Chapter 9 #2
She just stared at him. “You speak Elvish?”
“I do a lot of things.” Especially lust after a particularly hot tutor in the subject during college. “But dishes isn’t one of them. I’d suggest doing what you have to and getting on that.”
Cruze glanced at him, then her screen again with a slight shake of her head. A godawful bang came from the laundry room just off the kitchen.
“Uncle Felix!” Sway screeched.
He sighed and went to go mitigate the next disaster.
Liam pulled up beside Felix’s car and grabbed the metric ton of cookies his mom had sent over. Man, the smile on her face when he’d gotten home and was telling her about Axle and Sway…
He clenched his jaw, not understanding how Jenny could just cut his parents off from the kids like that.
She wasn’t the same easy going girl he’d married.
It was like she’d had a personality transplant.
Liam was sure that was thanks to Pete, but damn, it was cold-blooded.
It was the holidays, for Christ’s sake, and they were the only grandparents the kids had in Havers.
They were lucky if they saw Jenny’s parents every couple of years.
And Pete’s…Liam wasn’t even sure if his were still alive.
He shook his head, unable to change any of it, but it sucked.
He’d tried calling the lab for a status update on Sarah’s test, and it’d gone straight to voicemail.
Liam knew he needed to be patient, but it was so damned hard thinking his kid could be living in that house.
Guilt ate at him. If he’d known how bad things were with Pete, he never would’ve left.
All right, maybe that wasn’t totally true, but he definitely wouldn’t have stayed away as long as he had.
Liam went to the kitchen door, smiling at the properly cleared walkway, though the shovel had been just tossed into a snowbank.
Baby steps. He knew Felix didn’t think so, but he was really good with them, and it was obvious they adored their uncle.
Sway had stars in her eyes whenever she looked at him, but then, Felix was easy to love.
And didn’t Liam know it.
He precariously balanced the platter of cookies and let himself in. Felix was at the crappy laminate counter glaring at his phone and muttering something about stupid delivery drivers. A girl Liam assumed was Cruze was sitting at the kitchen table, and at her side—
Sarah.
She looked up as he came in, her big brown eyes going wide. “Daddy?”
“Surprise!” Cruze said, jumping up and clapping her hands.
Behind her, Felix ghosted white. “Oh, shit. This has got to be the catch. Not cool, kid.” He hurried over and rescued the platter of cookies Liam was white-knuckling. “Are you, okay?”
“I—no. I-I can’t—Pete…does he know you’re here?” he asked Sarah.
She shook her head, staring at Liam like she was seeing a ghost. He ran a hand over his jaw. “Shit.”
“Language!” Sway screamed, running into the room and barreling into Liam. “Come on! You said you’d watch The Pretty, Pretty Princesses Show with me, and it’s starting!” She grabbed his hand, tugging.
He faltered a step. “I—”
“Hey, come here, monster,” Felix said, depositing the cookies on the table and detaching her.
He picked her up. “How about I watch the first part with you, and Liam will join us in a little bit? We can have some of those cookies while we wait. Sound good, Cruze? Yeah, awesome, why don’t you grab them, and give Sarah and Liam a minute. ”
Cruze looked between them and flushed, snatching the plated mound and darting out of the room behind her uncle and little sister.
“Why are you here?” Sarah asked after a long moment.
Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. God there was no way she wasn’t his with those eyes. The roots of her cropped, bleach-blonde hair were cherry cola brown, and she had a beauty mark on her right cheek that was the twin to Kelsey’s.
“In town, or here, here?” he croaked out.
“Both?” she asked, her shoulders rounding.
He puffed out his cheeks and dragged a hand over his face. “I’m babysitting for Felix tonight, but I came back because your mom—I needed to see if—I needed proof—that everything she’d said was true before I signed anything.”
Sarah nodded down at her lap. “What if it isn’t?”
“Then I’m fighting for joint custody. I’ve missed you, Sar. I-I tried to call, and don’t know if your mom ever gave you guys the packages I sent—”
“She didn’t, and I know you’ve been trying to see me, but that’s not a great idea.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and her sleeve slipped. A dark bruise shadowed her wrist.
That son of a bitch. Liam growled, and she glanced up, quickly hiding it. “Volleyball,” she murmured, not meeting his eyes.
The hell it was. Fur sprouted over his knuckles, and he fought to keep his wolf in check.
Sarah popped up from the table and started jamming books into her bag. “Look, I-I shouldn’t be here. I know Cruze was trying to do something nice, but I’ll catch hell for it.”
“Sarah, if he’s hurting you—”
“He’s not, okay. Just leave it—me—alone.”
A crushing pain seared through Liam’s chest. “I—is that what you want?”
She turned at the door and met his eyes, her own brimming with tears. “What I want doesn’t matter.”
And she was gone.
Liam slumped to the floor and pulled his knees into his chest, hanging his head. Cautious footsteps padded across the kitchen floor, and then Felix’s arms were around him. Liam buried his face against Felix’s shoulder, fighting back tears.
Epic fail, like everything else he tried to do.
“Hey, hey,” Felix murmured, rocking. A sob escaped Liam, and Felix hugged him tighter.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. There’s not a chance that girl isn’t yours, and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t see it as soon as she came in.
If it makes you feel any better, Cruze is beside herself.
She orchestrated the whole thing because Sarah keeps talking about how much she misses you. ”
Liam’s heart about stopped. “She does?”
