Second Chances (Liam Payne AU)

Part 30

"Good Morning! Good Morning!"

Jill felt someone jumping on the bed. Jack. It was Jack. She was here, in Liam's bed and Jack knew they were dating. She smiled to herself as she woke up.

Liam groaned. "Stop, Jack!" Liam said, not sounding quite awake. "It's Sunday. We have a deal, remember? Dad gets to sleep in until the clock says 9. Go watch TV." Jack huffed and climbed off the bed.

"Hang on, Jack. I'm awake." Jill said. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She grabbed what looked like Liam's robe and wrapped it around herself, then followed him out of the bedroom.

Jack started talking a mile a minute. "Do I still call you Miss G? Will you make pancakes? Do you like cartoons?"

"Slow down, Jack!" Jill laughed. "I guess you can call me Jill? When I am here? You'll still have to call me Miss G at school, though."

Jack smiled happily and grabbed her hand. "Okay. Come on." He pulled her into the kitchen. "I'll show you where the pans are."

Twenty minutes later, Jill had coffee made and the first of the pancakes were coming off the grill. She put them on a plate for Jack and he took them to the kitchen table to eat, still grinning from ear to ear. Jill put two more pancakes to cook and poured a cup of coffee for Liam, added milk and took it to him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she rubbed his back. "Hey, Liam. Coffee." Liam rolled over and reached out his hand. She handed him the coffee, laughing. "Well, there are pancakes, too." She leaned down and kissed his nose. "See you in a minute." She returned the kitchen and flipped the pancakes.

"Smells good."

Jill looked up. Liam was standing in the doorway, shirtless and smiling. She put the food on a plate and handed it to him. He went to the table and sat by Jack, who was nearly done with his pancakes. "Hey! Dad! They are good. Not burned." he grinned.

"You shush!" Liam laughed. "Mine are just fine."

"Ya, but her's are better."

Liam reached over and ruffled his hair. "They are, bud. They are."

Jill headed home to shower and change. She had agreed to go sledding, but wanted fresh clothes. Liam and Jack were going to pick her up in about an hour. Running up the stairs, she was unlocking her door when Harry opened his. "Jill. Can we talk?"

"No."

"Jill, please. I'm just looking out for you, okay? He's bad news. He's been a mess for years. What makes you think you can fix him? I've been talking to Lou, just to be sure I'm right. And I am. He never dates, Jill. And when he does, it's not for long."

Jill turned to Harry. "He's been dating ME for months."

Harry sighed. "Two months is NOT months, Jill. I promise you it won't go much longer. Lou was surprised he's been with you this long."

"First, Rachel is my friend. If this was true, she'd tell me."

"No." Harry interrupted. "She doesn't know. Lou hasn't told her anything about Liam. He's hoping that Liam will change. If he tells Rachel, she tells you. Then he loses Rachel."

Jill turned to him and crossed her arms. "What's so bad? So he's not dated? Big deal?"

Harry shook his head. "He meets girls at bars with Lou. They do it in his car. Lou used to do the same, but he got tired of it."

"Maybe Liam has, too."

Harry sighed. "Well, for your sake, I hope you are right. Can we please be friends again? I need you. Things are getting serious with Matt. I need help. I'm not good with serious."

Jill smiled. "I'll help you, but no more shit about Liam. People change. He's on his way here. We are taking Jack sledding."

Harry froze. "Jack? Jack knows?"

Jill smiled and nodded. "I need to get ready. I'll talk to you later." Jill opened her door and hurried inside. She wanted to be ready when they came.

Jill had never laughed so hard in her life. She had watched Liam and Jack hit a bump on the hill and fly in the air, then land face first in the snow. They loved it! They had been trying to recreate the ride without success. They couldn't seem to hit the bump in just the right spot. They were both covered from head to foot with snow from rolling around on the ground.

"You think it's funny?" Liam said. "Well, this is even better." He grabbed her around her waist and pulled her over to the sled. Scooping her up and ignoring her protests, he sat on the sled and used his feet to send them down the hill. They hit the bump just right and Jill flew off the front of the sled and landed on her face. Liam held on and managed to stay on the sled until the bottom of the hill. He stopped himself and ran up the hill calling her name. When he got to her, she rolled over, laughing. He sank to his knees, laughing with her. "You look adorable with snow on your face."

Jill reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. She reached up and smashed the snow in his face. "You do, too!"

Liam leaned down and kissed her. "Thanks, Jillian. For being here."

Jill felt her eyes well up with tears. "Thank you for letting me be here." She pulled him close and kissed him again before getting up and heading back up the hill to Jack.