Chapter 205
EMILIA
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It takes a solid few minutes to convince Liam that no, I’m not freezing to death, yes, it’s all in his head, and finally, the dagger: “What are you, my dad?” That one shuts him up fast. He looks so horrified I almost feel bad — almost. Instead, he sulks about his “misplaced concern” and how I “don’t care about his feelings” (still not sure how the two are connected, but okay). Eventually, he gives up the bit and finally leads me toward the backyard.
The bass–heavy music leaking out from the porch is one thing, but actually stepping into Owen’s backyard is dizzying. It’s a mess of bodies and voices — men I assume are his teammates, women balancing paper plates, a couple kids darting between picnic tables. It feels like walking into a different world, one that’s all loud laughter, clinking bottles, and the faint smell of charcoal.
Before I can even process the crowd, a tiny shriek cuts through the noise. “Uncle Liam!”
One of those kids, a tiny girl with black pigtails and sharp green eyes I swear I’ve seen before, bolts toward us. She’s maybe five, maybe six small enough to still have that soft roundness in her cheeks, but already sprinting like she owns the place,
And Liam — he doesn’t hesitate. He drops low, catches her mid–run, and lifts her into the air like she weighs nothing, pretending to stagger back with a dramatic “oof” “How’s this possible? You’re growing way too quickly,” he says, bouncing her against his chest. He pulls a face so exaggeratedly mournful I can’t help smiling. “What have you been doing, huh?”
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Her chest swells with pride. “Eating my greens and exercising! Remember? You promised if I beat you at arm wrestling when I’m six, you’ll take me to Disney World.”
“Disneyland,” Liam corrects instantly, all mock–serious. “See? “You don’t even know the name of the place you want to go. Are you sure you’re eating all your greens? Not giving your mom any trouble?”
The little girl giggles so hard she covers her mouth with both hands, shaking her head so dramatically her pigtails whip back and forth. “Nooo trouble!”
And I–God. I’m not sure what stuns me more. The fact that she clearly adores him, or how natural he is with her.. His voice softens in a way I haven’t heard before, warm and teasing and gentle all at once. His hands are steady, his smile easy. He doesn’t think about it – doesn‘ t hesitate, doesn’t stumble. He just is.
Something twists in my chest, sharp and unfamiliar. I should probably chalk it up to low blood sugar, or maybe the beer fumes in the air. Anything but the truth that watching Liam like this does something
to me.
“Show me your muscles,” Liam orders, suddenly stern, and she flexes her skinny arms with all the seriousness in the world. He gasps like she’s the Hulk. “Whoa. Guess I’d better start training extra hard. Can’t let you win that arm wrestle.”
She squeals and smacks his shoulder. “I’m gonna win! And then- Disney!”
“Disneyland,” he insists again, pinching her nose.
She giggles, twisting in his arms. “That’s what I said!”
Liam laughs, low and warm, then glances at me
and before I can
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pretend I wasn’t staring like a total idiot, he shifts the little girl slightly and jerks his head in my direction. “Hey, I forgot my manners. This is Emilia Emilia, meet Kenzie.”
Kenzie twists in his arms to look at me, her expression openly curious. “Are you Uncle Liam’s girlfriend?”
I nearly choke. Liam grins like the devil and doesn’t bail me out. “Well? Emilia?” His eyes dance with mischief as he bounces the girl again. “Should I tell her yes or no?”
The kid’s still staring at me, waiting for an answer. And I hate myself a little for how my stomach flips – not at the question, but at how easily Liam just slid me into his world, like I belonged here.
I play along, grinning at this tiny ball of sunshine. “Not anymore, no.
Liam makes a show of gasping, hand on his chest, like I just betrayed him. The little one, though, just nods sagely, curls bouncing. “It’s ‘cause he won’t let you go to Disneyland, right? Unless you arm- wrestle him?” she lowers her voice, conspiratorial. “He did that to me 100. But my uncle says it’s not nice to complain and that I have to train really, really hard and beat him.” She flexes her skinny little arm, all bone and determination. “So I do push–ups every day. Five. Sometimes six.
Liam chuckles and ruffles her hair. “Sounds like Aaron’s doing a good job with you.”
Finally, the resemblance clicks. I blink. “Wait. Aaron’s your uncle, sweetcheeks?”
“Duh!” She beams, like it’s the best thing anyone could ever brag about. “He’s the best uncle in the whole wide world. He buys me toys. and dresses, and once he let me eat McDonald’s twice in one day.
Chapter 205
Liam and I exchange a look. Questionable. “But Mommy says I need to ‘preciate people more, so me and my cousins sold lemonades on the street, and I bought Uncle Aaron a Hello Kitty keychain.” She bounces on her toes, proud. “He put it in his car! Right on the thingy by the window. He said it was his favoritest gift ever!”
A blabbermouth, this one. I try to picture Aaron fails to emphasise how quiet and awkward he is stream of words.
Weird.
“Come on, Kenzie. Quit hogging the guests.”
who Liam never keeping up with her
A voice calls from across the yard, and a man I instantly recognize as Aaron — same sharp green eyes as Kenzie, same dark hair, but a lot
–
—
less sparkle – strolls over. He moves like the ground annoys him, like
every step is a chore, but the second his niece wriggles in Liam’s arms and squeals “Uncle Aaron!” his whole face shifts. Not into a smile, exactly, but softer. Gentler.
C
