Page 103 of Liam

I watch him go into the store, then flick my gaze to Lincoln, whose focus is still on his brother.

Yesterday, after Liam drove me home from the junkyard, I went to work on trying to make amends. I started with cleaning the entire apartment, then made dinner for Roman and me. It was a small act, but one I think he understood. While we ate, I told him about going to the junkyard—about how I’d told Liam it was my favorite place in the world. But, more importantly, I told himwhyit was. And, even though the junkyard itself wasn’t there anymore, just being in the space where it once stood gave me a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in a long time. After revealing that to him, it’s as if the walls came down around me, and I couldn’t stop. So, I told him abouteverythingelse.I told him more details about the car accident—about the physical long-term effects of my injuries and what happened with Pierson in the aftermath. I struggled to get out the part aboutwhereI was going andwhy. I’d planned to keep it to myself until I was dead and buried, but he had a right to know. He sat and listened the entire time, and the only question he asked was, “Is that why you don’t drive or drink alcohol?”

To which I answered, “Yes.”

I even opened myself up to parts of my past I’m not proud of, things that involved Liam, which inevitably led to me taking a baseball bat to Wyatt’s truck. And then, finally, I apologized. For so many things. I wasn’t thinking about how my actions would affect his reputation in such a small town. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of being able to hide out in his apartment like I had been. But mostly, I apologized for the way I’d acted. I hadn’t been at my best lately, and even though I recognizedhis attempt to make things better for me, I was so deep in my struggle that I didn’t reach out when he offered his hand.

I think, in a way, that’s the hardest part—not being able to force a change when the people you love want better for you.

I spent the rest of the night lost in those thoughts, drowning in that darkness, until… I thought about Liam and the change I’d seen in him in the short time I’ve been back. He’s more confident now, more willing to say exactly what’s on his mind. He says that it’smydoing, calls itThe Addie Effect. The problem is, I haven’t been able to vocalize my thoughts lately because the things I’ve felt aren’t in my mind; they’re in my heart—etched deep in the crevices I’ve avoided exploring.

But I need to.

I need to be more like Liam. More open with my struggles, my emotions… even if it costs me my pride.

“Hey, Lincoln,” I say, and his eyes trail to mine. I remove my seat belt so I can lean forward, say something I’ve been meaning to say for a while now. “I owe you an apology.”

“Me?” he asks, his eyes wide.

I nod. “For the way I treated Liam when we were kids. I figure you know about it by now—the wholeTwincestthing. And whileyouwere never the target, I can only imagine how it affected you.” I’ve had alotof time to sit and think about the impacts of my actions over the past few days, and Lincoln was high on that list. “I’m sure you must’ve felt a certain duty to Liam, a protectiveness, and it must’ve been hard on you—to feel as if you were powerless to do anything about it.”

Lincoln’s gaze drops to the space between us, his eyebrows set in a line. “I don’t know the whole story, but I know Liam’s forgiven you, and that’s enough for me. And I’m sorry, too, for what I said on the stairs that night you were over for dinner. I’m sorry for calling you out like that. It was uncalled for. Especially since I know you and Liam have feelings for each other.”

Feelings. I have alotof feelings for Liam Preston, and the prevalent one is one I struggle to say out loud. “You were just protecting him, as you should.”

His eyes lift, lock on mine, and they’re the closest to Liam’s I’ve ever seen. The closest tokindness.“So we’re good—you and me?”

I blink back the heat burning behind my eyes. “I’d like us to be.”

He nods. “Then we’re good, Addie.”

“Good,” I say, my smile soft as I sit back and get comfortable. “So you guys usually rock-paper-scissors to see who does what?”

“Yeah. It’s easier that way,” he explains. “I go to New York a lot, and people recognize me there, but they don’t give a shit. It’s New York. In town, we’re just two parts of ‘those damn Preston Punks,’ but anywhere else, we have to be more careful. We’re less likely to be recognized when we’re alone, but both of us together?No chance.”

I’ve gone deep down the rabbit hole with the Preston Twins now. Not the boys themselves, but their brand. I’ve seen edits people make of them, brief clips of people recording Linc in stores, sometimes without his knowledge. I’ve seen the fandom. Heard the squeals. Read people’s shitty opinions of them. I’ve done it all, and still—in my mind, they’re just two small-town boys trying to get through this thing calledlife.

Liam returns and immediately removes the hat and sunglasses. “Done,” he murmurs.

“What’s next on the list?” Linc asks, starting the engine.

“I don’t have a phone, remember?”

Linc grabs his phone from the center console. “I keep forgetting about that.”

“What happened to your phone?” I ask, clicking on my seat belt.

I don’t miss the shared look between the twins. “It died,” Liam finally answers.

“Iwould literally die without my phone,” Linc mumbles.

“I actually like it.” Liam shrugs. “I think I’m going to do it forever. Email only.”

“Right,” Lincoln scoffs. “So if Addie’s like, ‘Hey, Roman’s not home, come over’… she has to tell you that via email? And you’ll get to it when you check?”

Heat bursts along my neckline, up to my cheeks, and I try to bury myself right into the seat cushion. Liam glances at me quickly before facing forward. “Yo, go get me a phone.”

Lincoln laughs. Then flattens his features. “Oh, you’re not kidding.” He sighs, taking the hat and sunglasses from Liam. “I’ll be back.”

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