by M. A. Foster
“Are you harassing my nurse, Noah?” Dr. Parker teases as he appears at my side.
“I’m trying,” Noah replies with a laugh. “Friday.” He nods to me before turning on his heels and pushing through the glass door.
“So…,” Dr. Parker drawls, followed with a chuckle.
Shaking my head, I turn and push through the doors. “Any chance you’d be up for day drinking?” I call over my shoulder.
His laughter rings out behind me, and I wish I was kidding.
LIAM
“What is Vanessa Abbott doing here?” I ask from my father’s office doorway in lieu of a hello.
My dad turns his attention from the computer screen. “Hello to you, too, son,” he replies sarcastically. “Where’s your mother?”
“She’s around here somewhere.” I wave a hand toward the door. “She ran into one of her country club friends downstairs. Why is Vanessa here?”
“She works here.”
“Since when?”
He takes a moment to mull it over. “I’d say close to two months now.” He shrugs.
Two months? My eyes bug out as I step farther into his office. “Are you fucking kidding me, Dad?”
“Watch your mouth and lower your voice, dickhead,” he warns, gesturing for me to close the door.
I push it closed and fall into one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. Crossing my arms over my chest, I kick my legs out and glare at him.
Leaning back in his chair, he locks his hands behind his head. “I was going to talk to you about Vanessa over lunch today. I take it from your little temper tantrum that you ran into her.”
I roll my eyes. “A phone call would’ve been sufficient.” At least then I would’ve been prepared. It didn’t help that Noah Riley had his fucking hands on her. “And yeah. I stopped to say what’s up to Mia.”
He raises his brows, but I don’t miss the flash of panic in his eyes. “I hope you didn’t cause a scene. I don’t think either of them knows about the other’s past relationship with you. Mia and Vanessa work exceptionally well together. I don’t need the drama.”
“Mia knows I was married, and she’s a smart girl. I’m sure she’s figured it out by now. I can’t believe you actually have them working together.”
“Liam.” He leans forward, crossing his arms on this desk. “This might come as a shock, so brace yourself.” He pauses, eyebrows raised. “Not everything is about you.”
I snort. Who is this man? Mac Daddy’s got jokes today. Clearly my father has been brushing up on his smartassery straight from the Ella Mackenzie handbook.
His cell chirps on his desk. He picks it up and swipes a finger over the screen. “Your mother is waiting downstairs.”
Rising from his chair, he continues, “What’s your problem, anyway? I thought you’d be happy Vanessa’s back.”
I don’t know if “happy” is how I’d describe what I’m feeling right now. Anxious? Yes. I have a dozen questions floating around in my head.
“Why is she here?”
He shrugs out of his white lab coat and hangs it on the hook near the door. “Because she needed a job.”
Standing from the chair, I follow him out the door. “I mean why did she move back? Where’s her fiancé?”
He shoots me a devilish grin over his shoulder. “You know I can’t divulge employee information.” Christ, it’s like pulling teeth. “As for the answer to your last question, you’ll have to ask her yourself.”
Shaking my head, I exhale an exasperated breath.
This guy.
“Hey,” I say, greeting my sister with a kiss to the cheek before moving to Cam. “What’s up?” I smack him playfully on the back before taking the empty seat at the end beside him.
“How’s my baby brother?” Emerson asks.
“Liam ran into Vanessa,” my mother jumps right in.
The whole ride over, I could tell she was ready to burst at the seams. I’d say I’m surprised she didn’t just text Emerson on the way over, but then she wouldn’t get to see the shocked expression on my sister’s face, and where’s the fucking fun in that?
“You were supposed to tell him.” Emerson points to our father before turning to look at me with an apologetic expression.
“He saw her before I got the chance,” he tells her.
“I’m not pissed about Vanessa. I’m pissed that she’s been here for months and no one bothered to tell me.” I narrow my eyes at Cam. “Some best friend you are.”
