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His eyes go dark, almost murderous. “What a bastard, and yeah, I wouldn’t want him around a guy like that either.”
“We were young. That’s not an excuse and I’m not justifying what he did. I’m just glad I had Mom and Dad the first year. I would have been lost without their help.”
He takes a big drink of water, his eyes on me. “You’ve been on your own for a long time.”
“Yeah,” I say, my mind going back to the man I trusted after Gavin’s father left. I really don’t want to talk or think about him, and if he ever knew I was with Liam, or that he was Gavin’s big brother, it would bring nothing but trouble. An uneasy shiver moves through me, and Liam shifts closer.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Actually, no. I think I fucked up,” I say, throwing his words back at him.
He angles his head, his curious gaze moving over my face. “Yeah?”
“None of this was a good idea.” He gives a curt nod, and is about to pull away, when I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “But it was the best worst mistake I’ve made.”
“So, we can do it again?” he asks, his childlike eagerness filling me with a lightness I haven’t felt in years.
“Yes.”
9
Liam
I’ve been hanging out with Harper and Gavin for a couple of weeks now, helping her at the pet store, and helping her walk all the dogs, and no, it’s not easy for me. Although, Gavin gets a kick out of it when I get all tangled in the leashes and fall on my ass. Maybe I do it just to make him smile. I don’t know, but I do know I don’t have to walk them or help. Harper’s ankle is better. I know it. She knows it. But it’s a game we’re playing and I can’t seem to help myself around her. I want to be there for her, do things for her. Maybe it’s a dangerous game, but the more time I spend around them, the more I want to be around them, and when I’m not with them, I’m thinking about them.
They’ve both been staying at my place, and honestly, it’s been so easy having them there. For the first time in a long time, I haven’t had to put on a show or act like an asshole for adoring fans who expect the worst from me. I haven’t even needed alcohol to help me through the day, or find myself in need of escape.
“Can I have a taste?” I ask as Harper puts the last touches on a cake. I reach out, and she whacks my hand.
“You’re as bad as Gavin,” she
says.
Gavin’s head lifts at the sound of his name. “Mommy, I want a taste too.”
“Fine.” She grabs the beaters and hands one to Gavin and the other to me, and as we lick them, she just shakes her head at us. Tonight, I’m going to hang out with her friends, and I’m excited to meet them, although big social gatherings really aren’t my thing, but I’ll have Harper at my side, so my anxiety isn’t too high.
She checks the time. “We should probably get going. Gavin, do you have your bag packed?”
Gavin jumps up and little feet sound on my stairs as he runs up them. Damned if I don’t like the sound they make. I stand, and circle the island, stepping up behind Harper. “Stop,” she says, as I nuzzle her neck. “Gavin will be back any second.”
“I know,” I say. “I just can’t help myself.” Harper has been sleeping in my bed every night, and sneaking out before Gavin wakes, and I have to say, the second she leaves, I miss her presence, the soft little sounds she makes in her sleep. That thought makes me laugh, because it wasn’t too long ago that I wanted nothing more than to sneak out under the cover of darkness so I could wake up alone.
Footsteps pound on the stairs, and I back away. “Did I tell you how gorgeous you look?” I say as I take in her little black dress, which has no dog hair on it. Not that I mind the dog hair. It’s what makes her special.
“Only one hundred times.” She points the spatula at me. “But you know you don’t have to flatter me, Liam. I’m kind of a sure thing.”
I laugh. “It’s not flattery, it’s true. You’re gorgeous, and you’re mine.”
“For a little while longer, anyway,” she says reminding me we agreed to have a secret hook-up until I leave for training camp. We also agreed that we wouldn’t let what was going on between us affect my relationship with Gavin.
“You all ready, kiddo?” I ask, and try not to give any consideration to the knot in my stomach. This is just a hook-up. Neither of us are looking for anything more, right? Just then, my cell pings and I see that it’s Jeremy. Christ, it was just the other day he told me it might not be a bad idea if Harper and I were photographed together. He’s not wrong. Pictures of the three of us would serve me well, show my fans that I’m cleaning up my life, and give the endorsement company the clean-cut image they’re looking for. I just hope my fans will stick with me. While I like to make them happy and give them what they want, all that no longer seems as important as it once did. No, hanging with Harper, seeing life through her eyes, has shown me what’s really important in the big scheme of things.
“I have to grab this,” I say to Harper, and step into the other room. “Hey, what’s up?” I ask when I answer the call.
“Just checking in again to see how things were going with the big brother program. You’ve been so quiet lately.”
“I thought you wanted me to stay out of the papers.”
