Liam
I kissed her. Goddamn it! I’m such an idiot. What the hell was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn’t thinking or I wouldn’t have practically devoured her in my office.
My mind spun as I made my way toward Grover Park. The guys had been trying to get me to play football with them for months. I dodged them making excuses about having to work, but today the weather was nice. Plus, I needed an excuse to get out of the bar and away from Gwen.
I just couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. It was incredible. It took everything I had to hit the brakes when I did, but just thinking of those lips and that tight little body pressed against me made me hard all over again, but fucking Gwen would be a colossal mistake. I’m talking FEMA level disaster.
I didn’t even like her. She’s bitchy and stubborn, and fuck if she didn’t wear on my last nerve more often than not. The chick was a goddamn train wreck and my life was finally on track. Getting involved with her would complicate an already complicated work relationship.
She represented everything I’d given up when I left law school. The money, the status, my family’s expectations, everything I’d walked away from.
I disappointed them all, my mother and my father. I rejected the life they’d laid out for me and chose instead to live a life of my own making rather than the one they’d manufactured for me.
Yale was my father’s idea. I was to follow in his footsteps, just like my older brother. I’d graduate at the top of my class, take the bar exam and join the firm. I made it through one semester before I’d had enough. I wasn’t living my life, I was living his. Just perpetuating the cycle that spanned generations of Sinclairs, leading the lives they were expected to, but it was never what I wanted.
I wanted to make my own way. I wanted to make something of myself on my own outside of their rules and restrictions, and I did so at the expense of my family.
Madison was all I had left. My parents cut me off when I quit school hoping it would change my mind and send me crawling back to them on my knees, but I was done. Instead, I got a job and moved in with Maddie, something they never stopped giving her shit for.
When I told them about buying the bar, they lost it, completely disowned me. My mother cried and my father looked like his head would burst. I was hopeful that one day they would come around, but if holding a grudge was an Olympic sport my parents would be gold medalists.
“Head’s up,” Sean called. I looked up just in time to see a football headed straight for me. Quick reflexes kept me from a broken nose as I caught it easily in my hands.
“Hey,” I said.
Sean nodded his greeting. “Glad you finally decided to come.”
I shrugged. “I needed a break from the bar.”
“You’re working too hard,” Madison said as she looked up at me from a blanket she’d spread under a tree.
Sean dropped down on the blanket beside her. “Nah, he just needs a break from all the drama.”
Madison ducked her head an embarrassed blush reaching the tips of her ears. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” She looked up at me. “I swear, I had no idea who she was. If I did, I never would have offered her the job.”
“I know,” I shoved my hands in the pockets of my hoodie.
“I’ve never seen Alex like that,” Sean said.
I reached up to scratch the back of my neck. “She was pretty upset.”
“Upset? She was completely insane. Drew said it took him two hours to calm her down.”
“Seriously? I don’t get why she’s freaking out about this. I mean it was a long time ago and they weren’t together right?”
Sean raised an eyebrow at me. “You want to tell her that?”
“From everything I heard, what Gwen did was pretty bad. I don’t think I could let it go either,” Madison said.
I shrugged. “I guess, but it all worked out for the best. They’re getting married.”
“Yeah, but to Alex, Gwen represents everything that kept them apart in the beginning. With the wedding coming up soon, the last thing she needs is for her insecurities to be shoved in her face.”
I nodded. “I can’t just fire Gwen.”
“Why not?” Sean asked.
“Because that’s fucked up. The girl is in a tough spot right now. She needs the job and I’m supposed to just kick her to the curb because Alex hates her. How fair is that?” I’m defending her now?
Sean narrowed his eyes, watching me closely. “Why do you care?”
“What?”
“You’ve known her for, what, a few weeks? Why do you care so much?”
“I don’t.” I dropped my head.
“Aww, shit,” he groaned. “You like her.”
“What?” Madison asked.
“Look at him,” Sean gestured toward me. “He’s a mess. He’s all fidgety, refusing to make eye contact. He likes her.”
“Is that true?” she asked.
“What? Of course not.” I couldn’t tell if I was lying to them or myself. If I wasn’t aware of how I felt about Gwen before, then the kiss last night clinched it, but I refused to allow it to go any further.
