Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
LIVIANNA/LILY
Then
Wretched Wires & Perfumed Alibis
Every secret I bury learns how to smile prettier than I ever could.
Callum and his mom show up in the kitchen right at ten-thirty. “My ma thought it would be better if she came with us. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“Of course. She’s been a great help to us.” I stride over and give her a hug and a kiss on each cheek. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome, honey. You’re family now.” She bows her head and glances at Callum.
He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Guns said he’d drive since we won’t all fit in my car.”
“Oh, yay. Sounds like a party.” I wait for Callum to come to me, but he doesn’t seem to appreciate my joke.
He stays where he is and stares at me like he has been for the last two days. He says he doesn’t blame me, but he does. How could he not when I told him I wanted an abortion as soon as I found out I was pregnant?
I see the fire of resentment in his eyes. Thankfully, I took two painkillers before he got here.
It’s the only way I can get through his judgment because I feel great when I’m on them. It’s like I’m here but not. Nothing hurts.
My brain shuts up and I don’t hear the voices in my head telling me that I’m the cause of all the bad things around me.
That’s not true. I hear them, but they don’t bother me. I just tune them out easier. Everything is better with those little miracles running in my veins.
“I should go get Guns.” Callum peeks over his shoulder. “We need to get on our way.”
“I’ll get him.” I need an excuse to get out of this heavy room. “You stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I get ready to run up the stairs. As I pass Callum, he grabs me by the arm and spins me toward him.
He pulls me into a hug and whispers, “I love you, Lily. Even if you can’t love anything or anyone right now. No matter what happened, I love you and always will.”
Out of nowhere, tears spring from my eyes. What the fuck? I’m not supposed to feel this stabbing in my heart.
Why aren’t the pills working? It’s like a faucet broke and these traitorous salty waves keep flowing down my cheeks, soaking Callum’s black T-shirt.
He holds me tighter and breathes like he hasn’t had air in days. “Finally.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
The thought flits out of my mind as my stomach spins, mixing every lost emotion I’ve had since New Year’s Eve. I try to hold in my cries, but I can’t stop. I shake and weep in his arms.
He kisses me and caresses the back of my head. “I’m right here, love. I’m never going anywhere.”
“Fuck, bro. You broke her.” Bren’s voice cuts in.
I can’t see what’s going on because my face is buried in Callum’s chest, but he tenses. It’s a sure sign he’s given Bren some kind of evil eye.
Ms. Mayze runs her palm over my back. “Honey, we need to go. Bubba and you can sit in the back seat and he can take care of you the entire way there.”
“Do you need me to carry you to the car?” He pulls back to see my face.
I shake my head and suck in a ragged sob. He leads me out with his arm around my waist, making it easy to lean into him.
Bren is a few strides ahead of us. Callum’s mom walks on the other side of him.
I overhear her say to him in a whispered breath, “See, I told you she needed to hear it.”
“Ma…” He falls back so she’s ahead of us and can’t hear him. “Lily, how are you physically feeling today?”
“Fine. I’m not sure I even need to go to this appointment.”
“It’s just to make sure you don’t need more medical intervention.” He kicks a pebble with the toe of his motorcycle boot. “That’s what Ma says, anyway.”
“She knows more than I do about this kind of stuff, so I guess it’s for the best.”
He opens the door for me and helps me into the back seat. He climbs in and instantly takes me in an embrace.
We drive to the appointment, listening to music Bren plays for us. Every once in a while, one of them comments about a harmony or a type of arrangement they like.
It’s inspiring to witness how focused they are on their dreams even when they’re trying to take care of something so heavy.
We get to the doctor’s office. Bren waits in the waiting room while Callum and his mom accompany me into a small exam room. I sit on a table while they find seats against the wall next to each other.
The female doctor enters. “Hi, Livianna. I’m Dr. Galveston. I understand you believe you miscarried and we’re just here to make sure you don’t need additional medical care.”
“Yes. That’s why I’m here.” I glance at Ms. Mayze.
She nods and holds Callum’s hand. He doesn’t say a word. He just sits and stares at the doctor. She asks permission to speak in front of them, to which I agree.
She goes on to explain she’s going to do an internal exam and a transvaginal ultrasound to make sure I don’t need a D&C, a procedure that would remove tissue from inside the uterus.
When she asks me to lie back so she can start the appointment, she takes one look at my bruised stomach and hesitates for a moment. A second later, she completes the assessments.
