Love Me Sweet (Love Me book 1)

Chapter 24

Lia wasn't exactly in a panic, but she wasn't totally cool with the phone call she had just received from her brother either.  She knew this would happen, and right this minute she wanted to kill Ben, actually put her hands around his neck and shake him. She kept things from her family for a reason and her brother arriving at the airport without warning was one of the reasons. She marched into Ben's house and stomped up the stairs, looking for him. He was in the hall reviewing the plans for the kitchen with Brian.

He had been more involved than she had expected since the project had begun, and he was actually enjoying himself. He didn't care about décor, but he did care about the layout and design.

They made a good team, but that was not the thought uppermost in her mind.

"This is all your fault," she grumbled as she stomped towards him.

"Hold on," he said as Brian drew a new line.

"That won't work." Lia shook her head, looking at the plans in front of them. "There's a window there that was covered over when the porch was enclosed."

"Then we'll leave it covered," Ben said, thinking the problem was solved.

"No, uncover it and move the kitchen to the basement. You have a stone floor and two beautiful fireplaces. It's rough right now, but it could lovely. That would allow you to open the back porch up and make it a true wraparound."

Both men looked at her and then back at the plans. It was as if she was speaking in a different language.

"And I suppose you have a plan for the attic?" Ben said, only partly joking.

"Yes, a master suite. That allows you to keep one bathroom on this floor for the future children of the house and put a half bath under the stairs downstairs. It's an old house, not everyone needs their own bathroom." They were looking at her oddly again.

"The master suite can have an area for you to write, and that will keep you away from all of the action on the floors below." Lia turned the plans and gave them a quick look, she still liked her ideas.

"For when the kids come." Ben nodded. "And how many will there be again?" he asked.

Lia rolled her eyes, unsure of how to answer him, she had always wanted a large family, but it wasn't really a topic that she and Ben needed to talk about since their engagement wasn't a real one.

"We really need to talk, like now." She looked at her phone. They had less than fifteen minutes until her first brother arrived.

"I'll take Lia's ideas and play around with them," Brian said, bending his head to study the plans.

Lia grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him into one of the bedrooms, slamming the door behind her.

"My brother will be here in less than ten minutes." Lia started pacing.

"Alright, what's the big deal?"

"We're not really engaged!" she hissed.

"They don't know that," he hissed back.

"I know that, and we can't tell them, which will make them think I got dumped twice when we break up. That's why I didn't want them to know, it would have been four fewer people to explain it to when we're done pretending."

"Four?" Ben looked confused.

"I have three brothers and my dad, and I'm sure they will all be here by this evening to check you out and make sure you're on the level."

"All of them?" Ben said, looking as if someone had just sucker-punched him. If she wasn't so worried, she would have laughed at his expression.

"Yes, and whether they like you or not, the ending of our relationship will be my fault. This is all your fault, and I could kill you right now." She stomped her foot.