Michael Daron isn’t playing games with me. The way that he set me up, well, damn. All that I can say is that I admire his dedication to ruining my life. Because his plan has successfully been completed, going off without the slightest hitch. He’ll be the one, ready and waiting to scoop his daughter up, and remind her why girls like her don’t mess around with guys like me. Guys like me equal heartbreak. Even though, on my own free will, I could have never caused her this kind of hurt.
I know, in this instant that I’ve made a deal with the devil himself. Trading Abby’s heart for my freedom is fucking cruel, and never what I intended. But her father has made sure that I had no choice in the matter. I could take my chances in court, on this bullshit case, but I already know how things like that turn out for guys like me. It doesn’t matter that I’ve never done a drug in my life, nor that I’d never for a second using them to enhance my performance in the ring. He knows that he’s got me, and he knows that I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect my family.
He’s playing dirty, that’s for sure. And he’s got me right where he wants me. So, even as my heart shatters into a million pieces in my chest, I focus on the bag. Always on the bag. I don’t look towards the now howling woman who is still pleading for me to look at her. To listen to her. To at least have the decency to look her into the eyes, while I break her fucking heart.
“Look.” I finally manage to swing my eyes her way, but I last less than a second before having to pull them away. Her face is red and her eyes are wild. Tears stream down her cheeks, and as she wipes them away, the blood from her hand smears across her beautiful features.
Even like this, even in this moment, in all of her brokenness, she’s the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever laid eyes on. She still owns every bit of my heart, and I know that deep down, she will always be my greatest fucking weakness. I focus on a spot on the mat right in front of her, staring at it and forcing the words to leave my lips.
“It was fun, alright? We had a good time together. We got to fuck a lot, and that was fun. But if you honestly thought that we would end up together in the end, princess? You’re sadly mistaken. I’m not your knight in shining armor. I’m the devil that you danced with in bed. And now, it’s high time that I taste what else is out there for me. I’m bored of you, Abby. I didn’t want to have to say it, but, fuck it. There it is. Life with you is boring. I need excitement, and honestly, I need someone in my bed who is actually on my level. I’ve done the vanilla shit with you long enough. I’m over it. You need to go.”
“I hate you.” Her voice shakes, but no longer are there tears streaming down her cheeks. “I fucking hate you, Liam Worth. You are the biggest mistake I have ever made.”
She turns around, and marches towards the door. I can’t pull my eyes away from her; my breath continues to leave my lungs in a pant until the door finally slams shut. It’s only then, that the wail I had been holding onto leaves me. And as I sink to my knees, completely and utterly gutted, I realize that I will never be the same.
I will never stop loving Abby Daron.
This is where, my love story surely ends.
24
Abby
The rain is pounding against my back. I’m terrified. Terrified for my fucking life. How could the truth hurt so fucking badly?
My own mother did this to me? Jesus, it’s all just too much.
I hear Liam’s voice, shouting out my name, but I don’t stop running. My feet move faster as I twist around the trees.
I’m not dressed for running, but my legs move amazingly fast. Too soon, though, I realize that the slick ground underneath me is not meant to save me. Before I can stop myself, my feet slip out from underneath me, and as I fall down the hill, heading straight towards the water, the sickening thud of my skull ricochets through my ear drums, right before everything goes black.
25
Liam
“Any updates?” Luke sinks down into the chair next to me, but all that I can do is shake my head.
“No. Scans aren’t back yet.”
Michael Daron paces in front of me. Luckily, he didn’t call his wife to let her know about Abby’s accident. Thank God for that. I’m not trying to get arrested tonight. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is. It’s hard enough to even tolerate him being here, let alone, even have to dance with the idea of dealing with Summer Daron as well.
“This motherfucker.’ Luke glances up at him, with murder in his eyes. “Are you responsible for this too, bitch?”
Abby’s father turns his eyes towards my brother, narrowing his eyes at him as Luke just grunts.
“When she wakes up, I’m telling her.” His glare moves between both Abby’s dad and me. “And I don’t give a fuck if you guys don’t want her to hear it. She deserves to know what really happened to her, Liam. She deserves to know what he did to you, to make you break her fucking heart.”
“I’ll tell her myself.” Michael’s voice booms loudly in the narrow hallway. “Alright? I’ll tell her. It’s high time that I did something right for my daughter. She deserves better than I’ve given her, but I want to do better, ok?”
“It’s a bit late,” Luke mutters, slamming his body back down into the chair next to me. “I don’t know how you can even stand to be around this chump.”
“I don’t care about him.” Honestly, I don’t. My mind is already too consumed, worrying about Abby.
It’s only then that the doctor walks around the corner. The three of us immediately stand.
“Good news.” I immediately relax. “The scans are back, and there is no signs of bleeding in her brain, nor any areas of swelling. She’s slowly beginning to regain consciousness, but we need to keep the stimulus in her room very low. For that reason, I’m requesting that once she is moved up to a room, you three gentlemen go home for the night. The entire emergency room can hear you shouting at each other. That’s the last thing she needs right now.”
