Page 83 of Something Forever

The buzzer sounds again, jolting me.

“Who is it?” Liam asks from the dining room.

My throat tightens. She’s done this before. Showed up out of the blue and crashed on my couch. We usually end up arguing the whole time and then she’ll ask me for money and slip out in the middle of the night.

How do I play this? It’s not like I can just ignore her or send her away.

“It’s my mom,” I hear myself say.

“What?” Liam responds.

“Wow, our first joint family meal!” Andy exclaims.

“I’ll go down and get her,” I say, reaching for my shoes.

Liam crosses the room and stands in front of me. He lowers his head, dropping his voice. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “She’s a wildcard. Sometimes she just shows up like this. Shit.”

Liam drops his hand over mine, bringing my eyes up to his. “Hey, it’s alright. Take a deep breath.”

I do as he says, inhaling and exhaling, reveling in the feeling of us breathing together. It reminds me of our flight to Vegas

“I’ll be right back,” I say, squeezing his hand in gratitude.

As I descend the stairs, I try to figure out what to say to my mom. What the hell is she even doing here? I should be used to her showing up like this by now, but her timing could not be worse. I open the door to the building, finding her leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

“Mom. What are you doing here?”

“Peanut!” She drops the cigarette on the floor and throws her arms around me. “I had to come. You drop the bomb that you’re married and don’t expect me to come?” She eyes the stairwell. “You gonna let me in or what?”

Sighing, I hold the door open and lead her upstairs. “We’re right in the middle of dinner. Liam’s dad is here,” I tell her.

“Who’s Liam?”

I swallow. “My husband. Liam.”

The words still feel strange on my lips, like they can’t be real. Somewhere though, underneath that strange feeling, there’s a warmth at the way it feels to claim Liam as mine.

I bring Caroline upstairs, and the next few minutes involve awkward introductions and forced laughter. I’m almost thankful that Andy is here because his positive attitude and chattiness seems to be keeping this conversation alive. Liam is cordial but quiet as the four of us eat sushi together.

It doesn’t take long for my mom to start drinking. She’s telling Andy stories about being on the road, and they aren’t the most dinner-table appropriate. Every time I try to direct the conversation to something safe, my mom ignores me. Liam is no help. He’s more reserved than usual, staring down at his plate, his jaw locked.

When my mom spills her soy sauce on Andy’s pants and offers to “clean it up”, it’s the final straw. Unable to take it any longer, I push my chair back and stand. “Mom, can I talk to you for a minute in the other room?”

She turns to me, surprised. “Sure thing, peanut.”

“Excuse us for one minute,” I say, avoiding Liam’s gaze. I can feel his eyes on me as I stomp down the hall to my room, my mom trailing behind me. I let her in and take a deep breath, closing the door.

“What are you doing?”

She blinks at me. “What? What’s wrong, nut?”

I shake my head. “You’re being flirty and inappropriate. Andy is married, mom,”

She shrugs, rolling her eyes at me. “Lots of supposedly married people ‘round here. Pretty silly if you ask me.”

I will myself to stay calm, not wanting to get into a full-on screaming match with Liam and his father right down the hall. “If you’re talking about me and Liam, just leave it alone.”

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