Liam's shoulders drop, and I can see him exhale in relief. My heart twists. I need to reassure him and make sure he understands who his father is—a good man to his core—while also letting him know that how his father has treated us is not how you treat the ones you love.
"Daddy loves me, and I love him, but... sometimes, with relationships, love isn't enough. If there's no respect or trust, the relationship won't work. Birdie's Daddy didn't respect her Mama. That's really sad."
"I wouldnevercheat," Liam says suddenly, his voice sharp. "Never. That's... it hurts Birdie really bad."
"Did she tell you that?"
He nods.
"Are you guys good friends?"
His cheeks darken even more, his voice quiet and shy as he admits, "She's... she's my best friend."
"I thought Will was your best friend," I tease gently.
"He is. But, she's..." he sighs, his expression softening, and he shrugs his shoulders. "She's my best friend, too.
"Well, I gotta meet this Birdie!" I say brightly.
"She's coming to my game on Friday," he tells me, lips twitching into a smile he's trying and failing to tame.
"Would you like to introduce me?"
The smile drops. "You won't, like... embarrass me or nothing, right?"
"Well," I sigh dramatically, "I suppose I'll have to leave your baby pictures at home. Ooh, but maybe I'll tell her about the time you ran butt-butt naked outside because you wanted to stay in the pool, even though your lips were blue and you were shriveling up like a prune."
"Mama!" He whines, sounding so much like my eight-year-old and not my almost fourteen-year-old.
"Oh, alright," I relent, smirking at my thoroughly embarrassed, grumpy teenager.
"She's different," he says after a moment, his tone shifting into something serious.
"Different?"
Liam nods, looking irritated now. "Some people make fun of her in school. They call her weird—but she's not! She's just... different."
"How is she different, baby?" I ask gently, surprised at how worked up he is over this.
"She won't look at you when she talks. She hums when she's nervous, and she does this with her hands," he demonstrates, twisting his fingers together. "She says it soothes her. And she doesn't like loud noises."
"And do you defend her when people make fun of her?" I ask, really hoping that he does.
Liam fervently nods. "And Will and the guys on the team. She likes basketball, and she knows a lot about it. We don't let anyone talk bad about her, but sometimes..."
"Kids are mean?" I finish for him, and he nods. "Well, I can'twait to meet this girl," I say cheerfully, making him smile.
"Me too."
"Is it just her and her Mama here?"
"Yeah. They moved last year. Her Mama works at the dentist's office. She's a... the person who cleans my teeth."
"Hygienist?"
"Yeah, that."
The waitress drops off our check with a smile, and I reach into my purse, dropping her tip on the table.