“We’ll be quiet,” I urge him. “Please, don’t send us away. None of us are willing to leave until we know that she’s ok.”
“Fine. But the nurses upstairs will not tolerate any of this behavior. Consider this your one and only warning. Once she is in her room upstairs, you may visit her. That should be in about an hour.”
“Thank you, sir.” I nod at him and then turn towards Luke. “Can I trust you to keep your cool if I ask you to stay here and keep an eye on him?” I nod towards Abby’s dad, who rolls his eyes.
“It’s fair, actually.” Luke glares at him. “You obviously can’t be trusted to keep your own daughter safe, so yes, Liam.” He turns back to me. “Yes, I will sit right here, and make sure this piece of shit doesn’t get anywhere near her. At least, not alone.”
“Thanks.” I squeeze his shoulder and then head upstairs, to check on my daughter.
But when I walk into Letty’s room, I don’t find her in the bed, where she usually is, either playing on her phone, or reading a book. Instead, I find her staring out of the window, watching the rain splatter down against the window. As I approach her, I see that she’s been crying.
“Letty?” My heart stills in my chest. “What’s the matter?”
“Liam.” She turns to me, her eyes widening in surprise. “What are you doing here? You said that you’d be back in the morning.”
“I know.” I sigh, debating only for a moment whether or not to tell her the truth. I’m so sick of lying and trying to twist the truth. Within seconds, the entire story spills out of me.
I tell her about showing up at the park today where I planned on saying goodbye to Abby’s memory forever. But then, I tell her about running into Abby’s dad. I skate over the part about the past, because she already knows it. Letty knows everything about me. She’s always known everything about me.
She’s my best friend. A very fucking complicated friend, but, nevertheless, the best one I’ve ever had. When I tell her about Abby showing up, overhearing some of what was said, and then, the rest of what happens, much to my s
urprise, she nods in understanding, and then motions for me to sit down.
“What’s up, Letty?” The way that she’s acting has me on total edge. “You’re making me nervous, here.”
“Just, for once in your damn life, Liam, please sit down.”
I do as she asks, mostly because, I’m about all out of fight right now. The events of today, fuck me, the events of my life have all just been too much. I’m overwhelmed, my emotions are all over the place, and I’m so close to the edge of losing my shit, that I hardly even know what to do at this point.
Her eyes fix on mine, as she lowers herself into the seat across from me. When she reaches forward, taking my hand in hers, I watch as she takes a deep breath, and then squeezes my hand tightly.
“You are the best man that I have ever known, Liam Worth.”
“Letty…” I know where she’s going with this, but I need her to stop.
“No, Liam, don’t interrupt me. I need you to hear me out.” Her eyes are pleading on mine, and so I do as she asks, even though, I really don’t want to hear what I know is coming next.
“You are a part of every good memory of my life. I can’t even count all of the times that you’ve saved me, even when most of those times, I didn’t deserve it.”
“Don’t say that.” I stare down at her. “You always deserved to be saved.”
“You are the only person in my life who would say such a thing, and Liam, my God, I love you for that. But I can’t let you save me this time. I just…I can’t.”
The rug is pulled out from under me, and tears well up in her eyes, and her head falls down.
“I was terrified of being a mother. When I found out that I was pregnant, all that I could think about was that I was going to end up being exactly like my own. I envisioned my daughter having to fight to survive her life, because I couldn’t be sure that I could keep on the straight and narrow for her. I ran back to you, because I knew that you would keep me straight. I knew that you would never let me become her, Liam, and I knew that, out of all of the people in my life, you were the only person who would help me raise this child.”
“I still am that person, Letty. I still…”
“Liam,” she shakes her head, her brown curls falling down her back as she does, “I can’t let you do that anymore. At the time, it looked like it would work, and honestly, had Abby never shown back up, it probably would have. But I cannot live with myself, letting you choose my daughter and me over her. That is not fair. It’s about damn time that I do something that is right for the both of us. The only thing right, is to let you go.”
“I made a promise to you, and I’m not breaking it.”
“You promised to help me raise this child, but you never promised me your heart. You can’t give me that. You don’t even have your heart anymore, Liam. For God’s sake, you lost it the day that you met her. And I cannot stand by and be your second choice.”
“I’m not losing you, Letty.” The thought of not having her in my life is too painful to even think about.
“Oh, you’re not going to.” As she sighs, her shoulders relax, and a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth.
“I’m expecting you to still help me with the little girl, Liam. She’s going to need some muscle around town to keep her safe, and who better to do that than her Uncle Liam?”
I don’t even know what to say. I don’t know whether I like the sound of this or not. Yes, I knew that Letty’s baby wasn’t mine. When she ran back to me, she was already two months pregnant. The father left her as soon as she told him. Her heart was broken, and she was beginning to spiral. I immediately became her safety net, the same as I always have been.
But I meant what I said when I told her that I would raise this child as my own. I’ve fallen in love with the little girl living inside of her. The idea of only being an Uncle doesn’t sit well with me.
“I don’t know…” My words die on my lips. My heart feels like it can’t take anymore today. It’s all just too much.
