By admin EMILIA
1
I don’t know how to explain the feeling in my chest. I don’t even know why I can’t explain it. So, I don’t try. I just drink my juice and pretend to be very, very interested in the flavour.
Liam watches me, then grimaces. “I swear I’m not some creepy stalker if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He rubs the back of his neck. “There’s always empty strawberry containers in the fridge. And, uh… you eat them with melted chocolate, right? Because whenever I throw them out, the containers always have little chocolate stains.”
I blink. I never even realised Liam was the one tossing out my empty strawberry containers.
I mean… I always figured once I finished them and shoved the pack back into the fridge, it would eventually disappear. Somehow.
Also who actually notices stuff like that? He saw a few empty containers, some chocolate stains, and just knew what I liked? Isn’t that too small of a detail to pick up on?
I just nod and take another sip of my juice, humming in appreciation. It really is good.
“You can’t possibly be done in the kitchen already,” I say, shooting him a
look.
Liam waves me off and takes a sip of his juice–then hesitates and puts it
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CHAPTER 26
down. “We’re closed for the day.” I shoot a look that he ignores. But
really, I’m unsurprised. At this point, I might as well rename The Whimsy Bakehouse to Liam and His Fan Convention’s Bakehouse. “I sent everyone home, including Cam.”
I blink. “And they just left?”
“Yup.” He pops the ‘p‘ and grins, then turns to me with a look so soft it catches me off guard. Even his eyes are smiling. He reaches out to pat my head, and I’m too drained to swat him away.
“You work too hard, Emilia. You need to take breaks when you’re tired.”
I give him a suspicious look. “So you sent them away just to force me to rest?”
Liam just shakes his head, the smile still playing on his lips.
I exhale. “You should know–I’ve never had a job before. I only started working here after Zane and I broke up.” It wasn’t accurate to say I was a hard worker when I had never worked a day in my life before moving
back to New York.
So if I’m making up for it by throwing myself into the bakery, I don’t mind the soreness in my limbs.
His expression shifts, brows knitting in surprise. “How’s that possible? Haven’t you always had the bakery?”
Not exactly. But I wasn’t about to tell him Zane got me this place after he was drafted by Chicago, thinking he’d be traded to NYC the next season.
That didn’t exactly go as planned.
I wince inwardly, remembering how badly Zane wanted Liam’s number
back then.
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CHAPTER 21
“Zane got it for me as an engagement gift.” I say instead. I don’t notice how Liam’s smile tightens, how it doesn’t quite reach his eyes anymore. “But it’s in New York, and we lived in Chicago, so yeah.”
I can tell he wants to ask why Zane didn’t just build it in Chicago, but he lets it go.
“Do you like baking that much?” he asks instead.
I nod. “It’s calming. When I bake. I don’t have to think about anything else. I’m too busy making sure I don’t screw up the recipe–whether I added the right amount of baking powder or if the yeast is too much. So yeah, I’ve always really liked it.”
I pause, debating whether to share the next part. But it’s not a memory that stings anymore, so I go on.
“Actually. I always wanted to open an art gallery. My brother was amazing at sculpting. He even got into a really good art college. He was so perfect it used to piss me off.”
I leave out the part where he never got to present his final year project. The part that he died two weeks before the showcase and my parents were so deep in grief they had to keep all his sculptures and everything that reminded them of him in a storage unit.
The part where that’s why I wanted to open an art gallery in the first place -to give his last sculpture a place to shine.
I can feel Liam staring at me, like he’s trying to read my mind.
“Reminds me of my sister,” he says finally, his voice softer now. “I used to think she was the most perfect person in the world. Growing up kinda slapped me in the face. Now I just get mad at how… normal she is.”
He snorts, and I let out a small laugh, giving his shoulder a playful shove.
CHAPTER 26
“Which one? Don’t you have, like, fifteen sisters?”
“Well played, Carter.” He rolls his eyes. “For your information, I only have five sisters. And I’m talking about my older one. Honestly, her ego might be the most extraordinary thing about her.”
I gasp dramatically. “Are you telling me there’s someone out there with a bigger ego than yours?”
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“Ha, fucking ha.” Liam shakes his head, taking another sip of his drink. “You’re so damn annoying.”
“Yet here you are,” I tease, tilting my head. “On my bench, drinking my juice, enjoying my company.”
He smirks but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he lifts his arm and rests it behind me on the back of the bench. Casual. Like it’s nothing. But the warmth of his skin is close enough that I can feel it.
I swallow and stare straight ahead.
A comfortable silence settles between us. The city hums in the background, a steady noise that fills the air but doesn’t interrupt the quiet. between us.
Then, Liam shifts. Just a little. Just enough that his knee bumps into mine. He doesn’t move away.
Neither do I.
“I was serious, you know,” he says suddenly.
I glance at him. “About what?”
“About you working too hard.” His voice is softer now. “You should take a break. Maybe… let someone take care of you for once.”
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It’s a simple sentence. Probably one he didn’t think much of. But something about the way he says it makes my stomach flip.
I force out a light laugh, nudging his shoulder with mine. “What, are you offering?”
He grins. “Maybe.”
And just like that, the air feels different.
Not in a bad way. Not in a way that makes me want to run.
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But in a way that makes me dangerously aware of how close he is.
So I do what I do best–I build up walls before he can completely tear them down.
Just like at Mar and Elijah’s wedding.
Liam notices the shift immediately. His eyes flick to mine as I scoot away, putting just enough space between us so we don’t touch.
He doesn’t say anything, but I can feel it. The slight drop in his expression, the way his fingers tighten around his drink.
Still, he plays it off like he always does.
“Running away already?” His voice is light, teasing. But there’s something else beneath it. Something I try not to look too closely at.
I force a smile. “Just stretching my legs.”
Liam watches me for a beat, then exhales a quiet laugh. “Right.”
He leans back against the bench, looking up at the sky like he doesn’t have a single care in the world. But I know better. I know him.
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The realisation takes me off guard, because it’s true. These past few weeks, I’ve gotten to know him more than I thought possible.
And for some reason, that thought makes my chest feel tight.
I ignore the feeling twisting in my chest and push myself up from the
bench.
Liam watches me, his brows pulling together, but I force a stiff smile.
“Maybe we shouldn’t see each other until the cruise,” I say, keeping my voice light.
His jaw tenses for a split second. It’s quick–so quick I almost miss it. But I don’t.
Liam tilts his head, studying me like he’s trying to solve a puzzle. Then, he lets out a small laugh, shaking his head.
“Yeah?” His tone is casual, but there’s something off about it. “That what you want?”
I nod, ignoring the way my fingers twitch at my sides.
“Alright, Carter,” he says, leaning back on the bench like he couldn’t care less. But his eyes? They stay on me, unreadable. “Your loss.”
I don’t let myself hesitate. I turn around and walk away.
But for some reason, my chest feels heavier with every step.
At the rate this is going, I might just end up falling in love with another hockey player.
And I refuse to make the same mistake twice.