Chapter 49
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Athena
“You’re sure he said that he wanted me to call him?” I glance down at my phone even though the question is directed at Leanna.
“Yes,” she says solemnly. “I can tell you word-for-word what he said that night, Athena.”
That night.
It was days ago.
I was busy prepping the flowers for the last minute wedding order. Liam dropped by Wild Lilac.
Leanna said he was dripping in sweat and seemed on edge. He asked her to relay a message to me that he wanted to talk. She forgot to tell me until the next morning because we were both so focused on setting up the wedding flowers.
Twelve calls and close to twenty text messages later, and I still haven’t heard a word from him.
I even stopped by the Dehaven Center. A temp was sitting in Audrey’s chair since she had scheduled a few days off for a girls’ trip with her sister before the wedding.
The only thing the man sitting behind the reception desk would tell me was that Liam was unavailable.
“There’s an explanation for this.” Leanna sets a lily in the middle of an arrangement before she tugs it back out. “He hasn’t ghosted you, Athena.”
She just gave a voice to my biggest fear.
Today is my birthday.
I’m having dinner with my family in six hours at Nova, and I haven’t seen or heard from the man I love.
“You’re supposed to be at home getting ready for tonight.” She taps me on my hip. “Go and do that. I’ll cover things here.”
I’m here because I can’t spend another second at home alone.
I’ve been to Liam’s apartment building twice, but I couldn’t get inside. I’ve done everything in my power to reach out to him.
“He knows about my mom,” I confess quietly. “I told him about my mom and my dad.”
“Your dad?” Leanna sets a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve never mentioned your dad before.”
I haven’t mentioned my mom to her either, but most of Manhattan knows the name Simone Millett.
“He wasn’t a great man.” I look up at the ceiling. “I told Liam about that. Do you think…”
“No,” she answers before I can finish my question. “He doesn’t strike me as the type of man to dump a woman because her parents are screwed up.”
She doesn’t know him.
I do, and I have no idea if he’s that type of man.
I wanted to believe he wasn’t, but reality is forcing me to accept that he might be.
“What am I supposed to do about tonight?” I ask, scrubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “My family thinks they are meeting him.”
Her hands find mine. “Athena, they love you. They love you so much. They’ll understand. Be honest with them, and they’ll understand.”
It’s advice I need to follow, but first I have to do the impossible.
I need to be honest with myself that Liam Wolf may not be the man I thought he was.
Hope is a fool’s currency.
I’m holding onto it as though my life depends on it.
I’m in the bathroom at Nova. My family is seated at the table waiting for Liam to arrive.
I held my breath as I made my way to the restaurant. Holding out hope isn’t easy when your phone doesn’t ring.
Glancing around the vacant washroom, I scroll through my contact list until I find Liam’s number.
I hit dial.
If my past brought me to this point, so be it, but this man needs to know that he’s a coward. He has to know that judging me based on who my parents are is wrong.
I smooth my hand over the skirt of my black dress as his phone rings and rings.
Finally, on the sixth ring, the familiar sound of his voicemail message kicks in.
I listen to the same words I’ve heard countless times the past few days.
Once I hear, “I’ll get back to you,” and the tone sounds, I start talking.
“This is the last time you’ll ever hear from me.” I take a breath. “The very last time.”
My gaze drops to the floor as I pause. “I thought you were a decent person. I get that you can’t accept me because of who my parents are, but you could have at the very least said goodbye to me.”
The sound of the bathroom door opening behind me drops my tone. “It’s my birthday. I’m at Nova with my family, and they’re waiting to meet you. Goodbye, Liam. Don’t call me back.”
I end the call with tears threatening to fall.
“Seriously?” A vaguely familiar voice asks from behind me. “You’re that flower girl. Don’t tell me that you were just talking to Liam Wolf?”
It can’t be. Please don’t let it be Wren.
“It’s Athena, right?” Her voice gets louder as she nears me. “Audrey told me that you two hung out with her and Jay. What’s going on with you and Wolf?”
I spin around to answer her honestly. “Nothing.”
Her finger circles the air in front of my face. “You’re about to cry. Is it because of him?”
I don’t answer her. I can’t.
“I heard you say that it’s your birthday.” Her gaze drops to the phone in my hand. “You’re waiting for him, aren’t you? He didn’t show.”
I refuse to give her the satisfaction of knowing that Liam dumped me.
“Listen to me.” She steps closer. “This is what he does. He disappears when you need him. I wanted him to meet my folks when they were in town and he had a session and then another. It was one lame excuse after another until he went radio silent.”
I want to ask her if that’s why she refused the flowers he sent her, but I see the answer in her eyes. I also see anger there and concern.
“Don’t let him do this to you.” She shakes her head. “You’re better than this.”
I watch as she adjusts the neckline of the red dress she’s wearing.
“I’m here tonight with a man who appreciates me.” She smiles. “He’s never stood me up. Don’t you deserve the same?”
Damn right, I do.
I march past her and exit the washroom. I’m here to celebrate my birthday with my family and I intend to do just that.