Page 77 of Liam

“Not unless you told him.”

“I appreciate that,” I tell him, then pause a moment, trying to come up with the right words to explain my behavior. “I panicked, I guess. To be honest, I think I heard your command and saw your uniform, and—”Fight or flight. “I haven’t exactly had the best experience with cops in the past, so…”

“That’s…” His chest rises, then deflates with his heavy exhale. “That’s completely valid, Addie.” He tries to smile, but it’s filled with so much sadness, I’m left to question what it means. How much does he know? How much does anyone here know about me?

The thought had been plaguing my mind lately, ever since my conversation with Tom. He knew more than I expected. More than I wanted him to. And then Lincoln…

He stopped smiling at ten, right around the time he became Twincest.

When I accepted Roman’s invitation to stay with him for the summer, all I expected was to spend time with him, maybe get to know him again. Sure, I’ve spoken to Wyatt in the years I was gone, but he never even hinted about what people thought or said about us. I guess I just assumed that any fragments of my existence here vanished the moment I did. But this was myhome—a town I’d lived in for most of my life, and… the ghost of me still lived here, haunting those I left behind. I think about Liam—about his reaction when he first saw me and the visceral hatred he had towards me.

I may have left, but my actions didn’t.

I look back out at the field, my gaze scattered, my mind spinning. I try to recall every interaction I’ve had since my return.How much do they know?Small towns live on gossip. My brother’s arrest, followed by my leaving… it’s not something that happens every day. Miss Harden pops into my mind…I’ve always wondered what happened to you…

My breath catches in my throat, and I slowly face Leo again. “The backpack?” I choke out. “The photo and baseball… that was you?”

Leo smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Why would you…?”

He shrugs. “I figured you were there for a reason, and once I worked out who you were, it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together…” he trails off.

My gaze lowers. “Where did you find them?” I ask him. “I thought I looked everywhere.”

Leo huffs out a breath, his gaze shifting, as if deciding whether to tell me. After a long pause, he finally reveals, “It was in your evidence bag.”

“Youstoleevidence?”

Leo’s quiet a beat. “How much do you remember from the night of Roman’s arrest?”

“Too much,” I murmur.

Leo nods. “Do you remember speaking to a female officer that night?”

“Misty Sanders?”

“Yeah.” His smile is genuine this time. “Have you met Laney? Luke’s girl?”

“Yeah.”

“Misty is Laney’s stepmom. She runs the entire department now. And Laney’s dad—Brian—is my dad’s head foreman, which makes?—”

“Brian one of Roman’s bosses?”

“That, too,” he says. “But what I was going to say is”—he motions to Liam, now walking toward us—“Roman’s as much of a brother to me as Liam is. Which makesyoufamily… whether you like it or not.”

Liam

I eye Leo curiously as we pass each other on the bleachers, but his demeanor alone gives nothing away. Kind of the same with Addie when I sit down beside her. “You good?” I ask.

She nods, leaning into me slightly.

I pull out my phone, show her the screen. “I know Benny already gave you one, but I got us matching ones,” I tell her, enlarging the picture of the yo-yos I’d purchased last night. “Mine’s blue, yours is orange. We can practice together. Or with Benny.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You don’t have to buy me things.”

“I know,” I tell her, shrugging and putting the phone down beside me. “It’s not about the yo-yo. I think… watching you and Benny yesterday, and then him having fun today, I realized—I don’t really have fun anymore.” Not until the past few days. “Not like when I was Benny’s age.” I pause a breath, thinking a moment. I wasn’t exaggerating when I told Logan I didn’t want to keep living my life the way I have been—completely closed off to the world, almost afraid it would reveal too much of what I already knew was out there. Darkness mainly.

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