Page 111 of The Reno
A love language. Liam managed the table as if he were conducting a symphony. He topped up Sandra’s wine glass before she realised it was empty and passed his dad extra greens, commenting on his high blood pressure. He predicted when Lydia would want more potatoes and diligently ladled them onto her plate, making her beam. Then, he laid his arm across the back of my chair. I wasn’t sure he was aware that he moved slightly closer each time he moved.
It was all so lovely.
Homely.
My nose stung.
I glanced at Liam, watching the relaxed look on his face. He really was happier sat at a table with his family than he was on a building site. His face was softer. He didn’t have that pinched look between his eyebrows.
“What you looking at, Red?”
My lips twitched. “Just someone who looks entirely satisfied.”
“Not entirely, Red.”
“Can you two get a room?” Lydia made a barfing sound.
“Lydia,” Sandra barked, then turned to us, hearts in her eyes. “They are so sweet.”
“So come on then,” Lydia said. “Spill. What’s going on? Are you staying, cuz?”
I was expecting Liam to tense, but he didn’t. He looked at me expectantly. He was letting me lead the narrative. Usually, I’d want the whole room to swallow me up, but I didn’t feel the usual sense of impending doom. Not when Liam had made my birthday perfect and impressed my impossible-to-impress best friend. Not when his arm was on the back of my hair, his eyes stuck on me when I moved around the room. Not when I was so fucking happy in a room with him and my loud, gregarious family, not feeling the slightest bit out of place.
My lips twitched. “We are—”
The doorbell rang.
Sandra and Brian looked at each other.
“Were you expecting—”
Brian shrugged. “No.”
Sandra padded down the hallway. The door creaked open, and a high-pitched wail of excitement echoed off the walls.
Ren, Liam’s brother, who was supposed to be halfway across the world, strolled into the room, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
THIRTY-ONE
A cacophony of noise erupted as chairs were scraped back. Liam gave a filthy swear, and Brian and Sandra beamed like Ren was a soldier returning from war. Kevin held his son close and kissed him on the head, gruffly asking why Ren hadn’t told anyone he was coming home. I stood by, a little awkwardly, as Liam introduced me.
Lydia hadn’t moved from her seat. I noticed his eyes flickering to Lydia and losing some of their shine.
I felt Liam’s hand at the small of my back. “This is Kat.”
Ren’s brown eyes, so similar to his brother’s, met mine. It was almost eerie how similar the brothers were, especially standing side by side. They moved in the same way. They had the same shade of dark brown hair, although Ren’s was shorter. They were even the same height. Although if I pointed this out, I was sure there would be a measuring contest, so I grinned at the thought and kept that to myself.
“Hi, Kat.” Ren grinned. “Suppose I have you to blame for this.” Ren’s eyes flickered to Liam’s, a joke in them. While Liam exuded a steady calmness, Ren had a fluid cheekiness about him.He had the air of someone who was loved and adored. If I looked up younger sibling in the dictionary, I would find Ren’s face grinning at me.
Ren scanned the room, and his gaze snagged on Lydia, who was still sitting at the table, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Hey, Lyds,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“Lawrence,” Lydia replied curtly.
My eyebrows shot up. Liam frowned. I’d never seen Lydia act cold and nonchalant in her life. It wasn’t in her DNA. She had a smile and a joke for everyone. She was the life and soul of every room. But when Ren walked in, she’d closed down. She folded her arms in front of her, not looking in his direction.
I’d been led to believe that Ren and Lydia had spent their childhood together, inseparable. Liam said they were two sides of the same coin—best friends.
