Everett and I knew the truth behind his good-natured ways. The fear Liam lived and dealt with as best he could. Everett worked hard to make his career, and all it entailed, as easy for Liam as possible. I did the same for him at home. He was catered to on sets, led as to which way to go when out in public, and he relied on his team to look after him.
Our Peter Pan—the boy who refused to grow up. He’d gotten his nickname early on in his career, when he’d flippantly replied to a reporter’s query about being cast in roles of characters far younger than his years.
“Are you worried about being typecast and only able to play younger men? Never growing up?”
Liam had shrugged and laughed. “Worked well for Peter Pan.”
The name stuck, and he hated it, although at times it suited him. He had no idea how to run a house, handle his finances, take care of himself—or anyone else.
That was why he had us.
And somehow, needing to be needed by the slumbering boy-man on the sofa satisfied something within me. Liam and I were best friends, and I adored him. I liked caring for him, and I loved his downtime when it was only us. Those were the best times.
Despite how I had come to be in his life, I was glad I was part of it.
I startled as I realized Everett had asked me a question, and I had to ask him to repeat it. I tore my gaze away from Liam and concentrated on the task at hand. He was far too distracting—and I had a lot of work to do.LIAMSlowly waking, I listened to Shelby and Everett talking and planning. I was grateful I wasn’t the one who had to figure the schedule, although Ev always gave me last say. I rarely disagreed since I knew he had things under control and had my best interests at heart.
Still, he always kept me in the loop, and Shelby always kept me in line. I did what they told me to do.
It worked well for all of us.
I grinned at the sounds of Shelby’s amusement at something Everett said. She always brought a smile to my face, right from the day she became part of my life.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay here alone, Shelby?”
She nodded. “I’ll be fine, Liam. I’ll be busy here, I think, while you’re gone.”
I chuckled. I had seen her lists. She would be busy. I wanted the entire house changed—everything that reminded me of Marie to be gone.
“I don’t expect you to redo the whole house in three weeks.”
“I can get a lot done.”
She had been a breath of fresh air the past few days. Always smiling and upbeat despite what she had been through—she was amazing.
“Everett gave you access to a household account, right?” I waggled my finger at her. “Don’t bleed me dry, woman.”
“I’ll clear it all with you first, Liam.”
“I trust you. Do what you think is best.”
She frowned at me. “Liam, this is your home. You should be picking the furniture and dishes.”
“Um, not a good idea. I know nothing about that sort of thing. I’d cock it all up.”
“I’ll help you,” she insisted. “But the final decisions are yours.”
I grimaced, running a hand through my hair. “Shelby…”
“I’ll make it easy on you, Oscar. Go be brilliant and leave this to me.”
Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek softly. She was affectionate with Everett and treated me the same way. I found returning her warmth incredibly easy. “Ta, Beaker. Take care.”
“Don’t call me that!”
I raised my hand and waved.
I chuckled all the way to the car. Everett’s pet name for her was perfect. When she became upset or worried, she made the strangest little bleating noise in the back of her throat—reminiscent of Beaker the lab assistant on the Muppets. It suited her.
She hated the name. The first time I had heard her make that sound, I thought she was choking, and I had tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her. She had elbowed me in the chest, sending me sprawling on the floor. Once I figured out what had happened, I laughed so hard she left the room in a huff. I apologized, although I fully understood the reason for Everett’s pet name. She told me never to call her by that name and I agreed.
I lied.
I loved it and used it as often as I could just to piss her off and make her glare at me. She was quite cute when she glared.
She started calling me Oscar because of the statue I had shown her, lamenting over the damage it caused to my TV after Marie threw it. Shelby assured me she would find a way to have the Oscar repaired and promised to replace the TV.