Chapter 25: Liam

Tuesday, August 11th

I took a sip of my Old Fashioned before setting it on the counter so I could line up my cue. Sinking my third shot in a row, I grinned when Knox grunted as anticipated. Not that he was particularly invested in the game; we’d merely needed something to distract from the elephant in the room—also known as Haley—while we waited for Jax and Theo to arrive at the loft.

Chase’s eyes were glued to a baseball game, and though I would normally prod him to get a feel for his thoughts, I didn’t want to negatively influence his decision. This was too important. I needed him to accept the idea that Haley dating all of us—and not just as a short-term selection process—might truly be for the best.

I was willing to fight for her, if necessary, but “letting the best man win” seemed akin to hitting the self-destruct button on every relationship that was important to me. What had been made as a flippant comment about having the benefits of a relationship without the pressure actually struck closer to the mark than I initially realized. Because the more I thought about it, I couldn’t see myself being the “one” Haley would choose.

Despite our bloody fantastic make-out session and the intimate moments we shared, I sincerely doubted she would see me as ideal relationship material. Admittedly, I was a shameless flirt, but I had tried to show Haley that she could trust me, depend on me. That she was important to me.

Even so, most of my relationships, if you could call them that, had been short-lived. Once women tired of romantic dinners, expensive gifts, and tumbles in the sheets, what was left? I knew Haley wasn’t most women, far from it, but I still wondered if I had what it took to be her everything.

When the news announcer mentioned Gerald Douglas, Knox and I both turned to focus on the TV. State Senator and local politician Gerald Douglas is under fire after allegations of improper campaign contributions came to light earlier this week. He made a name for himself as a successful district attorney in Los Angeles before turning to politics and philanthropy. Currently running for the U.S. Senate, his campaign may be suspended pending an investigation into the financing. We contacted his office regarding these allegations, but they declined to comment.

Knox and I shared a knowing smirk as Theo bounded down the stairs followed by Jackson.

“Brilliant work, Theo. Douglas was just featured on the evening news,” I said.

Theo grinned. “Thanks. I was more than done with my snotty alter-ego, but it was worth it. Even from the limited documents I saw, I’m pretty sure Jim and Douglas are completely screwed.”

Chase switched off the TV while the rest of us migrated to the couches. Everyone seemed hesitant to talk, and I took another sip of my drink, wondering what would happen if we couldn’t reach an agreement. I planned to convince Haley to come home with or without the group and imagined several, if not all, of the guys felt the same.

“Can we get on with it?” Theo asked impatiently, drumming his fingers on the arm of the sofa.

Jax cleared his throat. “I don’t want to rush any of you into a decision you’re not ready for, but with Douglas scrambling to clean up his mess, I think we can all agree that it’s time to get Haley back.” He glanced around, appearing optimistic, and there was a murmur of agreement.

I still didn’t know precisely where Jax stood on the matter, but my hunch was that he would go along willingly if the rest of the group was on board. He was just leery of pushing anyone to make a decision they might regret, especially after the Ethan fiasco.

“I’m almost positive everyone already knows where I stand, but to be clear, I want to bring Haley home ASAP. No choosing, no competing for her; we go all-in.” Theo’s voice almost shook with conviction and passion while Jax seemed relieved someone else was offering an opinion.

“I’m game if you guys are,” I responded, hoping another positive vote would help tip the scales. Chase’s expression remained surprisingly unreadable.

Knox threaded his fingers through his hair, and I seriously debated what his vote would be. “I will agree on one condition—Haley is always our top priority. If she ultimately wants to choose one of us, then we all promise to accept her decision.”

“Liam and Theo, can you agree to that?” Jax asked, and we both assented before he turned to Chase. “What are you thinking?”

“Honestly,” he sighed heavily, “I just want Haley to be happy.” There was a long pause while Chase seemed to deliberate. “And I’ll agree to the plan, with Knox’s caveat.”

I scanned his face, suspicion clouding my thoughts. Chase had always been the most risk-averse member of the team. If it came down to it and she wanted all of us, would he be able to accept that? Perhaps he held out hope that Haley would choose him. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but considering his violent opposition to the idea less than two weeks ago, this seemed like a pretty extreme change of heart.

“Since I’m also in favor, it sounds like we have an agreement,” Jax said, looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Great!” Theo said excitedly. “When are we going to get her?”

Surprisingly, Chase was the first to respond. “Don’t you think if all five of us show up in Portland, it might be a tad overwhelming?”

“Yes, I was thinking we would send two people max. We still have work to do here, unless you guys forgot,” Jax said in a slightly mocking tone, “and we can’t assume she’ll immediately agree to return.”

When we all started talking at once, Knox whistled loudly, drawing everyone’s attention and stopping the chatter. “I’m going, period,” he commanded, leaving no room for negotiation.

Theo spoke quickly. “I know everyone wants to go, but we need to consider who has the best chance of convincing Haley to come home. Since Chase and Liam have both kissed her, their presence may make her feel uncomfortable, and she has a rocky past with Jackson. If nothing else, Haley and I were really close friends from the beginning, which makes me an obvious choice. And I know she’ll take anything Knox says as fact, so the two of us would make a great team.”

Chase’s disappointed expression likely mirrored my own, but we couldn’t deny that Theo’s points were valid. It was more important to bring Haley back permanently than to insist on seeing her immediately. But, damn, for the thousandth time I wished she’d been living with and getting so close to me for all those months instead.

As we continued to make plans for Haley’s return, I watched my four best friends’ faces transform from optimistic to expectant to exuberant. And, for the first time, it hit me how badly we all needed this plan to succeed. It might get awkward as hell at times, but hopefully it would be worth it in the end.