Chapter Thirteen
LIAM
H oly shit, I am wired this morning.
After sexting with Ella last night, which, by the way, was one of the hottest things I’ve ever experienced in my life, I couldn’t sleep. So, way later than I should have been awake, I texted my best friend, Rhett, to see if he’d give me a call while I drove to work in the morning. It’s been a while since we’ve talked, since I’ve been busy with Ella and my new job, and we’re pretty much on opposite shifts right now.
He’s always been someone I could talk to, ever since we met at Yale during undergrad, and while we were separated during med school, our last four years at Stokes Hospital have cemented our friendship. He wasn’t super thrilled when I transferred to UVM out of the blue, but seemed to understand when I told him I needed to get away from Mom.
I’m in the middle of my drive to Burlington when my phone rings through the car. Clicking the button on the steering wheel, I answer the call. “Hey, man. Thanks for calling so early.”
Rhett chuckles through my speakers. “It’s no worries, but is everything okay? I didn’t think our next therapy appointment was until Friday.”
“Ha,” I deadpan, rolling my eyes. “Some shit’s going down, man. Remember the girl I told you about from four years ago when I was in Burlington?”
“Nope. I know nothing about a girl named Ella with beautiful, chocolate brown hair and the amazing connection the two of you had until you found out she was engaged.”
Fair enough. I was rather miserable to talk to those first few months.
“Well, it turns out, she was never engaged. The guy I saw was a skeevy ex who was trying to use her head injury from the accident to convince her the two of them were engaged.”
“What the fuck?” Rhett mutters in a reaction much like my own, and I continue.
“Right? Also, she may have been the real reason I transferred to UVM. I moved to her hometown in a total creepy stalker move after she happened to come to Stokes Hospital. Which is how I found all of this out.” I take a deep breath. “And…” I tell him all about Macie. Our dates, how I finally figured out a few days ago that she’s mine.
“Holy shit, man, that’s a lot.” Rhett lets out a puff of breath. “I can’t believe you’re a dad now.”
“Pretty fucking wild,” I agree. “Can you not say anything to my mom, though? I need to tell her all this myself.”
“For sure. But Liam? You need to be careful. Your mom… she’s on the warpath. She’s been in the hospital more than usual, and she seems… tense.”
“Got it. I’ll talk to her soon.”
“Sounds good. Do you think you’ll be coming back at all?” I huff out a sigh, knowing the answer before he finishes asking.
“I wouldn’t bet on it. Ella and Macie… They’re just… they’re everything and her life is here. Maybe you can transfer and move out here one day.”
A skeptical laugh comes through my speakers. “It’s not as easy for some people to transfer hospitals mid-residency, Liam. But…who knows? It sounds like a cool little town. Besides… it’s not like I’ve got anyone to stick around here for.” His words send a pang of empathy through my chest. When I lost Ella the first time, Rhett had also gotten over a breakup not too long before and helped me through the worst of it.
“Maybe you’ll find someone out here.”
He gives a derisive snort. “Sure.”
“It really is a great little town, filled with great people.” Even though I’m saying the words to convince my best friend to move out here, I find that I’ve never meant anything more.
* * *
“So, how do you like your job?” I ask Ella from the driver's seat as we make our way to her parents’ house. I had gotten back to the apartments before her, and she let me know when she was getting home so I could meet her outside and take my car. “I remember you talking about vet school… but you’re a vet tech now.”
“Yeah…so, um. That all kind of changed after I found out I was pregnant,” she says hesitantly. “There’s no vet program close enough to home, and it just didn’t seem possible to live so far away from my family—my only support system—while pregnant. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without their help, though.”
She smiles at the last bit of her sentence as my gut churns with guilt. I wish I could have been there. Maybe now that we’re together, there’s a way for her to become a vet if she still wants to. I mean, she has no idea the financial resources I have at my disposal to make her dreams come true. I’ll just have to hope it’s enough to make up for hiding my real identity from her for so long. I know I need to tell her soon… I just want a chance to get settled into this whole dad thing before throwing another wrench into our lives.
“I’m glad that you have your family,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “They sound like great people.”
She nods in agreement as I glance at her.
“Oh, it’s just right up here,” she says, pointing to a very cute, light blue painted farmhouse-style home with brown trimming. Time to meet Ella’s parents. My heart rate picks up a little at the prospect, knowing I’m going to have to face them and may as well have a sign on my forehead that reads “Nice to meet you, I knocked up your daughter.”
“Huh. That’s Jayce’s truck on the curb.” She frowns as she peers out the window at the black pickup outside the house. “They didn’t say they were visiting.”
“Welp.” I grin, parking in the driveway and opening the driver's side door. “Looks like I’m meeting the whole family today.”
