My brother walked over to me with a smile on his face and gave me a tight hug before moving on to my mom standing next to me with Rory in her arms. His smile grew even wider when he looked at his daughter, and pride swelled inside my chest. Drew might’ve been a total player before Rory entered the scene, but he’d done a complete one-eighty since her arrival. He’d stepped up to be the dadshe deserved, and he turned into a man that I always knew he could be.
“Hell of a game,” I said as he took Rory from our mom, cradling her against his chest like she was the most precious thing in the world. Because to him, she was.
“Couldn’t have done it without this little good luck charm in the stands.” He pressed a kiss to Rory’s forehead, and she babbled as she grabbed his shirt.
Foster appeared at Drew’s side, still buzzing with post-game energy. “You coming to the Den, Monty? Ryan said they’ve got a keg with your name on it.”
Drew shook his head, adjusting Rory in his arms. “Nah, I’m gonna head home with this one. Mom and Dad have to drive back to Meadowbrook.”
Our hometown was only about forty-five minutes away which meant it was easy for our parents to come to games or help out with Rory, but Drew had made it clear he wasn’t going to shirk his responsibilities as a dad.
“Bummer, but I get it. You played amazing tonight, man.”
“Aww, thanks, Candy Kane.”
Foster rolled his eyes. “And that’s my cue.” With a pat on my brother’s back, he walked away.
“It’s the man of the hour,” Liam said, appearing from somewhere in the crowd. His gaze flicked to me for just a second—quick enough that no one else would notice, but long enough to make my pulse jump. “You sure you don’t want me to stay back? Help with Rory?”
“Dude, no.” Drew laughed. “Go celebrate. You earned it. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That leaves a lot of options,” Liam said dryly.
Drew flipped him off with his free hand, but Liam just grinned.
I watched the exchange with a strange mix of warmth and anxiety. Drew trusted Liam completely. They were brothers in every way that mattered. And here I was, sneaking around behind my twin’s back with his best friend.
The guilt never fully went away, but right now it was drowned out by something else entirely—the anticipation of being at a party with Liam where Drew wouldn’t be watching our every interaction.
Not that we could actually do anything. Half the hockey team would be there, and any one of them could mention something to Drew later. Word traveled fast in their circle. We’d still have to be careful.
But at least I could look at him without my brother standing right there and wondering what was wrong with me.
An hour later, the Den was packed wall-to-wall with people celebrating. Music pulsed through the house, and red cups or beer cans were in everyone’s hands. I’d gotten separated from Sydney somewhere between the kitchen and the living room, but I wasn’t too worried. She could hold her own at a party.
What I was worried about was the fact that I couldn’t stop watching Liam.
He was across the room, leaning against the wall near the pool table with that easy confidence he wore like a second skin. Foster stood next to him, gesturing animatedly about something—probably replaying one of his plays from the game—while Gordy nodded along.
But it wasn’t Foster or Gordy who had my attention. Itwas the two girls who had materialized at Liam’s side like magnets drawn to metal.
I recognized one of them—Cady something, a sophomore who was rumored to have hooked up with half the football team. The other was a willowy blonde I’d never seen before. They were both gorgeous, both leaning into Liam’s space like they belonged there, and both laughing at something he said.
Jealousy—hot and ugly—surged through me.
I hated it. I hated that my stomach twisted every time Cady touched his arm. I hated that my jaw clenched when the blonde flipped her hair and said something that made him smile. I hated that I was standing here, nursing a beer I didn’t even want, feeling like a jealous girlfriend when I had absolutely no right to feel that way.
We weren’t together. We were just working through my list. Friends with benefits at best. He didn’t owe me anything, and I certainly didn’t own him.
But God, watching him be charming with other girls felt like swallowing glass.
The worst part was, he was good at this. Too good. I’d seen him work a room a hundred times before—the easy smile, the lingering eye contact, the way he made whoever he was talking to feel like they were the only person in the world. It was the same playbook he’d used on countless girls at countless parties.
The same playbook he used on you, the traitorous voice in my head whispered.
No. That wasn’t true. The way Liam looked at me was different. The way he touched me was different. When we were alone together, there was something real behind his eyes, something honest that I’d never seen him show anyone else.
At least, I thought there was.
