Page 118 of Liam

I face Logan again, the fear and worry tearing at my chest. “My family. My girlfriend. And therapy. Lots of it.” He pauses a breath. “But none of those work without the other.”

“We’ve tried therapy,” Dayna says. “I mean, just the one time, but she hated it.”

Logan’s lips tick up at the corners. “That’s because she hasn’t tried my therapist.”

Dayna sighs. “I’m going to assume she’s local, then?”

Logan nods.

“We live four hours away.”

“I know it’s inconvenient,” Logan says. “But I really think it might help. It’s helped me to the point…” His voice fades as I look up at my brother. He’s already watching me, his eyes filled with liquid heartache. Past the tears—nothing but pure anguish, agony, uncertainty… but beyond that, I can see the hope, the wish for something more for me. Tears blur my vision as our eyes hold. The things he wants for me seem so out of reach, so far in the distance, but… he’s never given up on me, never once wavered in his love for me. So, for him—“I’ll do it.”

“Really?” Dayna asks.

I wipe the tears from my cheeks as I face her, nodding.

Her gaze drops. “I’m only here for a couple of days, Addie. I wish I could stay longer, but?—”

“It’s okay,” I cut in. “I understand.”

“I’ll call in the morning,” Roman says. “I’ll see if we can get you in as soon as possible. Maybe you can do a couple of sessions while Dayna’s here, so you can talk to her about it—if you want to. Or me. Or any of us.”

I nod up at my brother.

“It’ll take time, Addie,” Logan says, and I trail my eyes to his.

“You and Liam have the same smile,” I tell him. “The soft one you’re giving me now. It’s… comforting.”

His smile widens, his gaze flicking to Liam quickly before returning to me. “Sucks that I’m the more handsome one, then.”

“You’re not,” I say, shaking my head.

“Addie!” Dayna gasps, and then she laughs, and I missed her laugh.

I miss mine, too.

Logan stands. “We’ll let you get some rest.” He faces Roman. “If I see your ass at work tomorrow, you’re fired.”

Roman nods, then offers his hand for a shake. The moment Logan’s hand meets his, Roman pulls him in for a hug, one that lasts longer than I expected. “Thanks, man,” he murmurs, and I hate myself for forgetting that Roman has feelings, too. That even though he doesn’t feel what I feel, watching me fall apart from the outside is just as bad.

I get to my feet and move toward them. As soon as they split, I hug Logan, too. “Thank you,” I say, not just because he came back to talk to me, but because he’s been there for Roman when I couldn’t be.

He returns my hug, his embrace as comforting as his smile. When he pulls away, he looks directly into my eyes. “You can call me anytime, okay?”

I nod, and I know it’s not just a passing statement. I feel it in my bones.

He releases me, jerks his head toward Liam. “Let’s go.”

Liam stands, and suddenly, the thought of him leaving has me in a panic. As selfish as it is, I don’t want to be without him.

I shuffle toward him when he stands, and I don’t hug him like I did Logan. I just stand there, my neck craned to look up at him. I can’t say what I want. I don’t want to use him like this—use his touch to ease my pain. Because as bad as it is—his touch has been the only thing that seemed to kill the darkness invading my soul. I don’t hug him like I want to. I don’t wait for him to hug me, either. Instead, I lay my head on his chest, feel his heartbeatbeneath my cheek, and listen to his unsteady breath as it leaves him.

He cradles the back of my head, holding me in place.

Thump, thump.

“Addie,” he whispers, and I find the courage to peer up at him. “Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

---