“I mean—” She stands up, gently setting Princess down. “I mean, we should take this one day at a time. See how it goes. No pressure, no expectations. Just see what happens.”
Fucking Kai. That’s why she won’t commit.
It's not what I want to hear. What I want is for her to say she's all in, that she wants this as much as I do. But I force myself to nod, to take what she's offering instead of pushing for more.
“Okay. One day at a time.”
She looks relieved. And while I’m glad that she’s pleased, I can’t help but be a little disappointed too. “I really do need to go.”
I follow her to the front door, watching as she gathers her purse and keys. Every instinct is screaming at me to ask her to stay, to skip work and spend the day in bed with me.
But that's the old Liam. The one who didn't think about consequences.
“Will you be at the game tonight?” I ask instead.
“Of course. I'll be in the press box, monitoring coverage.”
“Not with the other WAGs?” I'm only half-joking.
She gives me a look. “I'm not a WAG. I'm your publicist.”
“Right. Of course.” I pull her closer, needing to kiss her one more time. “Can we meet after? Get dinner or something?”
“I can't. I'll have a lot to do after the game. Media coverage to monitor, statements to draft if anything newsworthy happens.”
“Okay.” I cut her off before she can list more reasons. “That's fine. I understand.”
She cups my face. “Good luck tonight and be careful out there.”
“Always am.” Another lie, but I’m a different Liam now. “Let me call you a car. Hudson can drive you.”
“No,” she says in a firm voice. “I'll take an Uber. I need to maintain some boundaries, Liam. People can't see me getting dropped off by your driver.”
With previous women, I never cared how they got home. I was usually relieved when they left, grateful for my space back. But watching Avery order an Uber, checking the app to see how far away the driver is, all I want is to keep her here.
“Text me when you get home?”
“Yeah. I can do that.”
The Uber notification pings. Three minutes away. She kisses me one more time, quick and sweet, then she's out the door, and I'm standing in my hallway, already missing her.
I lean against the door, breathing deep.
I'm finally ready to grow up. To be the kind of man who deserves someone like Avery Carter. I want her and not just in my bed, but in my life. In my space. Being there when I get home from road trips.
I want all of it.
And I won't fuck it up.
My phone buzzes with a reminder. Morning skate at the arena in ninety minutes. Game day routine starts now.
After a shower, I head back to check on the puppies one more time before I leave. They're all curled up together in one big puppy pile, exhausted from their morning playtime.
“Alright, guys,” I tell them. “Time for me to go do my job. Olivia will be here soon.”
Princess lifts her head, those soulful eyes looking at me like she knows I'm leaving.
“I know,” I tell her. “But I'll be back tonight. And hopefully, Avery will be back soon, too.”
