Page 52 of Liam

I took the day off and caught the bus a few towns over to shop for clothes—dresses to be specific and ribbons to match them. Yes, it was insane, and completely over the top, but I wanted to make a good first impression on “Papa Preston.” Why? Because he gave me a chance without knowing a thing about me. He also gave Roman a chance while knowingeverythingabout him.

“Nothingbutgood things,” Tom assures, urging us farther into his home. “I’m sorry I haven’t come by yet. I’ve wanted to, but I didn’t want it to seem like I was checking in, you know? I figured this way was better.”

“Well, I’m glad to finally meet you,” I respond, just as I catch the wall of photos beside the staircase. It’s a gallery of all the Preston kids, lined up from what I assume is the oldest to the youngest, showcasing them all as they get older.

The front door bursts open behind us, and Logan and Lucas are physically fighting over who walks through first. They’re laughing, the kind of childish, playful laughter that only forms in siblings or lifelong friends. Logan pushes through, his eyes immediately finding mine. “Mini Roman!” He hugs me the same way he did the first time we met. “Have you met Luke yet?”

I shake my head. “Hi.”

Logan releases me just as Lucas smiles, says, “Hey, Addie.”

Two girls walk through behind them, and Logan introduces them, too. Laney, with dark hair and glasses, is Luke’s girlfriend, and Aubrey, with fiery red hair, is “his” girl.

“Pleasure to meet you,” I say, anddammit,I may as well throw in a curtsy at how ridiculous I’m being. Also… where is Liam?

Lachlan comes flying down the stairs next, grinning wide. “Mini Roman!”

My smile falters, and I don’t face him directly. Ican’t.I’m still too embarrassed about what happened out on the lake. Thankfully, Tom is urging everyone toward the back of the house, so I barely have time to acknowledge him at all.

I follow Roman’s lead and walk beside him. “You good?” he asks.

I peer up at him, nodding. “I’m fine.”

The Preston kitchen is enormous and appears newly renovated. It’s not luxurious at all, just… roomy. The large, clearly custom-made dining table is off to the side, and Logan tells me, “Sit anywhere.”

So I do.

Lachlan sits opposite me, on his phone, and the two girls sit to the side next to each other.

“The twins are picking up the food,” Tom announces to anyone who’s listening. “They should be back soon.”

Roman, Logan and Lucas stand behind the girls, talking about work. Logan drops his arm over Aubrey’s shoulder, almost as if heneedsto be touching her. Anyhow. Any way. She’s quick to link their fingers and kiss his hand. It’s incredibly intimate andsweet, and I find myself smiling. So does Aubrey, who’s obviously caught me watching them. She doesn’t call me out on it, though. Instead, she says, “Logan tells me you have the most boring job in the world.”

“It’s notsobad.”

“Well, if you do get bored, you should come by the bookstore, get yourself something to read while you wait for all those pages to scan.”

“Oh, you should come to the book club!” Laney offers.

“It’s not really a book club,” Lucas chimes in. “They just sit around talking shit about us while devouring cheese and wine.”

“How do you know?” Laney asks.

He shrugs. “Because Lucy runs it.”

“We read the books!” Laney scolds.

“Sometimes,” Aubrey murmurs. Then to me, “You should come.”

It’s a straight up invitation, and I don’t really see why I can’t. Besides, it might be nice to do something other than ride around in Wyatt’s truck trying to find something to do. “I like cheese.”

“Finally,” Lachlan exclaims, dropping his phone on the table. I follow his gaze to the kitchen, where the twins are heading toward us, both carrying a stack of pizza boxes too many to count. Liam smiles when he sees me. “Hi,” he says, stopping beside me.

I push down the onset of flutters suddenly buzzing inside me. “Hi.”

He grabs the pizza from the top of his stack and sets it in front of me. “That one’s for you.”

“She gets one to herself?” Lachlan whines.

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