“Son, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, your mom or Paige. Even the triplets. I missed your first ten years and will continue to make up for it until I die. So, if this radio thing is causing you stress at work, I’ll quit.”
Noah stares at me for a long moment and then slowly shakes his head. “No, I can deal with it.”
“What about Mack?”
“Would you quit for him?”
I think about it for a moment and then shake my head. “I love the kid, but no, I don’t think I would.”
“Yeah, you don’t need to do that. If it becomes an issue, I’ll take care of it.”
“Or . . .” I start to say but wonder if I should shut my mouth.
“What?”
I lift my shoulder and grin. “Or we tell Elle and the next time she’s at a game, we unleash her.”
Noah laughs hard. “I love her, but man, she scares me sometimes.”
“She’s the best.”
Bex hasthe board lit when I come in. Paige is in her corner with her headphones on. She lifts two fingers without looking up, telling me what Bex is about to do.
The light goes red.
“Thank you for being here with me. Before I sat down, I stopped at my son’s house and helped him with a small project. It was probably something he could’ve done himself, but he called and asked me to come over. It was nice to pretend I was needed.” I laugh and look at Bex who points at me and then the board.
“Good evening, you’re on The Love Line with Liam.”
“Hey, Liam. I’m a first-time caller and not really a listener of your music.”
“No worries, my man. What can I do for you tonight?”
“Ugh . . .” he groans into the phone. “I’m getting married in three weeks, but I just found out that my best man—the man who has been my best friend since elementary school—slept with my fiancée.
“There’s no wedding,” I tell him, “Which means there’s no problem I can fix for you tonight. That man showed you who he was while you still had time to not marry her in front of everyone you know. Be furious. Then, when you can stand it, be grateful.”
I disconnect the call and take a deep breath. There was no right answer for that one. I glance at Bex, who gives me a thumbs up.
My next call is a couple fighting over whose mother gets them at Christmas, both of them on the line, both certain they’re right. I make them trade. “His mother this year, hers next, and whoever complains first does the dishes at both.” The wife laughs. That’s the one I was after.
“You’re on The Love Line with Liam.”
“Hi, my wife wants a dog and I don’t,” the man says.
“I get it,” I tell him. “I had a cat when I married my wife. The cat hated me but loved our son. Now, my son has a dog, and I love the dog. That doesn’t help you, now does it? But here’s the thing, when I go to their house or they come to mine, the dog is the first one to greet me. Her tail is always wagging and she needs ear scratches. So, this really isn’t about the dog,” I tell him. “It’s never about the dog. She wants something in that house that’s glad to see her every single time she walks in the door. Be that or get the dog.”
“You’re right,” he says. “I can’t remember the last time I met her at the door. I’ll try that. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Good luck.”
A teenager calls on the sly, voice low, and wants to know if it’s normal or common that her parents fight every night. Bex flags it and I take it slow. “Common and normal aren’t the same word,” I tell her. “Here’s what I need you to hear. This isn’t yours to fix, and it isn’t yours to carry. Is there a grown-up you trust? A grandma, a teacher, somebody’s mom?” She says yes. “Then talk to them. Tonight, if you can. You don’t have to hold this by yourself.”
Then the night turns.
Bex signals at another line. A man, middle of his life, the words coming slow and heavy. “Liam, I haven’t spoken to mybrother in fifteen years. We went into business together. It went bad. We both said things you can’t take back. Fifteen years. Our kids have never met their cousins.”
“Who was right?”
