by Thomas, C. M
“Wake up, Sunshine, we’re home,” Liam whispered in my ear before he kissed me on my forehead. I opened my eyes and saw that we were back in Hoover Ridge. I was resting my head on Liam’s chest, with his arms around me. I loved being in his arms. I felt safe there. I felt home. I looked up at him and smiled.
“Mom texted me. Alana is at our house with Zane and Anna. They are playing outside, at least that was what they were doing when Mom left them. You never know with Zane.” He was right, you never knew what kind of trouble Zane would get himself and Alana in. I just hoped Anna could keep up with the two of them.
“I’m sure Anna has her hands full if she has to keep up with both Zane and Alana.”
“If anyone can handle it, it’s Anna. She has a way of getting Zane to do what she wants, even when he thinks he is in total control.”
“She is something else, but let’s face it. She has to be to be with him. He can be a handful sometimes.”
“Not just sometimes, all the time.” Dax smirked from the front seat. I guessed he should know—he had to try and keep Zane away from trouble.
Five minutes later, we were parking in the driveway. When we stepped out of the car, I could hear Alana laugh from the backyard, and the tension that had been building in my body melted away. Alana was safe here, with her family. They would always keep her safe.
“You okay?” Liam asked, and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I rested my head against him.
“I am. Was just thinking that all the nerves I’ve had about leaving Alana were for nothing. Hearing her laugh the moment we stepped out of the car makes me feel happy for her. She has a whole family here that will keep her safe and happy,” I said. I could feel the tears coming in my eyes, and I took a deep breath to stop them. I didn’t want to cry about this. This was happiness. Knowing my baby girl was happy was all I needed.
“Want to go see what they are doing?” Liam looked at me, smiling.
“Yes.”
Liam took my hand in his and we walked together around the house. Zane looked up from where he was sitting in the sandbox with Alana. He had a big smile on his face. Alana was sitting with her back towards us, so she hadn’t seen us yet.
Anna was sitting on the porch at the table with her computer. Probably working. Zane said something to Alana, which got her to look over her shoulder. When she saw us walking towards her, she got up and ran over to us. Liam bent down and lifted her up in his arms when she came over to us.
“Mommy, Daddy.” She hugged Liam and then looked at me. I kissed her on the cheek.
“Hi, baby, having fun?” I asked.
“Yea, me and Zay are playing princess,” she said.
“Really?” Liam looked over at his big brother with an amused look on his face. Zane came over to us.
“Had a good night?” He smiled, trying his best not to laugh.
“Shut it,” Liam said. “I hear you and Alana are playing princesses?” He grinned.
“She is, I’m Prince Charming.” Alana didn’t agree with him on that.
“No, Daddy is.” Alana pointed at Liam. I tried not to laugh but failed.
Anna came over to us. “I told you, she doesn’t think of you as Prince Charming. No one does.” She kissed Zane on the cheek. “Except me.”
“At least one person does, then.” Zane pouted, kissing Anna on her forehead after he pulled her close to him.
“Zay is prince too. Daddy is charming.” Alana grinned, and we all joined her.
Zane and Liam walked over to the sandbox with Alana, and she put them both to work.
“Did you guys eat lunch?” I asked Anna.
“We did, we just took her outside to keep her awake. She looked so tired after we had eaten. And we were thinking that you guys wanted to see her before she got her nap.” Anna smiled.
“Thanks. I missed her so much.”
“I can imagine that. But did you have a good night?”
“We did, I think we both needed that.”
“And she had fun at Coleen and Brent’s. Coleen told us that she convinced Brent to let both Buddy and Bear cuddle with her in their bed.” Anna giggled.
“She told us that this morning. I can’t believe he caved. He normally never caves, not even for Amy and Gia.”
“Zane said the same thing. He told me Brent never caves, if he first had made a stand. But then again, she is his first grandchild, I think it is perfectly normal that she gets to do more than his children did when they were toddlers.”
“I think you’re right.” I looked over at Alana; she was playing with both Liam and Zane. They did what she told them to. “She has all the Camden men acting so out of character.”
“She really does. Zane is talking about her a lot. And Caleb is smiling so much more than usual.”
“It’s nice to see that he isn’t always walking around looking like he is going to bite you if you ask or say the wrong thing.”
“Daddy, tired,” I heard Alana say to Liam. She put down her bucket and walked over to him. He picked her up in his arms and stood up.
Liam walked over to the table on the porch and sat down on one of the chairs with Alana in his arms. She rested her head on his chest. She looked really tired. I could see her fighting to keep her eyes open.
I walked inside and got her dolly and a blanket. When I came outside again, I saw she was sleeping in Liam’s arms. I wrapped the blanket around her and sat on the chair next to Liam. Anna and Zane were sitting on the bench on the other side of the table.
“Have you read anything online since yesterday?” Anna asked.
