiss on her forehead.

"Where are we Liam?"

"Good morning to you too, my love," he chuckled. "We're in your chambers. I realized last night after you fell asleep that it would be better for you to emerge from your own chambers in the morning."

Alice nodded in understanding then glanced down at her naked chest, "but I'm still naked."

"Yes, I carried you in that sheet," he pointed at a white sheet draped over the arm of a chair positioned in front of the window.

"Someone could have seen."

"Oh, I doubt it." He sat on the edge of the bed and turned to her. "We were up rather late. I'm actually surprised you are awake already."

"You are."

He smiled softly, "little gets past you. My body does not require a lot of sleep."

"That must be nice."

"I suppose it is," he chuckled. "Though some days I would like nothing more than to spend an afternoon napping in a warm bed."

"Like a cat," she giggled.

"A cat? Yes, I suppose so, in a way."

"The wedding dinner is tonight."

"I know. There isn't much else to do until then," he touched her cheek before standing. "You should get some more rest. Tonight is a big night. All of the most important guests will be in attendance. The last dinner was mostly Beaumonts, but tonight's will be filled with Nevrakis and Lees as well. You will want to be at your absolute best."

Alice laid down and watched him finish dressing without objection. She was rather tired still from last night's activities, and if Olivia's family were anything like her, she knew she needed to be at the absolute top of her game.

After pulling his shirt on Liam ran a hand through his hair and glanced over to give her a crooked smile.

"I'll see you later tonight, darling. I have some business to attend to until then."

"Okay."

When he reached for the door handle, she sat up quickly.

"Liam?"

He paused and turned to raise an eyebrow at her, "yes?"

"You know I was joking last night, right? About getting married, it was just a joke... Right?"

He smiled and nodded once before opening the door and slipping into the hallway.

Alice spent most of the day in bed, sleeping off and on, reading a book she requested from the library that Gladys brought, and snacking on whatever food was brought. She managed to get a long rejuvenating bath around noon, taking full advantage of the plethora of oils and salts provided – as well as a deep moisturizing facial mask.

So, by dinner time she was more than refreshed and ready to face the bulk of the Beaumont, Nevrakis and Lee families. She wondered why he went out of the way to warn her about Olivia and Hana's families and said nothing of his own, when it was his cousin who was getting married after all. Maybe there really weren't that many Rys to think about. She only knew of one other, his brother who she'd never even met – only heard about in passing.