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“Hardly,” I huffed out. “I overheard you and Aiden going at it in Dad’s office.”
He snorted. “Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve eavesdropped on us, huh Squirt?”
I wanted to roll my eyes at the stupid term of endearment but refrained.
“You know, I never understood the relationship you had with Aiden. I always thought it was because you liked him better.”
“I love both of you, Liam, even if our relationship is different to what I have with Aiden. Now tell me why you hit Aiden.”
Liam regarded me, his eyes taking in every feature of my face. He’d been doing that ever since our Mom died, because I looked so much like her.
“I miss him.” It was such a simple answer, and yet for Liam I knew it wasn’t. Not really. “I feel like everything’s changed.”
“It has, but just because Aiden has a girlfriend doesn’t mean you’re not important to him. It just means he has someone else who’s important to him too. And someday you’ll find someone and understand how it feels.”
Liam stayed quiet, and I remembered that Aiden told our Dad that Liam slept with Callie.
“Unless…” I placed my mug on the coffee table and scooted closer to Liam’s side. “You’ve already found her.”
His eyes said it all, but in the same breath he looked so crestfallen. I felt bad for him.
“I screwed up,” he said. “I was a complete asshole, and now she’s gone.”
“So? Why not go after her?”
Liam brushed a hand over his face, his tattooed arms flexing beneath his shirt.
“I’m not that guy,” he replied softly. “I don’t chase them.”
I sighed. Men were stupid.
“Until you find the one worth chasing, Liam.”
“Even so, I doubt she’ll talk to me. I made such a mess of things that she quit her job and skipped town. Dad is so pissed, and so is Aiden.”
“They have reason to be. You shouldn’t have screwed Callie like a cheap one-night stand, but they’ll get over it. Can you get over it though? Can you wake up and carry on with your life as if she never happened?”
Liam swallowed and looked down before he shook his head. “I don’t know what to do, Squirt. I’m scared I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life by letting her go without a fight.”
“Then fight for her. Show her that you’re worth the risk. And for God’s sake, make up with Aiden. When the two of you are at odds it’s like the damn apocalypse.”
He chortled. “Wow Squirt, don’t hold back.”
“I won’t. Now stop being a stubborn ass and fix it.”
Liam smiled, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Like you fixed it with Vaughan this afternoon?”
I gasped, completely mortified that Liam had heard about it. “Who told you?”
“Jackson may have sent a message to all of us.”
“I’m going to kill him! Slowly.”
“You’re lucky he didn’t kill Vaughan.” Liam was amused. I was not.
“If he lays so much as a finger on Vaughan…”
Liam’s eyes widened. “Since when are you so protective of King?”
“The hell if I know.”
Liam chuckled, and stayed a while longer before calling it a night. He kissed my forehead. “Love you, Squirt.”
“Love you too.”
