Chapter 16

When we reached home, the silence was too much to bear. He turned off the ignition and looked straight ahead. He seems to be lost in his thoughts. He is still gripping the steering wheel tightly.

" Ahm, thanks for picking us up, Liam." I broke the silence and stole a glance at him. He looked up for a while, then sighed. He turned to me with a forlorn smile.

" Anytime, babe. You can call me anytime you need my help, alright? Don't run away again or hide. Do not suffer alone, okay? I want you to remember that we are here for you. I am here for you anytime you need me." He told me, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it softly.

I felt the lump in my throat, and my eyes watered. If he only knew. I looked away to blink the tears quickly, then smiled at him and nodded. I opened my door and got out of his car, I was about to grab Sophie from the backseat, but he beat me to it.

" I got her, Bels. I'll carry her inside. You look like you're about to collapse anytime." He said and took Sophie gently in his arms. My daughter is still dead to the world. She probably was so tired.

I opened the front door and let Liam in first. I showed him Sophie's room and helped him tucked her to bed. He was looking down at her and caressed her face, and then he kissed her on the forehead. My stupid heart skipped again, and I was getting choked.

I went out so fast and went to the living room. Liam followed shortly. I felt so awkward and so nervous, I looked everywhere but him. Thankfully, mom came in from the kitchen and saw us.

" Oh, you're both here. Where's Sophie?" She asked.

" She fell asleep on the way home, mom. She was crying non-stop until Liam arrived. She was exhausted right after her tantrums." I explained to her, still not looking at Liam.

" Oh, my poor girl. Okay then, let's have lunch. Liam, dear, thank you for picking my girls up. Please join us for lunch, okay?" My mom touched Liam's arm and smiled at him.

" Ahm, that's not necessary, aunt Carmen. I will have my lunch at home. I don't want to impose on you guys." He replied, scratching the back of his head and looked my way.

" No, mom's right, Liam. Please stay for lunch. It's the least we could do after you went out of your way to pick us up." I told him, finally looking at him, blushing like a stupid teenager.  I offered a smile, but I think it looks like a grimace.

I want to kick myself for behaving like this. What is wrong with you, woman! Stop behaving like an idiot and act normal, for Christ's sake! Liam smiled and accepted our offer. So we all went to the dining room to have our lunch.

Before I can grab my chair, Liam pulled it for me and waited for me to take my seat. Mom was secretly smiling, and I blushed again, murmuring a thank you to him. He just smiled and rounded the table to sit in front of me.

Then I noticed, only two sets of plates are on the table. I looked at my mom with raised brows and asked her with my eyes.

" Oh, you kids, go ahead and eat. I already ate before you arrived. I couldn't wait much longer, hon. I was starving. Go on, help yourselves. I'll go and check on my granddaughter. Enjoy your lunch." She informed us then left us alone in the dining.

I was speechless, and my mouth hangs open. My mom is trying to play cupid, and she was not very subtle about it. I looked at Liam with wide eyes and saw that he was having fun. He is grinning from ear to ear.

" Close your mouth, babe. Insects might get in." He said and chuckled. " Let's eat; honestly, I'm starving." He added, grinning still.

I closed my mouth quickly and started eating, but who am I kidding? Who could eat when it's only the two of us here? It feels like I'm on a date with him.

" Stop looking at me and eat, Bella." He looked at me pointedly and put food on my plate. He then motioned for me to eat, and so I did, reluctantly.

Have you tried eating, but the food won't just go past your esophagus? It was really hard, especially when Liam keeps looking at me. So I tried to have a small conversation with him and asked something I've meant to ask him.

" So, ahm, what happened to your girlfriend? She disappeared this morning." I asked, looked up at him, and looked down quickly when he was about to answer.

" She's just blowing off some steam and went back to New York. We argued last night, and she decided to skip the wedding and go home." He explained, and he seems not bothered at all.

" Oh. So, she won't be at the wedding?" I asked him, surprised that he's not even bothered at all.

" I don't think so, but who knows. Taylor is really unpredictable, and I'll let her be for a few days. She's always like that. I'm getting used to it already." He replied with a shrug and kept on eating.

" How long have you been together?" I asked him curiously and totally ignored my food. It's pointless to eat when I can't even swallow anything.

" Two years and a half. We met in New York when I went to a seminar. She's an aspiring model, and I bumped into her during one of their after-parties." He said and also stopped eating.

" Wow! That long, ha? So, thinking of tying the knot soon?" I asked, trying to brace my heart for his answer.

" Haha, actually yeah. I mean, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't have time to play the field anymore. Taylor has been dropping hints of us getting married, and I was actually considering it. I don't know, we'll see." He replied, looking at me intently.

I grabbed my water and drank the whole glass, suddenly feeling thirsty. The pain in my heart seemed unbearable, and I find it hard to breathe. I smiled and nodded and kept silent for a while. He is studying my face now, and I kept averting my eyes.

" You okay, Bels?" He asked, still studying me. I nodded eagerly, trying to pretend everything is fine. When the truth is, he just pushed that knife in my heart a little bit more.

" Yeah, I'm cool. I am happy for you, Liam. It's very rare to find your soul mate and get to spend the rest of your life with that one special person." I answered with a voice a little too high.  Good thing mom came in and broke the awkward situation.

" Hey kids, are you done with your lunch? Bella, I think Sophie is running a fever. She's a bit warm when I touched her. Can you go and check, dear?" My mom announced, and I am on my feet before she even finished her sentence.

I ran to my daughter's room and touched her forehead. She is a bit warm. I went into panic mode, Sophie rarely gets sick, but when she does, it's always the worst. Liam followed me to the room and sat by the foot of the bed.

" Everything okay, babe? Is Sophie, okay?"  He asked me, touching Sophie's feet. I looked at him with troubled eyes and shook my head.

" I don't know. She rarely gets sick, and every time she does, it's always the worst thing." I answered him truthfully and hugged my daughter.

" You wait here. I'll get my things and give her a check, okay? Don't worry too much. She'll be fine. You have me now, alright? I'll be right back." He stood up and kissed my head before going out of the room.

I looked down at my daughter and caressed her face. She's a little flushed, and her temperature is rising by the minute. I kissed her head and waited for Liam to come back. Thankful that I am now home and not alone in our apartment back in Denver, or I would be a crying mess by now.