Page 27 of Liam (Preston Brothers #4)

I only look away when footsteps approach.

Lincoln is at the bottom of the staircase, eying me curiously, his gaze switching from me to the wall and back again.

He doesn’t say a word as he ascends, and I have to shift my legs momentarily so he can pass.

I watch his retreating back until he’s no longer in view.

I take one more glance at the younger version of Liam before taking out my phone from my dress pocket and pulling up the chat with Dayna and Griffin.

Addie

I miss you guys.

Dayna

We were just talking about you!

Griffin

About how much we missed you.

Dayna

How are you doing, hun?

Griffin

And Roman? How is he?

Addie

I’m good. He’s good.

Dayna

And you and Roman together?

Addie

Also good.

Dayna

Any regrets?

So many, but none that pertain to Roman.

Addie

Nope.

“There you are!” Tom calls out from below. “Just making sure you hadn’t fallen in.”

I manage to force the weakest of smiles and slip my phone away.

“Sorry,” he says, shaking his head. “My kids are always telling me to quit it with the corny jokes.” He pauses a beat. “But what are they going to do? Call the crops ?”

This time, my grin is genuine.

Tom grips onto the rail, slowly making his way up, and stopping a few steps below, pointing down. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

He sits facing me, his back to the wall, his giant frame barely contained by the single step. “Listen, Addie,” he starts, and my pulse jumps in my throat. I don’t know why I fear what he’s about to say. “I’m really glad you came tonight, and I’m glad you accepted the job.”

I tilt my head, confused. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but…” he trails off, taking a moment to gather his words. “I was there the night your brother was arrested… I had to show the police where that beat-up old van was, so…”

“Oh.” My mind spins in circles, trying to recall that night. Did I see him there? I don’t remember. Everything happened so fast, and I can’t?—

“And I was the one who forced Liam to tell them where you might be hiding…”

I empty my lungs and nod slowly, already knowing that side of it.

“They did you wrong, Addie. The way they treated you. I tried to step in, but…” he trails off there. “I should’ve stepped in. No excuses.”

I blink quickly, ignoring the liquid heartache caught beneath my lids. “Does Roman know—about what you saw?”

He shakes his head. “I haven’t told him.”

“Is that why you gave him the job, because you feel guilty?” Not that there’d be anything wrong with that. People have done worse under the pressure of guilt, and I’m living proof of it.

“I gave Roman a job because he interviewed like everyone else, and he was the best man for it. Sure, Lucy and Cameron vouched for him, but that was after I’d already called him to offer the position.

” He cocks his head to the side, his eyebrows lowering.

“I trusted your brother because I knew him before . I knew him as that teenage kid my twin boys looked up to when he was their little league coach. You were on the team, too, if I recall correctly.”

“You do.” I meet his eyes and, through the knot in my throat, I ask, “Do you know if I’ve been here before?”

“Sure.” His beard shifts with his smile. “We had a big party here after y’all won a tournament.”

It’s like pieces of a puzzle all coming together. A scavenger hunt that leads to nowhere. “The picture,” I whisper.

“What’s that?”

I clear my throat, speak louder. “Was there a team photo taken here?”

Nodding, he says, “Right in the backyard.”

“Red and blue balloons and streamers?”

“Team colors.”

My eyes drift shut, the memories forming, then fading. “Of course.”

“Anyway,” Tom says, and I open my eyes again. He’s looking down at his lap, at his hands as he rubs them together. “I wanted to apologize to you… if what we did—Liam and me—hurt you more than you were already hurting. Roman tells me that your foster parents?—”

“They’re great.”

“That’s what he says.” Our eyes meet again. “If you need anything…”

I nod, the ache in my chest slowly abating.

Tom stands, starts making his way down again. I wait until he’s reached the bottom to call out, “Mr. Preston?”

He turns to me. “Tom, please.”

“I don’t blame you… or Liam…” I tell him, and as soon as the words leave my mouth, I know them to be true.

For years, I needed someone to blame, and Liam was an easy target.

But the real blame lies with two people who walked away and never looked back.

I’ve never heard from them again. I don’t know where they are—or even who they are.

“That’s good, Addie.” Tom’s shoulders drop with his heavy exhale, almost as if he’d been carrying that weight for years. He nods slowly, like he’s assuring himself. “That’s real good.”

I keep my eyes on the space he occupied long after he’s gone. Just when I’ve started accepting the peace that settles in my heart, a throat clearing has me sitting upright.

