by M. Skye
Chapter Eight: To The End of The Earth
“You want a drink, dear?”
Shaking her head, Draya pushed the bottle away and wiped her teary eyes. “I can’t drink. I... I don’t want to drown my sorrows in a bottle. I just don’t understand why he would do this.”
“Why do men do anything?” Brenda mused. “In Liam’s case, it’s because he thinks he knows what’s best for everyone.”
“So sleeping with that woman was what’s best for us? He sure has a different opinion from what I think is best.”
Reaching out to touch her hand, Brenda offered an apologetic smile and sat back. “I warned my son that nothing good would come of keeping it from you. I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t doubt what he said. I don’t think he has been with her since he met you. He just didn’t want to hurt you or for you to feel funny if you ran into her.”
“Why would I unless it’s still going on? I’m not some child. I know he has been with other women. He should have trusted me with all of this if it’s really over.”
“Being around a woman is one thing, but being around the woman he was going to propose to would have been a little different, and he knew this.”
Hearing her statement, Draya took in a huge gulp of air. She had been out at Brenda’s house for the past three days and this was the first time she had felt comfortable enough to discuss anything about her fight with Liam. Coming out of her guest room, she thought their conversation was going to be somewhat harmless, giving her the time to vent. She never expected this kind of bombshell.
Normally, Draya would have gone to Brittney’s but this time, she wanted to go where he would least expect. For some reason, she knew Brenda would understand what she was feeling and she didn’t want to go too far because she was now carrying his child. As mad as she was at him, she did care about her baby. She wanted the baby to be safe.
“Excuse me, he what? Alea, she is the girl he wanted to propose to?” Knowing she shouldn’t be getting this angry, Draya tried to calm down. As much as she hated it, she really wanted a drink, but she knew it wasn’t a possibility. Running her hand over her stomach, she sighed and saw Brenda’s eyes drift downward.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this; he should be the one to spill his past. He isn’t perfect and he has made mistakes, but he loves you so much. He was in a bad situation and made the wrong decision.”
Crossing her arms, Draya sat up and sighed. “You tell me everything else, but you won’t tell me this? Why?”
“Because I won’t betray him. He is a good man and he loves you. He made a mistake, but it is only because he didn’t want to ruin things. You are important.”
“I’m not and he failed; things are ruined. I can’t trust him, and I… I can’t raise...” Wanting to kick herself for her fraudulent slip-up, Draya shut up and sat back. “I can’t be with someone I can’t trust.”
Looking at her sideways and putting her bottle down, Brenda leaned over and touched Draya’s stomach. She wasn’t showing much; she had the smallest of pudges, but she knew Brenda felt it. She hated this situation, but she had no clue what to do. She knew she would have to go home soon, but she just wasn’t ready to face Liam yet.
“You won’t drink, you’re moody, and you have this unsightly swelling in your stomach. I know what this means; I’m going to get my grandchild!” she screamed and deflated when she saw Draya’s expression. “Why do you look so sad? You’re having a baby, dear. Don’t you love him?”
“Of course I love Liam, but we’re not getting back together.”
“Then why are you here? You could have gone anywhere in the world to get away from him, but you’re sitting here with me. I think you want me to convince you to go back, and I will, but you need to talk to him.”
“And say what? If he’s not going to be honest with me, then—”
“Oh, hush, child. I’ll tell you what you need to know if you just think about taking my grandchild home to his or her dad.”
“I thought you said—”
“I said a lot of things, but I really care for you Draya. Of all the girls my son has had in his life or in his bed, I have never liked any of them until you. You don’t take my shit and I love that. You could have folded when I asked you your intentions with my son, but you didn’t. That lets me know you’re going to fit right in here. I need someone I can trust to have his back because he doesn’t always want to let me in. I overstep, I know I do, but I just love him, and I know you love him too. Just hear me out and then you talk to him. I’m glad that you came here, I am; but I want you to go home to Liam. He is so distraught without you.”
“You talked to him?”
“He actually called me, can you believe that?”
“Did you tell him I was here?”
“If I had, he would be here right now. He has been all over town looking for you. He’s a mess.”
Hating the thought of him being distraught and wandering all over town looking for her, she really wanted to call. She had gotten the voicemails and texts and knew they should discuss things, but she wasn’t sure she was ready. They had a lot of stuff to sort out, but she needed her time. She needed to be sure this was the world she wanted to raise her child in.
“How are you so sure that it’s over between them? I saw them and she seems to still be in love with him. How in the hell did she end up married to his father?”
“Liam dated that girl for three years in high school, and the moment I met her, I knew something wasn’t right. I told him how I felt and it pushed him away. He actually sided with his father because he seemed to like her. They would visit Liam Senior and stay over and one day, Liam caught them in bed together. Of course, Senior married the little whore and Liam graduated and moved across the world. He would come back every now and then, but he has never stayed this long. He told me he wants to stay here now, and I know it’s because of you. Liam Senior has been dead for months and if he wanted her, he would have taken her back the moment she threw herself at him, but he’s with you. He loves you.”
