Chapter 4
FOUR
LIAM
The day was finally here to say goodbye to his mum.
It had been a month since she’d died, and the time felt like a blur.
Funerals always took a long time to schedule this time of year, he’d been told, and it was a depressing thought, knowing that other people were experiencing the same as he was.
He’d been trying to juggle the bakery, his job, and looking after his dad, who still hadn’t left the house, but last night, Liam had spent some time with his best friend and flatmate, Milo.
He’d travelled up from London the night before and stayed in the local B he knew that.
Liam wasn’t sure why he wanted Austin there, though.
Over the past couple of weeks, he’d barely seen him.
It had gone from Austin being in the bakery every day and making a point of speaking to Liam, to them barely seeing each other.
Since going back to work, Liam was out of the bakery by eight thirty every morning so he could be logged in by nine.
He worked from his annexe, which was connected to his parents’ house but had its own entrance and was essentially a self-contained, one-bedroom flat.
It had given him privacy whenever he stayed, although since his mum died, he’d been staying in the house to be near his dad.
The annexe was just where he worked at the moment.
Liam knew he was probably reading too much into Austin’s absence.
He hadn’t been working his corporate job that first week, so had been in the bakery a lot more.
He wasn’t sure what it was about Austin.
It wasn’t just about him being unbelievably hot and off-limits, but Liam somehow felt safe in his presence.
He’d missed him the past couple of weeks.
The funeral had gone well . . . well, as well as a funeral could go.
Liam had gotten through his eulogy without cracking, but he’d barely been able to speak to his friends.
It seemed everyone wanted a piece of him today.
They either wanted to congratulate him on his eulogy or share anecdotes about how proud his mum was of him.
It felt strange for people to keep saying “well done” to him at his mum’s funeral, but he knew they meant it nicely.
He’d seen Austin at both the funeral and in the pub afterwards, but he hadn’t seen him for a while now.
They hadn’t spoken, and why would they? Liam wasn’t sure why, but he’d really wanted to speak to him, and perhaps get that smile he always felt was just for him.
Yes, he knew that crushing on the straight guy at his mum’s funeral was a choice, but she would have found it funny.
“How are you doing, champ?” said Michael.
He was head of the council, but seemed to do a bit of everything. It wasn’t an elected position, but people still viewed him as the de facto mayor, and he worked closely with the parish council. Everyone loved him – well, most of them. The poor guy had to deal with a lot of moaners.
Michael gave Liam a hug. He’d called him “champ” ever since he was a kid, and it had stuck.
He didn’t mind it, though. Gerard and his husband Kevin, who owned the pub, joined Michael.
They were so different as a couple. Both were well over six foot, but Gerard was like a big cuddly teddy bear with a beard, and whereas Kevin looked he weighed nothing and could be snapped like a twig.
Liam’s mind wandered to how their sex life worked, then he stopped and doubled back in his brain. He wasn’t going there.
“Thanks for coming,” he said.
“We wouldn’t miss it,” said Gerard. “Everyone loved Sylvie.”
“Thanks for letting us use this place as well. I’ll come down over the weekend and sort out the bill.”
“We’ve had this discussion,” said Kevin in his Irish accent, which was hot, but also kind of scary as his voice was low and growly. “Don’t insult us by trying to pay.”
“What my clumsy husband is trying to say is that this is our way of saying goodbye to Sylvie. She helped us a lot over the years, especially when we first opened this place. This is just our way to say thank you, okay?”
“Thank you,” said Liam, getting choked up.
Gerard pulled him into a hug, and Liam shed a few tears.
“My mum always said you gave the best hugs.”
Gerard chuckled.
“Please thank Tony and Austin for coming. I didn’t have time to speak to them.”
Liam had spoken to Nathan after the service, since he wasn’t comfortable attending the wake as well, which he understood. Liam appreciated Nathan showing his respects. His mum had thought a lot of him, and was happy that she could give him a safe space in the bakery when he needed it.
“Tony had to get back to work after the service, and Austin needed to get back for Maisie after school. No babysitters today, as everyone is here.”
“That makes sense,” he said tearfully, and not sure why.
The three shared a look between them.
“What?” asked Liam.
“Nothing. We’ll leave you to speak to other people,” said Gerard. He pulled his husband with him, and Michael followed a few seconds later after giving Liam a sympathetic smile.
There had definitely been something between those friends. Liam had it with Milo in that they could communicate without having to say a word. It was all in the eyes. It didn’t look like he was going to find out what it was, so he needed to get back and mingle, but first he’d check on his dad.
Liam wasn’t sure why he was in the bakery at nine o’clock at night.
His dad was fast asleep after Liam had put him to bed.
He’d never seen his dad that drunk before.
He’d been sharing memories with some of the older village residents, and there had been lots of laughter.
It was good to see his dad smile again, even if it was only for a moment.
Liam had been watching him for most of the day, the loss and heartbreak still clear in his eyes.
Now Liam was by himself. The wake had wrapped up a couple of hours ago, with a few stragglers moving into the bar area.
Liam still couldn’t believe Gerard and Kevin had just let them have the whole restaurant for his mum.
The venue he could understand to a degree, as they owned it, but they’d supplied the food as well, so they were significantly out of pocket.
Gerard and Kevin, as well as Giselle and Henrietta, were at the top of his list of what he loved about his hometown.
Long-term queer couples who didn’t just live here, but were at the heart of the community.
It made him wonder whether he’d ever meet a nice guy, and if he did, would he want to live here?
Liam wanted to be a dad, and he couldn’t think of a better place to raise a family.
His mum had told him bits of Gerard and Kevin’s story.
They’d first met when they were at university, but it had been another decade before they’d properly gotten together.
Something about them being the right person for each other but the timing was never right.
Liam hoped that wasn’t the case for him, and that he hadn’t already met his perfect man but the timing had been wrong.
Liam did a mental run-through of his exes and snorted.
Yeah, he definitely didn’t consider any of them to have been his soulmate.
Did he even think soulmates were a thing?
His parents had had that. Liam was certain no matter what life had thrown at them, they would have found their way to each other.
His mum had always believed Liam would find his knight in shining armour one day, and that it would be worth the wait when it happened.
“Are you saying I need a knight to rescue me?” he asked his mum.