Chapter 77

Aria’s POV

Walking into Liam’s office, I felt like a kid called in front of the principal. I knew if nothing else, I was definitely in for a lecture.

I had been careless, sending that email instead of coming to Liam with my order form directly like I usually did.

Then I had made everything worse by not following up on it – all because I hadn’t wanted to talk to Liam, not even through a phone call.

Now the drivers and the team might suffer, and I was to blame.

I moved to stand in front of Liam’s desk, bracing myself for his reprimand. He’d probably want to sit down like any other boss would, while making me stand awkwardly in shame.

Instead, staying near the closed door, Liam surprised me by saying, “I’m sorry, Aria.”

Startled, I turned to look at him. “It’s my fault. I sent the email. I didn’t follow through.”

“I’m not talking about the order form,” he said.

“Liam…” Now really wasn’t the time or place to be having this conversation. We were at work, and while we were here, we needed to be professional. Whatever he wanted to say could wait until –

“I was jealous of Logan.”

My thoughts skidded to a halt. Whatever reasons why I hadn’t wanted to have this conversation right now were immediately tossed straight out the window.

“I let that jealous guide me and I said and did hurtful things,” Liam said. “If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have felt the need to avoid me, and this order debacle would have never happened.”

“Don’t do that,” I said. “Don’t try to shoulder all the blame, when most of it is mine.”

“I’m serious, Aria.”

“So am I.”

Liam continued to shake his head. “You don’t understand. I want you and Joe to be my family, and when I thought that Logan could be taking that dream away from me… I didn’t handle it well. I can’t force you to return my feelings, Aria. If you want to be with Logan…”

His face twisted like it physically pained him to say those words. He kept his mouth open, like he meant to continue, but nothing else came out. If it hurt to say just that, the rest was likely too painful.

I wouldn’t torture him by making him say it, not when it wasn’t even necessary.

Or accurate.

“Liam.” Turning more fully toward him, I take a step closer. “I’m not in a relationship with anyone, not you and not Logan. And your impulsive actions, frankly, make me want to keep it that way.”

“You… don’t want to be with Logan?”

“No.”

I rolled my eyes at his obvious relief. Had he heard anything else that I said?

“Don’t get angry,” Liam said at once, stepping closer to me. “I know you aren’t ready to date me either, but… I thought I’d already lost you to him.”

Closing my eyes, I shake my head. “What stands between us doesn’t have anything to do with Logan. You want to show me that you’ve changed, but then things like this keep happening. I feel like we’re going in circles.”

“We aren’t,” Liam said, moving even closer to me. He was within arm’s reach now, if either of us would want to reach out. We didn’t move, though our eyes met instead. “We’re moving forward, Aria. I promise you.”

I wanted to believe him, but I was so tired.

“Regardless of what happens between us though,” Liam said, glancing away, “We need to agree not to allow it to interfere with our work any longer. This could have been so much worse today. Even now, it’s pretty bad. I’m going to owe a big favor to the boss at our supplier, and he hates me.”

“It won’t happen again,” I said, meaning it. My feelings for Liam were tangled and complicated. I wanted him in my life romantically, but at the same time, I was terrified of what he might do with that much power over me.

I didn’t want to ever feel as much betrayal again as I did when he chose Sophia over me that final night before I left.

Despite that fear and the lingering phantom of that hurt, I could separate away from it while I was at work. The job was my priority here, not my heart. These drivers depended on me, and to fail them because of my lovesickness would be an embarrassment on me, my reputation, and my career.

“I can be professional while we are in the office,” I said.

“Me, too,” he replied.

We looked at each other for another long moment.

“Good,” I said.

“Good,” he repeated.

A gentle knock sounded at the door.

Liam stepped away from me, facing the door instead, “Come in.”

His assistant walked through. They paid no attention to the closeness between Liam and I, keeping their gaze fixed on Liam alone.

“The supplier has confirmed the receipt of our late order,” they said.

“Thank you,” Liam replied. “And the favor?”

“He wants a tee time for this weekend,” the assistant replied. “I’ll call to arrange it. What time?”

“As early as you can get,” Liam grumbled, his mood souring. “I want to get it over with as soon as possible.”

The assistant nodded and retreated back out the door. Once it was closed behind them, I looked at Liam.

“The favor?”

“The owner of our supplier is big into golf. He always wants to criticize my swing.”

“I didn’t know you played golf,” I said.

“I don’t,” he replied. “That’s half this guy’s fun.”

Imagining usually confident and capable Liam out on the golf course, hacking away at a ball instead of hitting it with any substance, made me laugh. It was such a juxtaposition from the man that I knew him to be that it totally disarmed me.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Liam said, though he started to smile too now. “I’m glad someone gets a laugh.”

“Make sure he takes pictures,” I said. “Video, if he can.”

“No way,” Liam said. “I will destroy any evidence.”

This time we both laughed, and it felt good to be so at ease – finally – around Liam.

Even if it was only for right now.

Joe’s POV

William and Joe spent the entire day thinking, but at the end of the day, they were no closer to forming a plan to steal Liam’s hair than they’d been at lunchtime when they first decided on the idea.

Joe was frustrated. This was important to William, and Joe wanted to help his friend. He knew where his mom kept her envelopes and stamps, so getting one of each of them was no problem. And he had his twenty dollars, and William’s hair too.

He had everything they needed to learn if Liam was really William’s dad – except for Liam’s hair.

The plan didn’t work without that.

But Joe wasn’t going to give up. Drivers on the racetrack persevered, always fighting against the odds. So too, could Joe.

While Aria worked at the stove making dinner, Joe set up his homework at the kitchen table. Usually he could fly through his homework without issue, but tonight he was distracted.

His mom noticed. “Everything okay, Joe?”

“No,” Joe said miserably.

That was enough to have his mom stepping away from the stove, walking toward him. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Joe hadn’t meant to worry her, and he couldn’t exactly bother her with this. But… Aria and Liam were close. Maybe if he asked…

“Mom, do you have any of Liam’s hair?”