Liam

by LeAnn Ashers

  I walk in front of everyone and kick the door in. Someone tries to run past me, and I grab him. “Is there a little boy here?” I ask him.

  He looks like he is about to shit his pants, but he nods and points upstairs. I let him go and he runs away and climbs out of the house through a broken-out window.

  I walk further into the house with Kyle and Torch on either side of me. I hope the fuck that this person imagined a kid.

  I walk up the stairs, which are sinking with every step. This place is completely falling apart. I walk down the hallway and the brothers break off, searching each room. I go to the last room with Torch. I push the door open and there is a couple about to fucking shoot up right on the floor. They look up and see us. The girl screams, and I step away from the door as they run past. Torch walks to the bathroom and I check the closet. I open the door and look down.

  Fuck me.

  A pair of eyes identical to mine look back at me. I fall to the floor. “It’s okay,” I whisper softly. His body is shaking in fear. I notice how dirty and skinny he looks. This shit is not fucking fair. I hate that fucking bitch. “What is your name?” I ask him.

  He looks at me, studying me, and I can tell that he is scared out of his mind. “Caiden,” he says, barely above a whisper.

  I close my eyes, tilt my head to the side, and try to hide how fucking angry I am. I had a brother that I never knew about. I let out a deep breath, trying to relax my body so I don’t look so mean. “I’m Liam, nice to meet you.” I stick my hand out, and he looks at it; then he slowly lifts his hand and shakes mine. I smile widely. “I just found out, Caiden, that I’m your brother and I came here for you.”

  His eyes widen, and he stares at me like I just told him the sky was black. “We have the same eyes.”

  I nod. “Yes, we do, we look a lot alike.”

  He moves a little closer, looking at me more intently.

  “How come I never saw you before?” he asks, and I notice that his body isn’t shaking as hard.

  I sit down on the floor. “I never knew about you until an hour ago, and once I found out I came straight here to take you away from this place and this life.”

  “Take me where?” he whispers. He looks down at his hands, breaking my heart.

  “My home, you will have your own bed, toys, you can go to school and you can be a kid. You will never have to worry about being hungry again.”

  He looks up at me, and his eyes are filled with tears. He blinks and they fall down his face. “You won’t hit me?”

  FUCK.

  I grit my teeth, trying to stop myself from punching the wall. I hate that the fucker died that night. I wish I he were still here so I could torture him over and over.

  “I will never hit or hurt you in any way, nor will I let someone else hurt you. Never again,” I tell him. He watches me, and it’s like he is making sure that I am being truthful.

  He slowly nods, and I hold out my hand. He puts his hand in mine, and I stand up and pull him with me gently. I turn around and see my brothers standing at my back, watching everything going down. “Caiden, these are your uncles,” I tell him quickly so he is not scared.

  He looks at all of them but moves closer to my side. I tighten my hand around his, and I lead him out of the room. We walk through the house with people watching us leave.

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” Kyle tells them and I grin. He had the exact same thought I did. This place needs to be burned to the ground. Caiden was hiding in a closet; he had to have been absolutely terrified. She left him here, and she knew she probably wouldn’t come back.

  After stepping outside the house, I take him straight to my bike. “I am going to put you on in front of me.” He looks at the bike, and I take that moment to get a really good look at him now that we’re in the sunlight.

  He looks just like me. We have the same hair and eye color, and our facial features are a lot alike. He is way too skinny; he has not had it easy. I hate this so fucking much. I hate that he had this kind of life when I could have given him something so much different.

  I take out my phone and call Paisley, and she answers almost instantly. “You have him?”

  “Yeah Baby, can you bring the basics for him?” I ask her. I want to get to our house and just let him get used to me and Paisley. “You don’t mind him living with us?”

  “Fuck no, I want him to live with us so I can spoil him and make sure he has a good life.”

  That’s my woman.

  I climb on my bike and help him on in front of me. I take out a small leather jacket that’s Paisley’s, and I wrap it around him so he doesn't get cold. “Ready?”

