44. Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Four

Sage

" I f she starts flipping out about something, you could leave the room and let the nurses and me handle it."

"Okay." I nod, more to myself, and Liam's face is really hard to read as he focuses on the beautiful house in front of us. "Are you sure you're good with this?"

When we had dinner with my brothers in Italy, they were asking questions about Liam that I couldn't answer, and while some were absolutely absurd and Sire was just being over-protective, I couldn't even answer anything about his family.

I told Liam that bothered me since I'm family-oriented, and he told me he'd tell me about his family, but as I'm about to meet his mom, I'm very nervous, and it has nothing to do with the fact that she has Alzheimer's but because I'm scared she won't like me.

"Are you good with this?"

I glance over at Liam, and he laughs at me. "What is funny?"

"You're nervous about meeting my mom?" He laughs harder and I cross my arms at him.

"Oh, I want to see you meet my mom and dad because they remember what you did to their son and are not as forgiving as their children."

His smile instantly drops as he studies me. "That's not funny."

I bite back my smile, which earns me a glare.

"Do I seriously have to meet them?"

"Of course you do! Why would you even ask me that?"

He lets out a breath before turning to the window. "Let's go," He mumbles, and I let out a soft laugh as he climbs out and grabs the door for me.

When we walk in we're met with a beautiful nurse. She has long red hair that falls down to her waist and pretty freckles all over her face and arms. "Hi, I'm Capri."

My eyes slightly widen as I take her in again, knowing who she is. Moon has been talking about this girl's beauty since he first saw her, but I definitely underestimated him because she is gorgeous.

"It's so nice to meet you. I'm Sage."

"I know, you're all this boy seems to talk about lately." She pulls me in for a hug, and I laugh when Liam tells her not to call him a boy . "Let me know if his mom doesn't show you any embarrassing pictures of him, and I'll do the honors."

"No, you will not. Go away." Liam wraps an arm around me, and I bite back a laugh as he guides me further into the house.

We pass two other nurses but the house seems empty for the most part. It isn't until I hear the music and laughing that I realize where everyone is. We walk into a room filled with instruments. A few nurses in scrubs sit around four older ladies who are with, I'm assuming, their family. One of them turns to us as we walk in, and from her face alone, I know she's Liam's mom.

Even if she didn't have his blue eyes and blonde hair I think I could still tell this was her. Liam is her spitting image.

"Liam! I didn't know you were coming!" She rushes over to us and when she pulls Liam in for a hug he briefly closes his eyes and my heart aches at how happy he looks to simply hold her.

"I wasn't going to miss your performance." He pulls away, and she smiles up at him. "Capri tells me you haven't been practicing, cocky if you ask me."

She laughs before shoving her son playfully. "I didn't want the competition to hear me. Lucy copied me at the last talent show." She looks off to the side at an older lady in a yellow cardigan before rolling her eyes.

"What an asshole," Liam adds, and my jaw drops.

"Hey," She swats her son's arm. "Watch your mouth. She's a bitch but only I can say so, young man."

"My apologies."

She doesn't seem to pick up on his obvious sarcasm as she nods in approval.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Sage."

I smile sheepishly as they turn to me and she lets out a gasp as she takes my hands and gives my frame a once over. "You're beautiful!" She immediately pulls me in for a hug.

"It's nice to meet you." I voice, and she squeezes me a bit tighter.

"The pleasure is all mine." She gives me a sweet smile. "Have you met the baby?"

She watches me hopefully and I give her a smile before glancing over at Liam. He keeps his eyes on his mom, almost like he doesn't want to look at me. "She did, you were right; Shanti loves her."

I see the pain in Liam's eyes as he lies and I realize now why he hates lying so much. His mom's laugh pulls my eyes to her, and I give her another smile.

"Did she play peekaboo with your hair?" She laughs again, and I force myself to smile.

"She did, she's so cute. God bless her." She thanks me and before she can say anything else someone is calling her over. I let out a breath and when I turn to Liam he's still watching her.

"Sorry about that. I should've warned you that she might–"

"Don't apologize for things you can't control, Lee." I take his hand, and he finally lets his eyes meet mine. "Are you okay?"

He only nods in response, but I make him say it.

"Yes, Dory."

I give him a nod, and we walk over to his mom. The Lucy woman they were talking about is up to perform and we sit around as she walks over to the piano.