Lincoln’s at the top of the stairs, his eyes narrowed as he stares down at me. And Lincoln’s eyes—they’re nothing at all like his twin’s…

His strides are slow as he makes his way down, stopping two steps above me. He slumps into a sitting position, his body facing me, but his focus on the framed photos. “You know which one he is?”

I know what he’s asking, but the irate tone in which he says it has me confused. “What?”

“Liam,” he explains. “Do you know which one he is?”

I nod slowly, look away from him, and drop my gaze to my lap. “Where did he go tonight?”

“He’s staying at Mia’s.”

My pulse spikes, and I attempt to settle it. It’s the second time I’ve heard that name. The first time was during Liam’s call with Lachlan right before we picked him up. Whoever Mia is, she must be important to Liam. “Who’s Mia?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer, and I chance a peek over at him.

He doesn’t even bother to hide the way he’s glaring at me, head cocked to the side, and I don’t know where this hostility is coming from.

I’ve spoken to Lincoln plenty since I started working for his dad.

Every conversation has been easy. Casual. Fun, almost. This is not that.

“Back in third grade,” he finally says, breaking the silence. “We used to play baseball with a bunch of older kids during lunch. You remember that?”

He waits for me to say something, anything. I don’t.

“Anyway, this one time, I was at shortstop and Liam was somewhere in the outfield, and this huge fifth grader, Owen, came up to bat. We were always afraid of him, just based on his size alone. Pitcher pitched, and Owen swung, and the bat went flying… straight for me. I panicked and cowered, but… it never came.” He pauses a breath.

“Liam—I don’t even know how he got to me so fast—but he threw his arm out and blocked it.

Broke his arm pretty bad. Had to be in a cast for two months… ”

Where does it hurt?

I breathe through the ache, through the pain of the memories flooding my mind.

I hope you feel better, Addie.

“The point is…” Lincoln says, and I blink back my emotions as I flick my eyes to his. “Liam protected me then… and I swore to protect him ever since.” He stands, but doesn’t move right away. “You noticed it, too, huh?”

I swallow the misery caught in my throat. “Noticed what?”

He jerks his head toward the pictures. “He stopped smiling at ten… right around the time he became Twincest. ”

Liam

My nephew’s jumping on his bed, nowhere near ready to sleep, and I’m laughing with him—no doubt failing at this whole bedtime routine thing.

Mia opens his door, and we both flop on his bed, pretend to be sleeping, loud snores and all. After a moment, the door closes again.

“Think we fooled her?” I whisper.

Benny sighs. “No chance.”

I chuckle.

He shifts closer, whispering, “When I was little?—”

“You’re still little.”

“When I was littl er … she used to say she had eyes in the back of her head.”

I turn to my side, face him completely. “Maybe she does.”

“Nah,” he says. “I pretended to brush her hair once to look.”

I scrunch my nose. “No eyes?”

“Nope. Just your average head.”

“I have eyes everywhere,” Mia interjects as she opens the door.

Benny and I start snoring again.

“Oh no,” she says, a humorous, teasing lilt in her tone. “The boys are asleep. I guess I’ll give Benny this in the morning.”

Benny shoots up, flicking on his lamp. “Give me what?”

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“Mama, you woke me when you came in!”

I smother my chuckle into the pillow while Mia hands him a picture frame.

“Yesss!” Benny cheers. “Look, Uncle Twinny.”

“He’s been asking for it for weeks,” Mia tells me.

I sit up, taking the frame from him while Mia settles at the edge of the bed.

It’s a photograph of the first day we met, two Halloweens ago.

All of us are in the frame. My entire family.

Mia’s, too. Even her best friend, Holden, was there.

I remember setting up the camera on the tripod and adjusting the timer.

It only took one attempt to capture the perfect shot.

We’re all standing in front of the house, Benny and my niece, Katie, dressed up for the day—Benny as a cop and Katie as a?—

“Princess is so cute in this,” Benny says.

I smile. “So are you.”

Benny takes the frame and sets it on his nightstand. Then he turns to me. “Did you ever dress up for Halloween when you were little?”

“Sure did.”

“What did you dress as?”

“A fireman.”

“Really?” Mia asks, her smile so pure it almost breaks me.

“Yep. Every year until I was ten.”

“You wanted to be a fireman?” Benny asks.

“More than anything.”

“I could totally see you as a fireman,” Mia adds.

“You think?”

“Absolutely.”

“So what happened?” Benny asks. “Why aren’t you a fireman now?”

I shrug. “I guess I realized I wasn’t all that brave.”