  He nods and I start the bike.

  Then we head home.

  21

  Paisley

  I hate that she wasn’t lying and there was a little boy. I have spent the last hour getting everything I possibly can. I got Kayla to help me because my little brother is around his age. I called Liam a few minutes ago, and he told me that Braelyn offered to take him in but Liam wanted to be the one to take care of him.

  He also wanted to make sure that I was okay with it, and I am. The idea of adopting a kid has been on my mind a lot lately. I pull up in front of the house, the gate shutting behind me, and I let out a deep breath. My eyes close because this is a big deal, and I want everything to go perfectly. I reach over into the passenger seat and grab the bags. I got a couple of days’ worth of clothes, including underwear and pajamas.

  I step out of the car and walk up to the front porch. The door opens the moment I touch the doorknob. Liam is standing in the entrance, and he takes the bags from me. I barely notice. I just look at his face, making sure that he is okay. “You okay?” I whisper and he nods, smiling slightly, and I can tell instantly that he has been affected by all this. He steps back and I take my shoes off, tossing them by the door.

  “Where is he?” I say softly. I don’t want him to be scared.

  “He is in the living room. I’m about to take the burgers off the grill. I asked him what is one thing that he is craving, and he wants burgers.” He smiles slightly. “He looks just like me.” I smile back and take his hand, and we walk together into the living room. Sitting on the couch is a smaller version of Liam, there is no doubt about that.

  Another thing I notice is that he is small, way too small for an eight-year-old boy, and he is dirty in a way that shows he has been living in a rough situation for a while. “Caiden, this is Paisley, my fiancé. Paisley, this is Caiden.”

  I pull my hand free from Liam’s and slowly walk over to him. He watches me wearily, and I bend down in front of him, putting him at eye level with me. “It’s very nice to meet you.” I smile widely and lift my hand for him to take. He takes his eyes off my face then looks at my hand and then back at my face, like he is trying to see if I really want him to shake my hand. I hate that bitch more and more. He is making sure that this isn’t a test or something.

  He slowly lifts his hand and places it in mine.

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” I say again, smiling.

  He ducks his head, not before I see his small smile. I look back at Liam and smile.

  “I got you some things until I can take you shopping.”

  Liam walks over and hands me the bags, and I set them on the couch by him. He looks at the bags like they are going to pop up and bite him. My throat thickens at the sight of his shocked face.

  “This is mine?”

  “Yes, it’s just a few things until I can take you shopping and get whatever else you need and want,” I tell him and push the bags closer. He smiles at me, and my heart stops in my chest because he looks just like Liam. He grabs one of the bags and starts taking out the clothes. He touches the shirts. It’s like he can’t believe it’s real. He looks at every single item, his eyes wide. My heart feels like it’s shattered into a million pieces because a little thing like clothes has him so happy and shocked.

  I hate her, I hate him. I hate them so much because this
precious little boy had the life he did. He was found in a fucking drug house in a closet. I don’t even want to know what might have happened to him and the things he has seen. And he went without simple things like food, a bed, clothes and, most of all, someone to love him.

  There is still one bag left. It was on sale and I couldn’t resist getting it for him. Liam used to talk about how Braelyn got him an Xbox, and that was the first gift he’d ever received. I just wanted to get Caiden something special, and he’ll have something to do when he goes to bed tonight.

  “I have one more thing for you.” I look over at Liam, who is still leaning against the wall. I reach inside the bag and take out a Nintendo DS and a game. I set it on Caiden’s lap, and he stares at it in absolute shock.

  “This is for me?” he whispers, touching the shrink wrap around the box.

  “Of course. I wanted you to have something that is yours that’ll help you kill some time.”

  I play it cool. He doesn't look at me, and I can tell that he is crying. I stand up and walk across the room to Liam, and he pulls me into his arms and hugs me. “That was sweet, Baby, he hasn’t had a lot of good in his life. Braelyn did something similar for me,” he whispers softly enough that only I can hear. I kiss his cheek and look back at Caiden, who is still staring down at his game.

