Page 4 of Family Matters

They would’ve started the spare parts shit again, and Liam doubted he would have ignored their insults and sneers, like he did hundreds, maybe thousands times before, or they would have bombarded with indiscreet questions. Guess what, morons, I don’t owe explanations to any of you, especially now.

Leaning against the headrest, Liam replayed the events of the last few hours in his head, this time in slow motion, frame by frame. Based on what happened in the library and what he could figure out from the conversations between the men accompanying him, The Base—the name of that place—was where someone like him would find the support, affection, and understanding they needed.

That was, of course, if the librarian wouldn’t have acknowledged him as his biological son, welcoming him into his family and life with open arms. His handsome husband, sweet,kind mother-in-law, and the bunch of guys around his age at the library, most likely the man’s friends, did the same.

Papa and dad, Liam mouthed the words, a weak smile playing on his lips as he did it. To his great surprise, his biological father being married to a man didn’t come as a shock for him. On the contrary, he felt more comfortable, almost relieved, when he found out, only worrying that the other man would not accept his husband’s bastard.

But he did, and Liam—when he lived with his mother, her husband, and the sons they had together they made him an expert in detecting malice and falsehood— he didn’t sense a single note of resentment when Bart told him how happy he was to meet him, while pulling him into a tight embrace. One of the young men at the library remarked with a grin that dad just added another son to pamper to his collection.

Later, on the way to the house Liam never saw as his home, he heard the driver talking about that youth in a respectful manner and calling him Il Giudice a couple of times. He made a mental note to ask his biological father, Brian, what the word meant; to him, it sounded like a sort of cool nickname, but it could also be an honorary or something.

Papa, not biological father,Liam mentally corrected himself while he let out a small sigh of contentment and closed his eyes. The conversation between the three men buzzed around him, a pleasant sound of deep voices, the name of his papa often brought into discussion, always spoken in a respectful tone and accompanied bybossorCapo.

Papa must be an important person, Liam thought; he couldn’t wait to have some time alone with Brian and ask him why those men gave him such honoraries. Maybe, he said to himself, working as a librarian there was a cover for another, more important job. The young man didn’t doubt his father would honestly answer all his questions.

Suddenly, Liam flinched and mentally facepalmed himself. How could I be so forgetful, the young man thought, inwardly shaking his head. He pulled his phone out of his jeans’ pocket and started to compose a long message. When he was finished, the youth read it once again, then, with a small smile of satisfaction, he sent it.

Imogen Sanders. His mother’s sister, younger by exactly a year than the woman who gave birth to him, was the only person in the world who really cared about Liam. A successful businesswoman, she built her telecom company from scratch and turned it into one of the biggest in Philadelphia in just a couple of years.

However, Imogen didn’t stop there; she worked even harder, expanded her business and, a few more years later, moved her headquarter from Philly to New York City, where all the big players were. This wasn’t the only reason she wanted to move to the Big Apple; her sister Margaret and her family also lived there.

Although she never voiced it, Imogen disapproved of the way his mother treated Liam, her favorite nephew. He was the only one of his mother’s three sons who manifested a greatinterest in studying and building a career without making use of the family’s influence and wealth, relying only on his hard work and putting to good use the knowledge he’d acquired in college.

Thinking about his aunt, so different from the woman who gave birth to him, so caring, warm, and understanding, made Liam relax even more, all the tension he accumulated over the last few days leaving his body. He dozed off, and would have fallen into a deep sleep, had a deep, masculine voice not made him open his eyes.

It was the long-haired guy who sent him to the library, Leon, who informed Liam, with an amused expression, that they had reached their destination. The man’s deep-brown, almost black eyes filled with concern, and he scanned the youth’s face with worried eyes, asking him if he was all right.

Liam, still a bit intimidated by the guy, nodded and, after stretching with his hands above his head, let out a big yawn, then jumped out of the van and joined the driver and the other helper, who already started to unload his stuff and carry everything inside. Bart appeared from somewhere in the house and gestured to the room where the boxes and bags were going to be taken, Brian hot on his heels.

