Page 92 of Liam

He’s right. I don’t. And I don’t regret the time away with him, but—“What the fuck was she thinking?”

“I’massumingshe figured out whoactuallyleft that note in your locker. And I’massumingshe went to the source. And I’massumingshe did what she did because she cares a hell of a lot about you… maybe a little later than she should have, but she definitely cares now.” He pauses a beat. “Did you find out about the wholeboyfriendthing?”

“No,” I’m quick to say. “I didn’t exactly give her a chance to explain.”

“Maybe it’s not what you think. Or even what Roman thinks.”

“Maybe.” Until five minutes ago, the wholeboyfriendthing mattered. Now, it’s the last of my worries. I suck in a breath. Hold it. Release it slowly. Then I ask, because it’s something that’s weighed heavy on my mind since I walked out of that closet a few days ago, “Do you think I’m weak for still caring about her?”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re talking to a guy who can’t get over the girl he fell in love with when he was thirteen. If that’s weak, then call weakness my superpower.”

I look toward the studio, first at her skateboard, then the door.

“Let’s go,” he says, opening the door. “I need to piss.”

The first thing that grabs my attention when we step into the cabin is a sound I’m all too familiar with—the tap, tap, tapping of the keyboard from the back room. Lincoln rushes ahead to use the bathroom, and I trail behind, my steps slow, my breaths uneven. I round the corner into the hallway and freeze. It’s not Addie behind the keyboard. It’s Logan. “What are you doing here?” I ask, confused.

He turns to me, his smile strained. “Nice to see you, too. How was it?”

Sometimes, I assume my older brothers don’t notice when I’m gone. It’s a mindset I should probably rectify. And soon. Especially with Logan. I step forward, lean against the doorframe. “It was good. Definitely needed.” Such a dumb thing to say, considering what Linc and I do for work compared to him. Us: film dumb shit and sit behind a computer. Him: lifts heavy shit and constructs entire buildings. If anyone needs a break, it’s literally everyonebutme.

Linc comes out of the bathroom and joins me. He doesn’t seem at all surprised to see Logan here instead of Addie. Logan nods at him, then goes back to what he was doing. He says, answering my question from earlier, “Dad was planning to send this off to someone to get done before he offered Addie the job, so I’m just trying to figure out where she got up to.”

I push off the frame, my spine straightening as I cross my arms. Brow bunched, I ask, “What do you mean?”

He peers up at me. “Mini Roman quit,” he deadpans. “Said it wasn’t working out. Hasn’t been here for days.”

I glance over at Lincoln, my question silent between us. He shrugs. “I didn’t know that part.”

Logan sighs, bringing my attention back to him. “Roman’s real worried he’s going to come home one day, and she’ll be gone.”

My arms drop to my sides. “She told him she’s leaving?”

“Not exactly.” Logan shakes his head. “It’s just… things have changed, you know? Especially since she went allHarley Quinnon that guy’s truck.”

“Did she get charged with anything?” Linc asks the question we’re both thinking.

“Not yet,” Logan says. “Apparently, the cops showed up, but they’d already left. Leo said the guy refused to press charges, so…”

“Leo was there?” I ask.

“Not at the scene,” Logan answers. “But he knows about it.”

“Soeveryoneknew about it?” I ask, and Logan and Linc share a look.

Got it.

Everyone knew but me.

“The group chats were going wild,” Linc admits. “But, like I said, I didn’t want you to know while we were away.” He pauses a breath. “I called Mia’s dad. Had him get his tech team to scrub the Internet clean of the video.”

“You did?” I ask, surprised he’d go that far, especially for Addie. But maybe he didn’t do it for her. Maybe he did it for Roman.

Linc nods. “They did their best, but they can’t do shit about people sending it through private messages or whatever.”

“Anyway,” Logan says, “the guy?—”

“Wyatt,” Linc interjects.

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