I padded softly to the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind me. I took a seat on the toilet, bending my knees up to rest on the edge of the tub before dialing to return Lexie’s call.
“Hey,” she answered with a hoarse voice.
“Hey. How are you?”
“I’m okay. About to leave to head back home. Are you at the apartment?
“No. I’m at Liam’s. What time is it?”
“A little past noon.”
“Crap. Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you need me to come home?”
She paused, not answering right away. “No…I –”
Her voice cracked as she choked back a sob. “Lex, I’m coming home. Liam is still sleeping, but I’ll call for a car.”
“No really, I’ll be fine…I’m just a little shook up still…it’s just… he was so angry. I didn’t even recognize him. We’ve said some hurtful things to each other before…but…I’ve just never seen him like that…he’s hurting badly, Val. I don’t know what to do.”
My heart dropped. “Lex…you aren’t thinking about getting back with him are you?” I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
“No…I’m just not sure if I can continue things with Dax. I don’t want to drag him in the middle of all this drama.”
I understood her fear and hesitance, but I wasn’t sure I agreed with her. Dax had been good for her. Made her feel alive and worthy of love. He adored her. I knew from the way he looked at her, he would do anything for her. She needed someone like him in her life. Not someone like Jake.
“Don’t decide anything just yet. I’m going to get dressed and call an Uber. I’ll meet you at the apartment, so we can talk some more.”
“Okay,” she said weakly.
“I’ll see you soon,” I promised before hanging up. I stared down at my phone worried about my friend. The bathroom door cracked open and Liam’s sleepy bed head nudged into the opening.
“Everything okay?” he asked, rubbing his hand over his face as he opened the door further.
I shook my head, “No…but it will be. That was Lexie.”
He nodded his understanding, walking further into the bathroom to pull me up from the toilet. He tugged me into him. “Do you want me to make you some breakfast? There’s something we need to talk about.”
The serious tone of his voice told me this was not going to be a light conversation. And at that moment, I wasn’t sure I could deal with anymore turmoil than I had waiting for me at home.
“Can it wait? I promised Lexie I would leave now to meet her back at the apartment. She needs me right now.”
He hesitated answering. “Sure, princess,” he paused, “Let me get dressed and I’ll take you home.”
CHAPTER 16
I spent the rest of the weekend with Lexie, talking her out of making what I thought would be the biggest mistake of her life. Against my demands, she accepted a phone call from Jake. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, waiting for the call to end. She had disappeared into her bedroom to talk to him privately.
When she finally came out of her room to join me in the living room, her eyes were brimmed with red, but her expression resolved. She gave me a hint of smile. I just hoped she was smiling because she had closure and not because she was getting back with Jake.
She took a seat next to me on the couch. I stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak.
“Well?” I finally asked impatiently, unable to take it anymore. I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I was way too invested in my friend’s love life.
“We’re good.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline as my eyes widened. What the hell does that mean? She giggled at my distress, enjoying tormenting me. I did not find it funny. At. All.
“We’re officially done. For good. We both agreed. He apologized for the other night. We care about each other a lot. But we both know it’s time for things to end and for us to move on.”
“Good… I’m glad. I’m glad you guys are ending it on better terms,” I gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “So…where does that leave you with Dax?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to him since Friday. When I left his place, I told him I needed space and time to figure things out. It seems he was fine with giving it to me. He hasn’t tried to contact me once.”
“Lex, I doubt that’s what he wanted. But knowing him, he would do whatever you ask. You should call him.”
“It’s Sunday. He’s probably playing poker with the guys.”
“Well, I’m sure they will be okay if he skips out on it. Liam is. He’s going to help me babysit Nate tonight.”
“Sorry. I’ve been monopolizing all your time the last few days. Poor guy has to resort to babysitting just to see you.”
I laughed. “Don’t you dare apologize. You know I’m always here for you. He understands that. Plus, this should be fun…watching Liam change a diaper.”
I gave a sly smile as she laughed. Her giggle ended with a deep inhale of breath. She released it slowly as she stood.
“I guess I should get this over with. Hopefully, he didn’t pick up a hot new groupie after their last two concerts.”
“Not that you would ever need to worry about that, but I know for a fact he didn’t. I had Liam keeping tabs on him for me. Dax left immediately after both their Friday and Saturday shows. Alone.”
A smile that I hadn’t seen in days graced her face. She gave me a hug. “Thank you, Val. You’re the best.”
“I know,” I teased.
Her spirited laughter rung out into the room as she shook her head, walking back to her bedroom.
“There are bottles in the fridge. All you need to do is heat them up in the warmer on the counter. Don’t use the microwave. Make sure you test the temperature. He’ll want one before he goes to bed.”
“I know.”
“Oh, and he has to have his binky to fall asleep. He prefers to be rocked. And make sure you turn on his turtle night light.”
“Ava, I know.” I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t the first time I’ve put him to bed. Go,” I demanded, trying to push her and Rhett out the door. “Joce and Riley are probably already waiting at the restaurant.”