“I love him too,” Draya admitted. “But can I trust him to tell me the truth? When he thinks things are going to upset me, he can’t just omit them. God, I want to be his partner. I don’t want him to be afraid to be real with me. He gives me this speech about being honest but leaves out the truth. Who the hell does that?”
“My son. He means well, dear. He just goes about things wrong. He thought he was looking out for you.”
Nodding her head, Draya crossed her arms, wondering if she should actually inform Brenda about everything that was going on between Liam, Will, and Alea. She knew he would probably kill her for discussing his money problems with his mother, but she had to make sure her baby’s future was safe. She had her own money, but she knew if Liam was stressing about his it was going to affect their child. This was already a stressful time for her and having to worry about Liam dealing with Alea wasn’t going to fly.
Deciding to step out on a limb, Draya sighed and closed her eyes, blurting it out. “Liam is broke and Alea is dangling his father’s money in his face. He’s trying to deal with it, but he won’t take my help and he doesn’t want yours.” Taking a deep breath, she prepared to tell Brenda the part that she actually hated admitting. She really didn’t want Brenda thinking she was using him. “He poured the last of his trust into my restaurant and I want to help him, but he won’t take it. I don’t know what to do because he wants to do this on his own. I feel stuck; I can’t sit back and watch him struggle when I have the means to help.”
Watching Brenda buck her eyes, Draya felt like she had stepped way over the line. She knew this wasn’t going to go well and was waiting for the blow-up. “My son is not broke; he can’t be. He... he’s the sole heir to his grandfather’s will and consequently, half of his father’s. There is no way he is broke. There was over twenty-five million dollars there.”
“Something happened, and now he has nothing. Maybe you can talk to him and make him let us hel
p.”
“How could that be? He was taken care of from the day he was born. His grandfather made an addendum to his will stating that Liam was to inherit everything he had and half of any profit Liam Senior made on the business left to him by the family. Liam’s grandfather did not trust his son and made sure that Liam would be taken care of in case he tried to divorce me and disown Liam. He may have gotten his divorce, but my son got his fortune.”
Shaking her head, Draya tried to make sense of it. She knew what he had told her about the accident, but she couldn’t imagine why he would just hand over everything on a whim, something else had to be going on. He wasn’t even sure it was his fault. Closing her eyes, she went a step further and cringed. “He knows he doesn’t have control of his money and with Will giving over his inheritance as well—”
“What do you mean he doesn’t have control? Everything was left to him; there is no one to challenge that decision. Liam Senior tried years ago and lost; he wanted to cut Liam out.”
“What about Alea, what did she get?”
“A good portion of her late husband’s money but everything, including the business is Liam’s. His grandfather would have never left that for his father to pass down to a second wife.”
“Liam is stressed and he got into a little mess. I know he didn’t do anything wrong, but he believes he did. I am so mad at him, but I know that man. He would never hurt anyone.”
“Liam should never have to worry about anything. There is no way he should be worrying about money. Unless...” Looking at Draya, she tilted her head and Draya swallowed hard. “You know something about it, don’t you? What has Liam told you about his father?”
“I think I’m just tired,” Draya lied. “I should lie down. I’m going to drive back to town tomorrow to talk to Liam.” As Draya tried to stand, Brenda caught her arm and pulled her back down.
“Sit and talk. What do you know?”
“Brenda, please...”
“Talk...”
“Liam thinks he pushed his father down the stairs. He doesn’t remember what happened, but Alea found him. She’s been covering for him; it’s how he lost control of the money. He’s paying her off to keep quiet. She’s blackmailing him and dangling the money to try and get him back. I heard him telling her to keep it all.”
Watching Brenda’s nostrils flare, Draya grew nervous about what was going to happen next. She knew Liam was going to be furious with her, but she thought she had made the right choice. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was in too deep to figure things out on his own. Liam needed her help and although she wasn’t really sure what to do, she knew she would have his back; he always had hers.
“Over my dead body,” Brenda snarled. “Get your things. We’re going back right now.”
“He’s going to kill me for telling you.”
“I should kill you both for not telling me. Liam didn’t kill anyone; I know him. I know what he’s capable of and he doesn’t have it in him.”
“I know he didn’t. But if he didn’t do it, who did?”
“Call Liam and let him know you’re coming home.” When Draya hesitated, Brenda gave her a look and said it louder. “Do it! Call him now.”
Fishing out her phone, Draya called his number and let it ring until she got the voicemail. Leaving him a brief message, she got up and walked towards her room to get her stuff ready. While gathering her things from the room, she had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. As much as he had called her, it was strange that he wasn’t waiting for her call. Sitting down, drafting up a text, she sent it off, fiddling with her hands, waiting for a response. While she was sitting, she heard Brenda’s loud voice yelling for her to hurry and she jumped up, grabbing her things.
Rushing to the car, she still had no response from Liam. With her worry setting in, she texted for Rico to go by and check on him. When he responded that he would, she let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully, he was just asleep or something. She hoped her conspiracy theories were wrong.