“No, but I’m sure there are a lot of crazy stories after last night,” Liam said. “I don’t think the paparazzi have been that overbearing before, at least not against me.”
“I think you’re right. Dax called last night after you got to the hotel and told me that they were beyond crazy.” Anna opened her computer. “I think you should see some of it. I talked to Logan this morning. He thinks it might be time for another press release, or at least a statement on your social media.”
“But what should we say? We’re not ready to tell our story yet,” Liam said, reaching over and taking my hand in his.
“I just think that asking for privacy is the only thing you can do. But until they get a picture of Alana and get you to confirm you’re in a relationship with Evie, they won’t stop. Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Will it help if he at least confirms that we’re in a relationship?” I asked. Liam looked over at me.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes, if it can keep them away from Alana for a while, then I’m okay with it.” I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me close.
“It might work. After last night, they are already trying to find out who you are, and what you are to Liam,” Anna said. She turned her computer around so we could see some of the headlines.
Liam from Deep C makes first public appearance after breaking the news about being a dad.
Liam and unknown woman spotted at Sapphire Balcony – is she the baby momma?
Source close to the band confirms – Liam is dating his ex-girlfriend – but is she the mother of his child?
And it just went on and on. There were pictures of us all over every tabloid site. This just got really real. Who was this secret source? Was it the person who leaked the story to begin with?
“Don’t let the headlines get to you. They will make up stories just to sell another magazine,” Zane said.
“I know, but what if the person who leaked the story is still leaking information to the reporters?” I asked.
“Logan told me this morning that all communication we have with him is only with him. Not even his two assistants have any notes, emails, or the band’s schedule. Unless
we think it is Logan who leaked the story, then I don’t think that it has anything to do with the first leak. They just write ‘secret source confirms’ so it makes the story sound more real,” Anna said.
“I don’t know much about this. But last night was scary,” I said.
“I know. And I know that it might be what is worrying you, right? That it will be the same if they spot Liam with Alana?” Anna asked. I nodded. That was exactly what I feared. That they would be that aggressive whenever we were out in public with Alana.
“Don’t worry about it, Sunshine. We will get through this, but first, if you’re sure about it, let’s make a statement on our Facebook about us,” Liam said, kissing my cheek. Alana was still sleeping in his arms. She looked so peaceful. She didn’t know about all the fuss there was around here, mainly because of her.
“I’m sure,” I said.
“Let me just write something, then you can see it before I post it,” Anna said. She started writing on the computer. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, she was writing so fast.
“Here, read this. I don’t think we need to post a picture, they can just look at one of the hundreds of pictures from last night,” Anna said, and turned the computer around again so we could read the statement before she posted it.
Just to confirm, I am back together with my old girlfriend, Evie. The pictures you probably already have seen online are of the two of us out celebrating Evie’s birthday. I still don’t have any comment about my child, and when the time comes, you will be the first to know.
– Liam
“It’s fine,” Liam said. I nodded in agreement.
“Then let’s post it, and then just try not to read their comments. Some will not be nice, okay?” Anna said, and looked at me.
“Okay,” I said.
“Any other news?” Liam asked.
“Dax’s daughter is arriving tomorrow. He doesn’t know. I talked to her a couple of days ago, she said she wanted to surprise him. He thinks she’s arriving next weekend.” Anna smiled.
“Great, he will be thrilled. Who is picking her up at the airport?”
“Caleb and Ryder,” Zane said.
“How did you get Caleb to agree with that?” I asked.
“I asked nicely.” Anna said with a smile on her face that told us she might not have just asked nicely.
“Told him that if he didn’t do it, she would tell Mom that he would help her clean the horse stables,” Zane added.
“It got him to do it, so what if I was joking?” Anna laughed.
“Don’t tell him that, then he will just back out,” Liam said.
“I know. I plan on telling him when they come back.” Anna grinned.
We talked all afternoon. It was nice to be with family, and actually laugh.
Chapter 18:
Liam
“What’s new? How are the reactions on the statement I posted on Facebook yesterday?” I asked Anna. We—my brothers and I—were having a band meeting. I would much rather still be home in bed cuddling with my girls. When I left this morning, Evie and Alana were still cuddling in our bed and watching Frozen, Alana’s favorite movie. I think we had seen it at least fifty times. At least, it felt like we had.
“The tabloids are still writing stories about why you don’t want to talk about Alana. Your fans are like when Zane confirmed our relationship. Some are happy for you, and others are writing all kinds of mean things about Evie,” Anna said.
“Okay, and still no news about who leaked the story to begin with?”
“No, but I talked to Logan. He wants to know if it’s possible that we come to Denver next week. Just for a day or two. That way we can talk about how to handle this and how the rest of the tour is planned,” Anna said. “And what you guys want to do next.”
“If it’s just a day or two, I don’t see the problem,” Cole said. “I just don’t want to work more than necessary while we should be on a break.”
“I agree. And actually, Anna and I have talked about something we would like to hear your opinion on before we talk to Logan about it,” Zane said, and Anna nodded in agreement.