“Yeah.” Felix sighed. “From what Cruze just told me, the situation over there isn’t great.”
“She had a bruise, Felix.” Liam said, sitting back and sniffling. He wiped the back of his hand across his face, too upset to worry about Felix thinking he was a headcase. “Like someone had grabbed her wrist—hard.”
“Then someone needs to be reported,” Felix said, his expression frosty. “And you go for full custody.”
Liam scrubbed his face. Felix was right, but…“How the hell did this get so fucked up?”
“I don’t know,” Felix said, reaching out to cup Liam’s cheek. The warmth from his palm—from him—choked Liam up all over again. “Hey, we’ll figure it out. Okay?”
“We will?” Liam’s gaze searched his.
“Yeah, we will.” Felix’s thumb traced the path Liam’s tears had taken. “Not a chance I’m letting something like this slide. I’ll report it first thing in the morning. Even without knowing about the bruise, from what Cruze said, I’d be calling anyway. You don’t have to get involved.”
“You—you would do that for me?” Liam stared at him, so full of gratitude.
Felix’s gaze dropped to Liam’s lips. “Um…yeah. I—”
The door beside them rattled at someone’s knock. “Pizza delivery!”
Felix pulled back, the moment gone. Liam swept a hand over his eyes, his emotions churning. Jesus, he needed a shower or a really filthy carburetor to clean. Preferably both and not necessarily in that order.
Felix stood and pulled out his wallet. “It’s about fucking time,” he muttered.
“Language!” Sway screamed, plowing into the kitchen table hard enough to knock a pile of mail off the far end.
“Volume!” Felix yelled back. “Now pick that up, then get your sister to take her homework somewhere else—and go wash your hands.”
“But I just did!”
“Don’t think I didn’t see you picking your nose in there,” Felix scolded, raising an eyebrow, “or did you want a side order of boogers with your meal?”
Sway looked at him deadpan. “If we’re not supposed to eat them, then why are they so delicious?”
Felix gagged. “Oh my God, I can’t with you.”
“I’ll take her,” Liam said, chuckling despite himself and getting to his feet. “Come on, Sway. I need to wash my hands, too.”
Felix paid the pimply kid at the door and hauled the boxes to the table. He frowned at the pile of miscellaneous crap covering a good half of it, then ducked into a small room adjoining the kitchen. He came back with a laundry basket and swept everything off the table into it.
“Good,” he said, hauling it into the living room. “You can kick Axle out of the shower while you’re at it. He’s been in there for forty-five minutes.”
Liam could understand the inclination. A wave of searing anger went through him thinking about that bruise on Sarah. As soon as he got custody, he was going to bury that son of a bitch.
“Why were you sad?” Sway asked as they made their way to the downstairs bathroom.
“Because I’m pretty sure Sarah’s my daughter, and I don’t get to see her.” But he was going to, and both Pete and Jenny could go fuck themselves.
Sway’s brows furrowed as they walked down the ill-lit, shag-carpeted hall. Probably better that way. The middle of it was completely matted from foot traffic. Off-kilter family photos lined the walls, and Liam resisted the urge to stop and gawk at pictures of baby Felix.
“My daddy doesn’t see me, but I don’t think it makes him sad. He gives my mommy money so he doesn’t have to.”
Ouch. Liam’s rage left him. He pushed open the door to the little half-bath and flicked on the obnoxiously bright fluorescents above the rust Formica vanity.
“That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.
” Liam kicked a plastic step stool over to the sink, and she hopped onto it, flinging on the water. “Hey, careful with your cast.”
“No, it’s okay if I get it wet.” she said, proceeding to do just that, and soaking the rest of the bathroom in the process. “The doctor said I could even swim with it!”
Liam throttled the rusted tap and squirted soap into her waiting hands, then lathered up beside her. “Yeah? You like swimming?”
She looked at him aghast. “Oh no. Mommy said if I go in the water a siren will come and take me away.”
“Sounds serious,” Liam said, feigning concern.
She nodded at him, her face uncharacteristically solemn. “She doesn’t let any of us swim, ever. Not even in the pool our motel had.”
Well, that was weird, but okay. He dried off her hands and then tried to slop up the overflow with an appliquéd towel. Shit. Hope that wasn’t just for decoration. He hung it back on the squeaky chrome ring. “Go ahead and eat, I’ve gotta find Axle.”
“He’s already downstairs,” she said, then grinned at him. “I have really good ears.”
Liam just bet she did. “Good to know.”
Sway ran into the kitchen and skidded across the faded linoleum into the seat beside her brother. Kid already had four crusts piled on his plate and was about to add another. Cruze picked at her salad, looking miserable. Felix tipped his head at her, shooting Liam a look.
Crap. “Hey,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for doing that. It meant a lot, even if it didn’t work out so great.”
Cruze ignored him and stabbed a crouton. Well, he tried. Liam shrugged at Felix and pulled out a chair. Damn thing had to weigh thirty pounds.
“Okay then,” Felix said with a too bright smile, “now that everyone’s sitting here fat and happy, I’ve got to run. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You good?” he asked Liam.
Nope. “Getting there.”
“I’ll take that as a win. Wish me luck.” He shrugged into his parka and zipped it up.
“Good luck, Uncle Felix!” Sway screamed around her mouthful.
Liam smiled as Felix’s eyelids fluttered, and he left them to their meal.