Liam's mom lets out a scoff, and when I turn to her, both she and Liam shake their head at something. Liam bites back a smile and looks over at me to explain. "She was talking shit about her all week and complaining about how she knew she was going to play something on the piano."

He glances over at his mom, but when he realizes she isn't listening, he goes on. "She thinks only people who know how to play well enough should use it."

I bite back a laugh and we watch as Lucy starts. She plays beautifully but misses a few keys and Liam's mom sure does notice. "Amateur." She mumbles to Liam and my eyes slightly widen at how mean she is.

"Tell me about it." Liam rolls his eyes as he entertains her, and I have to bite my tongue not to laugh at them. When Lucy finishes, we applaud her, but Liam only sits there unamused, and his mom claps slowly, and it's very dramatic.

"Aria," Capri warns, and she only puts her hands up in mock surrender. "We are here to support our friends."

"And I have been supporting my friends."

Capri gives her a warning look and I have no idea why she doesn't like Lucy but I can't take this seriously.

"Yeah, Capri. Lucy isn't her friend. She doesn't have to support her." Liam keeps his voice low and with the poor lady being across the room with a hearing aid she doesn't hear them but I still feel horrible.

"Liam." I kick his foot, and he clearly fights back a smile.

"Why do you like making my job so hard?" Capri looks at Liam like she's genuinely confused, and he only laughs at her. "Aria, it's your turn."

His mom rises proudly and walks over to the piano.

"What was that about?"

Liam shrugs before wrapping an arm around me. "My mom is kind of mean. It's fun to join in on it."

I elbow him, and he glances down at me.

"What? It's not like we're actually bullying these people for their lunch money or something."

"You're horrible."

He tells me his mom is worse but I surprisingly don't doubt it. I lean into him as we watch his mom play the piano, and I know I thought Lucy was good, but she really is an amateur with the way Aria plays. Her hands move so gracefully across the keys and she doesn't even look at a music sheet as she plays.

The song grows more intense and it's as if she is telling a story with how the tempo speeds. I feel myself growing anticipated as I watch her hands fly across the keys only for her to slow down again. I glance up at Liam and he's watching his mom like it's the first time he's heard her play.

When the song finishes, we stand to applaud her, and she only sits there with a proud smile on her face. "So, who won tonight's talent show?" She voices, and Capri lets out a sigh from beside us.

"We're all winners."

Aria rolls her eyes before walking over to us, and Liam wastes no time as he leans over to her. "She's just saying that to make everyone feel better. Clearly, you won."

"That's what I'm saying." She rolls her eyes and I can't stop myself from laughing at them. She ends up calling Capri over and I feel bad that she has to deal with these two for a living.

"I won't tell anyone. Just tell me who really won." Aria urges.

Capri watches her for a beat before glancing over at Liam and shaking her head. "You won, Aria. With your years of experience, that wasn't even a question."

She hums proudly before nodding to herself. "Liam, you should play a song."

"No, thank you." He counters, not even giving her suggestion a thought.

"You haven't practiced all week, Liam. How do you expect to be ready for the musical if you don't practice?"

I'm not sure what she's talking about, and I'm not sure if anyone else does, but we don't question her.

"I don't need prac–"

"Liam." She gives him a warning look and I feel my brows raise at how quickly he shuts his mouth. "Practice for an hour then you can go out with your friends."

"Mom–"

"Now."

He looks over at me, and I nod for the piano. "Listen to your mother, Liam."

A smile grows on his pretty face. "Oh, don't fucking—"

"Excuse me?" His mom steps in front of him with her arms crossed. "Don't speak to her like that."

I smile at him from over her shoulder. "Yeah, Liam. Don't speak to me like that." I try my hardest not to laugh, and he looks like he's going to make me pay for this, but it's too easy.

"You can forget about seeing your friends for your language. Go practice for the musical." His mom flops onto the couch but keeps her eyes on the piano like she's planning on watching him practice.

"You're so lucky she's watching," Liam mumbles as he passes me, and I break into a laugh.

He sits at the piano before glancing over at his mom, but she only nods, and he lets out a sigh before he turns back around. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but when he starts flipping through the music sheet in front of him and actually plays, my jaw drops.

"He can play the piano ?"

Capri laughs from beside me, but I can't shake off the shock. "He was in the Winter musical every year from sixth through twelfth grade. That's what she was talking about before."

"He was a theater kid?"

