Chapter 42 – Liam
“T alked to Dad lately?” Dean asks once we step away from the others.
“Is this a test? Hell-I mean, heck no.” Amelia beams at me and I’d better watch my tongue. I’m done with my father. Mom might be a different matter. Maybe. Time and therapy will see. Our parents haven’t disappeared, of course. “I think Ethan and Ivy still need to face them,” I say.
“Yeah, you’re probably right, but that will be up to them.”
“Maybe you should, too,” I add.
Dean scowls for a moment before he shrugs. “Maybe. Look at you sounding all mature.” I chuckle at his teasing. “How’s your week been, kid? Oops. Old habits.”
“Guess you’re never going to stop calling me that, huh?”
“Never,” he replies with obvious glee.
“It would be hard for you to remember, I suppose. We get forgetful with age. I wouldn’t know.”
“Why, you little, uh… snit,” Dean mutters, making me laugh and Amelia joins in, too, even if she doesn’t know why I’m laughing. “Seriously though, how are you?”
“Miserable,” I answer, remembering her puffy, red-rimmed eyes over breakfast. It nearly broke me.
“Sounds about right.”
“How could she believe I’d cheat on her?”
Dean sighs his exhausted big-brother sigh.
“Liam, I have loved you from the moment you came into our family, but, from one stubborn idiot to another, you should know better than to be so vague with your woman who’s lived through what she did about the time you were spending with another woman.
Juliana knows your past and how you got around.
She knows you co-own this place. You lied to her not so long ago, and she’s got understandable trust issues. Cut her a break, and talk it out. ”
The guilt I’ve been burying under my hurt and anger bubbles to the surface. He’s got a point. “I thought you were the one warning me about being her rebound guy.”
“Forget I said that. How about you be her fresh start, her second chance at love while she’s… she’s your everything, isn’t she?”
God, yes, she surely is. Standing at my club in the midst of our baby shower while holding a toddler, my brother gives me that exhausted big-brother sigh again. “Yeah, I… excuse me.”
I make my way toward Juliana again. She looks stunning, standing there talking to my sister and sister-in-law. I hate the distance I’ve been keeping, trying to shield my heart. It’s useless.
I meant to say something in the car on the way here, but I kept holding back, wanting her to say something first. Except I told her not to say one certain thing until I’m ready to hear it, and she’s not a goddamn mind reader.
Does it matter if she doesn’t feel the same way about me?
Can’t I learn to deal with it if she’ll only have me as her friend? Just being with her would be worth it.
She’s moved over to Felicity, and the two of them are chatting.
I start to grow impatient because I want so much to take her by the hand and lead her away, so we may talk.
And, maybe kiss. I miss her so much. I don’t interrupt though.
Maybe Juliana wanted to hear it from Felicity that there was nothing between us.
That’s okay if she does. Dean was right.
I was a fucking idiot not to be upfront about that every step of the way.
Stifling a frustrated huff, I feel Amelia patting my cheek, pointing to the ‘pitty ‘loons.’ “Yes, the balloons are pretty.” She’s so damn cute.
Sometimes, I still can’t believe I’m going to be a dad, that I get to have one of the precious little beings in my life.
I’m so excited for the big day to arrive. And, also nervous as hell.
“Baby,” Amelia coos next, pointing to her aunt.
“Yes, Aunt Jules is going to have a baby. She’s going to have my baby.”
Amelia’s little brows draw together, so I kiss her forehead and take her back to Wendy. Felicity and Juliana are talking to Trey, the manager, now. He nods at whatever they’re saying and disappears.
Enough of being patient. Enough of putting this off. I need to talk to Juliana. I need her. I need her like I need air.
Except, she just pulled a Batman on me. One second, she was standing over there. Next, she’s out of sight. Where the hell did she go?
I stride over to Santi and Teo, meaning to ask if they know, but the lights flicker off. Murmurs of confusion and concern surround me. Did we forget to pay the damn light bill or something?
“Sorry!” a male voice calls from somewhere off to the side and the stage lights come on. That sounded like Trey.
Then, there’s a spotlight pointed toward the stage and feedback from the microphone fills the air. Several people groan at the unpleasant sound.
“Sorry about that, too,” Felicity says, apologetically, stepping out of the shadows after tapping the microphone a few times.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Sable where debauchery and indulgence are usually the name of the game. Tonight, indulgence will be that delicious cake over there and you’ll need to find your own debauchery elsewhere later. ”
Amelia repeats ‘cake’ a dozen times as our assembled friends and family chuckle.
“But, we do have a special event to share with you all…” What the fuck is she doing? We’re not open for business, and this special event doesn’t involve anything on stage.
Then, Juliana steps out of the darkness to join Felicity.
“Our club is hosting a Truth or Dare event soon, and our guest of honor tonight wanted to participate in her own way. Juliana’s a bit shy about being on stage though, so why don’t you all make her feel welcome?”