“I’m glad you’re so easygoing about it all,” she laughs as we get out of the car and walk up the front steps of the porch. I’m trying not to be nervous about meeting her family. They have to be a great group of people if they raised someone as wonderful as Ella. They seem very protective of her though, which I can appreciate. I just hope they see that I’m not a threat to her happiness. Having Ella with me right now though, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, all my worry seems to take a backseat to her reassuring presence.
“What can I say? With you by my side, everything seems possible.”
She elbows me, then grabs my hand. “You’re so cheesy. You’ll fit right in.”
The deep sound of Ollie’s bark comes from behind the house, and before we can even knock, the door is swinging open, and then we’re met with a serious-looking man standing in the doorway. He looks a little intimidating with his shaved head and impressive physique, considering he must be near sixty.
Then his face breaks out in a giant grin. “Ellie Bellie!”
When Ella told me he used to be a structural engineer, I had imagined someone a little more… serious.
“Hey, Dad.” Ella smiles. “This is Liam.”
Ella’s dad’s eyes flash with recognition at my name before he turns to me. “It’s nice to meet you, Liam. I’m Lincoln. I’m assuming this is who Macie has been talking about all day?” he asks, turning back to his daughter.
Just then, Celine appears next to Lincoln, and she beams at me. “I knew it!” Her voice is excited as she grabs her husband’s arm. “As soon as I saw him I thought how much he looks like Macie, but brushed it off as a coincidence. Welcome to the family, Liam.”
I’m not sure if Ella was planning on telling her parents that I’m Macie’s dad today, but I guess Macie beat us to it. Ella turns beat red as she looks between her parents’ faces. They don’t seem upset, just… excited? “I guess I didn’t think about Macie telling you guys before I could. What did she say?”
“Well, all day she talked about how her daddy is a nice doctor who fixed her owie.” Lincoln smiles warmly at me. “She’s asking for her own ‘doctor jacket,’ you know.”
“I believe she said she wants to be a ‘princess doctor’ when she grows up,” Celine adds.
My chest fills with warmth and… pride? My daughter wants to be like me.
My daughter.
“That definitely seems like an admirable and lucrative profession,” I say seriously, and both her parents chuckle.
The little girl who’s wrapped her tiny fist around my heart pops her head between her grandparents and beams up at us.
“Mommy! Liam!” she shouts, pushing her way through the door and wrapping an arm around each of our legs, startling a laugh out of me as I awkwardly pat her back. I wonder when she’ll start calling me “Daddy?” I did tell her to call me Liam after she kept calling me “Doctor Liam,” so maybe she’s just following directions? Either way, I suppose she’ll start calling me Daddy or ask about it when she’s ready.
“Why don’t you guys come inside?” Celine asks, waving a hand over her shoulder. “I’ve made enough roast for everyone.” She disappears into the house, leaving Ella, Lincoln, and me standing in the doorway.
“Are Jayce and Nolan here?” Ella asks hesitantly, and Lincoln gives her a knowing look.
“You have a few minutes before they come inside. I sent them into the garage to grab all the stuff to play poker tonight when I heard you pull up.”
“Up!” Macie’s calling up to me and lifting her arms. I grip under her arms and lift her up, letting her sit in the crook of my arm. She wraps her arms around my neck in the sweetest hug I’ve ever experienced, her cheek pressing against mine.
“Hey there, squirt,” I chuckle, squeezing her a little to return the hug as we walk into the house. “Did you have a good time at Grandma and Grandpa’s today?”
Lincoln’s eyes widen, and he frantically shakes his head at my words.
She pulls back, looking at me with narrowed eyes, a stern expression on her face. “I don’t have a gramma or grandpa. I have a MeeMee and PopPop.”
Ella stifles a laugh from behind me as I try to recover from my obviously grievous error. “Oh. I’m sorry… Did you have a good time at MeeMee and PopPop’s today?”
Macie’s face morphs into an expression of glee as she nods.
“Hey there, Macy-nator.” I turn my head to see a guy with shoulder-length dirty blond hair come around a corner. I immediately recognize him from the family photos in Ella’s apartment. “Is this guy giving you a hard time?”
His tone is teasing, but the way his eyes dart over to me makes me feel like I’m being sized up.
“No, silly Uncle Nolan,” she giggles. “This is Liam! Like I told you!”
“So you finally decided to own up and be a dad, huh?” A man with short brown hair and some stubble joins us in the front entryway of the house—the other brother from the photos. I don’t blame him for assuming the worst. I’ll just need to own up to it and explain what happened.
“Jayce,” Ella hisses, stepping next to me and glaring at her brother as her dad frowns at him.
“It’s okay, Ella.” I turn to hand her Macie. “I think your brothers and I have some air to clear.” She perches Macie on her hip before glaring at her brothers.
“Be nice.” She points to Jayce, then looks at her dad. “Please make sure this stays civil.” With that, she walks into the other room, leaving me with the three men who were there for Macie and Ella when I wasn’t.