He chuckles. “Don’t give me shit. Your dad wanted to be the one to tell you since he’s the one who hired her.” He points to my mother. “I had your back when this one was drilling me with questions about you cheating.”
My mother’s mouth falls open before a slight smile tugs at her lips. “I did no such thing,” the little liar insists.
Just then the waiter arrives at our table; his expression’s blank, but the widening of his eyes tells me he heard. We put in our drink orders, and he scurries off.
“I didn’t cheat.” I growl, narrowing my eyes at my mother. “And why are you discussing my personal life? This is why I didn’t want to tell you what happened in the first place.”
She pats my hand on the table. “Honey, we’re your family. This is what we do. No one is judging you.”
I turn my attention to my sister. “Do you really believe I cheated?”
Emerson shakes her head. “I’m twenty-five months pregnant and hormonal. It doesn’t matter what I think.”
“It matters to me.”
Her gaze flicks to Cam, then back to me. “If I tell you how I feel, you can’t blow up at me.”
“He won’t,” Cam clips, narrowing his eyes in warning.
I give him a bored look. I’ve only yelled at my sister twice, and both times were warranted.
Emerson takes a deep breath through her nose and blows it out. “This is just my opinion based on what Mom told me. I think what you did was wrong and—I have to agree with Mom—extremely selfish. Not the marriage part—I really don’t have a stone to throw in that respect—but hanging out with a woman who wasn’t your girlfriend was asking for trouble and probably the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. You could’ve easily been photographed together. You got lucky. Photographs are harder to explain away. Even if the story is twisted with lies, the seed of doubt has been planted. Yours and Vanessa’s story is a lot like mine and Marcus’s. Vanessa was young and insecure. Then there was you, this hotshot ball player, and everyone wanted a piece of you. The media, the fans, and the groupies. Your face was literally every-fucking-where.” Emerson grins and everyone laughs, including me.
“Vanessa did exactly what I would’ve done in her shoes,” she continues. “I can’t tell you how many fights I picked with Marcus over some bullshit story in the papers. The only difference between you and Marcus is that he fought for our marriage.”
“I fought for her,” I argue.
“Did you, though? When she got into a cab or whatever”—she flicks her wrist—“and drove off, did you go after her?”
I frown. “No.”
“Why?”
“Because I was pissed.”
“That’s where you messed up. Well, that’s not true. If you had just been honest with Vanessa from the beginning—”
“I know—”
“Let me finish, Liam. The problem with you men is that you assume the worst. Instead of just trusting us with the truth, you hide it. And look where that got you? I’m not saying the truth would’ve changed anything, but at least you wouldn’t have spent the last five years angry and hurt.”
“For the record, I did go after her. Coach wouldn’t let me see her.”
Emerson quirks a brow. “Can you blame him?”
I shake my head. “No. That’s why I stayed away.”
“Here’s what I think,” Cam interjects. “We’ve all screwed up at some point. Now’s your chance to make it right. You’re here. She’s here.” He stretches his arms out to the side.
“The stars have aligned. Go get your woman back.”
I reach over and slug him in the arm. “Smartass.”
“Liam,” Emerson says before clearing her throat. “I heard through the grapevine”—her eyes flick to said grapevine, aka my mother—“that Vanessa is no longer engaged, and she’s living back at home with her father.”
“Thanks, Em.” I flick my gaze to my mother, who’s smirking at me from the far end of the table. She’s loving this.
I narrow my eyes at her as I pick up my menu and hide my elation behind it. The table goes quiet, and I lower my menu to find everyone looking at me. “What?”
“I think you should talk to Coach,” Cam says. “Work on fixing that relationship first.”
I sigh because he’s right. “It’s not like I haven’t tried.”
“Try harder,” my father insists.
The last time I stood on this porch, all hope I’d had of getting my wife back was deflated by three words: Let her go.
And my entire world came crashing down.
