Lying to the Prince

Chapter 14

Noah's POV

"You what!?"

Dakota shrugged and continued sifting through her closet. "I told you. I invited Liam and a lot of other people over here for a party."

Daniel stood next to me, his face scrunched. "Isn't this a good thing? Talk to him, let him know how you feel. It'll be a lot harder after the child is born."

I sighed, looking down. He did have a point. Maybe Liam said those things by accident. He did seem pretty out of it when he spoke. Swallowing, I began to speak when Dakota gave an excited squeal. "I found it!"

She held up a golden dress that sparkled as she twirled. It ended just above the knee and was sleeveless. Daniel shook his head. "Absolutely not." Going to the closet, he pulled out a black quarter sleeve, ankle length dress. Holding it out to Dakota, he spoke. "Here, wear this."

Dakota's face scrunched. "No way, Dad. I'm going to a party, not a funeral."

"You're going downstairs to hang out with your friends, not getting laid." Daniel retorted.

I chuckled, watching their argument. Finally, they settled on a short sleeve red dress that went just past the knee. We left the room while Dakota changed. Daniel nudged my shoulder as we walked. "So? Are you gonna talk to him?"

I sighed. "I... I probably should, shouldn't I?"

Daniel shrugged. "Well, it's not my place to say, but if I was the father, I'd want to know why you're avoiding me. And this is Liam, after all. He's the king of insensitivity. Besides, your hormones are pretty out of wack. He should at least have a chance to apologize, right?"

I nodded, wringing my hands. Daniel had a point. Liam wasn't the best with words. And I was pretty emotional. Looking over at Daniel's anxious face, I sighed. "Okay... I'll at least talk to him."

---

The music pulsed through the house, and I groaned. Dakota was a nice girl, but she really didn't understand the idea of quiet. A majority of the guests had already arrived. Liam, though, had yet to come. Every passing minute made my stomach twist.

Daniel came over, handing me a cup. "Don't worry. If he said he's coming, he'll come. Especially if he thinks you're here."

I blushed, sipping at the cup. Daniel placed a reassuring hand on my back, giving me a smile. Dakota came over, carrying another cup in her hands. She looked at the cup I was holding and glared at Daniel. "Daniel!! I said I was going to get him something to drink and reassure him!"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, and I said it was a good idea, and decided to take it."

I smiled at the two. They could be trying at times, but really knew how to take care of others. Dakota gave up, setting the cup down and turning to me. "But, really, you should listen to Daniel. Why do you think I invited Liam to the party? Why do you think I went to his party the other day?"

I looked at her. "To have fun?"

Dakota scoffed. "No. To tell him you're staying with us." She turned to the door. "By the way, he's over there. He just showed up."

My head snapped to the door, and indeed, there he was. "L-Liam."

A/N: Sorry about the slow updates. I'll try to get the updates out on a regular basis from now on.