Wrapped in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  He couldn’t fix it.

  But maybe he could help her feel better.

  He just needed to stay out of her way while he did so.

  But before he could think more about that, his doorbell rang. He frowned. The only person he wanted to see right then was Arden, and he knew for a fact that it wasn’t her. There was no way she would have made it all the way over to his house by then, and he had a feeling she wanted to hide how she was feeling from him anyway. Because why would she want to lean on someone when she had herself?

  And because that sounded a little bit too much like his attitude, he went to the door and pulled it open quickly without looking.

  “Oh,” he said, the breath virtually knocked out of him.

  “Oh.” Timothy Montgomery, the man Liam had called “Father” all his life, pinched the bridge of his nose and then shoved past Liam into the house.

  “Why don’t you come on in? Sure, make yourself at home.”

  “You know what? You can stop with the attitude.”

  “Seriously? This is my house.”

  “And I’m your father.”

  “No, you’re not? Didn’t we already learn that?”

  “Oh, grow the fuck up, Liam.” Timothy started pacing around the living room, and Liam just stood there, shocked. They yelled at each other, but not like this. Usually not with so much emotion. Generally, it was to let off some steam, and there was normally something beneath it that said they would always be there for each other.

  But that had shattered. It wasn’t there right then.

  Liam couldn’t even catch his breath.

  “I love your mother. I have always loved her. And I love you, Liam.”

  “I just…” Liam let his voice trail off, not sure what to say.

  “I know this is confusing. And I know we should have found a way to tell you. We just didn’t know how. You have always been mine. Even when we weren’t a hundred percent sure that we were going to get the paternal rights signed over to us, you were mine. The only reason I’m not on your original birth certificate is because we weren’t sure of the legalities of that. And, honestly, we weren’t sure what Steve was going to do. He signed his rights away, and that’s on him. It’s not on you. You were always wanted. By your mother. By me. By everyone else in this family.”

  “It’s just hard to think about. Don’t you get that? It’s just hard to get through it all and not be angry.”

  “You have every right to be angry. You can be mad that we lied. You can be upset that we withheld it from you. But you know we didn’t do it to hurt you. We did it because we didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course, really. You are my son. I held you the day you were born. I was always there for you. Even when you were a little dick when you were a model, or when you were a teenager and stole the car so you could go on a date with that girl named Mindy.”

  “Her name was Maxie,” Liam corrected, smiling at that.

  “Mindy, Maxie, it doesn’t matter. You disobeyed us, and you stole the car. And then it was something that Ethan and Aaron and even Bristol tried to do because their big brother Liam did it.”

  “Don’t know why. I was grounded for like two months.”

  “But their awesome big brother did it, so they needed to try it, too. They have always looked up to you, Liam. They are your siblings. They are your family. They are blood.” Timothy ran his hands over his face and turned away. When his voice cracked, Liam swallowed hard, not knowing what to do or say.

  “I know I’m not blood. I know that I’m not your biological father. My sperm wasn’t part of this.”

  “Really?” Liam said with a snort.

  “What? If you want to talk about how Steve is related to you, it is that clinical. His sperm fertilized an egg. That is the only part of him that is you. I see nothing of him in you. I see your mother. I see your grandparents. I see your siblings. And I even see me, goddammit. I see me in the way you act, in the way you laugh. In how you throw yourself into everything you do. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you. You are my son. You’re a Montgomery. I raised you. Don’t turn away because we were fools.” A tear fell down his face, and Timothy wiped his cheek.

  “I don’t know what else to say. Just don’t let this break us. We’re Montgomerys. We’re strong. We never give up. We never give up on each other. Don’t let this break us.”

  “I don’t know, Dad.”

  His dad’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. “You haven’t used that word since you found out. Dad.”

  “The whole idea that it is just genetics, I get. And I’m never going to come to terms with everything all at once. I’m not that person. I never have been. But I thought I was a Montgomery,” Liam said, his voice hollow.

  “You are.”

  “Then why the lies? I think…I think that’s what hurts the most. The lies.”

  “I told you, we were fools. We thought we knew best. We were wrong. But just know that I love you. Your mother loves you. Your family loves you. When you’re through processing whatever you’re going through in your head, we’ll be there. Your mother will be there.”

  “I don’t hate her,” Liam said quickly. “I don’t blame her for what happened, just what happened after.” His father’s shoulders sagged a bit. Timothy nodded. “Be sure you let her know that whenever you actually talk to her again. Or any of us. I hate seeing my wife like this, Liam. I hate seeing your mom like she is right now. And I know we deserve a little bit of it. But we’ve always been there for you. And we always want to be. So…I’m going now. I just figured I’d barge my way in like any good Montgomery would do and tell you that I love you. If you need to hit me or yell at me or do something else, do it. Just don’t do it to your mom. She’s been through enough. Don’t let this break us.”

  Liam nodded but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t.

  When his dad left, Liam just stood there, looking down at his fists.

  He didn’t blame anyone for how he’d been born. That wasn’t what upset him. It wasn’t like his mom had cheated. Even if she had, he hadn’t been a part of that. That was between his mom and his dad.

