Chapter 17
Avery
“Liam, meet Sadie, my twin sister.” I'm laughing as I gesture between them. “Sadie, this is Liam.”
Liam's head swivels between us like he's watching a tennis match. His mouth opens, closes, then opens again. “You have an identical twin.”
“Surprise?” I offer weakly.
“There are literally two of you.” He's still staring, his eyes moving from my face to Sadie's and back again. “How did I not know this? We talked about your family. You said you had a sister. You didn't mention”—he gestures wildly at both of us—“this!”
Sadie is grinning, clearly enjoying his shock. “She does that. She leaves out relevant details. It's her thing.”
“I didn't leave it out,” I protest. “I just didn't specify.”
“That there are two of you,” Liam repeats, like he's still processing. “Identical. Two Averys.”
“Well, I'm Sadie, so technically—”
“You know what I mean.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking between us again. “This is insane. You look exactly the same.”
“We get that a lot,” Sadie says in a dry tone, but she’s still grinning.
I gesture towards the living room. “Do you want to come in, or are you going to stand in my hallway all day looking like you've seen a ghost?”
“Two ghosts,” Liam mutters, but he steps inside.
My apartment is small, but in the weeks I’ve been here, I've made it cozy. Books line the shelves, framed photos cover the walls, and everything is organized exactly how I like it.
Liam immediately gravitates toward a framed photo. “Is this your family?”
“Yeah. That's my parents, and that's Sadie and me at graduation.”
“Which one are you?”
“Left side. Sadie's on the right.”
He leans closer, squinting. “I literally can't tell the difference.”
“That's because there isn't one,” Sadie says with a laugh, then excuses herself to go grab her coat.
“Terrifying,” Liam says, then he turns to me, lowering his voice. “What I really want to see is your bedroom.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “Liam.”
“Just saying. For future reference.” His eyes are dark. “I want to know where you sleep. What your bed looks like. Whether you have a reading chair or if you just pile books on your nightstand like a heathen.”
“I am not a heathen,” I whisper back. “I have a very organized system.”
“I bet you do.” He grins. “Show me later?”
“We'll see.”
Sadie returns, buttoning her coat. “Ready?”
“Where are you two going?” Liam asks, looking between us.
“Out for breakfast,” I say. “There's a coffee place around the corner.”
“Let me take you,” he says. “Please. I'd be honored to take you both out for breakfast. I'm starving, and I want to hear everything about growing up as twins.”
“Breakfast sounds great,” Sadie says.
Hudson is waiting downstairs. If he's surprised to see two of me, he doesn't show it.
“Morning, ladies.”
“Hudson, this is Sadie, Avery's sister,” Liam says as he opens the door for us. “And yes, they're identical twins.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Sadie.”
We settle into the back seat with me in the middle, Sadie on my right, Liam on my left. His thigh presses against mine, and I have to resist the urge to lean into him.
“So,” Liam says as Hudson pulls into traffic. “Tell me everything. What was it like growing up as identical twins?”
“Chaotic,” Sadie says immediately.
“Organized,” I say at the same time.
Liam laughs. “Already I'm getting different perspectives.”
“Avery was the organized one,” Sadie explains. “While I was more spontaneous.”
“Spontaneous is generous,” I mutter. “You were chaos personified.”
She arches a brow, glaring at me. “I prefer to think of it as creatively flexible.”
“You once convinced our parents you were me so you could skip a piano recital.”
“And it worked beautifully until you showed up wearing the same outfit.”
Liam is laughing now. “Did you do that a lot? Switch places?”
“All the time when we were younger,” Sadie says. “Less so now. Avery's too much of a rule-follower to find it fun anymore.”
“I just prefer honesty,” I say primly.
“See? Rule-follower,” Sadie teases.
Liam's hand finds mine, threading our fingers together. “I don't know. I've seen Avery break a few rules lately.”
I squeeze his hand in warning, but he just squeezes back, his thumb stroking across my knuckles.
Hudson pulls up to a restaurant in Tribeca. When Liam gives his name, we're seated immediately at a corner table with privacy.
“The perks of being a professional athlete,” Sadie says as we sit.
“One of the few perks worth having,” Liam says. He orders coffee for himself, watches as I order tea, and grins when Sadie orders the same. “Even your drink preferences are identical.”
