by Mia Caldwell
"I'll have water too," Liam nodded. "You ladies sit down and chat, I'll bring them out. The food is warming."
I went to the expansive table that was still dwarfed by the size of Liam's apartment. Darkness was starting to close in the windows and Lily and I both glanced nervously towards the elevator.
Dahlia's impending arrival had us both on edge.
I sat down and spread my napkin on my lap. Looking at Lily felt too awkward, especially after all of the energy I had wasted hating and pitying her, so I stared back into the kitchen, watching Liam's deft movements as he opened the chafing dishes and poured the drinks.
Then he surreptitiously turned his back to us. When he turned back, he set a shotglass directly into the sink.
The elevator dinged and I instantly wished I had joined him in downing that whiskey.
Dahlia had arrived.
Chapter Thirty - Two
Her tight black suit was impeccably tailored, but gave her a funereal appearance, highlighting her white hair and pale skin. All she needed was a black veil over her face and she would look just like she was in mourning.
Her black heels clacked against the tile as she strode in like she owned the place, not pausing for a second. She stood in the middle of the great room and let her wrap fall from her shoulders. When it landed on the floor, she looked down at it in surprise, like she had expected someone to be there to catch it.
"Billy, I don't know why you insist on living here," she sniffed by way of greeting. "It's utterly impossible."
"Didn't your driver leave you off in front?" Liam asked. I could hear the tight control in his voice. Like he was already trying to keep from lashing out.
"I don't even want to talk about it anymore," she complained. She turned towards the table and froze.
"Hello mother," Lily rose from her chair.
Whatever emotion I thought I would see on Dahlia's face when she saw her daughter, it wasn't this. It wasn't a mixture of horror and, yes, fear.
Lily quailed away from Dahlia's terrible expression, for a moment looking like a little lost girl. Then she squared her shoulders and mirrored her mother's straight-backed defiance. "You didn't know I was coming tonight, did you." It wasn't a question.
Dahlia seemed to recover. "No. Billy invited me to dinner. I was pleased to get an invitation from my son."
Lily winced visibly and suddenly Liam was there at her side. "We have a lot to talk about, Dahlia. But first, we should eat. The food is warm, help yourself."
I stood up then, and Dahlia seemed to notice me for the first time. "What is she doing here?" she hissed, like I wasn't even there.
"Shay is with me," Liam said tightly.
"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Graves," I said, as sweetly as I could. I was getting better at this whole lying thing.
She glared at Liam. "You invite me over to ambush me like this?"
"Like what?"
"With her...," she waved dismissively at me, "and her?" she hissed in Lily's direction. "Whatever you're up to, I'm not going to be part of it." She turned on her spike heels and made as if to leave.
"Dahlia," Liam bellowed. He seemed to think for a moment, gathering himself, and then he let loose the torrent of words that could no longer be held back. "Lily is not going back to the hospital. You're wrong about her. I'm not committing her and you need to be okay with that."
He folded his arms, breathing heavily. I gave him a slight nod and he nodded back gratefully.
Slowly, Dahlia turned. But instead of looking at Liam, she looked straight at me.
"What, exactly are you up to?" she hissed.
"Me?" My hand went to my chest.
"Setting my son against me this way. What are you after?"
My jaw fell open and I stammered. Liam made a low noise, but it was Lily who spoke up, "Mother, leave her alone. No one is falling for your tricks here. Not anymore. You can't avoid the issue by lashing out at someone who doesn't deserve it."
I looked gratefully at Lily as I sagged back into my chair. My legs didn't want to hold me any longer.
Liam was immediately at my side. "Dahlia, leave Shay out of this."
"That's what I'm trying to do," she cried. "Young lady, you need to leave now. This is not any of your concern."
I rose from my chair, but Liam flung out his arm to prevent me from leaving. "I will not have you speaking to Shay this way." Liam gently pushed me back into my seat. I laid my hand over his arm.
"I'm not speaking to her," Dahlia said loftily. "I'm not interested in airing our family troubles in front of a complete stranger...."
"She's not a stranger...," Liam barked at the same time Lily yelped, "She's better than you!"
Dahlia finally looked her daughter full in the face. And that's when I knew that Lily was stronger than I could ever be. Because she faced her mother down as Dahlia looked her up and down, her expression dripping in contempt. "Be quiet. The both of you," Dahlia's voice was barely above a dangerous whisper and her lip was curled. "You both make me regret ever bringing you into this world." My pulse was beating so hard in my ears that her hateful words were nearly drowned out. I wished they were, so I didn't have to hear what she said next. "So hellbent on tearing down everything I ever worked for! Everything I ever gave you!"
Liam slammed his fist down on the table. "Mother, shut up!" he bellowed.