“Bullshit,” Sean coughed. Madison playfully slapped at his chest. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Her face lit up with a bright smile, which he returned before leaning in for a kiss. Things hadn’t come easy for Sean and Madison, but if anyone deserved to be happy, it was my sister. She’d been through so much with the divorce, but Sean made her happy and I was happy for them.
“Geez man, get a room,” Drew said. I turned around as he and Alex came up the hill. I watched them approach and braced myself for the verbal lashing I was about to get from Alex, but she seemed surprisingly calm.
“Hey.” I nodded in greeting.
Drew slapped my hand and pulled me into a bro hug. “Hey, man. Glad, you finally showed up.”
“He needed a break from the bar,” Sean said.
Drew smiled and dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder. “The place getting to you already?”
“I think it’s not the bar so much as the staff.”
“See, I told you,” Alex said. She reached for Drew’s arm, already in full rant mode. “She’s a nightmare! She does nothing but wreak havoc where ever she goes.”
“Come on, Red,” he said. “Don’t you think you’re being a tad dramatic?”
Alex’s eyebrows shot into her hairline and her green eyes almost glowed with a volatile mix of shock and anger. “Do you not remember what happened the last time you saw Gwen Stevens in The Den? You know what she’s capable of, Drew.”
Drew flinched. “Yeah, Red, I know but…”
“But nothing,” she said, then turned her crazy eyes on me. “Mark my words, Liam Sinclair, that girl is a disaster waiting to happen.”
I shook my head and threw my arms out at my sides. “You know what? Enough!”
Everyone froze around me.
“I’ve had enough of this.” I looked around to make absolutely sure that they were all listening. I turned toward Alex. “I get that you have a history with Gwen, but that’s what it is—history. Did you ever think that maybe she’s changed? She’s had to deal with some pretty heavy shit lately. She’s trying to stand on her own two feet for the first time in her life and all you want to do is continue to punish her for the mistakes she made in the past.” Alex bit her lip and looked down at her feet. “Would you want people to judge you based on the mistakes you’ve made?”
Alex remained silent. I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head, waiting for her answer. She, glared at me before she let out a long exhale. “No,” she said, “but I still don’t have to like her.”
I gave her a half smile. “No, you don’t have to like her. Just try not to claw her eyes out in the middle of my bar.”
“Deal,” she said reluctantly.
Sean started a slow clap and we turned around to face him. He wiped a pretend tear from his eye, got to his feet, and continued clapping before he slung an arm around my shoulder. “Aww, you guys, that was just…beautiful.” His voice cracked as he feigned being overcome with emotion.
I shrugged his arm off me. “Jackass,” I muttered.
Drew just smiled and shook his head before he headed toward the field. I dropped my wallet and keys on the blanket beside Madison and took a step to follow him when Alex grabbed my arm.
“Just be careful, Liam,” she said. I was pretty confident that she wasn’t talking about football.
***
The next couple of weeks were uneventful and went by pretty quickly, largely because I was avoiding Gwen at any cost. I hired a new waitress, Jenna and a new bartender, Jason. Jenna was a little on the bubbly side which annoyed the hell out of Floyd, so I had to watch that situation pretty carefully. Jason seemed like a good guy, worked hard kept to himself, made a decent drink. He even seemed to get along with Gwen, which worried me at first but she hadn’t even batted an eyelash in his direction since he started.
Business was good and with the new staff, I was finally able to take some time away from the bar to work on the loft. The drywall in the bathroom was done and prepped for tile and I managed to refinish the rest of the floors. The place was starting to feel more like a home and less like a storage room.
I let Jason and Jenna close up while I caught up on some paperwork in the back. I was knee deep in receipts when Jason stuck his head in to tell me they were headed out for the night. I said good night and dove back into my work.
A few minutes later, I heard the bell on the door chime as someone entered the bar. I figured maybe they forgot something, and headed back into the bar to check things out.
I pushed through the kitchen door and froze. Gwen stood in the center of the bar, her cheeks were stained with tears. She looked up and her eyes locked with mine as a sob tore from her throat.
“Aww, fuck.”