Capri tilts her head back with a laugh and I also laugh at the idea. There's nothing wrong with being a theater kid. I actually think it's cool, and everyone who can play an instrument is superior, but it's hard to imagine Liam as a theater kid.

"Oh, don't let him hear you saying that. He almost fired me when I said that. He was not a theater kid. He only played the piano in a few musicals."

I turn to Capri, and she smiles over at me.

"His words."

We share another laugh and I get out my phone to record him play. He plays one song for a solid three-ish minutes and it's like he went somewhere else as he plays. His mom ends up getting up and giving him tips about a mistake I couldn't even hear.

She makes him do it again, and he has to restart twice when he messes up, but he gets it. I clearly don't have a musical bone in my body because it sounds the same every time he plays, but he gets her approval once he finishes.

"And you said you didn't need to practice." She rolls her eyes. "Shanti can play better than that."

"That's hard to believe since she can't read a music sheet yet, but okay." Liam rolls his eyes, but I can tell they're joking again.

"You know," His mom turns to him with a smile. "I think she's going to have perfect pitch."

I feel my smile slowly fade at the hope in her eyes, and I hate that she lost her baby girl.

"You thought the same for me."

"Yeah but Shanti is just perfect, she'll have perfect pitch." His mom nods like she's certain, but Liam looks offended now.

"Wow, she's just perfect ? What am I?"

She quickly realizes her mistake and hugs Liam, but he rises from the piano. "You know that's not what I meant. You're perfect, too, sweetie."

"Nope, she's your favorite, I understand." He walks off, and she laughs at him as she turns back to the piano. When he reaches me, I smile up at him, and when he turns his head to the side, I know he can see right through me.

"If you're going to get sad every time she brings up my sister then we may as well leave now."

"No, I'm fine."

He lets out a breath before pulling me in for a hug, and we sit on the couch while his mom plays another song.

"You were a theater kid?" I glance up at him, and when he closes his eyes, I let out a laugh.

"Capri is fired."

"She didn't even say anything."

"Bullshit."

I only laugh harder and he pulls me closer before kissing the side of my face. I force him to show me pictures and he says he doesn't have any so I call over Capri.

"She doesn't have any." Liam tries to get out of this, but it's no use because I'm determined.

"Of course I do." Capri flops next to me and pulls out a phone that clearly belongs to his mom since the lock screen is Liam holding a baby girl.

"Wait, let me see that."

She tilts the phone back to me, and I swipe down to look at the lock screen again. Liam is in trunks by a pool, and he looks so different without all of his tattoos. He only had one on his arm, and I realize this is his first tattoo, the one he hated.

"What was that tattoo supposed to be?"

"I don't even know." He shakes his head disappointedly, and I break into a laugh before looking back down at the picture. His sister is sitting on his knee in a bright yellow bathing suit, and they look so happy.

"It was her birthday."

I glance over at Liam, and he has his eyes on the phone.

"I almost drowned because she jumped into the deep end, and I was struggling to swim while trying to hold her." He shakes his head, and I smile at him.

"I held her above my head as I was underwater, and when the lifeguard finally grabbed her after I was about to pass out, she was fucking laughing at me."

"The lifeguard?!"

"No, my sister. I swear she did that shit on purpose."

I break into a laugh, and Liam joins beside me. "She kept walking on the edge to scare me and would pretend to jump in, just to see me lose my shit."

He smiles at the memory, and I only laugh harder. "She sounds hilarious."

"She was." He pulls in a breath, and I feel my smile start to fade as I look back down at the phone. Liam kisses my cheek before taking the phone from me. "If I show you pictures from the musical, you have to promise not to send them to yourself."

I cross my fingers before giving him a smile. "Promise."

He studies me for a beat, and I keep my smile in place. "Let me see your hands."

I burst with a laugh before burying my face in his chest.

"You're the worst liar I've met." He tickles my side, and I laugh harder as I try to squirm away.

"Let me have three pictures of you as a kid."

"No."

"Two."

"No."

I give him a bored look, but he returns it. When I notice his mom making her way over to us, I give her a smile as I wave her over. "Aria, I was just asking Liam for some baby pictures, and he said he didn't have any?"

"I'm going to–"

His mom cuts him off before he can finish his threat. "I have plenty. Here, let me see that." She reaches for her phone, and I snatch it from Liam and hand it to her as she sits next to me. She shows me way more than I wanted to see and sends me all of her favorites, which are almost all of them.

