I'm not sure if any amount of wine would prepare me for a conversation with Aaron immediately after accidentally groping his brother, but there was certainly no harm in pouring me another glass just to be sure.

"I see you've wasted no time in bringing out the alcohol." Aaron chuckled, eyeing me a little too curiously. "So, listen," he paused, clearing his throat, "I hope you're not mad about Liam being here. I was wanting to surprise you. I sort of felt like I needed to make up for the other night."

I sat my glass down and peered up at him. His eyes seemed earnest and almost timid. "I'm not mad. He's actually been...helpful. I'm just wondering your intention. Why invite him to make up for the other night?"

He blew out a breath, peering down at nothing in particular before meeting my gaze. "Like I said before, I know you guys have a past. You've made it clear you still care for him. I know if it is going to work between us, if you ever decide there is an us that is, Liam is going to be a part of that in some way. He's family, after all. And I imagine things would be a lot easier between all of us, if you guys were friends again."

I stayed silent a moment, processing what he had said. He was right in the fact that my relationship with Liam would always be entangled with any relationship he and I would have.
And I really did want to be friends with Liam again. Today had given me a glimmer of hope at that possibility.

I mean, honestly, I don't see any reason why Liam and I can't take the next step and be committed to one another, or why Aaron and I can't be friends.

Wait, hold on.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I pressed my fingers to my temple.

I mean, why Liam and I can't be friends and Aaron and I move forward. 

Right?

Shaking my head, I buried my thoughts to dig up for further analysis at a time when wine wasn't clouding my brain and when I wasn't spending a nice weekend with my friends. Pushing my glass further from my reach, I focused back on Aaron.

"You're right. I'm pretty sure anyway. I have had about three of these glasses now, so really, who knows?" I giggled, patting Aaron on the chest. "Want to help me bring these out to the girls? They're probably thinking I have downed the whole bottle by now."

He chuckled, picking up the two glasses of wine. "Sure, are they out back?"

"Yep." I nodded, pointing the direction. "I'll be there in just a second."

I watched him leave the kitchen as I stood there drumming my fingers on the countertop, my mind wandering. Glancing down at my wine glass a moment later, we became locked in an intense staring battle.

Ah, screw it.

"I blinked, you won." I whispered to the cup, as I grabbed the bottle of wine again and poured me a properly proportioned glass. "Take that, Liam."

****

"Happy Birthday!"

I sleepily smiled at my two best friends who sat at the kitchen island with cups of coffee, one of which was pushed toward me by Kat.

I grabbed the mug and took a sip. "Thank you, guys. You've even given me the best gift by letting me sleep in." I gushed, looking at the clock on the stove that read nine. I was expecting to see Aaron downstairs since he hadn't been in bed when I woke up, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, it's just going to get better. You're officially twenty-one, which means your first experience to get carded is a must!" Savannah grinned, taking a bite out of the donut in her hand.

"Is there even a club nearby?" I asked, hesitantly grabbing a sprinkled donut from the box on the counter. "Thanks for the breakfast by the way."

"Well, there's a club about thirty minutes away. You have to be eighteen to enter, which will be perfect for Savannah, but obviously twenty-one to drink." I nodded, taking a bite of the over sugared treat, as Kat continued. "Also, we didn't get the donuts. We were planning on making some eggs and toast, but they were here when we came down."

I finished swallowing, slowly nodding as I set the rest of it down to take another sip of coffee. "I guess Aaron went out and bought them. That was really sweet of him."

Kat eyed me over her coffee, setting it down after her sip. "I didn't think you were a fan of donuts."

"Don't be silly, who doesn't love donuts?"

"Okay, well when was the last time you had them?"

"It's....been awhile."

Okay, a long while.

Ever since I got sick off a batch as a kid, I hadn't touched the sugared breakfast since. "All the more reason to enjoy them now. In fact, I'm going to go thank Aaron right now for his thoughtfulness."

Kat's raised brow didn't deter me as I sauntered off to look for Aaron. I stopped in front of the bathroom door, hearing the shower water running. Grinning, I slowly opened the door, careful to not alert him of my presence, and closed it with a silent click. The steam in the bathroom filled the stone walls of the shower and created a fog on the glass shower door, obscuring the view. Aaron's back was turned away from me, so I decided to make my birthday morning a little more interesting.

Slipping out of my shirt and yoga pants, I tiptoed closer to the door in only my bra and panties. As I went to unclasp my bra, I cleared my throat before attempting my most sultry voice. "Thank you for the birthday donuts."

His movements halted, his hands pausing in his hair while his back muscles tensed, as he slowly turned around. His deep voice reverberated through me. "I thought you didn't like donuts."

I gasped as Liam's eyes connected with mine, my hands immediately covering my chest as my bra straps began to fall down my shoulders. My eyes wandered down with no direction from my brain at all, as I took in the view in front of me. Water ran down in rivulets across his muscles, sliding down his pecs over his abdomen, leading a very tempting trail further down. The steam on the door prevented my eyes full access, but the blurred vision before me snapped me out of my embarrassing stupor.

My eyes snapped back up to Liam's, only to catch him in his own perusal. I tightened my hands across my chest and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Oh my gosh Liam, I am so sorry! I had no idea you were in here."

The sound of the water being turned off and the opening of the door had me clamping my eyes shut even tighter. I heard some shuffling before warm hands caressed my back, causing me to jump. My eyes remained sealed as Liam's hands lightly trailed the sides of my ribcage. My breath halted as my heart simultaneously sped up; its' own poignant contradiction, as I could do nothing but focus on the trail of fire his fingers created.

I held my breath, unable to find my voice, but desperately trying to when he grabbed the clasps of my bra, hooking it together. He dragged his fingertips across my arms, pulling my straps back over my shoulders. Taking a step back, his hands dropped, and my skin immediately missed the warmth.

"You can open your eyes now."

I opened them, slowly turning to face Liam. His chest was still bare, but he had wrapped the towel around his waist, and had another towel in his hand, offering it out to me with his eyes averted. I gratefully took it from him and covered myself.

"I guess you've seen this much of me anyway." I lightly laughed, desperately trying to tame the awkwardness in the air.

His eyes met mine in a narrowed expression. "You mean the party where you willingly undressed in front of me and claimed it as a fashion right?"

I blushed, vaguely remembering arguing with him about my right to walk around half naked. But embarrassment hit like a bag of rocks when I also remembered him throwing his shirt back at me in disgust. I turned my face away from him, suddenly feeling even more exposed.

"For the record," he said, as he gently placed his fingers under my chin, turning my head to face him, "I consider myself extremely lucky to have seen the parts of you that you have graciously shown me." My eyes bounced across his face as he backed up, turning around to grab his clothes before reaching for the door.

Looking back at me one last time, he added, "And I'm not just meaning your beautiful body. Happy Birthday, Maddie."

The sound of the door closing couldn't be heard over the thundering of my heart.

I am so sorry for the late update! I know I am behind. I knew being a first-year teacher would keep me busy, but I had no idea it would keep me THIS busy! I promise I am trying to get these updates out to you guys. 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks so much for your continued support! ❤