Page 53 of Pressure Point

“Aye.” Orla leaned back, showing off her rounded belly. “Six and a half months. Just thirteen weeks to go!”

Liam felt like he could puke. Looking at her sitting there, all pregnant and glowing, felt like a kick to the balls. He didn’t love her, at least not like that. But that didn’t mean he wanted to sit here and watch all this.

Avery slid closer to him, loosening their clasped hands and interlacing her fingers around his. He hadn't even realized they were still holding hands, but when she gave him a little squeeze it stirred a feeling in him that he couldn’t name. Was that comfort? Whatever it was, he didn’t want it to end. This call however was a different story altogether.

“Well, family, this has been fun. But I should go. Can’t hold Avery hostage all day, and I should walk her home.”

Avery nodded emphatically, going along with his story. “I have a bunch of errands I need to do. But it was nice to meet y’all and put faces to the names.”

The group said their goodbyes, his mother trying desperately to convince him to call her back once he was done walking Avery home. He knew that she missed him and that she worried about him being far away, but one call per week was enough. Part of moving to America was to put distance between him and the drama back home, and this morning had done nothing but stir up stuff that he had thought was finally starting to settle. He also knew her motivation wasn’t entirely pure. She was going to want to know a lot more about Avery and why she was there so early on a Sunday. He was just not ready for that inquisition. While last night had been incredible, he had no idea what it meant for him and Avery. Where it left them. Or how this impromptu “meet the family” might have undone everything. Seriously, at this point, he wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to talk to him again.

Turning to face her, Liam tried to hide the embarrassment on his face. He could only imagine what she must think and how much of a loser she must take him for. As long as she didn’t think of him as a liar, he figured he could deal with it. He hadn’t lied, at least not outright. But his mother had always told him a lie by omission was just as bad. And she was right.

“So that was Orla,” Avery said, her eyes soft but still filled with curiosity.

“It was.”

“And she’s married to your brother. About to have his baby.”

“She is.”

“Wanna tell me about it?”

No. He didn’t want to tell anyone. Ever. He was embarrassed. Although, if there was anyone he would be comfortable spilling all of this to, it was Avery.

The warm, concerned look in her eyes told him that she cared and that she would respect his answer even if he said no. But he couldn’t do that to her. Not after everything they had shared last night. He might not have a clue what was going on between them, but she meant something to him. She’d spent the last few weeks sharing with him many of the things that she was self-conscious about and opening herself up to him. It was time he did so in return.

“Like I told you that day when we were shopping, Orla grew up next door to us, and we started dating as teenagers. Then, last summer, we broke up. I thought it was a mutual thing. Well, it was mutual. We had grown apart, and we both knew that. I just didn’t realize that part of our growing apart, at least on her end, was because there was someone else.”

“Or that the someone else was your brother?”

“Aye. A month after she and I had ended things, I walked into the pub one night with some friends to find the two of them kissing in a corner booth. Couple of months after that they announced that she was pregnant and they were getting married. The wedding was right before I left to come here.”

“Oh, Liam, that must have felt horrible.”

“It was a wee bit of a punch to the gut,” he confessed. “I’m a middle child, so I’m used to not standing out. And I was the backup keeper in Dundalk. I just didn’t expect to be second-string when it came to my own girlfriend.”

He was surprised by how easy it was to tell Avery that. To admit that he viewed himself in such a way. After all, he’d been the one preaching to her about having confidence and believing in herself these last few weeks. And here he was, the last guy to talk.

“What did the rest of your family say?”

“As I’m sure you can imagine, there was a fair amount of drama that came with it. Sides weren’t exactly taken, but lots of things were said. By everyone. They had kept it a complete secret, so we were all blindsided. There was a pretty universal feeling of betrayal, since the five of us were not only family but teammates, but there was a differing of opinion on whether that was betrayal because she was my ex or simply from not disclosing it.”

“Was she the reason you asked Gunnar about a chance with the Rising?”

Liam nodded. “He was the first person I called after I found them. We’ve been close for a long time, and I needed to talk to someone who wasn’t family in that moment. Someone who wasn’t potentially going to defend Paddy. A couple of days later, he told me he was taking the job with the Rising, and I asked if they needed a goalie. It just kinda popped out, but once I said it, I knew it was what I wanted. No, what I needed. I needed to get away. A chance to figure out who I was separate from my family. Away from Paddy and Orla.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Letting out a sigh, he pushed to his feet, pacing back and forth across the living room searching for the right answer. He didn’t have a good one. Only the truth.

“I didn’t want you to think of me as a loser. I’m happy for Orla, for her and Paddy. I am. And she and I were over. I don’t have feelings for her, not like that. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt that I was passed over for my own brother. So I’ve avoided talking about it, other than with Gunnar who witnessed the whole ordeal. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

Avery sat there for a moment, silent, her eyes moving up and down his body. Liam’s heart rate kicked up a notch, waiting for her to say something. His mind ran wild, trying to figure out how she would respond. He’d already been nervous about seeing her this morning, wondering if she regretted last night, but now that she’d learned the truth about him, well, this potentially changed everything.

So much for asking her on that date, dude. You’re gonna be lucky if she still wants to be your friend now that she knows how second-rate you are…

“Why would I think less of you?”