Her eyes flashed. I will swear until my dying day that she actually looked eager to fight him. Their voices crashed into each other, sucking me down into a whirlpool. I clapped my hands over my ears, but I still could hear Dahlia and Liam shouting over the table at one another.
"...no right to dictate my life...."
"...what I've given you, as my son...."
"No!"
Lily's voice shattered over all of us, stunning us into silence.
Her face was deathly pale but for the two spot of blazing color that flared high on her cheeks. Her voice was low and calm and terrible. "I'm not doing this for a minute longer."
Liam and I both looked at her questioningly, but Dahlia shook her head. "Lily...," she growled in a low, warning tone just as Liam leaned forward, "Doing what?"
"Lying." Her eyes blazed at Dahlia. For one brief moment, the inimitable Dahlia Graves seemed terrified of her frail daughter.
But only for a moment. 'You will not...!" she thundered.
"I'm telling him," Lily cut her off.
"Telling me what?" Liam demanded.
"The truth. The whole truth," Lily panted.
She pushed the chair away from her, scraping it across the floor so loudly she drowned out Dahlia's cry of protest. "So help me God, Lily, I will...."
"You will what?" Lily scoffed as she stood face to face with Dahlia. "You can't do anything worse to me...mother. What, you'll kill me?" She glanced down at the knife by her plate. "That would be a goddamned relief. But you're not allowed to lie to Liam any longer."
"What the fuck is going on?" Liam leapt to his feet, slamming his fists into the table.
Lily looked at him, a mixture of withering pity and exhausted love on her face, "Liam, I'm not your sister," she licked her dry lips. "I'm your mother."
Chapter Thirty - Three
All the breath went out of my body.
Liam was frozen. Only his head moved, shaking back and forth imperceptibly. Trying to deny what he had just heard. "No."
"I am." Lily stepped around the table. "You're my son. Not hers." She blinked and reached out her hand. Liam stared at it.
Then, slowly, he lifted his hand to hers.
Dahlia screamed a wordless, strangled cry, like an animal felled by a bird of prey. The sound of a house of cards falling down around her. She careered off the corner of the table as she rushed around and launched herself at her daughter.
As the two crashed together, Lily somehow wrenched herself free, shoving her mother to the floor.
Then Lily whirled and grabbed her knife.
Liam's anguished shout nearly drowned out my scream of
terror as Lily flew at Dahlia, the steak knife in her fist lifted high over her head.
"Stop!" I screamed. Liam whirled to stop me, but I ducked underneath his arm. I had no idea what I intended to do, but I had to stop her. I had to protect Lily, from Dahlia...and from herself.
I caught her in the shoulder, knocking her sideways. The knife clattered from her grip. "What the fuck are you doing?" she hissed at me.
"Saving you," I snarled, kicking the knife across the floor. It skittered wildly off the foot of the table and slid harmless into the kitchen.
"You stupid bitch," Dahlia hissed. She tried to get up, but fell back with a sharp cry of pain.
"Dahlia?" Liam moved to the crumpled woman on the floor. "Oh shit, Shay, call an ambulance."
"I'm fine," she snarled at him, then went white with pain.
"I think she broke her hip," Lily said, dully. All the rage had gone out of her, and she collapsed back into her chair like a broken down doll.
I whirled and ran for a phone. My own cell battery was run down and I had no idea where Liam's was. Without thinking, I ran down the long hallway that twisted around the great room. The sound of cheering crowds filled my ears and I found myself wondering perversely if Darius had turned up the volume in the media room on purpose. To drown out the noise of the fight.
"Darius!" I banged on the door. "I need your phone! Now!"
The door flew open immediately. "Phone," I ordered. He cocked his head in confusion, but handed it over immediately.
I whirled back and dialed 911 on the fly. "My boyfriend's mother...shit...grandmother might have broken her hip, please come as soon as you can."
The three of them were frozen in a weird tableau of family as I rushed back into the great room. Mother sat on the chair, looking down at her son as he cradled his ailing grandmother in his arms. For a strange moment, everything seemed peaceful.
Until Darius followed behind me.
"Lily?!" His deep bass voice echoed off the high ceilings.
Lily froze. We all froze and turned to where Darius stood stock still in the doorway. He spread his hands in disbelief.
Lily's mouth worked, twisting in silent whispers.
Darius lifted his hand to his face, and for the first time since I met him, he took off his sunglasses.
His eyes were gray. The color of a storm over water.
Liam's eyes.
Lily made a sound like a wounded animal. "Darius? You...Darius?"
"It's me." He opened his arms and Lily went to him, eyes wide.
She suddenly burst out laughing. "You got old!"
He tucked a strand of frazzled white-blonde hair behind her ear. "You're still beautiful," he murmured.
When he kissed her, I turned in shock to Liam, ready to demand an explanation. But from the look on his face, Liam had no more idea what was happening than I did.