Liam's entire face turns red more than once, and when I tease him about it, he says he's hot and not blushing.

"Sure you are."

"Shut up."

I bite back a laugh as he pulls his hoodie over his head. I almost turn back to his mom, but my eyes land on the necklace around his neck. I reach for it and a smile touches my lips at the Dory charm he's wearing.

I move the charm between my fingers, and there's also half a heart next to it. I glance down at the charm bracelet he gave me, and next to my Dory charm is the other half of the heart he's wearing.

I bite my cheek so hard I'm surprised I'm not bleeding. When I look back up at Liam, he's already watching me. "How long have you been wearing that?"

"Since I bought it."

I glance between his eyes and with the way he watches me I feel my entire body flush. I turn back to his mom but can't seem to wipe my smile.

We spend the rest of the night with his mom, and Liam seems to be holding his breath more the later it gets, but his worry is for nothing because she seems fine the entire time. She tries to get me to spend the night and voices how Liam can't share a room with me, and I have to bite my tongue so as not to laugh at the way Liam teases her.

"She likes sharing a room with me."

His mom sends him a glare before her brows raise. "Do not tell me you've been having sex in my house, Liam."

He bites back a smile before kissing her head. "Of course not, mom. I'm a virgin."

A snort escapes me, and he sends me a teasing grin.

We hug his mom goodbye, and I smile at how light he seems on the drive home. His hand lands on my thigh as we pull up in front of his penthouse, but he turns to me before stepping out.

"Do you want to know about my sister?"

A smile touches my lips because he's trying. "Only if you want to tell me."

He tells me he does, but it takes him a minute to find the right words.

"She passed away really young… she was three."

I feel my breath get caught in my throat, but I only hold his hand and hold my emotions back as he goes on.

"She was being fussy all day and would only let me hold her." He shakes his head at something before facing forward and glancing out the window. "It was New Year's Eve and everyone was raving about this party some girl was having." He's quiet for another minute and I bring his hand to my lips before kissing him softly.

"My mom asked me to stay, but I wanted to go to that stupid fucking party."

I force the lump down my throat, but he sounds like he's in so much pain. I almost tell him he doesn't have to finish his story, but he looks like he needs to as he goes on.

"Shanti started crying when she saw I was leaving, and I felt bad leaving her, but I thought she'd settle down after a while." He shakes his head before his eyes fall shut. "My dad-" His voice breaks, and I blink away the stinging in my eyes.

"You don't have to finish, Lee," I whisper, my mouth still against his hand.

He takes in a couple of breaths before shaking his head. "He had really bad anger issues." He looks over at me now, and it's a little dark in here, but I swear I see tears forming in his eyes, and it breaks me. "If you thought I had anger issues, his was out of this fucking world. He'd black out and rip things apart."

I don't like where this is going.

"She kept crying and crying, and he snapped."

I go still, almost afraid to breathe.

"He hit her once, right on her tiny head, and just like that, I lost my sister. I'm pretty sure he blacked out since he looked shocked as they put him in the back of a police car… he killed himself a few days later. " He brings his other hand to my cheek before wiping my tears. "If I didn't go-"

"Uh uh." I cut him off before grabbing his other hand. "Do not blame yourself for that, Liam. Absolutely not."

A bitter smile touches his lips at my tone, and I lean forward to kiss him.

"Nothing I can say can bring her back or make you feel better, but it wasn't your fault, and you are not your father. You have some… slight anger issues."

He laughs softly before wiping his cheek.

"But you sure as hell do have control over it. You're even in therapy!" I remind him. "You're not like him."

Clarity fills his eyes, and he lets out a scoff.

"What?" I cup his face.

He holds my hand as he shakes his head. "It's something my therapist and I were talking about… I've been so angry at myself for being like my dad, but I'm not him." He says it as if he's just realizing that now.

"Of course you're not, Liam."

He looks between my eyes, tears welling in his again. "It feels like that sometimes… Like I was just as responsible for killing her."

I shake my head and wrap my arms around him when another tear falls. "You're not a bad person for going to that party." I pull away for a small kiss before leaning my forehead against his. "You're not a bad person in general. You're perfect, and before you disagree, don't waste your breath because you're perfect to me. You're loveable, Liam. You're worthy of love and everything else you could wish for."

"I only want to be worthy of you."

"You are especially worthy of me." My lips meet his, and I tell him I love him in a different way.