“You never said. I mean, you mentioned having a boyfriend, but—” I'm babbling now. “How does that work? Dating a player? Doesn't it complicate things?”
“Oh, it's complicated as hell,” Harper says with a laugh. “The schedule alone is insane. And there's always speculation in the media, people assuming I'm with him for his money or status. But,” her expression softens, “he's worth it. All of it.”
“How do you handle the public attention?”
“We keep most of it private. The team knows, obviously. His close friends know. But we don't post about it on social media, don't do couple photos for magazines. We just live our lives.”
“That sounds hard.”
“It is. But harder would be not being with him because I was scared of complications.” She turns to face me fully now. “I was right, wasn't I? There's more going on with you two.”
I should deny it, instead, I hear myself say, “Yeah. But it's complicated.”
“It always is,” Harper says gently with an endearing smile. “Especially in this world. But complicated doesn't mean impossible.”
I swing my gaze back to the common room. Liam is signing autographs, his head bent close to a little boy who's showing him a drawing. He glances up, and our eyes meet across the distance. He smiles but I feel it like a physical touch.
Harper definitely notices. “Wow, that look.” Then she laughs. “Cole won't believe that the great Liam, 'I don't do relationships', has finally fallen for someone.”
My head snaps toward her, panic flooding through me. “Harper, you can't tell him. You can't tell anyone.”
She holds up her hands immediately. “Hey, relax. Your secret is safe with me.”
“I'm serious. We're keeping this completely private for now.”
“Avery.” She touches my arm gently. “I won't say anything. I promise.”
I study her face, looking for any sign that she's not taking this seriously. But her expression is sincere, understanding even.
“I went through the same thing with Cole,” she says quietly. “The hiding, the sneaking around, worrying about what people would think or say. It's not easy.” She glances down at the common room where Cole is lifting a little girl onto his shoulders. “I'll tell you about it someday. Over wine. Lots of wine.”
Except, her relationship with Cole worked out. Which is not a surprise. Cole seems very serious about life. And Liam is right on the opposite end of that spectrum.
Still, relief loosens the knot in my chest. “Thank you.”
The visit lasts another hour. The players take photos with every single child, sign everything put in front of them, and listen to countless stories about favorite games and players.
Liam gives each kid his complete attention, like they're the most important person in the room.
By the time we're walking back to the lobby, I've taken approximately three hundred photos for social media and my heart has grown three sizes watching Liam with those kids.
“That was wonderful,” Harper says as we say goodbye in the parking lot. “See you tonight?”
“See you tonight.”
Hudson drives us back to my apartment. This time, I'm more prepared for Liam's intensity, sinking into his kiss the moment we're alone.
“Come to dinner with me,” he says in between kisses. “We can go somewhere quiet where no one will see us.”
“I can't. I have Cole's surprise party.”
He pulls back, frowning.
“Harper invited me. It's at seven.”
Liam nods. “If you're going, I'm going.”
“Weren’t you planning on going?”
