When the sun rose, Michael and I had to convince a reluctant Liam to head out to work. My brother accompanied me to a domestic violence restraining order clinic, and we began the application for a temporary restraining order. We were then assigned to a court and handed the paperwork over to the Bailiff.

In the days that followed, everything felt like a whirlwind to me. I had to explain my situation at work, with family, and with friends. The paperwork was processed, and Kris was served. We attended a court hearing that Locklear never showed up to, which actually made it easier for the restraining order to be granted, especially after Michael and Liam testified. After that, I needed to have a copy of the restraining order with me at all times, which I was more than willing to do.

I had taken the week off so that I could focus on the situation at hand with Kris, paperwork, and court. Michael never left my side and Liam came by every day to eat dinner with us and to give his support. To help distract me, the auburn-haired man took me out on more dates.

Our third official date consisted of a movie. I then spent the night at his apartment over the weekend, which I had fully taken advantage of. Though we didn't go too far when it came to physical intimacy, I managed to convince him to have a little more physical intimacy than usual. Our fourth official date was a wine and dine in the middle of the following work week. Our fifth, and final, 'official' date would be Friday since it was a day we both had off. We decided to go on a picnic at the state park.

"I never would have taken you for a hiker," Liam responded when I gave him my suggestion as to where we should go.

"I'm not," I explained. "The beginner paths are fine, though. My family and I used to go to the park once every couple of months. Walking in the shade of trees for twenty minutes isn't very tiring, especially not when it's towards the picnic area."

"That sounds great," the auburn-haired man replied. "When should I come over?"

"Around ten. We can walk for a bit, have our picnic," I answered. "And afterward, we could relax and watch movies in your apartment. Is that ok?" I saw his throat's movements as he gulped hard and it made a mischievous smile form on my face.

"Y-yeah, that'd be fine," Liam stated with some difficulty. "Would you be sleeping over, as well?"

I draped my arms over his shoulders as my smile became downright feral. "Since you just invited me, yes. I'll bring enough clothes for the weekend."

"Wait, the whole weekend?" the taller man's voice wavered. "Again?"

"You don't want to spend that much time together?" I questioned in my best innocent tone of voice.

"Of course I do, I just didn't think…will Michael be alright by himself for another weekend?" He asked aloud as if he were grasping at straws.

"Mike prefers not walking in on any of our activities," I pointed out. Though the two of us hadn't done anything too risky, there was one day that Michael had entered the kitchen while I was seated on the counter trying to swallow Liam's tongue with my legs wrapped around his waist. The college student had shrieked something along the lines of not being prepared to see that first thing in the morning.

"Good point," Liam agreed.

"It's settled, then," I practically purred as I gave him a firm kiss on the lips. "I'll be waiting for you in the morning."

:::

"So, are you gonna take the black silk boxers with you?" Michael teased after I got home from work that night and began to prepare for the picnic and sleepover.

"How did-" I questioned with a frown before shaking my head. "You need to stop reading my journal."

"I haven't been reading it at all lately!" Michael confessed. "The undies thing was in a very old entry I read years ago. And seeing as how we're all creatures of habit…I merely guessed."

"Not that it's any of your business, no I'm not," I replied with a weary sigh.

"Either way, have fun sleeping over at Liam's!" Mike concluded with a devious smile. "Don't forget to bring protection! Anything chocolate-flavored would do since Liam's as much of a chocoholic as I am."

"One of these days, Michael, you're going to come across someone you really like," I warned. "When that day comes, I will show you no mercy. I have copies of your baby photos on my phone and on a protected folder in my laptop."

Michael gasped. "You wouldn't," he countered.

"I absolutely would," I countered. "So, you better watch out."

An exaggerated, comical pout formed on Michael's lips. "Fine, I solemnly swear that I'll never read your journal again…unless you're kidnapped or murdered or something."

"Kidnapped or murdered?"

"Yeah, cause then I'd have to read the journal in case there are any clues," he reasoned adamantly. "No one kidnaps or kills one of my brothers and gets away with it."

I hugged the twenty-year-old from behind the couch and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Did I ever thank you for all of your help in the last month? Especially at court?" I prompted.

"Twice!" Michael admitted with a cheeky grin. After a moment of comfortable silence, his voice took on a more serious tone. "By the way, when are you gonna introduce Liam to the rest of the fam?"

"After this weekend," I answered. "When Liam makes his decision."

"I thought the whole point of the 'five dates' thing was for you to make your decision."

"…I'm going to toss in some of the pictures of you cross-dressing along with the baby ones," I declared in response.

"Hey, now that's downright abuse!" Mike argued with a blushing face.

"You don't have a physical journal. Besides, a picture says a thousand words…" I teased.

"But, it's not like I'm telling anyone about what I've read!" the college student insisted. "Only you."

"Then I'll consider it insurance," I said as I held back a snicker.

"If you ask me, I think he's great for you," Michael replied in a more serious tone of voice. "When it comes to playing around and having fun, Liam and I are more alike than I'd care to admit. But, anyone can see just how much he cares about you."

