Aria’s POV I walked back into the headquarters later that day, after lunch. By then, the press conference had cleared up. Liam had texted me, telling me to come straight to his office the moment I arrived. Many of my co-workers stopped me on my way. “Oh, Aria, we are so happy to have you back!
“This is Liam. Aria is also here. You are on speaker.” “Aria, it is a pleasure to speak with you again,” said a familiar voice, the executive I had spoken to over the past two days. The one who offered me the promotion, and the one who had taken it all away by suspending me. “The whole board is he
Aria’s POV That weekend, as I headed out to get the Sunday newspaper from the box, I noticed that the house beside mine had finally sold. It had sat empty for so long after the previous owner moved away that I had assumed the asking price was outlandish. Either it came way down, or my new neighb
Aria’s POV “I’m really not sure it that’s a good idea,” I said, just as Liam replied, “That’s a great idea, buddy!” Liam and I looked at each other. “You are really okay with it?” I asked. “Why not?” Liam said with a shrug. “It is a big bed. The three of us would comfortably fit.” I could
He was already in his pajamas too, a white t-shirt and flannel pants. He seemed comfortable and relaxed, with his hair slightly mussed. It made me want to slide into his arms and fall asleep with my ear on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, just like I used to. “I have a television at the foot
Aria’s POV At some point in the evening, I must have drifted off, because when I blinked my eyes open, the sun crept through the curtains and the sound of Joe’s laughter echoed up from downstairs. Glancing left to right, I realized that I was alone in the massive king bed, but the spots on eithe
Liam’s POV “Of course it is,” Logan said. “She still cares for me. Is that what has you so aggravated? You still have competition?” He was goading me, and if I had been in a better state of mind, I would have been able to properly handle that. As it was, I was already pissed as hell, so his goad
Liam’s POV It had been a good long while since I stepped into a boxing ring. Even longer since I’d actually wanted to throw a punch this badly. As Logan and I circled each other in the ring, our boxing gloves on and mouth guards in, all I heard in my head again and again were Aria’s words. Whe
Liam’s POVI watched my phone as it rang, seeing Joanna’s name on the screen. After talking with the investor, and already receiving texts from the others that mirror his opinions, I had next to no desire to answer this call and speak with Joanna herself.And after what she said on television… She p
Aria’s POVI sat on the couch between Liam and Joe, with William sitting on the other side of Liam, watching as the interview was about to air on television.I’d been nervous, even up to a minute ago, but now I only felt numb. I had no idea what was about to happen, but in this moment, I had nothing
Joe’s POVAfter school the next day, William and Joe are supposed to go to the bus and take it home, but they sidetrack, heading downtown instead. Using one of the kids at school’s phone, they already texted Isabelle their plans, asking her to pick them up. They didn’t stick around to see if there w
Aria’s POVIt was the easiest question of my life. “Of course I do. I love Liam very much.”“Then that’s really all you need,” Jackson said. Seeing I was about to dismiss him, he hurriedly continues. “Listen, I know it sounds cliché, but it’s the honest truth. Does it matter what anyone else thinks?
Liam’s POVI stared at Joanna, as the dread crept up inside of me. She was clearly trying to intimidate me though, as if hoping to see if I’d buckle under pressure, and I absolutely refused to give her that satisfaction. So I rallied myself, standing straighter, and told her plainly, “I won’t be int
Liam’s POVWho the hell did this guy think he was, coming into our home and attacking Aria like that? The interviewer Craig had a bad attitude from the start, but I’d been willing to overlook all of it for the sake of the actual interview. To even get the crew here, I’d had to call in some favors. I
Despite that look, the first half of the interview seemed to go alright. Liam and I introduced Joe and William, and the kids talked for a bit about how much they loved us, as well as some of their favorite pastimes.“I want to be a racecar driver when I get older,” William said. “Just like my dad.”
Aria’s POVThe producer suggested that we start with the full family interview as we eased into things, so, after the crew set up the cameras in lighting in the living room, we sat down.The interviewer, the reporter from the station Liam had called a favor into, kept us waiting for a while, as he s
Aria’s POVUnder my ear, I heard the quick pulsing of Liam’s heart, hammering in his chest. Glancing up at him, I was surprised to find his eyes a little wide. Then, I realized the implications of what I had just said.“I didn’t mean it like that!” I said quickly, blushing hard.I wasn’t ready for s