Page 77 of Liam (Preston Brothers #4)

Thankfully, Tom gave Griffin a job, working hours that didn’t interfere with his coaching, and Lucy stocked some of Dayna’s handmade crafts at her shop, which—going by how quickly they sold out—were a big hit.

And I made sure to spend that time doing everything I could to make Griffin look so good, they had no choice but to give him the job.

Well, I didn’t do a lot, but I made my boyfriend edit some crazy short videos to post on their social media.

The videos alone brought in crowds they hadn’t seen in ten years.

And it’s not that Griffin couldn’t earn the position on his own, but it was just that little extra push to show he would go above and beyond.

It worked. No regrets. Because now I have this huge found family all together, and I, personally, couldn’t be happier.

The front door opens, and Roman calls out, “Addie here?”

“Yep!” I answer, grabbing what I need to make Zane’s bottle.

Roman enters the kitchen, kisses the top of my head. “Thanks for my lunch.”

“No problem.”

He moves over to Wyatt and smiles down at the baby. “He’s adorable.”

And because I’ll always be Roman Baker’s annoying little sister, I crack, “You and Heidi would make cute babies.”

I can feel his frustration from across the room. “I swear to God, Addie…” he mumbles, and I bite back a giggle. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this joke going before he tapes my mouth shut.

“You ready to go?” Wyatt asks him, handing Zane over to Griffin.

“ Please ,” Roman moans, and they leave to carpool to work.

“What time is Liam coming?” Griffin asks once they’re gone.

“He’ll be here soon.” Even though he was fast asleep when I left him, I know it won’t be long until he realizes I’m not in his bed. He’ll get up, shower, and find me. He always does. “We don’t have class until later.”

“How is he doing with it?”

“How is who doing with what?” Liam asks, entering the kitchen. I didn’t even hear him come in. He immediately takes Zane from Griffin and coos over him.

“You,” Griffin answers. “How’s the training going?”

“Good. So far.” Liam shrugs. “It’s weird being back in a classroom after so many years.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Griffin says. “Speaking of classroom, I better get going.” He rubs my arm. “Thanks for coming over and helping out.”

“Of course.”

A moment later, it’s just me and Liam—and Dayna, but she doesn’t count. “What time is your first class?” Liam asks.

“Eleven. Same as you.”

I ended up deferring for a year, picking up odd jobs where I could.

Since the twins are no longer actively working on their YouTube channel, Liam decided to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a firefighter. He didn’t need the money; he just… wanted to prove he was brave enough. For no one else but himself.

So, we looked at what he needed to do to make that happen.

A community college about a half hour north ran the program, and I could take classes there to gain credits and then transfer to a four-year school later.

We worked on our schedules so they would align as much as possible, because, obviously, we don’t like being apart.

I haven’t decided exactly what I want to do, but as of now, I know I want to work with children. When I told Liam this—his smile was huge. He said I would be perfect for it and reminded me of all the time I’ve spent with his niece and nephew.

I’m not one to play favorites, but… there’s something about my relationship with Benny that feels special.

I brought it up in therapy once (I still go once a week), and Amanda mentioned that I was around the same age as Benny when evil appeared at my doorstep.

She suggested that the “childlike” version of me is stuck at that age, and I want to protect his innocence now the way mine should have been protected then.

When I opened up to Liam about it—the childlike version of me—I asked if he thought something was wrong with me.

He assured me he didn’t. That there was a huge distinction between wrong and different , and it’s that different part of me he loves the most. The part that sees the world with childlike wonder and awe.

He says it’s the reason he lifted his head, opened his eyes to the world around him and not just the world he’d created in his mind.

I finish making Zane’s bottle and we sit on the floor in front of the couch while he cradles Zane in his arms and feeds it to him. I watch him a moment, my smile uncontained. “I don’t think you realize how insanely hot this is…”

Liam smirks, his eyes moving to mine. “I’m happy being your daddy for now. But this,” he says, motioning to the baby, “will have to wait.”

I roll my eyes. “I know. I don’t want that either, but that doesn’t make it less hot.”

“You know what is hot?”

“What?”

“The idea of you playing again.” He pauses a breath. “I can’t wait to see your big booty ass in that uniform.”

I laugh once. “I still have to try out.”

It’s his turn to roll his eyes. “As if there’s ever a world where you won’t get in.”

He’s probably right. It’s a small college, and from the research we’ve done, the team’s not all that great.

“You realize my entire family will be at every one of your games?”

I giggle. “They’ll probably be the only ones.”

“For now.” He shrugs, handing me baby Zane as soon as he starts to fuss. “Wait until word gets around that the Adelaide Baker is playing.”

“You think way too highly of me.”

“One day,” he says, leaning closer and pressing his lips to mine. “I’ll have you seeing yourself through my eyes.”

The front door opens, and Lincoln pops his head inside, sees us, and enters. “Man, do Dayna and Griffin ever lock their door?”

“Nope,” I tell him. “They’ve always been like that.”

Lincoln stands in front of me, his eyebrows bunched as he looks down at the baby in my arms. “Baby, be gone,” he states, flicking his wrist.

Liam sighs, takes Zane back while Lincoln lies on the floor beside me.

Lincoln once walked in on me and Liam on the couch, watching an absurdly intense documentary about rivalries between Donkey Kong world record holders. Liam had his head on my lap, and I was stroking his hair, and Lincoln complained he wishes he had someone to do “dumb shit” with.

Now, Lincoln rests his head on my lap, and I stroke his hair, stifling my giggle. “Poor Lincoln,” I coo. “Tell me your woes.”

“I’m tired. And grumpy. And bored. And needy.”

“You know what you need? ” Liam says. “Your own girlfriend.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck off.”

“Get fucked.”

“No swearing in front of the baby!” Dayna calls from the bedroom.

“Sorry, Dayna!” they reply in unison.

I say, “You should look up some classes and come with us. They have a ton?—”

“I’d rather eat bullets, but thanks,” Lincoln cuts in. His phone rings, and he visibly tenses, but he doesn’t make a move to answer it.

“Avoiding someone?” Liam asks him.

“Something like that.”

The phone stops ringing… right before Liam’s starts.

“What the hell?” Liam murmurs.

Lincoln sits up, his eyes wide. “ Don’t answer it.”

Liam watches him a moment, his brow dipped in confusion. Then he slides the phone from his pocket. “It’s Julie,” he says. “Why is she calling me?”

“Don’t answer it!” Linc almost yells, but it’s too late.

“Liam?” Julie says through the phone, and Liam puts the call on speaker.

“Hey, what’s up?”

I turn to Lincoln just in time to see him drop his head in his hands, shake it slowly.

“Do you know where Lincoln is?” Julie asks. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of him for days.”

“You have?” Liam says, clearly as confused as I am.

Lincoln lowers his hands but lifts his eyes, his gaze shifting between his twin, the phone, and me, over and over.

“I think he’s avoiding me,” Julie sighs out. “Which is really stupid, since it’s his idea to file for divorce, not just an annulment…”