“She’s right, beautiful. We need to go,” Rhett added, also trying to persuade his overprotective wife out the door. Rhett had officially rubbed off on her.
“Okay. Fine. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” I wouldn’t.
She needed this night out. Both of them did. It was only their second night out alone since Nate had been born. Despite her blackmailing me for a year of babysitting duties, she had rarely cashed in on them.
Liam stood behind me with Nate in his arms as we waved the two of them off. Once they were securely in the car and moving down the long driveway, I closed the door, locking it behind me.
I leaned my back against the door, staring at the hard core rock star, holding the tiny innocent baby. Nate babbled and smiled in his arms, pulling at his hair while Liam laughed. Both of their laughs only instigated the other to laugh harder.
I smiled fondly at the man I loved holding the nephew I loved. Liam glanced over at me. His dimple, gracing me with its presence.
“You’re giving me that look, princess.”
“What look?”
“You know damn well what look and there’s nothing I can do about it when I have this guy in my arms.”
“Well…,” I sauntered past him, “I guess we may have to just move up his bedtime.” I turned, winking at him over my shoulder. His deep laugh echoed behind me off the walls of the entry way.
We spent most of the evening in the living room, playing with Nate on the floor. Liam helped me give him a bath, blowing bubbles into the air around him. Nate would giggle that cute little baby laugh, making Liam’s dimple a permanent valley on his face. My heart exploded as I watched them interact. The two boys were smitten with each other.
“What on earth? Is that two diapers on him?”
“Yeah, the little man has some explosive shits. What the hell do they feed this kid? He blew right through the first diaper. It was everywhere.” His eyebrows furrowed together as he focused on coercing Nate into his pajamas.
I looked down at the dirty diaper and the massive mound of used wipes piled on the changing table. Laughter burst through my mouth as I gripped my aching stomach.
“Let me do it,” I laughed as I moved to stand beside a disgruntled Liam. He let out a loud exhale, stepping aside. I removed the two misshaped diapers, replacing them with one new securely fastened diaper. Liam watched as I masterfully diapered and dressed a grinning Nate.
“You make it look so easy.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice as a little girl who played with dolls,” I smiled up at him. “Now clean up that mess,” I playfully demanded. I picked Nate up in my arms, scrunching my nose as he pulled at it. “Come on little guy…” I cooed at Nate. “We’ll leave Uncle Liam to clean up this mess. Let’s you and me get you to bed.”
I smiled back at Liam, whose face had an expression I couldn’t read. I caught his eyes, looking for some kind of understanding. Before I could interpret it, he turned away from me, cleaning up the dirty diaper.
I decided to let it go for now. I needed to get Nate to sleep. I turned on his turtle light before taking a seat in the rocking chair. When Liam finished cleaning up the mess, he turned off the other lights in the room. He walked over to me, placing a light kiss on a drowsy Nate. He followed the kiss with another one on my forehead before leaving the room, softly closing the door behind him.
I continued to rock Nate to sleep as I mulled over my thoughts. When I couldn’t make sense of what had passed through Liam’s face, I pushed them aside, focusing on the tiny sleeping man in my arms. I let his peaceful aura seep into my body.
When I was sure he was out for the night, I stood. I sidled up to the side of the crib, cautiously laying him down to sleep. I crept out of the room, taking the baby monitor with me.
I found Liam relaxing on the couch with his arms stretched across the back of it. He was focused on the sports channel that he had turned on the oversized TV. I took the now empty bottle to the kitchen sink, grabbing my phone from the counter before joining him on the couch.
I curled into his side as he draped an arm around me. I was exhausted. Watching Nate somehow always made me feel more exhausted than running a marathon. I had no idea how Ava and Rhett did it on a daily basis.
“Is he out?”
“Yes. Hopefully, for good,” I said, glancing at the baby monitor I had set in front of us on the coffee table. I turned, looking up at Liam. “Is everything okay?”
He briefly dropped his eyes to me before looking back at the TV. “Yes.”
I could read nothing into his one word. And frankly with my mental exhaustion from the last two days, I gave up on trying. I looked down at my phone. I had a missed call and voice mail from my agent. I opened up my voicemail to listen to Amanda’s message.
I let out an excited gasp. Liam turned to look at me as a big smile overwhelmed my face.
“What?”
I dropped the phone from my ear. “I got a call back!” Whatever sullen mood Liam had previously been in, instantly disappeared as he pulled me onto his lap to kiss me firmly on the lips.
“That’s awesome, princess!”
I grinned. “It’s only a call back. It’s not like I got the part, yet. But still, it’s more than I’ve ever gotten in the past.”
“You’ll get the part,” he said adamantly.
His confidence in me, made the butterflies in my stomach take flight. Or maybe it was that sexy dimple he had on display for me. I ran my hand over his shoulder down his arm. An unpleasant thought, overpowering the happiness I was feeling.
