He’d gone home with Stella Monroe later that night, but I was choosing to ignore that part.
Liam was already at the kitchen table, freshly showered, his dark hair still damp and curling slightly at the ends. He was wearing a simple hunter-green T-shirt that stretched across his chest in a way that should’ve been illegal, and when his gaze found mine, the corner of his mouth lifted just enough to make my heart stutter.
“Hey, Aves.”
“Hey.”
My mother bustled past with a serving dish, completely oblivious to the electricity crackling between us. “Ava, can you grab the bread basket from the counter?”
I did as I was told, grateful for something to do with my hands, but the reprieve only lasted so long.
Dinner was an exercise in restraint.
Every time Liam passed me a dish, his fingers brushed mine. Every time he laughed at one of my dad’s corny jokes, I felt the sound vibrate through me like a tuning fork. And every time his foot nudged mine under the table—accidentally, I was sure—I had to remind myself that my parents were sitting right there and I could not, under any circumstances, climb across the pot roast and into his lap.
Five weeks without his touch and it was like I was starving—needy in a way I’d never felt before.
“Mrs. D, you’ve outdone yourself. This is the best pot roast I’ve ever eaten—don’t tell my mom.”
My mother practically glowed. “Would you like seconds?”
I watched him accept another helping and thought about all the dinners he must have eaten at our table over the years. All the summers he’d spent working for my dad or just hanging around getting into God-knows-what kind of trouble with Drew. My parents had taken him in like a stray, fed him, worried about him, treated him like family.
But I’d never considered him family. I’d never looked at him like a brother. I’d had a crush on him once—small enough to bury because he was Drew’s best friend and I knew he’d never go for me. But it was like everything had shifted, and despite always being in each other’s orbits, I’d never been more aware of him than I was now. More aware of the way he pulled me in with no effort whatsoever, like he had some weird kind of gravitational pull I couldn’t resist.
We’d agreed to finish my bucket list this summer. What would happen once it was done?
After dinner, Liam helped my dad with the dishes while my mom and I put away leftovers. The whole thing was so painfully domestic that I almost laughed. Here we were, playing house with my parents, when all I could think about was getting him alone.
“I should head out,” Liam said finally, drying his hands on a dish towel. “Early start tomorrow.”
My dad clapped him on the shoulder. “Drive safe, son.”
“Always.” Liam’s eyes met mine for just a second—long enough to convey a message I understood perfectly. “Night, Aves.”
“Night.”
I watched him walk out the back door, his taillights disappearing down the gravel drive, and told myself to breathe.
My parents were asleep by ten, their bedroom door firmly closed, but I still waited another twenty minutes just to be safe. Then I slipped out of my room and down the stairs, avoiding the creaky fourth step out of habit.
The night air was warm against my skin as I crossed the yard toward the barn. Moonlight spilled across the grass, turning everything silver, and I could hear the distantchorus of crickets and frogs that made up Meadowbrook’s summer symphony.
The barn door was cracked open and there was already a light on.
I slipped inside and found Liam leaning against a hay bale, waiting for me. His gaze slid from my sandal-clad feet up my bare legs and over my sundress until he reached my eyes. I felt it like a warm caress, and goose bumps broke out on my arms. His smile was sex personified, and I was practically vibrating with anticipation.
“Took you long enough, Sunshine.”
“Some of us have to wait for our parents to actually fall asleep,” I said, crossing to him.
He caught my hand when I got close enough, tugging me down to sit beside him. “You think they suspect?”
“No.”
“Good. I’d really like your dad to not kill me on the job site and make it look like an accident.”
For a moment, we just sat there, shoulders touching, his warm hand still enveloping mine, our fingers playing with each other.