The drive over was way uncomfortable for Draya. The whole ride all she did was listen to Brenda yell at her for not speaking up. She knew Brenda had a point, but being yelled at wasn’t what she was about to sit through for the rest of the night. She had to shut her up.
“Can we just agree to disagree and move on? I was wrong, Liam was wrong, but he just wants to take care of his life himself. I don’t blame him for not wanting to run home to his mother or let his girlfriend bail him out.”
“If it’s an issue with that little witch, then it is my business. And you two are much more than boyfriend and girlfriend now. I suppose we should start ironing out some wedding details soon.”
Rolling her eyes, Draya realized that her pregnancy hormones had already started to come into effect. She couldn’t have been more than two months, but at least she knew where all the mood swings were coming from now. She had found out a few days before the blow up with Liam when she was at Brittney’s house, and she was sure Liam had found her test. She hadn’t meant to leave it lying out, but in her hurry to leave his place, she left it right next to his keys. It was probably why he was going so crazy. Liam had made it clear that they weren’t ready for a child and she knew he was right, but here they were, expecting; regardless of how careful she thought she was.
Draya was no fool. She had started birth control back when she first started messing around with Damien and although she had skipped a few doses in the past, she had never found herself in a position like this. She actually had begun to think she couldn’t get pregnant because of all the times Damien had released in her with no consequences. She had let that carefree attitude land her in this position with Liam. Yeah, she loved him, but love was often never enough to hold anything together, and she damn sure wasn’t going to let a baby hold it together either.
“You can cut it out, Brenda.” Even though she was Liam’s mother, Draya had developed a level of comfort with Brenda and had stopped holding back. She had learned that when dealing with Brenda, you had to come direct or she would run circles around you. “Liam and I aren’t getting married.”
“But you have to. It’s the southern way, dear. You’re not going to have my grandchild growing up as someone’s bastard. You have to make it official. It’s not like you don’t love him. I’m sure he didn’t force your legs apart to create that little miracle.”
“No, I think I was a willing participant for that,” she laughed, noting the disgusted look on Brenda’s face. “Just because we love each other and have a baby on the way doesn’t mean we have to rush into marriage. This child is going to be loved and I don’t need a ring to make me feel like I’m doing what’s right.”
Giving her a huge smile, Brenda patted her hand. Draya couldn’t believe she was conceding. “You’re right, you don’t. It’s just that I don’t want you two to miss out on each other because you’re both too stubborn. There are going to be so many stones thrown at you because of who you love, and you have to be a united front to handle it. People are going to look at you and wonder how you ended up with this white boy and people are going to do the same to him because of you. You two have to be able to see past what you think is best for each other and start understanding the fact that nothing worth having is easy. He wants to protect you by keeping you out of the loop and you run when things get too tough. If you really love each other, you will learn to stick it out. A love story is only as good at the obstacles you face to make it real. When things are too easy, you lose your edge, you get too comfortable.”
Smiling at her, Draya knew Brenda had to have been talking to her mother. Caroline was always talking about love stories and some magical fairytale ending. Brenda’s speech was a bit unorthodox to Draya, but she understood where she was coming from. She had walked out before she let Liam explain himself and if they were ever going to have anything, she was going to have to step up to the plate like a real woman.
Although Brenda had been the one to vocalize it, Draya knew being in an in
terracial relationship was hard work, but it never mattered to her. When she looked at Liam, she didn’t see that he was a handsome white man, she saw that he was a beautiful person that she was crazy about. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, she would follow him to the end of the earth. It just took some time away for her to realize that. She couldn’t allow anyone to walk in and take what was hers; not even his ex, the former love of his life.
“When you think about our lives and our child, how does it make you feel? I mean you could have been against our relationship. I know how a lot of people think.”
“When I look at you and Liam together, it makes me proud. I’m proud of who he is and proud that he found a woman he could love wholeheartedly that brings something more to him than just a pretty face. I don’t care what color you are; you make him happy, and that’s all I want. You’re better together than you are apart, but you two have to realize that for yourselves.”
“I know what you mean, and I know it’s going to be hard. I’m not naïve. I know how the world works. As evolved as we would like to think it is, it’s cold. I don’t expect outside people to understand our love, but it doesn’t matter. We understand it and nothing else counts.”
While Draya received a warm smile from Brenda, it did nothing to help with her nerves. The fact was, she was still too worried. She still had yet to hear from Liam and she just couldn’t shake the uncertainty behind it. If he was truly looking for her, why wasn’t he answering? Had he seen the test and decided he wanted out?
Fiddling with her phone, she scrolled through a few texts and smiled at the ones she had received when they were happy. He was always sending some little picture or an I love you while she was working. She only hoped she would get that again. Feeling a tear slip down her cheek, she reached to wipe it away. The mounting emotions she always felt was something she was going to hate about this pregnancy. It seemed like it took nothing at all to make her cry like a baby.
