“Coffee sounds perfect.”
“Remind me never to go against you in an eating contest.”
Liam laughs with his mouth full. He drains his cup of coffee. The server at the diner we’re at stops by and tops him off.
He tells her thanks and looks at me. “There are two things in life I know I’m good at: hockey and eating shit tons of food.”
I burst out laughing. He shovels more corned beef hash into his mouth.
He chews and swallows, then leans closer to me. “I’m pretty good at eating other stuff too.” He glances down at my lap.
I roll my eyes and shove his shoulder. “You’re filthy.”
“You love it.”
I bite back a smile. “Yeah. I do.”
It’s a few hours after we woke up. We decided to check out a diner a half-mile from Liam’s place that we’ve never tried before.
He finishes his last bite of hash and nods at my stack of half-eaten blueberry pancakes. “You’re full already?”
I nod and offer the plate to him. He smiles at me and devours the rest the stack. We finish and pay, then head out of the diner back toward his place. He scoops his hand in mine as we walk. I smile.
His phone buzzes and he pulls it out of his pocket.
“Damn.”
I look up at him frowning at his phone. “What is it?”
He stops walking. “I just got an email from my landlord. He’s selling the building at the end of this year. I’ll have to move when my lease ends.”
“Oh no. Liam, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too. I really like that place.” He lets out a breath and starts walking again. He’s quiet for awhile.
“Maybe this is a good thing,” he says suddenly.
“You think so?”
“Yeah.” He starts to smile. “Maybe it’s a sign that I should finally buy my own place. I just renewed my contract with the Wolves at the end of last season. I’ll be in Nashville for the next five years. I should probably start thinking about planting some roots.”
I squeeze his hand, happy that he seems to be happy.
“That’s a really good point,” I say. “I bet you could find another townhome that’s just as nice as the one you have now.”
He glances at me. “I was thinking something bigger. Like a house.”
“Really? That’s exciting.”
“Yeah. A house that’s bigger than my current place would be nice. I’d like more bedrooms too.”
“All that space just for you sounds pretty luxurious,” I tease.
He clears his throat. “Well, I mean, it would be for you too.”
“What?”
He hesitates for a second, the look in his eyes shy. “I know we’re not serious right now, but if someday things get serious, I want to have enough room for you to move in. And your aunt too.”