“If I do….I’ll have to go to New York for a few months.”
“New York?”
“Yes. That’s where they’ll be filming it.”
“How long is a few?”
“Two to three months. Normally.”
He nodded.
“You could come with me,” I offered. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle being apart from him for three months. But I had a pretty good notion. Terribly.
“Val –”
“You could see New York. We could stay at Rhett’s condo. It sits empty pretty much year round. I could show you all my favorite things in my home city. It would be great. There is so much to do,” I rambled on.
“Val, slow down,” he brushed his hand down my cheek. I knew it was a long shot to get him to agree to come to New York with me. But the thought of not seeing him was too much to bare.
“Do you not want to go?”
“You know that’s not it….It’s just there’s Frankie and the shop. The possibility of us getting that record deal. If we do, they want us to go on tour immediately….and there’s something we still need to talk about. Something you need to know.”
“I know what I need to. That I want to be with you. That I’m not sure I can go months without seeing you.”
I was being reckless with my thoughts, not able to think clearly. My emotions spun out of control. He shook his head. Disagreeing with everything I was saying.
“Do you not want to be with me?”
“Shit, Val. Don’t say things like that. I want to be with you more than I want anything in this world. I’ve never thought I would want what we have. Being with you…with your family…it makes my dark world a little brighter. It’s pulled me temporarily out of the hell I’ve been sentenced to.”
“Stop it. Stop talking like things are going to end someday.”
“Val –”
“No. You don’t get to make that decision for me. I’m telling you whatever secret you have that you think has deemed you unworthy of me, doesn’t matter. I don’t care what happened in your past and part of me doesn’t even want to know anymore. It’s in your past. Maybe that’s where it should stay.”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. I boxed his face between my hands, impeding its movement. I wasn’t going to allow him to argue this.
“Liam….please,” I begged. “Let me be your future.”
I didn’t care how desperate I sounded. I was desperate. I needed him. Forever. I never wanted to let him go. I would beg and plead and fight to keep him. Even if it meant fighting against his own internal demons.
“I want you to be my future, princess. I do. I just don’t want you choosing to have a future with me blindly.”
I started to argue with him more, but was interrupted by the sounds of the front door opening and footsteps coming down the halls of the entry way. Liam’s body tensed and he effortlessly removed me from his lap to sit beside him on the couch. Seconds later Ava and Rhett appeared.
We booth stood nervously from the couch as if we were two teenagers caught making out. Rhett’s eyes focused on our body language. My brother was a perceptive bastard. It’s what made him a great business man. That and his killer instincts.
“How was he?” Ava asked.
“A perfect angel. You should stop worrying so much.”
“I see the house is still in one piece,” Rhett remarked as they walked further into the living room towards us.
“Anything that isn’t is Nate’s fault.” I grinned.
Rhett chuckled quietly at my quip, shaking his head in disbelief.
“What? I never had a little sibling to blame anything on. Unlike you,” I accused him teasingly.
“So you’re taking it out on my son, now?”
“Karma.” I laughed, looking up at Liam who was being painstakingly quiet.
Rhett turned his attention to Liam. “You want to join me for a night cap?”
“He’d loved to,” I answered for
him. “I need to talk dresses with Ava for the party next weekend,” I lied.
Liam squeezed my shoulders. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”
“I just got a new bottle of bourbon, if you want to give it a try,” Rhett said, moving towards his study off the living room. Liam followed behind him. I watched them leave. As soon as they were out of sight, I turned back to Ava’s prying eyes.
“What?”
“You going to tell me what’s going on?”
“As soon as you get me a glass of wine,” I dropped my hand that was twisting in my hair.
She released a soft chuckle, turning towards their kitchen. “Come on. It sounds like we’re both going to need one.”
I curled my legs up under a blanket on a lounger as Ava and I both took a seat out on their patio next to the gas fire pit. I watched the blue and orange flames whip in the breeze as I sipped my glass of wine.
“So….what’s going on?” Ava asked.
“I got a call back.”
“That’s great news, Val!” Ava exclaimed. “Wait…why don’t you look happier about it?”
“It’s just a call back. Not an actual part, yet.”
“And?”
“And…the filming will be in New York.”
“You love New York.”
“I do. But it’s for at least three months and Liam will be here in L.A. or on tour. I don’t know…”
“I see… I’m not going to pretend like that will be easy for you guys.”
“No. It won’t…”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s more?”
“Because there is.” I took a deep breath before turning to face her. “There’s something I haven’t told you. Mainly because, I don’t know what it is to tell you. But I don’t want Rhett to know either. I need you to keep this to yourself.”
“You’re starting to make me feel like a terrible wife….keeping so many of your secrets from your brother.”
“I’m sorry…I just… I don’t know what it even is.”
“I’m so very confused right now. Why don’t you tell me what it is you don’t think you know,” she smirked with a raised eyebrow.
A Reason to Leave Page 19