Everyone claps. Actually, Nell and Santi whistle and stomp their feet, making Amelia giggle. Juliana grins, her rosy glow increasing as she nods her thanks. Without further ado, Felicity turns toward Juliana and asks, “So, Juliana… Truth or Dare?”
“Truth,” she replies at once. When did they plan this?
“Now, we didn’t have much time to work on this.” Guess that answers that. “But I have to know - how uncomfortable are you right now at thirty-four weeks pregnant?” Felicity asks in a sympathetic voice.
“Miserable… but mostly because I’m more petrified being up here in front of you all at the moment.”
The audience chuckles and Ivy shouts, “You’re doing terrific! ”
“She’s right, but do us a favor and choose Dare next to make this feel more like Sable,” Santi drawls.
More laughter, except from me. I glare at my friend. She’s not doing any kinky shit on stage for anyone but me. In private.
“It’s the lady’s choice,” Felicity says, rolling her eyes at Santi. “Let’s continue. Truth or Dare?”
“I do so hate disappointing Dr. Morales but… it will have to be Truth again,” Juliana answers.
“Have you ever been in love?”
My pulse speeds up as Felicity hands Juliana the microphone with a nod.
She wraps her fingers around it, peering past the spotlight as best she can until she finds me in the crowd.
The urge to go to her is strong, but I hold myself back because, whatever she’s going to say, I want to give her the space to say it on her own terms.
“Yes, I have been in love twice in my life.”
My heart starts thundering between my ears as I realize what she’s going to say and that I’m ready to listen this time.
“When I was still quite young, I fell in love very quickly with a man who later betrayed my trust. It left me feeling very broken inside, so broken I was afraid to ever fall again. It was a difficult thing to overcome. To be honest, it’s something I’m still working on overcoming at times.
Not because I still care about that first man anymore - believe me, I don’t - but because I was afraid of giving someone that sort of power over me again. ”
I can feel the eyes of our guests, darting between me and Juliana, but we know everyone here and they know us. I don’t mind that they’re here. Somehow, it still feels like an intimate conversation, one heart speaking to another.
“And the second time?” Felicity prompts.
“The second time I fell in love it did not happen quickly. It took time. Kind of like growing this little baby, this love needed extra nourishment and care to really take root inside of me. The man who did that, he’s been unfailingly patient and giving.
He’s amazing, truly. Every step of the way, I know he’s got my back.
The hardest part for me was recognizing my love for him for what it was.
Just like the first time I recognized that those strange little flutters I was feeling in my tummy were the baby moving.
It’s been in me for a while now, waiting for me to understand, to be brave again.
Give me just a sec. There’s something else I want to say but I need to be closer. .. ”
She passes the microphone back to Felicity and moves to step off the stage.
I hurry forward to help her. When our hands touch, our eyes meet and my heart is absolutely galloping in my chest. The spotlight doesn’t move off Felicity, giving us a smidgeon of privacy even with our guests surrounding us.
“Would you like to know what wish I made beside the banyan tree, Liam?” she quietly asks me.
“More than anything,” I answer, thickly.
“I wished to be brave enough to allow myself to love you. I wished to be brave enough to trust your love and to hand my heart over to you. I believe my wish has been granted, but what can I do or say to make you see it, my darling? To make you want to hear me this time?”
Leaning down, I press my forehead to hers and take a shuddering breath. “I see it. I hear you.”
“I love you, Liam. I’m completely in love with my best friend. I’m in a real pickle.”
Chuckling at my darling friend, I wrap my arms around her. “That makes two of us because I’m completely in love with you, too.”
“Truth or Dare, Juliana?” Felicity asks from the stage.
“Dare,” she replies, loud enough to be heard.
“Kiss the man you love.”
That pretty blush spreads down her throat and to her chest as she rises to her tiptoes, a wee bit ungainly at first, before pressing her sweet lips to mine.
I cup the back of her head with one hand and use the other to pull her nearer, to steady her, and move my mouth against hers, savoring every second of a kiss that goes on and on.
I’m incapable of holding back the flood of longing and adoration our kiss evokes. I am hers, body and soul. I think my heart knew the moment we met. Hers took longer to decide about me. That’s okay. You can’t force love. But, you can rejoice in it when you find it.
“Thanks for completely ruining our Truth or Dare event.” I whirl around to find Hudson standing behind us. He’s grinning, the first time I’ve seen him grinning in a while.
“You’re welcome.”
“We have rooms upstairs if…” Santi offers.
I want nothing more than to be alone with her, but everyone is here to celebrate with us, and we are not sharing that. I tip my chin down, brushing my nose through her hair. “Straight home, or cake and presents first?”
“We can’t disappoint Amelia. Cake and presents, first.”
“But then, perhaps we could head straight home?”
She nips my earlobe, whispering, “That’s a promise.”