  “Ready to eat?” Liam asks him and Caiden looks at him, seeming unsure.

  “Want to eat here in the living room? We can watch some TV and relax,” I offer, and he relaxes slightly. “There is a bathroom right through there. Go wash up and I will bring the food in here.”

  I walk into the kitchen to help Liam, and he is putting all the burgers on a plate. I walk to the fridge and grab a couple of sodas along with some water.

  “Do you know how he likes his burgers?” I ask Liam.

  “Yeah, he just likes plain cheeseburgers.”

  I walk to the cabinet and grab three plates and some napkins. I put some fries on the plates, carry them into the living room, and set them on the coffee table.

  Liam sets the huge stack of burgers on the table and, a second later, Caiden walks back into the living room. I sit down on the couch, and Caiden slowly walks over and sits down beside me. I hand him a plate and put two burgers on it. Liam sits down on the other side and turns on a new kid’s movie. I hide my smile and dig into my food with Liam.

  Liam

  It fucking kills me that he is starving. In minutes he has demolished his entire plate. Paisley is hiding her face, and I can tell that she is hurting. I am mad—no, I am pissed. I want to kill someone. I want to make someone suffer because I know exactly how he is feeling because I was him.

  Caiden has finished his food. “Eat all you want, there is plenty more,” I urge him and he looks at me, unsure. I head in the direction of the food. He stands up and takes two more burgers. Paisley looks at me, and I can see the unshed fucking tears in her eyes.

  Fuck me, today has been a mess. My stepmother tried to kill me, and then she let us know that I had a brother.

  I am thankful that she said something because if she hadn’t, I would never have known. Braelyn offered to take him in, but I wanted to do this. I wanted to give him a life. Braelyn did that for me, and I want to do the same for him. I’m glad that he is young enough that he won’t remember a lot of his childhood, or I hope he doesn’t.

  It’s fucking eerie how much he looks like me. Caiden and I both look a lot like my dad. Braelyn looks a lot like her mother—what she would look like if she weren’t on drugs and hadn’t been through years of beatings. I saw a picture of her when she was young, and she and Brae could be twins.

  It’s fucking crazy how someone can start out somewhat normal, but then it all changes when they meet someone who takes over their life, and not for the better. They change, they let stuff slide, and then everything they once were is gone. Brainwashing in abusive relationships is a real thing. It molds the brain until a person becomes someone they never wanted to be.

  I look over at Caiden, who is concentrating on his food. I make a promise, in this moment, to give him a life that I never had. I want him to have that. I will make it my fucking mission.

  That is a promise.

  Paisley

  I look at the clock on the wall, and it’s nine o’clock. We just got finished eating a little while ago. “Caiden, ready to hit the showers and go to sleep?” I know he has to be exhausted; his eyes are drooping.

  “Okay,” he says and stands up. Liam picks up his bags. Caiden grabs his Nintendo DS, holding it close to his body. Liam walks in front of us, and I stay close to Caiden’s side, hoping that I can comfort him even if it’s just a little bit.

  Liam pushes open a bedroom door near ours. “You have your own bathroom,” I tell him, and Liam sets his bags on his bed. “On the table is a controller to the TV, you can relax before you sleep tonight.” I just want him to be happy and feel relaxed, and I think he needs some alone time to get his bearings and wrap his head around everything that’s happened. I don’t know what to do besides trying to make sure that he is comfortable. “We will be in the living room, yell if you need something.” I smile and touch the top of his head. He smiles slightly and looks down at the ground. He is too cute.

  Liam takes my hand and we walk into the living room. I sit down on the couch, utterly exhausted, and Liam sits down beside me. He looks at the coffee table, staring into space, and I can tell that he is just as exhausted as I am. I lean over, laying my head against his shoulder. “I am so sorry, Liam,” I whisper, my nose stinging from unshed tears.