That's when I heard the noise. Dahlia, crumpled in a heap, cowering on the floor, hissed like a cat. "What in God's name...?"
But Darius and Lily were too wrapped up in each other to hear her. "You stayed," Lily breathed, touching his face.
"I had to," Darius said, lifting his head and facing Liam, gray eyes meeting stormy gray eyes. "He's my son."
"What?" Liam's voice broke.
Darius looked down at Lily, who nodded slightly. "It's over now," she muttered. "He knows. And she can't hurt us any more."
"Remember all those times you told me you wished I was your father?" Darius's voice caught as he looked at Liam. Their faces were mirror images of shock and grief.
"Yes," Liam choked. I rushed to his side, ignoring Dahlia's hiss. I touched his shoulder and he clutched my hand and nodded at Darius. "Yes of course I remember. Are you really...?"
Darius nodded. "I am." He lifted his chin, letting the fire in his gray eyes declare the truth. "Lily is your mother and I am your father."
Chapter Thirty - Four
The ambulance wailed off into the night, its sirens far below us.
"Darius is taking Lily...your mom...back to his place," I said softly from the doorway.
Liam was lying on his back in the dark of his bedroom. But when he heard my voice, he wordlessly turned and reached for me.
Of course I went to him.
He pulled me next to him, crushing me to his chest, gripping me painfully tight. I buried my face into his chest and just let him cling to me. However hard he needed to hold me, I would be there.
But when his grip only grew tighter, I knew what he needed.
I pulled back. "Sssh," I told him, pressing my finger to his protesting lips. "Just let me."
His gray eyes were watchful and wary as I turned to the walk-in closet. I had to stand on my tiptoes, but I could just pull the box down from the shelf above my head.
When I pulled the silky white rope out, his eyes glittered. "I know what it feels like, " I murmured as I went to him. "Like you're shattered. Like you're going to fall to pieces and you need something to hold you together." I gently wound the rope around his wrist. My movements were clumsy and unpracticed, but he held so still, holding his breath while he watched me secure the knot.
I pressed my free hand to his bound one. "That's what I'm here for. To hold you together." I brushed a kiss against his lips.
And then I wound the rope around my own wrist.
Liam shifted, sitting up straighter. I wound the rope, around and around and around, finishing the knot off with my teeth. I closed my fingers, intertwining them with his, the rope biting into each of our wrists. "Together," I repeated, kissing him again.
He made a low sound. Cupping his hand under my ass, he pulled me to him. "I love you so goddamned much," he snarled. He sounded angry, but the gentle heat of his lips on my neck was anything but.
I moved my bound wrist behind my back, dragging his with me. His free hand caught our bound ones and I was suddenly immobilized. His eyes were only inches from mine, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. "I love you too," I breathed.
He yanked us backward, falling flat onto the bed. We were bound together, not just by rope, but by love as well.
"I love this," he growled into my ear, holding up our wrists, "but I'm going to untie it now."
"Why?" I moaned. I liked the feeling of moving in tandem with him.
"Because," he reached over and deftly picked apart my clumsy knots. "I can't touch you properly without both hands free." He caught up my wrist and kissed the rope burn, smoothing it away with his fingers and tongue.
I moaned a little as I sagged back onto the bed. "Then are you going to tie me up?" I asked, trying to keep the begging note out of my voice.
"No," he said, rolling over on top of me and lifting my shirt over my head. I wiggled down, barely able to move, crushed as I was under his chest, but I was able to get ahold of his zipper.
"If you don't tie me up," I protested, arching towards him, "then I'm going to be able to touch you everywhere."
He pulled back, brushing my hands away form his zipper impatiently. He lifted my skirt and shoved my panties aside, his eyes dark with love and lust. "Good," he exhaled as he freed himself and thrust inside of me. "That's what I want."
Chapter Thirty - Five
"Are you ready for this?"
"I'm not worried about me," I chided Liam. "Question is, how are you?"
He didn't answer, but I could see the slightest tremor in his hands as he turned back to face the mirror. The last button eluded him, and I saw anger cloud his face.
I went to him.
He watched as I buttoned the last two buttons for him and took a deep breath. "It's still not real to me. But I owe it to them to at least hear them out...."
I nodded. "Without Dahlia." Liam's mother...no, grandmother...was still a wild card. She was safely hospitalized now, but the break was clean and she would be healed soon enough.
But that was not what today was about.
We walked together. The fresh morning air felt good on my face and walking next to
Liam felt so good, so normal, that I could almost forget the strangeness of our mission. That is, until we entered the steamy diner and saw Darius and Lily already in the booth.
Seeing Darius without his shades...I wasn't sure I could ever get used to it. But I now at least I knew what he had been hiding behind them....