Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,388

a chair at the table. “Ash, I just want to say you being with Liam, which leads to you being here all the time, which leads to you feeding us, has to be the best chain of events ever.”

Liam and I laugh as I serve them their breakfast and place the extra batter in the fridge for when Hailey wakes up. “You look rough, man,” Liam says as he slides into his chair next to me.

“I slept on the couch,” Aiden replies with his mouth full.

“Why?” Liam asks him, perplexed that he would sleep on the couch when he has a perfectly comfortable bed just down the hall.

Aiden shrugs his shoulders. I have a feeling it has something to do with Hailey. He’s very protective of her and he’s always watching her. I think Hailey has a thing for him as well. Every time I try to talk to her about Aiden, she changes the subject. I make a mental note to keep an eye out for more clues from these two. Liam and Aiden scarf down their food. They have to be at the field at nine. I hear Hailey moving around in the living room, so I get up to start on her pancakes.

Liam removes the batter from my hands and sets it on the counter. He then picks me up and sets me on the counter beside it. He steps in between my legs and cups my face in the palm of his hands. “Thank you for breakfast.” He kisses me. “I bought you a new hoodie to wear to the games, since it’s getting colder. It’s hanging in our closet.” He winks at me. He’s always referring to it as our room, our closet. I guess after last night and the decisions we made about our future, I should stop arguing the fact and embrace it. He kisses me again and it’s a good thing I’m sitting, he literally makes me weak in the knees. He rests his forehead against mine. “I love you, beautiful girl. I’ll see you at the game.”

Hailey walks into the kitchen, Aiden behind her. “Damn, make sure you clean the counter,” she scoffs. At that we all laugh. Liam kisses me one more time before setting me back on my feet, so he and Aiden can leave for the stadium.

When we arrive at the stadium, we find the seats the guys have reserved for us and their parents, front and center, right on the fifty-yard line. Of course, this also has us sitting right behind the team. Liam says he likes knowing I’m so close. I’m a little nervous for the game, we’re playing Duke, which means Liam and Aiden are playing against Todd and Jason. Neither Hailey nor I have heard anything from either one of them. I hope there’s no drama today in the game.

We win the coin toss. I feel the nerves in the pit of my stomach as I watch Liam and Aiden line up on the field. Both Todd and Jason are defensive lineman, so guess what that means. Yep, they take the field as well. Liam currently has the team in a huddle; I can only imagine what he’s saying to them about Todd and Jason.

At the snap, Liam shuffles his feet, throws his arm back, and launches the ball to Aiden. He catches it with ease, just before being smashed to the ground by two members of the opposing team. The hit is hard, and I stand waiting for him to get up. I feel a tight grip on my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Hailey gnawing on her lip with worry all over her face. Aiden slowly gets to his feet and the crowd roars, as he throws his hand in the air waving. Aiden then points to our group and smiles. I relax, and Hailey releases the breath she was holding. There’s something definitely going on there.

The next two downs, Liam repeats the same play. He throws to Aiden who catches it, again with ease before being mauled to the ground. They’re now on the twenty-yard line, and Aiden’s getting the shit beat out of him. The line is doing a great job of protecting Liam, but I’m fearful for Aiden, he’s taken three hard ass hits. They break from the huddle and take the line. I watch, holding my breath, to see if we can get the first touchdown of the game. I watch as