“I do.” She squeezes my hand. “You belong with Abby, Liam. You deserve a fresh start with her. Maybe even a family of your own with her someday. Go to her, go to her now. Tell her everything that she needs to know, but most of all, tell her what she means to you. Continuing to try to fight it is only going to hurt her more.”
I fall into a stunned silence. Honestly, I can hardly wrap my mind around any of it. But then Letty takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. She grabs ahold of me, wrapping me in a huge hug, before pushing me towards the door.
“I’m expecting a call in the morning, Letty. I’m going to be here when you deliver.”
“Oh, yeah.” She smiles. “I know that you will.” Before she shuts the door in my face, she reaches out to me, grabbing my wrist and squeezing it tightly. “That’s what best friends do.”
26
Abby
As my eyes open, I immediately groan. My head throbs as I try to lift it from the pillow, so instead, I just let it flop back onto the bed.
I hear a faint beeping in the background, and then, the mattress beneath me begins to fill with air. Suddenly, I realize where I am, and despite the pain that shoots through me, I pull myself up in the bed, and glance around.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” It takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust, but my body instinctively knows exactly who is sitting next to me. Liam looks absolutely wore out. His eyes are dim, he has day old stubble peeking out of his chin, and his hair looks like he’s run his hands through it a hundred times. Even still, he looks devastatingly handsome. My heart swells at the sight.
“How long have you been sitting there?” My eyes wander around the room as the pain in my head turns to a dull ache. “How long have I been sleeping?”
“At least sixteen hours.”
“Sixteen hours!” I sit straight up in bed, now completely wide awake. “What in the hell happened?”
“You don’t remember?” The panic is his voice is palpable. I take a few deep breaths and close my eyes, trying to collect myself. As I do, the events of last night all come rushing back to me.
Thank fucking God for that.
“Wait, wait.” I run my hand through my hair, trying to get my thoughts in order. “Yes. I do. Oh, God.”
The conversation that I overheard at the park last night hits me like a Mac truck. I remember listening to my dad tell Liam how he benefitted from breaking my heart. I heard talks of money, and then I heard Liam shouting. The rest is basically a blur.
“Abby, lay back, baby.” Liam stuffs a few pillows behind my back. I don’t have much fight in me at the moment, so I do as he says. “When you’re ready, I have one hell of a story to tell you.”
“A story?” I glance at him, watching as he nods slowly.
“Yep. A story. Fair warning, it has a really shitty ending.”
“I figured it might.” I sigh.
“The good news is, though, the story isn’t over yet. There’s still time to change the ending.” He reaches for my hand, cupping it tightly in his.
I immediately feel alive again. As if all that I needed, was to feel his touch in order to survive. The sensation that it gives me, brings me a sense of peace. The fact that the story has a chance for a different ending brings me hope.
I listen intently to him, as he begins again, with the day that we met. Although this time, he doesn’t stop there. I don’t interrupt him, I just let him ramble about, as he tells me how he fell in love with me, how he tried to push me away, and how he quickly realized that he couldn’t. I listen to the best part, the part where we, albeit briefly, lived in peace. But then the story turns, and I hear how we ended. Tears are streaming down my face as he tells me why it happened.
“Oh my God, Liam.” A sob escapes me. “I had no idea.”
“I know.” He runs his lips along my palm. “I needed you to believe that I stopped loving you. You would have never left me, Abs. You would have stayed by my side, and I couldn’t have that. Not just because of what your dad
did. It was because I knew that you wanted to go away to school. I knew that you needed that. You would have settled for life with me, but you had dreams of your own. The only way to force you to follow them, was to make you leave my life.”
“So, the money?”
He grunts.
“I didn’t want anything to do with it. I contacted the school and made a deal with them. The money paid for your first year of culinary school. I knew you’d be set for the rest of the years. You would get another scholarship or something. But it was late in the year, and that money was your only shot at your dream. I’d do it again, if it meant giving you what you wanted. I’d do anything for you, Abby. I’m just sorry that it took all of this for me to finally be able to tell you that.”
“What about Letty?” Her eyes tip towards mine, and I see the hesitation buried inside of them. “What about the baby? Do you have a baby now? Are you…” her voice cracks. “Are you a father?”
“No.” I shake my head. “At least, not yet. Letty’s baby was never mine, Abs. I knew that all along, but I planned on helping her raise her daughter. For a while, I even convinced myself that it was what I wanted. Then you showed back up.”
“Showed back up and ruined everything.”
“Yeah.” My God, I love the grin that explodes on his face. “Something like that. But per usual, you ruined it in a good way.
“So now what?” I roll onto my side, ignoring the pain that shoots through me as I do. My pain is soon forgotten though, as Liam reaches towards me, his finger gently tracing the outline of my cheek. If there were ever a moment that I would want to stay in forever, it would be this one. The way that he stares at me, makes me feel all of the love that I’ve been missing out on for so long.
“Now, I’d like to take all of your firsts.” He leans towards me, pressing his lips gently across my nose, sending shivers down my spine.
Worth Repeating (Worth It All Book 1) Page 17