Page 102 of Liam

“So what is it?”

He tilts his chin, eyes catching mine. “Is it going to bother you not knowing?”

“Absolutely.”

He chuckles. “Looks like you’ll never know.”

I push on his shoulder. “Tell me.”

“Absolutely not,” he says, then clamps his lips shut as he shakes his head.

The front door opens, and we both turn toward the sound. “Is Addie here?” Lincoln calls out.

“Yeah,” Liam answers.

“Is she coming? Because I need to move shit from the back seat if she is.”

I turn to Liam. “Coming where?”

“We’re just running errands,” he tells me. Then louder, for his brother, “Yeah, she’s coming!”

He gathers what he needs from his desk, then stands, taking my hand in his as he leads me away. I dig my heels into the floor, grasping his arm. “Wait!” I whisper, waiting for him to face me before adding. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” He turns to me fully, his eyes searching mine, and I hope he can’t see the effort it’s taking to blink back my emotions.

“I—” How do I say this so he’ll understand? After my latest public display of whatever that was, I’m just… “I’m really not ready to show my face in public.”

“Good!” Lincoln yells from the front door. “Because that’s exactly how we operate!”

Fifteen minutes later, I’m in the back seat of a truck I’ve never seen before whileLincolnsits behind the wheel and Liam sits shotgun. According to the twins, Lincoln got his license yesterday and immediately drove to their sister’s father-in-law’s car dealership and bought the truck. He and Liam went for a drive last night and, going by their current back and forth, it didnotgo well. “He’s the worst passenger in the history of ever, Addie,” Lincoln says, peering at me quickly through the rearview.

“That’s a fucking lie,” Liam deadpans.

Lincoln ignores him. “He spent the entire drive white-knuckling the dash, squealing like a little bitch.”

“Did not!” Liam retorts.

Somehow, even after the few days I’ve had, I find myself smiling. “Where did you go?”

“I got all the way to the sports park before he threatened to get out and walk.”

“That’s like a five-minute drive.”

“I know!” Lincoln almost shouts.

Right on cue, Liam grabs the dash. “Don’t yell! Concentrate on the road.”

“Shut up,Dad!”

A giggle pours out of me. We’re on the main road that connects all the nearby towns. There are barely any other cars, and according to the speedometer, Lincoln’s driving two milesunderthe speed limit.

Liam drops his head between his shoulders, shaking it slowly. “It’s going to take me a minute to get used to,” he admits. “You know I struggle when things aren’t in my control.”

I don’t miss the way Lincoln glances at me through the rearview, his eyebrows pinched. I don’t know if he’s confused, or perhaps concerned, that Liam is open about his anxieties with me or if it’s because he knowsI’mthe reason Liam’s like that. Either way, I don’t ask.

We pull up in front of an electronics store at a strip mall, and as soon as the truck’s in park, the twins turn to each other, their fists already formed in the classic rock-paper-scissors position. They take eight tries for one of them to do something different, and Lincoln’s the one who wins. “Wait,” he says. “We’re dealing with equipment here. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

“Oh yeah,” Liam says through a sigh, reaching into a backpack to reveal a hat and sunglasses. He slips them both on before turning to me. “I’ll be back soon.”

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