Once the van was emptied, the masters of the house thanked the driver and two helpers, who offered them a smile and a dip of their head, then got into the vehicle and went back to The Base. Bart called his stepson and husband into the kitchen and pointed to the huge plate stacked high withsandwiches, then mumbled something about a horde of savages needing supervision, discreetly retiring.

For a good while, Brian watched his son digging into the sandwiches like there was no tomorrow, the young man’s soft moans of appreciation and the expression of innocent delight in his eyes warming his heart. At the same time, he couldn’t help to wonder when was the last time Liam had a decent meal.

The image of Margaret neglecting her firstborn, while pampering the sons she had with her husband made Brian’s blood boil in anger, and it took all his self-control not to let it out. He balled his hands into fists under the table, clenching them until the knuckles turned white, took a deep breath and cleared his throat, getting his son’s attention.

“Please don’t think that, just because he didn’t stay with us, Bart doesn’t like you. He just thought we could use some alone time, to…you know…work on our father-son bond.” Brian swallowed hard a few times after saying the last part of the sentence.

Liam nodded, mouth full. “I know and I appreciate it very much, especially because I have a lot of questions to ask you.” The young man said after chewing and swallowing the bite he took. “These are delicious. Compliments to the chef, whoever he is.”

“That would be Bart, he’s responsible for the tasty meals the children and I eat at home.” Brian smiled sheepishly. “Also, he keeps me in line, because I have the bad habit of skippingmeals, especially lunch.” He coughed in embarrassment. “So, ask away.”

“First of all, I want to know who is who.” Liam rubbed his flat stomach. “I wasn’t so full since last time I ate at Auntie’s home.” A light blush crept on his face when he realized what he just said, and coughed to hide his embarrassment. “I’m a little confused, with so many new faces and names.”

“Where should I start?” Brian thought for a moment, then continued. “The group at the library is known as the heirs, the last descendants of the Grand Families.” He let out a long sigh. “It’s very complicated and it can’t be explained in just a few words, but I promise you’ll find out everything about that, as it’s going to be an important part of your life.”

Liam nodded in understanding. “We have all the time in the world now that we are reunited.” The young man grinned. “Okay, that sounded sappy, and besides, I think it was something you should have said.” His expression became serious. “Anyway, I don’t expect you to be completely open with me. After all, I’m still a stranger to you, and it’s all right to keep things secret from me.”

“No, I will never do that.” Brian shook his head vehemently. “To various degrees, according to their level of understanding, all my children know who I am, what I do, besides being The Base’s librarian, and why I’m doing it. As for the two of us being reunited, it’s not a sappy line; it’s the pleasant truth.” The man smiled to a distant memory. “A few years ago, I came to the conclusion that everything happens for a reason.”

“Even the part about that long-haired guy pouring iced water over my head?” Liam playfully shivered. “I still get chillsdown my spine when I think about it, and the fellow still intimidates me, in spite of his somewhat mellower appearance.”

“Yes, especially that part. You see, when Serge Mills and Mister Parker kept me from intoxicating myself with alcohol. They told me I was lucky it wasn’t Leon that came across me that day.” Brian smiled softly. “Well, he found you, and things came full circle, or at least that’s how I see it.”

Liam didn’t know how to reply to his father’s words, so changed the subject again. “You folks are too good to be true. Your husband and children, even your mother-in-law accepted my existence so easily! No one jumped at your throat, no one kicked me out or called us names...”

“They are amazing.” Brian stopped talking for a bit, then continued in a vibrant voice.“I used to be ashamed of my eyes, but everyone taught me how wonderful they are. No one would kick you out, never worry about that.”

Liam slowly nodded, then stared ahead. “No one looked at me with disgust or called me spare parts.” He barely whispered, like he was talking to himself.

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