Page 7 of Liam

I like my own space to delve into my own thoughts, my own creativity. My own peace andquiet. Which is something I’m not getting now because the voices are getting louder, and the only people I could think would be here besides Linc are my sister and her husband. It’s obviously not them, or I wouldn’t be in the state of panic I currently find myself in.

I sit up, allowing the lightweight covers to fall to my waist as I strain to listen. I immediately recognize one voice as my brother, Logan, and then a girl speaks, but I can’t quite make out what she says. Another male voice—one I recognize but can’t instantly place—says something, and he and Logan laugh as they make their way past my unofficial room and open the door to the only other bedroom. There’s nothing in there besides a dozen filing cabinets filled with paperwork from old Preston Construction jobs. They were all kept in the basement until the cabin became free, and Logan moved them here.

What anyone could want with them now, I don’t know.

But I’m sure as hell going to find out.

I dress quickly and run a hand through my hair, attempting to look somewhat presentable before stepping out. At the sound of the door opening, three heads swivel, all sets of eyes now on mine, but only one pair captures my attention. Even if her single braid wasn’t cascading over her shoulder, her eyes give her away. “Liam?” she says, squinting, head tilted slightly.

Air traps deep in my lungs, and I keep it there as my gaze refuses to leave hers.

The first time I came face-to-face with Adelaide Baker, I thought she was an angel. Like a legitimate, physical angel sent from heaven just for me. To be fair, it was the first day of kindergarten, and I was five, but still…

She hasn’t changed much in the years since I’ve seen her—same golden-brown hair, contrasted by the darkest eyes to match her wicked soul. Her eyes should’ve been a warning from the beginning, but like I said… I wasfive.

“I didn’t see your car out front,” Logan says, snapping me back to reality. I tear my gaze away from the devil incarnate and focus on my brother.

After clearing the immediate anger, fear, and confusion from my chest, I answer, “Golf cart.” And it’s all I say before turningon my heels and walking out, slamming the front door behind me.

The summer air bites at my flesh as I bypass Logan’s truck. And then Roman’s. I didn’t even register that he was the other person in the house, and sure, I could’ve put two and two together, but the moment I saw Adelaide, everything went to shit.

Roman works construction for my dad; therefore, he’s friends with my older brothers. I’ve been around Roman plenty in the past few years, and he’s a great guy. Which, I guess, makes it easy to push aside the fact that his little sister is myactualnightmare.

He never spoke about her in the years I’ve known him, so I just assumed she wasn’t in his life anymore. When she left town five years ago, her name died along with everyone else’s memories of her.

Everyone but mine.

Addie

Dayna

So… How are you? How is Roman? Tell me everything. PS: The boys miss you. We all do. But… I may be missing you the most. I love you. Come back! No DON’T! I mean it. DO NOT COME BACK. Anyway… how are you?

I’ve been staring at the text from my foster mom for a good few minutes now, not knowing how to respond. Not even to her most basic question.

How am I?

Besides the looming fear of potentially being charged with burglary and assault on a police officer after last night’s chaos, Iactually woke up this morning feeling the closest to “good” since I arrived. But thenLiam.I figured I’d probably run into him at some point, but I thought he’d be somewhere in the distance, far enough away that I could ignore his existence. Never in my wildest nightmares did I expect to have to live or breathe in his presence.

I should quit.

And believe me, I’ve contemplated it in the hours I’ve sat in this makeshift office, scanning and digitalizing old Preston Construction paperwork. But… I didn’t want to disappoint Roman, and I definitely didn’t want to relive thereasonI wanted to quit before I’d even started. Besides, Logan had already spent the better part of an hour walking me through the job—explaining what I’d be doing, how much I’d be paid (way too much), and even handing me a key so I could come and go as I liked. If I wanted an out, I should’ve done it already.

I feel stuck.I type out the reply, then delete it completely and move on to the next question.

How is Roman?

I don’t know how he is, because I don’t knowwhohe is. Next.

Tell me everything.

I don’t really feel like typing out a novel, so… next.

The boys miss you. We all do. But… I may be missing you the most. I love you.

I crack the faintest of smiles.

When my foster parents found out they couldn’t have biological children, they made it their life’s mission to open their home to others. When I came to them at fourteen, I was the oldest they’d ever taken in. It was supposed to be temporary, just until the cops or CPS found my parents. They never did. And I… never left. Right now, they have three brothers staying with them, aged between two and six, while their mother serves a short prison stint for corporate fraud. The boys are great. A littleon the rambunctious side, as Dayna says. To which her husband, Griffin, replies, “As boys that age should be.”

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