Page 59 of Liam (Preston Brothers #4)
Liam
I wake up the next morning to Dayna sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to shake Addie from her sleep. She’d passed out before she could tell me what she was thinking, and as far as I know, she’d slept peacefully since. Well, as peacefully as her mind could handle.
Addie stirs, groans, almost in annoyance.
I sit up.
“How’d she sleep?” Dayna asks me.
“Good, I think. She didn’t wake.” I know, because I spent all night awake, just in case she did.
“Roman got her an appointment an hour from now, so she needs to get up.”
Addie rolls onto her back, her eyes fluttering open.
“There you are,” Dayna sings. “We’re going to take Liam home, then go back to Roman’s apartment so you can shower and dress, then we’ll take you to your session, okay?”
Addie nods, but doesn’t speak.
She waits until Dayna’s left the room, closed the door behind her, to peer up at me. Her hair’s a mess, loose from the braid, eyelids heavy, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more beautiful. She takes my hand, holds it to her chest, and whispers, “Thank you.”
I whisper back, “Always.”
Addie
Thank you.
I smile when I read the text. They drove me back to the studio less than a half hour ago, and I wanted to reach out, but she beat me to it.
Liam
You said that already.
Addie
Yes, but I was half asleep, and I didn’t know if you’d take me seriously, so THANK YOU.
Liam
I told you. Always.
Addie
I’ll hold you to that.
Liam
Please do.
Addie
Finished my session.
Liam
And?
Addie
Logan said it takes time, right?
Liam
Yeah…
Addie
I think he understated that fact.
Liam
I’m sorry.
Addie
It’s okay. I have another session tomorrow, so maybe it will go better.
Liam
I hope so.
Addie
Me too.
I look up from my phone when Lincoln enters the studio. “Hey,” he says, flopping down on the couch beside me.
“Hey.”
“I came by here last night, but you weren’t here. Obviously. You stay with Addie?”
“Yep.”
“Logan mentioned she was going through some shit.”
“She is,” I tell him. “But it’s not really my place to talk about it.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says, shrugging. “But if you want to talk about your shit…”
“I know,” I answer.
“You staying with her again tonight?”
I rest back on the couch, my body suddenly aching from exhaustion. “If she wants me to.”
“Leo’s working tonight, so I’ll head over to Mia’s around six?”
Fuck. I’d forgotten all about Mia and Benny. I roll my head to the side, face my twin. “I appreciate you,” I murmur.
He shrugs. “It’s nothing.”
“No, Linc,” I say, a little louder, firmer, and repeat myself.
“I really appreciate you.” I was up all night thinking, comparing my childhood to Addie’s, and with every memory that popped up, Lincoln was right beside me.
“You know, I’ve always struggled to see into the future…
I could never really imagine my life beyond my current age.
Even now, I don’t have any ambitions—career wise.
I know this YouTube thing isn’t forever.
” I think we’re both aware that we’ve hit our peak, and now we’re on the decline.
“The only thing I could really see was you and me—as dads, raising our families together. But the kids, my wife, they’re all nameless, faceless.
There was only one trait the woman I ended up with needed to have—and that’s that she has siblings, and she’s close to them, so she understands what it’s like to have that specific type of bond with someone. Like the one I have with you.”
Linc stares at me, unblinking. A beat passes, two. Then, “You know you can just say you love me, right?”
I chuckle.
“I’m kidding,” he says, and I already know he is. “I’ve always pictured it that way—our future. You and me, our kids, camping trips, carpooling, days out on Grandpa’s lake.”
I smile at the thought.
“You and your childhood crush…”
“You and Julie…”
“Nah,” he says. “We broke up.”
I sigh. “Again?”
His lips turn down at the corners. “All those things I just mentioned—I can’t picture them with Julie, and she can’t picture them with me, so…”
“I’m sorry. Do you want to talk?—”
“No. I think I just want to suck my fingers and cry into your pillow for a few hours.”
“ My pillow?”
“I can’t do it at the house. Lachlan’s home.”
I motion toward the bedroom. “Have at it,” I say, just as my phone goes off with a text.
Addie
Your favorite song is undecided. Your favorite time of the day is sunset. What are your other favorites, Liam Preston?
“Put headphones on so you don’t hear my cries,” Lincoln calls out, already on his way to the bedroom.
“On it,” I answer, then reply to Addie’s text:
Liam
You.