“That kid,” Liam says, shaking his head fondly and turning to me when Rex spins around to face his friends. “I had the weight of the world on my shoulders when I was his age. I don’t want that for him; he deserves to be a kid for as long as possible. Children already grow up way too fast these days.”
I think of my childhood and the parade of agency-approved babysitters my mom hired for the times I was home between filming. Or the fact she started leaving me on my own the minute I turned twelve while she worked long hours at the hospital. From what he’s told me, Liam spent a lot of time fending for himself as a kid, but he also had the Murphys, plus Nathan and his mom. Rex has all those people and then some to love and care for him.
It doesn’t make the situation any easier, though, and Liam’s right about Rex deserving to have a proper, carefree childhood. We both bear the emotional scars from our own unconventional youth. Maybe that’s part of what drew us together—something in me recognized that same something in him.
“I think it’d help to ease Rex’s mind if he sawushaving fun,” I say. “Between everything happening with his mom and Murph being sick, he must see a lot of serious, tense faces.”
“And equally tense whispered conversations,” Liam says. “I don’t have many memories of my mom having fun. Like Thea, she was barely more than a kid herself when she had me. She always seemed so unhappy, so…heavy.” He frowns, shaking his head as if trying to dislodge his current train of thought. “You’re right. I’m sure it’d help Rex to see us enjoying ourselves.”
“This is the perfect place.” I wave a hand to encompass the room. Music and voices fill the air as people of all ages dance around us or stand in clusters talking and laughing.
“Let’s belatedly leave our worries at the door like we did the night of the tree lighting,” Liam says. His hand tightens on mine a second before he spins me around, making me release a delighted squeal. He pulls me close, keeping my hand in his and gripping my hip with the other.
“I have to warn you, I’m not much of a dancer,” I tell him.
He leans in close and whispers, “Neither am I.” At my laugh, he gives a one-shouldered shrug. “My best bit of advice is to not focus on other people—if they’re watching or what they might be thinking. Take a page from Rex’s book and just dance.” He inclines his chin toward his nephew, whose eyes are closed as he moves to the music, arms pumping at his sides. The kid has very little rhythm, but he sure looks like he’s enjoying himself.
“Sound advice for dancing and for life,” I say.
The sparkly lights and snowflakes turn into a blur of color and glitter as Liam and I dance across the floor. I have no idea how much time passes as we sway and shimmy to a variety of music—mostly pop tunes with some catchy Christmas songs thrown in. The Christmas songs are especially popular with the younger crowd, who belt out the lyrics. My face hurts from smiling and laughing by the time Liam suggests a break for refreshments.
“I’m going to detour to the bathroom first and I’ll meet you over there,” he says.
On my way to the refreshments table, I spot Thea. I’ve been keeping an eye out for her and, while I’ve caught glimpses of her, she always seems to disappear seconds later. I’m about to ask her to join us when she takes off across the room, looking like a woman on a mission. She heads for Rex, who’s talking to a woman I haven’t seen before. She smiles at Thea when she approaches, nodding at whatever Thea says and giving a wave as she walks away.
Rex looks like he wants to bolt. Thea grips his shoulders, likely to hold him in place. She squats in front of him so they’re eye to eye. I can’t see his face clearly as Thea speaks to him, but the tension in his tiny shoulders is noticeable from here. When Thea wraps her arms around him, he stands with his arms at his sides, although he presses his face into her hair after a few seconds. The moment Thea releases him and rises to her full height, Rex practically runs in the opposite direction.
Without hesitating, I cross the room to join her. She jumps when I lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, hi, Joss,” she says, swiping at the tears on her face. She looks so dejected, I want to scoop her into my arms and hold her close. Instead, I pull a clean tissue from my purse and hand it to her.
“Thanks. I’m going to head out now,” she says, wiping under her eyes with the tissue and then dabbing at her runny nose.
“So soon? Are you sure?”
“No.” She lets out a quiet, bitter laugh. “I think it’s for the best, though. I hoped this could be sort of a last hoorah for Rex, you know? Leave him with some fun memories before I go. I’m just making him miserable and that’s the last thing I want. I need to change and finish packing anyway.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
“You’re already doing it. Just keep taking care of my Liams, okay?” At my confused look, she lets out a watery laugh. “You didn’t know? ‘Rex’ is a nickname. His real name is Liam.”
My mouth forms an O while the word itself gets stuck in my throat.
“You’ve been so good for them, Joss. I feel better about leaving knowing you’ll be here.” She reaches out, then hesitates. When I open my arms, she steps into them and gives me a bone-crushing hug. “Make sure you let them take care of you too, okay?” She releases me abruptly and, with a small, pained smile, she turns and disappears into the crowd.
Feeling shaky with emotion, I slip into the bathroom, relieved to find it empty. I lean against the far wall, letting the chilly bricks cool my heated skin. Learning that Thea named her sweet baby after her brother has my heart squeezing with each beat. She loves them both so much and she wants to be the best she can for them; she just happened to get lost along the way. I close my eyes and say a little prayer that Thea finds the guidance and peace she needs.
Back out in the main room, I find Liam and Rex in much the same position as I saw Thea and Rex a few minutes ago. Liam is crouched in front of his nephew, hands gripping his shoulders. I stay out of earshot, watching the interaction. Liam’s back is to me, so I can only see Rex’s face; his expression is unreadable. After a moment, he nods enthusiastically and throws himself into Liam’s arms. Their long, tight embrace has my heart doing that painful squeeze thing again.
After Rex runs off to join his friends, Liam stays crouched on the floor for a few seconds before slowly straightening. I come up behind him and lay my hands on his shoulders, feeling the tensed muscles under his shirt.
Without a word, Liam turns and enfolds me in an embrace. I wrap my arms around him, fisting my hands in the back of his shirt and pressing my face to his shoulder. My intention is to give him comfort, but I quickly realize I need the comfort too. He doesn’t seem in any hurry to let go, so I hold on.
“Did you talk to Thea?” I ask.
“Yeah, she found me to say goodbye.” He releases me slowly, keeping his grip on my upper arms. “I called Nathan to pick her up. People are talking about a storm coming, so they’re going to leave early for Toronto.”
“Are you okay? Is Rex okay?”
