He waved his fork. “Plenty of ways to stay in touch these days. And my schedule is somewhat flexible, so that’s good.”
“Yeah, sure.” What did that even mean? That he would fly here occasionally? He seemed kind of vague about their future. But maybe it was too early in their relationship for permanent plans. Never mind that her feelings had grown deep roots over the past few months. Or the dawning realization that she just might be falling in love with him.
He squeezed her hand. “You’re important to me, Chloe. We’ll figure out the distance thing. I’m not worried about it.”
She could see that. But if she were important to him, wouldn’t he want some kind of plan in place? His response did nothing to assuage the panicked feeling swelling inside her.
Liam’s phone buzzed on the table and he checked the screen again.
“Spencer again?”
“No. It’s my mom.”
She took in his crestfallen expression. “She okay?”
He met her gaze, then his lips twisted. “She’s never really okay.”
He hadn’t talked much about his parents and she hadn’t pried. But they were opening up to each other more and more. “What do you mean?”
He picked at the roll a moment before answering. “I mentioned a while back that she never got over my dad. And she used to have a job at the bank to pay the bills. She did all right. But over the years her drinking has gotten out of control, and she’s had trouble holding down a job. Then my career took off and now she kind of... depends on me, I guess.”
“Financially, you mean?”
Liam gave a nod. “Partly. She checks in on me and she loves me and everything, don’t get me wrong. But you know, I have plenty of money and she is my mom. I don’t mind helping her out.”
Which one of them was he trying to convince? And it sounded as if he was doing a lot more than just helping her out. Her heart clenched. “That’s very generous of you, Liam.”
“Not a big deal. But she’s been asking for more lately—on top of the usual bills.” He made a face. “I feel like an ingrate for even mentioning it. She raised me as a single mom. Maybe she wasn’t, you know, that attentive and stuff, but she took care of me in her own way.”
Chloe studied his expression and saw the little boy who perhaps didn’t get all the love and affection a child should receive. It put a pinch in her chest. Boy, people’s lives were not always the way theyappeared from the outside. “If you’re feeling used or taken advantage of—you have a right to your feelings.”
He offered a smile. “Still, she’s my mom.”
“It sounds as if she needs more help than you can give. Do you think she’s an alcoholic?”
“I do and I’ve said as much. But she either doesn’t believe it’s true or won’t admit it. Whenever I try to talk to her about quitting, I never get anywhere. If she could just get over my dad and move on... I feel like she wouldn’t need the alcohol. It’s just a Band-Aid for her broken heart.”
“That’s really sad. Maybe a steady job would be good for her. She wouldn’t have so much time on her hands. Pursuing other interests could open up a new world for her. Allow her to meet new people, not to mention make a little money.”
“No doubt. But whenever I mention applying for another job, she— Well, it’s not like I don’t have the money to help her out. And being generous never hurt anyone.”
She put her hand on his. “It sounds like it’s hurting you.” And enabling his mom’s addiction. But it wasn’t her place to say so.
He laced his fingers with hers, gazing at her with affection. “You’re really sweet, Chloe. I’m sure it’ll work itself out. Thank you for listening.”
“Parent-child relationships can be pretty complicated sometimes.”
“That’s true.” He tilted his head, studying her. “Your parents seem pretty awesome though.”
“Mom and Dad? Sure.” She took a sip of her mocha. “My real father’s another story, however.”
“You haven’t told me much about him. Just that he’s out of the picture.”
She’d never told anyone except Meghan what had happened all those years ago. There were times she’d wanted to tell Evan, butthat terrible suffocating feeling always stopped her from laying herself open that way. But now, gazing into Liam’s earnest eyes—and knowing a little of what he’d endured—she felt the courage to tell him.
“My dad was a sales rep for some pharmaceutical company, so he was gone a lot. I remember being excited every time he came home. Sean and I would wait in the picture window for him to pull into the drive. Mom let us stay up late sometimes, waiting for him. Sean always gave him one of his stuffed animals to take along on his trip. Being a little older, he has more memories of our father than I do.
“Anyway, one day after he came home, Mom found an airline ticket stub in his pocket—it was for a flight to Hartford, Connecticut, and he’d told her he’d gone to Indianapolis. She confronted him and there was a big fight, and he convinced her it was all a misunderstanding. Sean and I didn’t know these details then—Mom told us when we were older.
