I unraveled a smile and jumped up to throw my arms around his neck.

The security guard stationed outside of our door cleared his throat and I started to laugh. I'd forgotten he was even there.

Mostly because normal people don’t have security guards.

"Well hello to you, too." Liam smiled and dipped down to give me a kiss. As soon as he pulled away, his eyes scanned over my shoulder to find my mother who’d stood up to greet him. I unwrapped my hands from around his neck and stepped back to eye her.

I knew he was comparing how similar we looked in that moment. She had the same dark brown hair that I did, but hers was 747/890

cropped into a short pixie cut. We had the same build, although I had a bit more muscle, whereas she was a little taller and more lithe.

I beamed watching her take Liam in. "I can't believe I finally get to meet you," she smiled, reaching out. "I'm Lydia."

He shook her hand and I thought I saw a little blush across his tan cheeks. "Hello Mrs.

Bryant."

"My daughter has talked my ear off about you for the past few weeks now," she admitted, and then I was the one with flushed cheeks.

Liam's cool gaze slid toward me.

"She's exaggerating, I hardly mention you at all," I winked.

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Liam glanced back to my mom wearing a cheeky half smile. "That’s not surprising to hear. Your daughter is definitely in love with me, Mrs. Bryant. She hasn't told me yet, but she will soon."

My mouth fell open. No, it fell onto the ground and just sat there as I stared at Liam.

My mom laughed and glanced over toward me with a knowing smile. I couldn't believe he'd just said that so... bluntly. And damnit, could the jerk read me that easily?

"Wow. You seem pretty confident about that, Liam," my mother joked, waving us over toward the table so we could finish eating.

Liam shrugged and I could feel his pen-etrating gaze on me. "I read that Mark Twain said all you need to succeed in life is 749/890

ignorance and confidence. Kinsley can attest to my having both of them."

I laughed. “You can read?”

He shot me a playful wink before my mom mentioned, "You know that's exactly how it was when I met Kinsley's father. I think we dated for a month before he asked me to marry him. But we were young and reckless, only nineteen at the time."

I coughed and tried to ignore the fact that Liam was still watching me. I'd forgotten about the fact that my mom had married at my age. I couldn't imagine. How would anyone find the time? I was trying to go to the Olympics, not plan out matching brides-maid dresses.

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"Well rest assured Mom, you will not have a teen bride on your hands." I finally found my voice and smiled up at her.

Liam shrugged. "You just turned nineteen. We have about 300 days left to change that."

My mouth dropped again and I turned to face him. "You can't be serious right now."

He smiled and shook his head. "Nah, but I was serious about the love thing."

I shot him a pointed stare and then picked up my plate of leftover fries and handed it to him.

"Are you sure you're done?" he asked, pinching my waist playfully.

I swatted his hand away, but if my mom weren't watching us I would have pushed him back onto the bed and kissed him 751/890

senseless. "Yup. Eat up. Did you just get done with practice?"

"Yeah. I'm exhausted. I won't stay long, just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"And he wanted to meet me," my mom interjected with a smile that looked exactly like mine. The apple definitely didn't fall far from the tree.

Liam laughed. "Of course. Mostly I came to meet your mom. You were an after-thought." He winked and I shot him an angry scowl.

He swallowed up the last of my fries and put the plate back on the table. "I better get home or I'll fall asleep right here."

I frowned, not ready for him to go so soon. "Can I walk you down?"

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"Not dressed like that," he noted, and I realized I still had my robe on. "How about we go to dinner after your game tomorrow with our moms? My mom wants to see you again before she leaves for London," he noted as he walked toward the door.

I clapped my hands together and my mom agreed before I even had time to answer. “That sounds great."

He bent to kiss my cheek and then murmured in my ear so my mom couldn't hear.

"I'll be cheering for you tomorrow, Kins." His voice skimmed over my cheek and I pressed my lips together and nodded up at him. Our eyes locked and I soaked in one last moment of being near him.

Crap.

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Was I ready for this? At 19 is anyone equipped to give their heart away? Wasn’t I still trying to get to know my heart? Its likes, its dislikes? Liam was older and had probably sampled a whole plethora of girls before landing on me.

As I closed the hotel door, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at the idea that I was maybe getting in over my head.

Being with a star athlete is the farthest thing from a normal, wholesome relationship. I didn’t want the limelight or the stardom and being with Liam meant accepting everything that came along with him.

Adios, heart. Nice knowing you.

…

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"You girls have worked hard for this moment, and you all need to remember that this is a practice run. Stay calm and focused on executing clean plays. This is a simple scrimmage, so let's get out there and show 'em what we've got!"

My team was standing in a huddle just behind the stadium door. We'd donned our new baby blue uniforms, warmed up, and came in for one final pep talk before the scrimmage started. I could feel my nerves brewing over, but I tried to squelch them.

Becca and I were both starting today's match. Emily hadn't made the cut to start, but I knew she'd still get a lot of playing time.

We all would. The point of today's game was to get accustomed to playing as a team, not for one of us to shine above the rest.

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Becca gripped my shoulder and I shot her a nervous smile.

"Wildcats on three," Coach Davis instructed, and then counted down.

"Wildcats!" we all screamed together in unison, and then the door sprung open and we were running out onto the field. It was a beautiful day in LA. The sun was shining overhead and most of the smog from this morning had cleared so that the temperature was warm and inviting. I was already sweating from our warm up, but it felt good. This is what I loved. I lived for soccer games; those ninety minutes of head to head competition fueled my body like nothing else in life.

I ran alongside Becca toward to the sideline and looked up into the packed stands to 756/890

find my mom sitting next to Mrs. Wilder.

They looked cute perched next to one another, like they might have been friends for years. I waved to them both as they chanted for Becca and me. I didn't see Liam yet, but I knew he was probably still at practice.

There was a pile of people hoarding the media box, much more than there should have been for a preseason women's soccer scrimmage. I rolled my eyes and ignored them. There was enough riding on this game without the added stress of my failures getting plastered across the Internet.

Sofie and our co-captain stepped forward to do the coin toss, and then we took the field to cheering fans. I marked my position and shook out my arms, trying to loosen my muscles and calm my breathing. It was 757/890

normal to feel nervous before a match, especially since I hadn't played an official game in months, but these nerves were in a league of their own.