Though I had been expecting my brother to say something along those lines, I didn't expect it to be so soon. After all, it had only been a month since he started to get to know Liam, compared to the years I spent in denial. In a way, Liam and I had been partners and friends long before we ever began to date. But, to be honest, Michael's opinion mattered a great deal to me. I felt a warmth deep in my chest at the thought of my brother wanting me to be happy.

"Seriously, every time he looks at you he has this dopey lovestruck expression on his face," Mike continued in a teasing tone. "And it's not like anyone can tell him about it since his light brown eyes are so glued to your face that he doesn't know what anyone else is doing around him."

…and with that statement, all the warm and fuzzy feelings dissipated. So, I gave the young man a flick in the back of his ear.

"Ow! But, it's true!"

:::

Liam held the basket, and I held two bags as the two of us made our way to the picnic area we had chosen. The weather was perfect. The trees shaded us from the hot sun.

We passed an elderly couple halfway into our path, but since it was still a weekday, we came across no one else. Our conversation was light as we talked about our childhood memories and the parks that we visited in the past.

"…and my cousin got so stuck that we had to ask an adult to try to lift her back out!" Liam concluded. "I couldn't stop laughing. I think her tears were only due to embarrassment rather than any actual pain."

"My siblings and I knew better than to try to get into the toddler swings when we were too big for them. Our problems were always featured around the slides," I admitted. "We'd burn our thighs, get stuck halfway down, and the sillier ones would bash their faces into them trying to climb up the wrong end."

"That sounds like something Michael would do," Liam pointed out with a grin.

I shook my head. "Actually, it was Antoine. Michael's weakness was always the monkey bars. We'd always find him dangling like a bat from them," I continued. "One time, he was wearing one of Antione's shirts, which was too big on him. When he dangled on the bars, the shirt slid right off his head onto our sister Cara, below. Cara never stopped laughing even when we were in the car on our way home."

"What about you?" Liam asked. "What was your favorite?"

"The big kid swings," I responded. "Even when I was so small that the seat flipped up on either side of me."

"Mine's a toss-up between the see-saws and the merry-go-rounds," Liam confessed. "Even though both were equally as dangerous." He added with a throaty laugh.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the clearing. The picnic area we chose had a roof and four tables, along with a grill. We set our bags and the basket on top of one of them.

Liam caught sight of a large, metal bench swing a few yards away and nodded in that direction. We left the bags at the table and walked over to it. He sat down on one end of it first and took hold of my hand as I sat down next to him.

The swing faced towards a lake. The view was quite peaceful. I felt Liam shifting beside me. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, urging me closer. I peered up at him, but his gaze was set on the scenery in front of us. In spite of myself, I studied the shape of his chin and cheekbones. He wasn't as gorgeous as a model, and neither was I. But, my heart skipped a beat whenever his honey-hued eyes met mine. I felt joy whenever I got him to smile.

A part of me started to understand what Michael had meant about looking lovestruck. Through my enamored eyes, Liam was goddamn beautiful.

As if he couldn't stand the weight of my gaze any longer, the auburn-haired man glanced at me. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his midsection in a hug. He gave me a warm kiss in return, one that I felt down to my toes. I don't know if he was the one that pulled me closer or if I was the one who moved first. But, I ended up straddling his lap and all but eating at his mouth. It wasn't until I began to grind harder against him that he finally stopped me. We were both quite aware of our growing arousal. But, I was clearly less concerned about any possible accidents than he was.

In the clear daylight, I was able to study the flecks of golden brown in his eyes and his freckles. He seemed to be studying my face, as well. The words escaped my lips before I realized it.

"Move in with me," I suggested. As his eyes widened in surprise, I continued before I lost my resolve. "Meet the rest of my family. Forget this five-date agreement already…"

Before I was able to continue, I felt his fingers digging into the back of my head as I was pulled into another kiss. Since he initiated it, I conceded the control. As eager as my body was to respond, I realized that I was genuinely happy. When we pulled away, I noticed that Liam seemed to be just as content.

"Then, Seth," he prompted. "Will you officially be my boyfriend, my partner, from here on out?"

"You really enjoy the sound of the word 'official,' don't you?" I teased. "It's not like we're getting married or anything."

I couldn't quite read the expression that formed on Liam's face after that.

"You really wouldn't mind?" the redhead questioned.

"Mind what?"

"Marrying me some day?" Liam clarified.

The blush that rose to my cheeks reminded me of horrible nubile teenage moments of embarrassment that I swore I had outgrown by then. "Well, I'm not entirely against the idea," I admitted. "Ask me again how I feel about it some three years from now."

I saw the determined glint that formed in his eyes, and I let out a groan of defeat.

"Liam, I swear…" I grumbled. "That wasn't a deadline or anything."

The wide smirk that formed on his face did nothing to hide the determination in those honey-hued eyes.

"Why do you have to take everything I say so literally!?"