“Well, then you can thank your dad for me. And really, you’ve already done more than enough for them. Like I said, I put too much pressure on you, it wasn’t fair. So we can just agree to have your part with them be over, no hard feelings.”
A feeling close to panic began putting pressure on my chest. Eli and I both knew I would run into the girls from time to time since they were working at my dad’s gym, but I still needed a reason to be near Moon more often than that. The last thing I wanted was to help them meet people, and over the weekend I’d thought of anything to get out of the situation. But now that my opportunity was there, I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t risk not having time with her.
“Eli, it’s not a big deal. I know I didn’t respond well the day you asked, but I didn’t fully understand the situation then. I really have no problem introducing them to people; this past weekend just wasn’t the right time.”
His face lit up with surprise, and I hated that it was because he thought I was doing a favor for him, when it was really for myself. “Really? Liam, you have no idea how much I appreciate this. Thank you, man.” He stood up and extended a hand, and when I followed his actions, he pulled his arm back. “But for the record, I tried to let you off the hook. ’Cause Paisley was livid when she found out what Mason and I had asked you to do.”
I huffed softly and nodded. “Well, if your wife asks, I’ll be sure to let her know this is on me.”
“I owe you,” Eli called out as I retreated to the door, and I just flashed him a smile as I left. If only he knew how backward that statement was.
4
June 3
Kennedy
“ONCE YOU REMEMBER the ingredients for each drink, it’s pretty simple. All right! If you need anything, just ask Kristi. Good luck, ladies,” our new boss, Brandon, said with a loud clap.
Kira and I had gotten hired on at McGowan’s over the weekend, and after a crash training course with the boss and his daughter, Kristi, over the past two days, they were letting us take over the drink station. The drinks weren’t hard to make, and we had cards strategically placed that had the ingredients for each one in case we forgot, so there wasn’t much to worry about in that department. However, I was worried about the dozens upon dozens of men going in and out of the gym each day. I’m pretty sure I stared way more than I was supposed to, and I had a feeling boss man wasn’t going to be thrilled that my greatest perk to working here was his customers. On the plus side, Kira had finally noticed that there were other members of the opposite sex than Zane, and her crying had diminished drastically.
“You get used to it,” Kristi said offhandedly a couple hours into the shift, and I turned my head to see who she was talking to. She was staring right at me.
“The drinks?” I asked, my eyebrows rising in question. “I figured. I’m not too worried about it.”
She laughed softly. “Not the drinks. I don’t doubt you’ll get the hang of them by the end of this week. I mean the guys.” Nodding in the direction of the sweaty, muscled men in question, she sent me a wry look. “After a while you don’t even notice they’re there anymore.”
“Somehow I doubt that. You grew up with this, so it’s easier for you. Us? Not so much.”
With another laugh, Kristi pushed away from the counter and began walking out of the drink section. “My mom just brought in lunch for Dad. I’m gonna see if I can go steal any of it from him. Call into his office if anything happens.”
I nodded and turned back to find Kira doing her best to not look at two guys fighting in the ring off to one side of the gym, and failing. Just before I could try to ask her what she thought of the job, the location and . . . uh . . . scenery, and Kristi—who was our age and had just graduated college as well—someone cleared their throat.
I turned to take the order, and—oh, Jesus Christ. There was no way I would ever get used to all these guys. This easily topped a houseful of frat boys, and groups of more of the same at the beach. Everyone here was toned, a lot had shirts off or tight-fitting wife beaters, and a good portion were too perfect looking for their own good. Heaven. My new job was heaven.
Twenty minutes later I was in the middle of making a drink while Kira was beginning to take the latest customer’s order, and the first words he spoke had goose bumps covering my arms. The words weren’t anything special, just a “How are you today?” but all I wanted to do was turn and look at him. Knowing I had to concentrate on what I was putting in the drink, I forced myself to stare at the different containers, but I felt my body leaning back and turning the slightest bit when the deep timbre of his voice floated over to me again.
Finish the drink, then look at him. Finish the drink, then look at him, I chanted to myself over and over.
“Do you—I’m sorry.” He huffed a short laugh. “Do you know who I am?” he asked Kira.
Who is this guy? We’re from Florida, of course she doesn’t know who you are. I suppressed a snort when Kira said what I’d just been thinking almost verbatim.
“Are you Moon?” he asked hesitantly, and I did snort then.
I started turning to finally look at the guy, who I’m sure was about to give Kira the worst pickup line known to man, when his question replayed through my mind. I sucked in a quick gasp, and the pitcher full of the unmixed ingredients I’d been holding slipped from my hand and fell to the floor—splashing everything up on my legs.
“Whoa! You okay there?” my customer asked, his expression and tone teasing. When I didn’t respond or move, his expression fell. “No, seriously, are you okay?”
There’s no way. He can’t be here, standing behind me, talking with my sister. My identical twin sister, and asking if she is Moon. I hadn’t heard that name since a night in Vegas over a year ago, but it was a name I hadn’t been able to stop thinking of for months.