To my relief, I don’t need a D&C. At least there’s one thing going for me.
She helps me up, peering over at Ms. Mayze and Callum. “If you two would wait in the other room, Livianna will be right out. I just have a few personal questions to ask her. Then we’ll be done.”
Ms. Mayze agrees and leads Callum out of the room.
Dr. Galveston addresses me. “Livianna, it’s important for me to understand your situation. Can you tell me how you got the bruises on your stomach?”
I swallow and say the first thing that comes to mind. “I had an accident.”
It’s not a lie. I never intended to get kicked in the stomach.
She studies me closely. “As a medical doctor, I’m required to report any kind of suspected child abuse. Are you being hurt by anyone at home?”
“No!” My eyes round. “I fell. Nobody I love would hurt me.”
“Okay. Can you describe what happened?”
“I… I was in the mountains…and there was a snowstorm. It was really icy.”
Shit, my brain isn’t coming up with anything that sounds like it would make sense.
She tilts her head. “Where did you fall?”
“On the ice outside of the hotel. I slipped when I was getting out of the car.” My heart rate speeds up. “I tripped over myself and landed on my stomach.”
“Livianna, the bruises on your stomach… Are you sure nobody hit or kicked you?”
“I promise, no one I live with hurt me.” I blink rapidly.
How does she know? Fuck. What am I supposed to say?
“Nobody I love touched me.” I glance at the door. “They’ve all been a great help.”
“All right. I’ll just make a note and document what you shared.” She scans over her medical chart. “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
I try to calm myself and think of something so it doesn’t look like I’m about to sprint out of her office to avoid her questioning. “Yes. I’ve still been having a lot of pain. Over-the-counter medicine hasn’t been helping. Is there anything you can prescribe that could help?”
“There is. I can give you a prescription for a mild painkiller to get you through the next few days, but I’ll need to discuss it with Ms. Mayze since you’re a minor and she’s your temporary guardian.” She runs her gaze over me. “Have you thought about going on birth control?”
“Um… Not really, but I probably should.” I lower my head. This is definitely a decision my mom would want to be a part of.
I raise my gaze to the doctor. “My mom would want to be with me, so I should wait until she’s back in town.”
“Okay. I can give you some follow-up information and you can get that scheduled once you’ve spoken with her.”
“Great. Thank you.”
She writes out a prescription and gives me a brochure with the information on how to make another appointment. She leaves the room and I rush to get dressed. That did not go as I hoped.
The blood races through me as I practically run out of the office. I gather everyone and hurry to get them back to the car.
As soon as we leave the building and get to the parking lot, paparazzi surround us. Cameras click away as they snap pictures of us and they even have a TV camera crew in my face.
One of the people asks, “Livianna, is it true you’re pregnant?”
My heart stops. How the fuck did they get this news?
Someone else addresses Callum. “Cash, is that why you took her up to The Beckett Brand Whispering Pines?”
“You seemed happy. Do you want to confirm the pregnancy?” another reporter asks.
Bren pushes them aside. “No comment!”
Callum pulls me into his side, shielding me. His muscles are tight and hard. Ms. Mayze slides her sunglasses on and keeps her head down. The crew follows us to the car, yelling out questions.
My vision goes blurry and I bury my face against Callum’s chest. The mics hiss and the world pixelates.
We get to the car and Bren unlocks the doors. We all jump in, and Bren skids out.
He peers at me through the rearview mirror. “Did you talk to Mom this morning?”
“Yes. She said she was getting a massage.” I peek out the back window to make sure nobody is following us.
Bren turns onto the main road, going at least double the speed limit. “She must not have known this was coming out.”
“Obviously.” Ms. Mayze sits forward and stares out the windshield.
“They’re going to berate me.” I shrink into Callum’s arms. “They’re going to—”
“I’ll take care of it, Livianna. You just let me handle it.” Ms. Mayze looks over her shoulder at me. “I’ll call her when we get to your house.”
“Fucking hell.” Callum throws his head against the headrest. “How did this get out?”
“Your uncle.” It comes out of my mouth without hesitation.
“No. He wouldn’t do this,” Ms. Mayze insists. “He knows what he did to you was his last warning. If he messes up one more time, he’s not to come near my family.”
Callum breathes heavily. “I tend to agree with you, Ma.”
“What?” My jaw drops. “After what he did to me?”
“He swears it was the drugs and promises never to touch you again.” Callum squeezes me closer to him.
I push myself away. “Why do you believe him? He hired someone—”