“Not quite,” I say. “I take mine with honey. Sadie takes hers with sugar.”
“Revolutionary difference,” Liam quips.
We order food and fall into easy conversation. Sadie does most of the talking, telling Liam stories about our childhood, which he’s clearly loving. He keeps throwing me disbelieving looks.
“That was then,” I tell him. “We’re adults now and more responsible,”
“Shame,” he says in that lazy drawl of his that weakens my knees.
Sadie excuses herself to go to the restroom. The moment she's gone, Liam leans closer.
“Why was your phone off yesterday?”
The question rips all the air from my lungs. I knew it was coming, but I'm still not sure what to say.
The truth is that after my meeting with Jennifer, the reality of what we’re doing hit me. What I’m doing.
I spent the entire day managing Liam’s crisis while falling deeper into feelings I have no business having for a client. Then during the game, Sadie texted me that she was in New York meeting a gallery owner.
After the game ended, I went straight home, deliberately turning off my phone because I couldn't handle anything else. When Sadie arrived an hour later with wine and takeout, I broke down.
We spent the night on my couch, drinking wine and talking about Liam. About how he makes me feel, about the professional complications, about how terrified I am of losing control.
And somewhere around the second bottle, I admitted the truth. I'm too far gone. I'm in love with Liam Novak and I have no idea how to handle it.
Sadie's advice was simple. Enjoy the ride and keep it very, very private.
And I was ready to do exactly that. Until I turned my phone back on this morning and saw the headlines about his bar fight.
“I saw the fight,” I say instead of answering his question. “At Club Falcon.”
His jaw tightens.
“You have a hospital visit at two PM,” I continue. “With sick children who are going to be so excited to meet you and last night you were in a fight.”
“I know.” He looks away, shame drawn on his face. “I fucked up.”
“What happened?”
He sighs. “They were talking shit about the team.
About me specifically. And I just snapped.
I was already spiraling because you weren't answering your phone and I thought maybe you'd decided this was a mistake, that you were done with me. Then these assholes started running their mouths and I lost it.”
My heart squeezes.
“I know it was stupid. I know I should have walked away.” He meets my eyes, and the raw honesty there makes my breath catch. “But I was hurt and angry and I took it out on the nearest target. I'm sorry.”
I should be disappointed but all I can think about is that my disappearance hurt him. “The hospital visit today,” I say quietly. “Show them the Liam I know, not the one who gets into bar fights.”
“The Liam you know?” His voice is soft.
I nod. “The one who—”
“What did I miss?” Sadie sits down with a grin.
The food arrives, saving me from having to respond. We eat while Sadie regales Liam with more twin stories, which he can’t seem to get enough of.
Liam is fully engaged, asking questions, laughing at the right moments, and I can see why people like him so much when he's like this. He's charming without being sleazy, interested without being intrusive, present in a way that makes you feel like you're the only person in the room.
“So where are you based?” he asks Sadie as we're finishing up.
“Chicago. I have a studio there. I'm just here for two nights for a potential client meeting then maybe check out some galleries.”
“Galleries?” His face lights up. “We should go. I know nothing about art, but I'm excellent at pretending to be cultured.”
Sadie laughs. “I like him,” she tells me. “Can we keep him?”
“He's not a stray puppy,” I say, but warmth spreads through my chest.
“Actually, I kind of am,” Liam says. “Avery's been trying to house-train me for weeks now.”
“How's that going?” Sadie asks.
He pouts, and it’s adorable. “Poorly. I still pee on the carpet sometimes.”
I choke on my tea. “Liam!”
He grins, completely unrepentant. “But seriously, let me take you to some galleries. I have a few hours before I need to be at the hospital.”
So that's how I end up spending the morning gallery-hopping with Liam and my twin sister. We visit three different galleries, and true to his word, Liam knows absolutely nothing about art.
He stands in front of abstract paintings with exaggerated concentration, makes up ridiculous interpretations that have us in stitches, and asks questions that reveal he's actually paying attention even if he doesn't understand the technical aspects.
“This one speaks to me,” he says in front of a massive canvas covered in aggressive red slashes.
“What's it saying?” Sadie asks, playing along.