I finally turned then, and everything began spinning as I looked at him. My knees felt weak, my legs felt like they wouldn’t hold me up for another minute, and I wasn’t sure where my breath had gone. I was hallucinating. It had to be all the men in the gym or the smell of the protein shakes. But I was definitely hallucinating. Because he was standing there in slacks, a button-down shirt, and a tie. And in my memory, he definitely wasn’t wearing that; he wasn’t wearing much of anything.
His arctic-blue eyes met mine, and I knew in the confused—yet relieved—expression on his face when he repeated my nickname, that I wasn’t hallucinating. He was there, standing in front of me, in a gym in motherfucking California.
“Look, guy, I don’t know what you mean by ‘Moon,’ but if you want some—” Kira had been turning to look at me, and cut off on a gasp. “No way! You’re—holy shit, you’re Vegas!”
I wasn’t moving again, I also didn’t know if I was breathing yet—because it definitely felt like I had only seconds before I passed out. I just stood there staring into the lightest blue eyes I’d ever seen, trying to make myself do something . . . anything.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before anything came out, Kristi ran up behind him and jumped on his back—her arms wrapped around his neck as she shouted, “Liam! Where have you been all my life?”
I tore my eyes away from them, and finally looked down at the mess I’d made. Forcing myself to look up again, I glanced over at my customer instead. “I’m—I’m so sorry. Let me start again.”
He looked over at Liam and Kristi, then looked at me again. “Not a problem. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah!” I said a little too brightly. “Of course I am. Let me get right on that.” No, no, I am not okay. He—Liam is here and I have no idea why he’s here. But I’m pretty sure I slept with my boss’s daughter’s boyfriend.
This time I took my time making the drink—afraid that Liam would still be standing there with Kristi when I was finished, and even more afraid that he wouldn’t be. Once I finished, I grabbed a few wet towels and crouched down to clean up the mess I had made. Seconds after, Liam was crouching down directly beside me . . . close
enough that my knee touched his.
“Why did you leave that morning?” he asked softly, his tone eager, but with a hint of worry.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be back here,” I responded with a weak voice, and hated that his presence was enough to make me sound like a lost little girl. I wasn’t this girl. I was stubborn, independent, and loved control. But Liam had had me giving up all of my control to him within minutes in Vegas—he’d been one of only two men to ever make me feel like I needed to be protected by them.
He released a short laugh. “I’m pretty sure no one will care.” After a few moments of silence, with me just staring at the floor and Liam staring at my profile, he reached forward and grabbed my chin, turning my head so I was looking directly into his eyes again. “Why did you leave?”
I shook my head as much as I could with his fingers keeping my head still. “Why are you here?”
His lips tilted up before spreading into a full smile. “I’ve wondered the same thing about you for days.”
My brow creased in confusion, but before I could ask what he meant by that, Kristi was next to us.
“God, Liam, the least you could do is help her. You’re probably scaring her more than Dad has. Kir—wait, which one are you?”
Liam released my chin and I looked up to see Kristi watching me again and tilting her head to try to read my name tag that was currently hidden from her view. “I—I’m Kennedy.”
“Right! Sorry. Kennedy, this is my big brother, Liam. Liam, this is Kennedy. She and her sister just started here on Monday.”
Brother . . . brother. God, that word had never sounded more beautiful than it did in that moment.
“Right, so anyway . . . Liam, Mom wants to know if you want lunch.”
Liam shook his head, but his eyes remained on my face. “No, I came to talk to Dad. Tell him I’ll be in there soon.” When seconds passed and Kristi didn’t leave, he looked up at her. “I said to tell him I’d be in there soon.”
Kristi’s eyes darted back and forth between us, and just behind her, Kira was staring at Liam with wide eyes and an amused expression on her face.
When Kristi left, Kira stared at us for a while longer before shaking herself and looking around her. “I’m just . . . going to act like I’m making something.”
“Tell me why you left,” Liam prompted again, and my head shook slowly as I hesitantly looked back into his eyes.
“I can’t.”
His face fell. “But you know who I am,” he stated; it wasn’t a question. I don’t know how it could have been after the way I’d reacted when I first saw him.
“Of course I do,” I said on a hushed laugh. “You . . . your dad owns this gym?” When he nodded, I asked, “How did you know I was here? Your dad wouldn’t know me.”
Liam sighed heavily, and broke eye contact for a moment. “I need to talk to you about that. Kennedy, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be here when you get off. Please let me take you to dinner so I can explain some things to you.”
I moved away from him. “I don’t know about—”
“Kennedy,” he pleaded softly.
“She has no plans, she can go to dinner with you. And we’re off at six,” Kira added, and Liam smiled again.
“I’ll be here,” he said, and stood, bringing me with him. For long seconds, we stood there staring at each other, neither of us saying a word. With a step closer to me, he lowered his head so his lips were near my ear. “You’ll always be Moon to me.”
I exhaled audibly, and continued to stand there staring at where he had been after he left until Kira rushed up to me. “Can you believe he’s here? Did you know he lived here? Is that why you were so okay with moving? Whoa, wait, is that why we applied at the gym? Oh my God, I just can’t—”
“Kira,” I hissed, interrupting her. “No to everything. And for the love of God, shut up about him before you send me into a panic attack.”
