Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Thanks. I want to tell everyone, but not yet. All my focus needs to be on winning Pierce.”
To my surprise, Liam frowned as he glared at his coffee, seeming unwilling to lift his eyes to look at me.
“What are you thinking?”
Liam jerked his head up and opened his mouth, but nothing came out before he closed it again. He swore softly under his breath. “I…I can’t…”
“Come on. What are you thinking?”
“I’m a little worried about you,” he admitted.
I blinked. That was definitely not what I was expecting him to say. “What do you mean?”
“Are you happy? With Pierce, I mean.”
“Yes. Of course. He drives me crazy and frustrates me, but he also makes me very happy.”
“No, I…” He broke off. His arms rested on the table in front of him, and his hands curled briefly into fists in his obvious frustration. “I mean, are you happy with who he is right now? Not the fantasy you have in your mind of him.”
I jerked backward. It was like he’d hit me in the chest with his question.
“Wait! Don’t block me out. Trust me, of anyone, I’m most likely to understand. You told me you had a crush on Pierce when you were a tween, and you’ve been chasing Pierce forever. But are you chasing the person Pierce was in college or are you chasing the adult he’s become? You’ve admitted to me you haven’t seen or spoken to him much over the years. He’s changed. So have you.”
Now I got it. Rome and Liam knew each other as kids, but they’d had a huge falling out. Liam didn’t see Rome for nearly twenty years. It had to have been a wake-up call the first time they met in Cincinnati. “Is that what happened with you and Rome?”
“Sort of. I didn’t have a crush on Rome during childhood, but after we began hanging out in Cincinnati, there was this crazy disconnect in my brain between the person I remembered and the person he’d become. As kids, he was a restless ball of chaotic energy and devilry. Now, he’s some chaos but a lot of hot, sexy, responsible adult. There are days I miss the ball of chaos, but I love hot, sexy, responsible Rome so much.”
“Ah. That makes sense,” I murmured.
“So?” he prodded.
“As a kid, I think what struck me was his kindness. Let’s be serious; the man has always been devastatingly handsome. I had a hell of a lot of lust as a teenager, but he was always so kind and patient with me, even though I was Sawyer’s annoying, dorky little brother. Anyone his age would have been frustrated and irritated with me, but he was never cold toward me, never said a single mean word.”
Some of the worry slipped from Liam’s features, and he appeared to relax. “And now?”
“He’s still stupid hot. That didn’t change. Yes, he’s become a lot less patient with me and he’s said some not-so-nice things, but I’m also an adult and I’ve pushed him into some uncomfortable corners. However, that core of kindness is still there, even when he’s incredibly frustrated with me. And while we’ve spent some time together, I’ve discovered that he’s got this irrepressible caretaker side. He’s always checking to make sure I’m warm enough and worrying about whether I’m taking care of myself. I love it. That’s proof that he cares about me! It makes me want to spend more time with him. He’s smiling more with me now. Cracking jokes. It’s addicting.”
“You want to see if you can make him smile all the time now,” Liam finished for me. There was the softest look on his face, and I was sure his brain had slipped away to think of him and Rome.
“Definitely.”
“Okay. I’ll back off. I apologize for being skeptical.”
“No, don’t. You’re being a good friend, and I do appreciate your concern. It would be horrible for Pierce and me if you were right, and I was still chasing someone who technically didn’t exist any longer.”
We finished our coffee and tea, chatting about silly things for a while. Mostly Rome’s strange antics. I looked at the time on my phone.
“You know, it’s not too late. Do you want to grab something to eat? I’ve still got several hours before I have to get ready for tonight’s performance.”
Liam glanced at his phone and swore softly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to run. Rome is flying in from Providence today. He popped up to visit his parents and deal with some random business stuff. I promised I’d go pick him up at the airport, and I wanted to grab some flowers on the way.” He flashed me a crooked grin, his pale face flushing.
I got it. Liam wanted to do the classic “meet the significant other at the airport with flowers.” They were a new couple, and who didn’t want to have that feeling of having someone who missed them so much that they had to be there the second they touched down?