Pressing the doorbell, I take a step back and shove my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. A dog barks on the opposite side of the door, and through the oval-shaped kaleidoscope-like cutout, I see a set of paws appear against the glass as a tall figure approaches.
The lock clicks and the front door swings open, revealing Coach Abbott. His eyes widen in shock for a fraction of a second, and several emotions pass over his face. Apprehension, regret, and anguish. I recognize them because the same emotions have been weighing heavily in my chest for the past five years, filling the space where my heart once was, before Vanessa ripped it out.
Coach stands in the doorway with his arms crossed, shoulders tight, feet spread apart, eyeing me, and suddenly I’m transported back to my college days.
“Took you long enough,” he says in way of greeting.
My brows pinch in confusion, but before I can ask him what he’s talking about, a black nose pokes through the space between Coach’s leg and the front door.
“Is that Princess Buttercup?”
Coach pushes the door open wider, and the excited white labradoodle darts out. I fight back a grin, knowing the pink bow in her hair and pink jeweled collar is Vanessa’s doing. I squat down on my haunches, my arms outstretched to pet her, but she surprises me when she props up on her back legs, places her paws on my shoulders, and—I shit you not—hugs me. Then she drops to all fours and scurries back inside the house.
“I’d always wondered what happened to her. If Vanessa kept her,” I say, taking a step back as Coach walks out onto the porch, closing the door behind him.
“Of course she kept her. She’s Vanessa’s baby. Hell, mine, too.” He moves to sit in one of the two rocking chairs positioned under the bay window, and I take the remaining one closest to the door. He rests his ankle on the opposite knee. “She’s a good dog.”
“You were so pissed when I gave her to Vanessa.”
He nods slowly. “Because I knew I’d end up being the one to take care of her.” He looks over at me. “And I was right.”
A moment passes before Coach finally speaks up, breaking the awkward silence between us. “The last time you stood on this porch demanding to see Vanessa, what did I say?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stretch out my legs. “You told me to let her go.”
He huffs out a short laugh that sounds like a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. “And that’s when you decided to listen to me.” He shakes his head. “I told you in California to let her go so she could finish school. I knew it wouldn’t be easy for either of you, but I’d hoped you’d do the right thing. Instead, you whisked her off to Vegas, married her, and broke her heart.”
“I didn’t marry her to spite you. I married her because I loved her. I wanted her to be with me in California because I missed her. I offered to pay for her schooling because I wanted her to be able to fulfill her dream of being a nurse. I wasn’t acting out of selfishness. I was in love, and the longer we were together, the harder it was to be away from her. You have to believe I didn’t cheat on her.”
“I believe you,” he replies without skipping a beat.
I wasn’t expecting that. “You do?”
Nodding slowly, he says, “You’re not that stupid.”
Closing my eyes, I lean my head back and blow out a breath, feeling like a hundred-pound weight has been lifted from my chest. “Thank fuck,” I murmur.
“But what you did was wrong,” he adds.
I groan. “I know. But if she would’ve let me explain instead of packing her shit and running back home to daddy—” I clench my jaw shut to keep from saying something that will get me kicked off this porch for another five years.
“Vanessa doesn’t forgive easily.”
I bug my eyes out at him. “No shit.”
“She’s a lot like her mother that way. Rose was a sweet woman, genuine. Would give you her last dime if you needed it. She cared about people and always looked for the good in them. She trusted freely. But if you broke her trust or hurt her in any way”—he snaps his fingers—“she was done.”
“Yep. Sounds like Vanessa.”
He nods. “When Vanessa was in eighth grade, she had this little friend, Roberta. Vanessa called her Bertie.”
“Ah, the enemy.”
He looks over at me, surprised. “She told you about Bertie?”
“A little. I’m curious to know more, though.”