  “I hate it, Baby, so fucking much.” He slides onto the floor then turns around and lays his face on my lap, his hands holding onto my hips.

  I bend down and kiss the back of his head, my fingers stroking his hair. “I am so sorry, Baby, so sorry. I will help you with everything, through it all.”

  He nods his head, which is still in my lap.

  “I love you so fucking much, Baby,” he says, looking up at me.

  I put my hands on either side of his face. “I love you too, my Liam.”

  He smiles and pulls me down, hugging me. I lay my head on his shoulder and, for the first time in hours, I relax. It’s amazing that, from someone’s touch alone, I can feel such peace. A few minutes later he stands up, taking me with him, and we lie down on the couch.

  I continue stroking Liam’s arm and his head. I can’t help but worry about him. I hate the fact that he had such a rough go of it, and now he’s learned that his brother has been living the life he used to live. He could have helped if he had known; he could have taken Caiden out of the situation sooner. That is enough to drive anyone crazy, and I know that it’s eating him up because he’s a very protective guy.

  Thirty minutes later, I hear a door opening and I open my eyes. Caiden walks into the living room in his new pajamas looking so cute! I can’t get over how much he looks like Liam.

  “You ready for bed, bud?” Liam asks, sitting up and pulling me with him.

  Caiden looks around the room, his arms across his chest. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Want me to tuck you in?” Liam asks, scooting closer to the edge of the couch.

  Caiden looks at Liam like he has grown two heads. “What’s that?”

  My heart shatters right then and there. Liam leans back into the couch, and I can tell that he is just as shocked. It’s heartbreaking that he doesn’t even know what tucking someone in is. He has never had that and that’s so sad.

  “I will show you,” Liam says, his voice rough with emotion. Liam walks over to him, putting his hand on the back of his head. Caiden’s hair is wet from the shower. I follow him, just watching. I lean against the doorframe, and Liam helps him onto the bed.

  “Want me to read you a book?” Liam asks him. Caiden slowly nods his head. I can tell that he is totally reeling from everything going on. Liam takes out his phone and sits down on the bed with him.

  Caiden scoots over and looks at Liam. Liam reads him a story, and
Caiden never takes his eyes off Liam the whole time. I sit down in the doorway, and I just fall more and more in love with Liam. I am just getting a glimpse of what kind of father he could be, and I have a strong feeling he will become a dad to this little boy.

  A few minutes later Liam finishes the story. Caiden’s eyes are closed. Liam slowly slides off the bed and pulls the covers up to Caiden’s neck. “Goodnight,” Liam whispers and I push myself to my feet.

  Liam walks over to me, looking back one more time, and Caiden’s eyes are still closed. I walk out of the bedroom. Liam turns off the light and pulls the door halfway closed so the light from the hallway can give him some light.

  Liam and I walk into our bedroom, two rooms down from his. Liam closes the door behind us, and I sit on the edge of the couch, exhausted.

  Liam looks at me. “Tired, Baby?” he asks me.

  “Exhausted,” I admit. I run my hands over my face. Sitting on the floor watching Liam and Caiden made me so sleepy I could have slept right there.

  Liam walks into the bathroom and comes back, a minute later, with my makeup remover and some cotton balls. He sits down on the bed beside me then opens the bottle.

  “You’re so sweet, Baby.” I kiss his cheek and he smiles, showing me that dimple.

  I close my eyes and let him take off all my makeup, getting sleepier by the second. Today has been a long day on top of being so emotionally draining. “You sure you don’t mind him being here?” Liam asks.

  I open my eyes and look at him. “Not at all, Liam, I would honestly love to adopt him. He is family and family stays with family, no matter what.”

  Liam smiles, shaking his head. “How did I get so fucking lucky with you?”

  I smile back. “I think the same thing about you, Baby.” I touch his cheek and lean forward, hugging him.

  “Come on, Baby, let’s change and go to sleep.” He yawns and stands up, walks to our closet, and throws me a shirt and a pair of shorts