Page 4 of Making the Save

She wasn’t well. She hurt us too. There was a reason she walked away from you.

“I know what happened,” he said, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles were white. “She took off and left me behind. My father used me as a punching bag when he felt like it, until I stole a car to get away. A few foster homes later and I found my way to Calico Cove. That’smyhome. Those people aremyfamily.”

“That’s…I mean, I’m sorry she left you,” Liam said.

“I don’t know. Seems like it might run in the family,” Nick said, turning his focus on Liam.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked, because I did not like Nick’s tone, and brother or not, I would not hesitate to teach him a lesson.

“Wasn’t there a story just a year ago about a woman telling everyone you abandoned her when she was pregnant with your kid?” Nick said, with a raised eyebrow.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I growled.

Liam put a hand on my arm, telling me to keep my shit together.

“Yeah, it was a story,” Liam said, and I could still hear the sadness in his voice, because at the time the lie had gutted him. “But it wasn’t true. I wasn’t the father and she just…she needed help. Okay? So I helped her out and now she’s doing better. Lives with her mom, has a good job and is raising her son.”

“You weren’t the father but you helped her anyway?” Nick asked.

“What can I say?” Liam smiled. “I like to help people.”

“Fine,” Nick snorted. “You’re not an asshole. Now if we’re done here…”

“We’re not done,” I said. This was not going the way it should and I didn’t know how to get it back on track. Wing it? That was a terrible idea. “I get you’re hurt. Pissed even. But this is shit you need to hear.”

“You don’t know fuck all about me,” Nick snapped. “Look, I came, I met you. You let me know she’s dead. I assume that’s why you wanted to meet? Mission accomplished. We can forget this ever happened and just go one with our lives.”

“Not going to happen. You may not like it, but we’re in your life now and we’re staying there,” I said. If Liam had charm and a smile, I had pure determination and hard-headed stubbornness. It wouldn’t win any prizes, but it worked in a pinch.

“You don’t get it. I don’t want any part of the two of you,” Nick said. “Glad it all worked out for you both, but I don’t need you. Because it all worked out for me too. I have amazing parents. Siblings. A thriving business…”

“You got kids?” Liam asked. “Fuck! Am I an uncle?”

“No.”

“A woman?” I pushed.

Nick paused.

Oh… there’s absolutely a woman.

But Nick said: “No.”

I nodded, I wasn’t going to push on that particular button. “It’s not about needing anything or wanting for anything. It’s about fixing something that was broken. That’s what Mom wanted. That’s what we’re going to do.”

“I’m not some fucking missing piece of your life puzzle. I said we’re done, and we’re done.”

With that, Nick slid out of the booth, stepped over Liam’s leg and didn’t look back.

“Well, that didn’t go well,” Liam said, after the door Nick had sprinted out of had shut behind him and the bar was dark again.

“He’ll come around,” I said. The beers were delivered. Cold lager, spilling over three pint glasses.

“Again, Wyatt. Just saying it…”

“Doesn’t make it so. I know. You’ve said.”

“He wants nothing to do with us. I mean, I can’t say I would feel differently if I was him.” Liam took one of the glasses and drained half of it. Clearly, still on his high from the Bruisers winning the Cup.

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