Right In His Arms.

CHAPTER NINE

The morning of september 25th, liam and victoria went to the store to get items for their celebration. They'd decided to have the party at liam's, his was bigger with the garden and she trees. Victoria never knew the land was vast, until he took the four-wheeler and showed her the extent of it. She was a bit envious, all the ideas she suddenly had to do with those empty plots.

"So how does it feel to be back in your mother's house?" liam asked as he rolled the trolley with the items they'd been picking.

"I feel so at home now, a part of me still wants it all. I don't know why they wouldn't just sell it back to me already."

"Patience love, you'll show them how serious you are about staying permanently."

"Oh hell yeah, i plan on making a juicy offer they can't refuse by the end of the year."

Liam chuckled, "You're really serious about settling permanently here in solvang?"

"Of course."

Liam smiled, victoria wasn't paying attention because she had ran to the shelf where the birthday candlesticks were displayed. Throwing it into the trolley, she moved again to pick something else she saw.

They returned to the house and they began to bake their cakes together, joking and playing around. The kitchen was messy but they cared less, they enjoyed each other's company.

"I want the chocolate cake."

"No, you've always had the chocolate cake. I'll have it this time." Liam argued

"Then we'll make two chocolate cakes."

"No, kristen doesn't like chocolates."

"So does leah."

"What do we do then?" they both asked, they looked at each other. "We'll make it my way." they both said again and laughed.

"What's your way?" victoria asked

"I've always made two cakes on my birthday, confetti cake at the bottom and the chocolate at the top." Victoria was surprised, that was the same way she always does it every year. "You?" he asked

"Same."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope, confetti cake at the bottom, chocolate cake at the top. I always baked and shared it at the hospital."

There was a long silence in the kitchen, until a knock at the door startled both of them. "I'll get it." liam said

'Who would have gotten it?' victoria thought, she chuckled softly. Liam went to the door and opened, kirsten and leah came in carrying drinks; "My goodness, you look a mess, did you and vicki bake yourselves?" leah asked. They walked into the kitchen and kristen gasped, leah wasn't surprised anymore, she just went over and hugged victoria. "Happy birthday vicki."

"Thank you, you're going to get flour all over you."

"I don't mind at all. But what happened in here though?"

"It's like kids turned the kitchen into a playhouse." kristen said after sticking the drinks in the refrigerator.

"Tori happened." liam pointed a finger at her.

"What? You happened." victoria retorted, leah and kristen gazed at each other, they chuckled softly. Shortly after there was a knock on the door again;

"That must be xander. " Kirsten said

"Or Jake." leah added

"I didn't invite jake." liam frowned at leah

"I invited him." Victoria intercepted.

Liam went to open the door and they were both right, Jake and xander stood there grinning. But there was someone else with them, the recent most sexy blond in town, Carla Èllo.

"Happy birthday liam." she said, pushing past the men and hugging him before planting a kiss on his cheek. Victoria averted her eyes, she focused on the confetti cake she was now making. "Happy birthday victoria." Carla said as she walked in.

"Thanks Carla." she replied with a half smile.

"You three have got this, i'll be with the boys. Liam, can i get a bottle of cold beer please."

"You drink beer?" xander asked

"I do."

"Fine." liam said and disappeared to the refrigerator.

More guests arrived before victoria and the other ladies were done with the cakes. Leah asked her to go take a shower and change while she and kristen put the finishing touches on them, then clean up the place. She emerged shortly after leah and kristen had laid the cakes on the dining table. She was wearing a yellow sundress, her blonde hair curled and dropped behind her, a pink gloss on her lip with mascara lit her pretty face up. Liam and every other male in the room couldn't help but stare at the beauty.

"Your turn liam." Kristen said

"What?"

"Go get ready so we can begin." Victoria whispered, standing right in front of him.

"You look so beautiful." He whispered back, the smile on her face said what only he could hear. He dashed upstairs to go take a shower, the rest engaged in different discussions. Victoria to a sit at the head of the table, there was a spot for liam right next to her, they were the celebrants after all. Liam returned in a few minutes and xander began, in no time, all the talking and drinking and eating were over. The guests left, leaving leah, kristen and xander behind. They went out of the house and into the flower garden, kristen, xander and liam sat by the porch with a bottle of beer in hand. While victoria and leah sat on the swing in the garden;

"You know Carla has eyes for him right?" leah said.

"What? Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me vicki. Liam, she wants liam."

"I'm not playing dumb, you should know when i'm trying to avoid a topic. Besides, i don't own him, we're just best friends."

"You're thirty and you still keep lying to yourself about how you feel."

"I know exactly how i feel. I love liam as a friend, which he is. A couple of kisses at a game of truth or dare on the last birthday we celebrated together isn't going to change anything."

"But you said...."

"Those were childish infatuation, it died the day i left ."