Page 36 of Pressure Point

“C’mon, lad, get a move on. This is Effie’s first loss, and she’s in a mood. Her way of dealing with it is to drag the family to dinner. Let's not keep her waiting.”

“That would be two of us in a mood then. Probably not a good idea,” he responded. The idea of Felicity “in a mood” was scary enough, but paired with his own, he was sure that would not be a fun family dinner. Add in the fact that movie night was waiting for him, it was an easy choice. Not that he was going to tell Gunnar he was turning them down for a girl.

“What’s eating at you? The goal? Or something else?”

“I should have saved it.”

“Potentially. You got caught wrong-footed. It happens.”

“It shouldn’t.”

“Maybe not. But there was also an entire backline the ball shouldn’t have gotten through. Both the brothers Bender had a chance to clear it, and they watched it sail right past them. As your coach, am I happy that you missed the save? Not at all. But I’m also not happy that you had to react at all, since there were four defenders and three midfielders before it got to you. We looked sloppy all around. But that is a conversation for Monday. Now, it’s food time. And I’ve known you long enough, lad, to know just how hungry you are.”

Liam’s stomach growled as if on command at Gunnar’s mention of food. He was starving—he always was after a game. But going out just didn’t appeal to him. Ordering takeaway with Avery, on the other hand, seemed like the perfect salve to his wound.

“Oh, you have dinner plans already?” Avery said. She walked out of the training room toward them. “I was just going to suggest we grab something before movie night, but if y’all are going out, I can just fend for myself and then you can text me when you’re done. If we’re still on for Iron Man, that is.”

Liam opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn’t joining them but was cut off by Gunnar.

“Nonsense. Come with us.”

Come with us? Did he just invite Avery to family dinner? No, no, not a good idea…

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” she said, her sweet smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It sent a rush through him, and he wished more than anything that he could pull her into his arms and kiss her.

“If Effie’s demands for a last-minute family dinner is intruding on the plans you guys already have, the least we can do is feed you,” Gunnar told her.

Liam turned to face Avery, waiting for her reaction. His pulse raced, wondering what she would say. It was one thing for her to be willing to spend time with him, but his makeshift family? A group that included two of her bosses and the girl she viewed as the competition. He wasn’t sure she liked him that much.

“Liam, do you mind if I join? I really don’t want to crash family time.”

His heart leapt at her words. She wanted to come with them.

“Not at all. I’d love it if you came with us.”

“Great,” Gunnar said, turning to Avery. “Then tell this one to get dressed, and we’ll see you at Bunz.”

* * *

It was taking everything Avery had not to take hold of Liam’s hand as they walked into the restaurant. She had no idea where this sudden urge had come from, but she kept feeling her hand drift closer to his, like there were magnets in their palms.

The game this afternoon had been a rough one for him. The pain that had appeared on his face the second the ball hit the net behind him was still plain as day. It didn’t take much to know that it was eating at him and that it would take a while for him to forgive himself for it. But the pull she was feeling toward him was more than just wanting to comfort him after the loss. Part of it she figured was nerves over meeting up with his chosen family. But another part, a very large other part, was something she couldn’t name. It was this feeling that she somehow wanted to lay claim to him, and him to her. She felt a closeness to him that, no matter how much she tried to ignore, was always right there.

“Y’all are in the backroom,” the hostess told them. “I assume you know the way?”

Liam nodded, gesturing for Avery to go ahead of him. She weaved her way around the first set of tables, then followed the wall toward a set of curtained French doors that she took to be where they were going. Pointing at them to verify, she looked to Liam, who nodded and then stepped around her quickly to open the door for her.

“Hey!” Felicity greeted them, her thick southern accent on full display. She and Gunnar were seated at a table set for five in the middle of the room. “Thank you for pushing your plans back to join us.”

“I’m sorry,” Liam said, hanging his head.

Avery’s heart squeezed watching him, feeling his guilt radiating off of him. The urge to take his hand in hers reappeared, and she scolded herself. She did not need to give anyone, herself included, any kind of ideas.

“Stop that!” Felicity said, standing up and pulling Liam into her arms. She squeezed him tight, then stepped back, her hands still on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. “I do not blame you. I know that we cannot win them all, as much as I want to. Losing is part of playing. It doesn’t feel wonderful, but we shall deal. And eat our feelings. So sit. Oh, and hi, Avery.”

Felicity pulled her into a hug, and Avery was taken aback by the gesture but returned it anyway. Hugging was not something she’d ever associated with the powerhouse of a woman that was currently embracing her, but it felt nice to be included in the familiar gesture.

“Alrighty, here are the cheese fries and wings. The artichoke dip needed another minute, though, so Devlin said he’d bring that out when it was ready,” a sandy-haired, half-naked waiter said as he walked into the room and placed the food on the table. “Did y’all want the pie now? I wasn’t sure if this was an eat dessert first kind of occasion.”