“I’m sorry, but this is too crazy, you have to admit that.”
I nodded and turned my head to look behind my shoulder, in the direction of the offices. “It is. Way too crazy. I’m pretty sure I’m still dreaming.”
June 3
Liam
I PULLED BACK up to my dad’s gym with five minutes to spare. I’d been sure that I wouldn’t make it because of the traffic, and had no doubt Moon—Kennedy—would have taken the opportunity to leave. Not that I couldn’t get her address from Eli, but that would freak her out more than I already had that afternoon. I’d had days to get used to the fact that she was here, within reaching distance. I’d only given her a few hours. But once I’d gotten to a point where all I could do was think about seeing her again, I hadn’t been able to wait any longer. I almost hadn’t been able to stop myself from talking to her again as I left Dad’s office, but I’d known she needed time. I was just hoping the past few hours were enough.
Stepping out of my car, I loosened my tie and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt to my forearms as I walked into the gym. The girls were walking toward the entrance with Dad, and even though my eyes immediately went to the girl on the end, I had to bite back a relieved smile when she looked up and her eyes widened as her smiling expression faltered. It was going to be hard telling the two of them apart, but at least for the first time looking at them both straight on, I’d guessed correctly.
Dad shot me a look when they reached me, and said good-bye to the girls before turning around and leaving. I’d told him everything earlier in his office, so he knew the backstory . . . but explaining the need to be near Kennedy was going to be a little more difficult with Kristi and Mom. Mom because I refused to tell her about my sex life anyway, and Kristi because I didn’t want her looking at Kennedy any differently than she already did since she had her own theories about one-night stands.
“So, can I take you girls to dinner?”
Kira smiled widely and spoke while Kennedy just stood there staring at me. “You can take her to dinner. I’d rather not get in the way of whatever’s going to go down between the two of you.”
“Kira, please,” Kennedy whispered frantically, but Kira kept her eyes trained on me.
“But you make sure you actually bring her home tonight. At a normal time. We’re not having a repeat of last year, you get me?”
“Kira!”
I laughed loudly and nodded. “Of course. Just dinner tonight.”
“Well, my work here is done. Have fun, you two,” she called out in a singsong voice as she walked past me and out the doors.
Kennedy was staring at her retreating figure like Kira had just betrayed her. When long seconds passed without her acknowledging that I was still standing in front of her, I cleared my throat to break the awkward tension that had formed between us.
“Just dinner. I need to—”
“I left, Liam, that’s it.” Her dark blue eyes finally landed on my face, and her head shook faintly. “There’s no reason for it other than you were a nameless stranger who I thought I would never see again . . . and I just had to go. You won’t get a different answer if you take me to dinner.”
“I’m not taking you to dinner to get an answer. You told me you couldn’t give me a reason this afternoon, I figured that would be the end of it. But there are still things I need to tell you.”
Kennedy was mid sigh when her eyes widened and her body went rigid. “Do you—oh my God, did—” She looked around us quickly and leaned closer. “Did you give me something? Do you have diseases?”
My head jerked back and I barked out a short laugh. “I’m sorry—what? No. No, I didn’t give you anything . . . I don’t have anything to give you!”
She exhaled in relief, and her body seemed to sag. “Okay, I’m sorry. I just thought—never mind.” With another glance around us, she nodded once. “We can go to dinner, and you can tell me whatever you need to. But other than seeing each other here, nothing will be happening between us, Liam. This isn’t one of those moments when we
finally find each other a year after a night of—well, the night we had—and we decide that we’re meant to be.”
“You’re saying you don’t want to fall in love with me?” I asked, my tone teasing to try to ease some of the tension, but her glare hardened at the question.
“If there was such a thing as love, I’d still say no.”
I stared at her, part of me wondering why she actually looked like she believed what she just told me, the rest trying to force myself to say that I’d been joking—but nothing came out. I didn’t know what to think of her words. I knew Kira was the one with the boyfriend, but that didn’t mean Kennedy hadn’t met someone in the last year. For all I knew, she could’ve been in Vegas to get over a relationship and I’d been a rebound. But that night—our unexplainable connection—there was no way for me to have that memory of her, and then piece that together with the girl standing in front of me. The girl who looked like me showing up today had been the last thing she’d ever wanted.
I took a step away from her and toward the door. “Understood. Let’s get out of here. We can talk and then I’ll take you home.” Not waiting for her response, I turned and walked to the door, only stopping to hold it open for her. Thankfully, she had been following me rather than remaining where I’d left her.
We were seated at a little mom-and-pop Italian restaurant within fifteen minutes, and although the tension between us had been gone since we got in my car, we hadn’t said a word to each other. But unlike before, she wasn’t avoiding looking directly at me; she was now staring intently.
“So, we’re here. Talk to me,” she demanded as soon as we’d ordered.
I wanted to tell her I would after we’d finished eating, but knew I couldn’t. It wasn’t fair to her. Only problem was now that I had her in front of me, the speech I’d run through at least a dozen times in my mind suddenly didn’t seem like the right way to tell her. Nothing seemed like the right way, it all sounded wrong.