“Let’s hear it. Are you getting married?” Caleb grinned. Cole and I joined him.
“No,” Anna said very fast.
“Hey, baby, don’t shoot that idea down so fast,” Zane said, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Then what?” I asked.
“We talked about the possibility of building a recording studio here on the ranch. I’ve talked to Dad, and we can build it here if we want. He just doesn’t want to invest anything in it. Which I understand, but we could use the rest of the money from the tour, and then each invest a quarter in it. That way we don’t have to go to Denver or LA to record, we could do it here,” Zane explained.
“And that would also mean that you don’t have to be away from Alana so much when you go back to recording your next album. And your brothers don’t have to be away from their mom,” Anna added.
“I think it’s an amazing idea. We still need to hire a producer, unless you want to do it again?” I asked Cole. He and our producer produced our latest album. He could do it himself, but it took a lot of time.
“Let me think about that,” Cole said. “But I’m all in, in the matter of building the studio here. It would be great and at the same time we can control our schedule more ourselves, so if we want to record for twenty hours straight, we can do that.”
“I agree. But not because we don’t have to be away from Mom,” Caleb said. “Although I do miss her cooking when we are on the road.”
“Then are we going to talk to Logan about this?” Anna asked. We all nodded in agreement. “I will call him in the morning to set up a meeting next week.”
“Great, is there anything else?” I asked. I really wanted to get back to my girls. Alana was so tired yesterday, so we didn’t get to spend much time with her.
“In a hurry?” Zane asked.
“Yes… I’m missing cuddling and movie-watching in bed.”
“Can we do that, baby?” Zane asked Anna.
“Shut up. I still have work to do. And you promised to help your father today,” Anna said.
“Fine. Later it is.” Zane shrugged.
“And yes, Liam, we’re done. I will text you all when I know the time and day we’re going to Denver,” Anna said, smiling.
“Fine, see you guys later,” I said before walking out of Zane’s house.
“Daddy come home soon?” I heard Alana ask Evie when I walked inside our house. Technically, it was my house, but we lived here together, so it was our house. I walked down the hall and looked inside our bedroom. Evie and Alana were still in bed. Bear was lying on his blanket. I tried to get him to go with me this morning but had no luck. Evie looked up and smiled at me.
“I think he will be here any minute,” she said to Alana. I walked inside and over to the bed. Alana still hadn’t seen me. She was focused on her movie. I lifted the covers so I could slip under them. But the minute I sat down on the bed, Alana looked over her shoulder.
“Daddy.” She smiled. I moved over beside them and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
“Hey, baby. Having fun?” I asked her.
“Yes. We watch Frozen.” She pointed at the television and turned her focus back on the movie.
“Second time?” I asked Evie, and gave her a kiss.
“Yep. I think I can tell you all the lines in that movie.”
“I bet you can. What are the plans for today? Just doing this, or…?”
“I don’t know, I kind of like this.” She smiled.
“Then this is what we will be doing.” I pulled her close to me. Alana was lying on top of Evie. She was so focused on her movie that she didn’t even realize that I was pulling them both closer to me.
“How was the meeting?” Evie asked.
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“It was fine. Not much news about the tabloids. But I have to go to Denver with the band next week. Just for a day or two. You can come with, if you want?”
“I think it’s best we stay here, don’t you?” She looked up at me.
“I do. I just wanted to give you the opportunity to go with me. But I agree with you. Until we decide it’s time for her,” I pointed at Alana, “to be seen public, then you should stay here with her. My parents and sisters will be here. And two or three of the security guys. You won’t be here all alone.”
“Then we will just miss you when you are gone.” She rested her head against my chest.
“I will miss you too, Sunshine.” I kissed the top of her head.
We spent the rest of the day in bed.
Alana picked all the movies we watched, we played a few games, and ate both lunch and dinner in bed. Alana loved it, and I thought we should have a day like this at least once a month. Just the three of us having fun and spending time together.
Anna: We leave this afternoon, is that okay? We will be back tomorrow night.
I got this text first thing Monday morning. I had hoped that we wouldn’t leave until tomorrow, but this was fine, because then I would be back sooner.
Me: it’s fine. When do we leave?
Anna: Your mom wants us all to come over for lunch. We leave after that.
Me: Okay. See you later.
I put my phone back on the bedside table and turned around to look at Evie. She was still sleeping, so I just lay down beside her and held her close in my arms.
“Who is texting this early?” she asked. Her eyes were still closed.
“I thought you were sleeping, Sunshine.” I kissed her forehead. “And it was Anna, I have to go to Denver today. We will be back tomorrow evening.”
“I will miss you.” She opened her eyes and looked at me.
“I will miss you too. And Alana.” I kissed her.
“I think we will have a girls’ night with Gia and Amy,” she said. “I thought about that last night. Amy has been asking for that since I came back home.”