“It's saying, I'm very expensive and possibly a scam.”
“Liam,” I hiss, glancing around to make sure no gallery staff heard him.
“What? I'm being honest. That's worth like half a million dollars and it looks like someone threw paint at a canvas during a tantrum.”
“That's literally what the artist did,” Sadie says. “It's about channeling rage into creation.”
“Well, they succeeded. I'm enraged at the price tag.”
Despite trying to act like the serious one, I'm laughing. And as we move through the galleries, with Liam's hand occasionally brushing mine, it feels like a date. Even with my sister here, it feels intimate and special and exactly right.
At eleven, Hudson picks us up and drives us back to my apartment. Liam walks us to the door, and when Sadie tactfully steps ahead to give us a moment, he pulls me close.
“Thank you for this morning,” he says. “I needed it.”
“Me too.”
“I'll pick you up at 1:30 for the hospital visit?” he asks.
“I'll be ready.”
He turns to Sadie, who's pretending to be very interested in her phone. “It was great meeting you. Next time you're in town, come to a game. I'll get you good seats.”
“I might take you up on that,” Sadie says, shaking his hand. Then she grins. “Take care of my sister, Liam.”
“That's the plan.” His eyes find mine again. “See you soon.”
After he leaves, Sadie and I head into my apartment. She immediately kicks off her shoes and flops onto my couch.
“Okay, so I get it now,” she says.
“Get what?”
“Why you can't stay away from him.” She props herself up on her elbows, studying me. “He's hot, Avery. Like, stupidly hot. And the way he looks at you like you're the only person in the world?”
Warmth floods through me. “He does not look at me like that.”
“He absolutely does. Anytime you said something, he tracked your every word like it was the most important thing he'd ever heard. It was intense. In a good way.”
I sink into the armchair across from her. “He's also unpredictable and impulsive. He bought a four-hundred-thousand-dollar car and totaled it the same day. He gets into bar fights when he's upset. That's not what I need in my life.”
“Maybe not what you need,” Sadie says. “But maybe what you want?”
“Those should be the same thing.”
“But they're not always.” She sits up fully now.
“Look, I'm not saying throw caution to the wind.
But you've spent your entire life planning everything, controlling everything, making sure nothing goes wrong.
Maybe it's okay to let go a little. To be with someone who makes you feel something, even if it's scary.”
“It's not just scary. It's professionally risky.”
“Then be careful. But don't overthink this so much that you miss out on something real.” She sighs dramatically. “I saw the way you were around. Carefree, like you don’t have a care in the world.”
“He reminds me of Kai,” I say quietly. “I can't do that again, Sadie.”
“Oh, please.” Sadie rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't fall out. “Liam is nothing like Kai. Nothing.”
“They're both athletes,” I point out.
“Kai was a narcissistic asshole who was so full of himself he couldn't see past his own reflection.” Her voice turns sharp with old anger.
“I never understood what you saw in him, honestly.
The way he paraded you around like an accessory when it suited him, then ignored you the second someone more interesting walked by? That's not what Liam does.”
“You don't know that. You just met him.”
“I spent a whole morning with him, Avery.
And you know what I saw? A guy who couldn't take his eyes off you. Who listened when you talked. Who made stupid jokes just to see you smile. Who made the effort to get to know me.” She leans forward.
“Kai never looked at you like that. Ever.
He looked at you like you were supposed to be grateful he chose you.
Liam looks at you like he can't believe you're real.”
My throat tightens.
“Kai was a performer. Everything was about his image, his status, how things looked to other people.
And the gallery tour this morning? Liam didn't care about looking cultured or impressive. He was just happy to be there with you. Making you laugh.” She shakes her head firmly.
“That's not Kai. That's not even close.”
I want to argue and list all the logical reasons this is a bad idea. But all I can think about is how he makes me feel. “I'm terrified.”
“I know. But sometimes the best things are terrifying.” Sadie grins. “Now, help me pack. My flight’s at four and I need to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.”
As we head to the guest room where her bag is, I let myself sit with Sadie's words. Maybe she's right. Maybe I am overthinking this.
Maybe, for once in my carefully planned life, it's okay to just see where this goes. Maybe every athlete is not like Kai.