  For all he knew, his dad had slept with a bunch of women when they were on their break.

  That wasn’t the problem. It was the lies.

  Sure, they had apologized. At least those Liam had let apologize.

  He needed to figure it all out. But he needed time.

  Maybe then he’d stop acting like an asshole.

  His office phone rang, and he cursed. It seemed like he was never going to have even a few moments to himself so he could think.

  Of course, everything happening all at once helped him to not actually deal with any of his problems.

  As a writer, he kind of liked that.

  It was his agent’s name on the caller ID of his phone, and he answered, a little weary.

  “Yes?”

  “Hey, Liam. Just reading over the chapters. I think I figured out something that can help.”

  “How do you always know when I’m having issues?” Liam growled.

  “Because we’ve been working together for years, and I know everything.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Ah, shut up. But I really think you need to add more about Nash’s family. That might help. Right? If you add more about where Nash came from, it might help you figure out where he needs to go.”

  His agent talked for a bit more, and Liam just grumbled and nodded, even though his agent couldn’t see him.

  When they hung up, Liam looked down at his phone and just shook his head.

  Family. It always came back to family. Because how could you go and look forward when you couldn’t figure out where you came from.

  Well, fuck. It seemed Liam wouldn’t be able to run from his problems. But that didn’t mean he had to think about them right then.

  Instead, he put his phone into his pocket and grabbed his keys. He was going to ma
ke sure Arden was okay. He would at least do one thing right when everything else he was doing felt wrong.

  Because Arden needed him.

  Even if she wouldn’t admit it.

  Maybe if he could at least fix one thing, he wouldn’t have to fix the rest.

  At least, not right then.

  Chapter 14

  Arden slowly made her way to the door, her feet shuffling along the carpet as Jasper pressed into her thigh, helping her stand.

  It wasn’t that he was an actual emotional support dog or a therapy dog, but he was just so loving and helpful that he automatically helped her when she needed it. She knew she should probably get him more training to help her when things got truly bad, but she couldn’t think about that right then. Her mind was a little too fuzzy to think about anything. She didn’t even have the energy to open the door fully or look through the peephole. So she opened it a crack and leaned her head against the cool wood of the door, trying to catch her breath. “Liam,” she whispered, her lips dry.

  “Arden, baby. Dear God.” He pushed his way inside and put his hands on her hips, keeping her steady. Jasper didn’t even growl. Instead, he leaned against her tightly, looking up at Liam as if her dog needed help, too.

  She couldn’t even take care of her dog right then.

  Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

  She just hurt. Everywhere.

  Liam moved one hand up her side to cup her face and then put his thumb on her cheek so he could look into Arden’s eyes. She might have thought it was weird, but everything felt strange just then.

  “What’s wrong? Arden?”

  “I don’t feel good.”

  “No, shit.”

  “I was trying to get ahold of my brothers, but maybe I’ll just call Uber. I don’t know.”

  It sounded like she was in a tunnel. “I think I just need to sleep.” She knew she wasn’t making any sense, and when she found herself leaning heavily into Liam’s side, she heard him curse under his breath. “An Uber?”

  “I need to go to the ER. And I can’t get ahold of my family. Uber or something can get me there. I just don’t want to call an ambulance. I’m not there yet.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? No. I’m taking you. Come on, let’s get to the ER.”

  “No. I don’t want to take your time away. You’re busy and on deadline. And you weren’t supposed to be here.”

  Her eyes weren’t even open, and she was leaning into him even more, the feel of his hand running up and down her back actually painful. She moved away from him, wincing. He narrowed his eyes as she opened hers.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  “My skin hurts. My hair hurts. Everything hurts.”

  Liam searched her face, and he gave her a tight nod. “Okay. You’re going to shut up. I’m here. I’m going to take you to the ER. There will be no calling a rideshare service. Nothing like that. And if your brothers aren’t answering, and they are as overprotective as you say? That means they’re just not near their phones at the moment. Because I know they would be here faster than you could call the next brother if they could. They’re likely just like me when it comes to Bristol. So, I’m here. And you’re going to have to deal with that. We’ve slept together. That means we’re at least sort of friends at this point. More than friends.”

  “I’m so glad that we have a label now,” she said, fading.

  “We don’t. But come on. We’re going to get you to the hospital. Do you have your purse?” She nodded. “Good. Jasper okay here by himself for a bit?”

  “Yeah, I’ll text my brothers.” She knew she barely whispered the words, and he cursed again before lifting her into his arms.

  She let out a gasp, and Jasper barked once but didn’t do it again. Apparently, her dog trusted Liam. That was good because she wasn’t sure of anything right now. Everything hurt. Everything.

  She drifted in and out as Liam got her into his car and buckled her in, setting her purse on the floor.

  Then he went back to the front door of the house, and she heard him saying something to Jasper before he left and locked the door behind him. She blinked, and then he was in the car next to her, pulling out of the driveway.

  “University Hospital the one you want?” he asked. His voice low.

  “Yeah, they know me there.”