“They played together on the soccer team. Tight as ticks.” He holds up his crossed fingers. “Until Chad.” He rolls his eyes. “Chad was on the boys' soccer team and was Vanessa’s first boyfriend. Bertie was jealous. Apparently she had a crush on Chad.” Suddenly, I’m feeling very jealous of an eighth grader. “One afternoon I got to the soccer field early. Practice hadn’t started yet, but the girls were out on the field warming up. Vanessa was standing off to the side of the field talking to Chad. Her back was to her teammates, so she had no idea what was coming, but I watched the entire thing play out. Bertie lifted the soccer ball and kicked it straight at Vanessa’s head. Except she missed and nailed Chad right in the face.” He throws his head back and laughs, and I grin. “The look on Bertie’s face was priceless. But you know what? Chad was a determined little shit. Not even a ball to the face deterred him from asking Vanessa to the eighth grade dance.”
“Did she go?”
“Of course she did. The kid took a ball to the face for her.” He laughs again, and I can’t help but laugh, too. “After practice, Vanessa told me she knew Bertie had meant to hit her with that ball. She was livid. I asked her if she was going to confront Bertie about it. She said no, because Bertie already knew what she did, and what was the point? Vanessa slowly started distancing herself from Bertie, but they still had to play together. The following year, Vanessa started dating Brian. They’d been friends since they were little, so I didn’t mind Brian coming around. Then one afternoon, Vanessa comes home, and the minute she walks in the door, she bursts into tears because Brian broke up with her. For Bertie.” He rolls his eyes. “You can imagine how well that went over. A couple weeks later, Brian shows up at my door asking to see Vanessa. I told him absolutely not. He had his chance and he blew it.”
“That’s sounds awfully familiar,” I snark.
He snorts. “The next day I got a call from the school that Vanessa had been in a fight. I had to ask the lady twice if she was sure it was Vanessa Abbott, because my daughter did not get into fights. She assured me it was my daughter. I got to the school and found Vanessa sitting in the office, arms crossed, as if her time was being wasted. On the other side was Bertie. The girl was a mess. Vanessa had kicked her ass good. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, to be honest. Of course, I don’t condone fighting, but I couldn’t help but be proud of my girl for standing up for herself. They both got booted from the soccer team. After that, Vanessa became a whole new person. She stopped hanging out with her soccer friends and started spending more time with Gabbi
and Kennedy. Then Katie came along and everything got better, even her grades.”
“She told me about Bertie and Brian. I can’t believe she left out the best part.” I chuckle. “I wonder whatever happened to Bertie?”
Coach shrugs. “Last I heard, she was kissing Brian at prom, but I guess you already know that. That day I showed up at your house and caught you with Vanessa, you reminded me of Chad. You were willing to take whatever came your way because you were determined to have the girl.”
“Are you saying I should take a ball to the face to win Vanessa’s affection?”
“You never know. It might work in your favor.” There’s a beat of silence before he says, “I didn’t expect you to give up so easily.”
“It’s not often I let people outside my family get close to me, I’ve been that way my whole life. But you were important to me. I respected you. My family respected you. And if you and I weren’t okay, then Vanessa and I would never be okay.” I look over at him. “So when you asked—no, demanded that I let her go, I felt like it was the right thing to do.” Even though I’d never felt so defeated in my life.
“Yet you didn’t completely let go.” He grins wryly. “I know about your phone calls and text messages.”
I give him a careless shrug because I’m not the least bit sorry. “She never answered.”
“I think I’m partially to blame for that.” He sighs. “Do you have any idea what it did to me seeing my baby girl walk off that plane completely devastated and heartbroken? I hadn’t seen her cry like that since her mother died.”
Guilt bubbles in the pit my stomach thinking of a young Vanessa all alone and crying on an airplane for hours. I run my hands through my hair. “I’m sorry. She should’ve….” Stayed. She should’ve fucking stayed. I struggle to rein in my frustration. “Look, I came here to apologize. I’m sorry for everything, and I hate that’s it taken five years to get here.”
“Again, I shoulder some of the blame for that. Vanessa is my number one. I don’t care who, what, or where, Vanessa will always come first.”