  “I am not going to really talk about that. Because I’ll probably get angry. But I’m going to text Bristol when we get there and get you settled. That way, she can come and take care of Jasper if you or she can’t get ahold of your brothers. I’m going to need your key for that, though. You okay with that?”

  Arden leaned her head against the window and nodded. “As long as Jasper’s fine. I don’t care. I’m just tired.”

  “Okay, then. We’ll get him taken care of. I promise you. And you’ll be fine.”

  They sent her back through the waiting room doors quickly and to a bed with an intravenous IV. She didn’t even have to wait. Apparently, the yellow tone of her skin and eyes had scared the nurses enough to hurry things along. To be honest, it scared her, too. Her stomach ached, and her whole body shook, but she wasn’t alone.

  Liam was there. Had been the whole damn time.

  Even when the nurse looked at Arden and asked if she wanted Liam out of the room, mostly because Liam wasn’t her husband or brother or anyone related to her, Liam had simply stood there, unmoving. Yeah, he would have left if he’d been forced to, but she hadn’t wanted him to go. She didn’t want to be alone.

  Maybe that made her weak. But, damn it, she already felt weak enough.

  What more did she need?

  Hours. It took hours, and yet he stayed. Her brothers came, but Liam was always there.

  “We’re going to admit you, Miss Brady. You just keep holding on, and we’ll get you what you need. We’re glad you got here when you did. Lupus is a very serious disease.”

  “She knows that.” Liam growled. “Believe me. She knows that.” Arden smiled and reached out to pat his hand. She couldn’t really do much more than move her fingers a bit because her whole body was shaking, but she was glad that he was there. Even if it was embarrassing.

  Because not only did she have the shakes, and her body was utterly yellow, her stomach also hurt, and she was having digestion issues. Her body seriously did not want to be here right now. Nor did it want Liam to stay. She was pretty sure her system was revolting and never wanted her to be in a serious relationship. Ever. But while most men would have already left, Liam hadn’t. He stayed. The whole damn time. Even when they moved her to her own room and hooked her up to her new drugs that would stabilize her AST and ALT levels, Liam stayed.

  She was worried that she might come to rely on that. And she couldn’t.

  Because what would happen when he left? What would happen when this got to be too much? Because while this was bad, she’d actually had worse.

  And people couldn’t stay all the time.

  “You want another ice chip?” Liam asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “I’m okay. I’m sorry,” Arden said quickly, lowering her gaze. “I’m just sorry that you’re here.”

  “I’m not.” He frowned down at her, even as he leaned closer. “Well, I’m sorry that you’re here. I’m sorry that you’re in so much pain and that your body is being a son of a bitch right now.” That made her smile. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.”

  “Yeah, you are. For now. But this is my life, Liam. This happens sometimes. This is sort of what I’m used to. You shouldn’t have to deal with this. Maybe you should just go.”

  Liam stood up then, keeping his hand on hers as he hovered over her body and narrowed his eyes. “No. Others may have left. I’m not.” That made her flinch, and she closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry. But that’s the truth. I’m not leaving. And I know others in your life left, you told me that. And I get it. Sometimes, things are hard. But I’m here.”

  “It was e
asier for others to go before,” she began, licking her dry lips. She felt better, much better than she had before, but she still just wanted to get this over with. She did not want it to hurt anymore. Not only her body but also her soul.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “I have friends, you know. A lot of friends. Or at least a good circle. But I kept having to say no to dinners and going out. They all went to Disney once, and I had to say no because I wasn’t feeling well. Because I knew if I was out in the sun for four days in July in Florida, I would feel like crap, and it would be worse coming home. I had to say no to birthdays because I wasn’t feeling well. Or if I went when I wasn’t feeling well, people got a little sad or annoyed that I was quiet in the corner. That I wasn’t being my normal, peppy self. I’m not always sick. Well, that’s not true. I am, and I will always be sick. But I don’t always have symptoms. And that’s the difference. Nine times out of ten? I feel okay. Like there’s nothing wrong except some aches. I feel like I could run a half marathon. Okay, maybe not. Maybe just down the block.” She smiled, and Liam grinned, even though it didn’t quite reach his eyes all the way.

  “And then they left?” he asked softly.

  “Yeah, they did. It just… After a while, they stopped asking me to things. Why would they keep doing it if I was just going to say no? Some people moved on, some moved away. Those all started families and got married and had entire lives of their own. It was easy not to look back and think of me. Even Josh.” Arden swallowed hard.

  Liam glared. “Josh?”

  “My ex. We were pretty serious for a while. At least, I thought we were. But he didn’t want a broken bird, as he called it.”

  “Where is he, and can I kick his ass?” Liam growled.

  “No need. My brothers tried to already, but then I pulled them away.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Because I don’t want anyone going to jail for me. But, Liam? It’s hard to be my friend. Or whatever we are since we’re not actually doing labels.” He didn’t laugh. “It’s tough.”

  “Life’s fucking hard. Friendships are difficult. And I don’t know what we are to each other. Because that’s not something we’ve talked about yet. And it’s not something we’re going to talk about right now because you’re in a hospital bed, and I’m pissed off. So, yeah, life is hard, but I’m not going anywhere.”