Page 73 of Back to Willow

“Are you having fun, then?” I ask, moving a tendril of his hair from over his eyes.

He’s a sweaty mess but is having so much fun, it brings a wide smile to my face.

“Yes! A lot. Thank you, Mummy!” He hugs me tight.

“How about we sing you happy birthday so you can blow out the candles and play a little bit more? Before it gets too late.” He nods eagerly and I wave for Jake to bring the cake. “Come on, kids. It’s cake time!”

Everyone hollers and some follow me to the table. I set Dylan on the chair, and he sits on his knees, bouncing up and down with excitement. When Jake appears with a huge Avengers cake, he starts holleringyesafteryeswhile clapping excitedly.

With lit-up candles, we all sing him the happy birthday song, and sure enough, Dylan sings along before blowing out the candles.

“I want the first piece!” he demands, stealing the show and making everyone laugh.

If he already eats this much at six-years-old, I can only imagine how it will be by the age of fifteen or seventeen. The thought has me shuddering. I will have a twenty-year-old by the age of thirty-six.

Damn.

“Mwom, you know I wove chocolate cake,” he says with a full mouth.

“Dylan, eat first, speak after,” I scold.

“He sure looks like…” Jake starts, but I elbow him when Johanna’s head swivels in our direction. “Like me. I was going to say he looks like me,” he whines while rubbing his ribs.

“Sure, you were,” I mumble while I glare at him.

I jump in surprise at a sudden movement right next to me, noticing how Dylan has already eaten his piece of cake and is running towards the playing area. Looking around, I notice most kids have eaten their cake, too, and are busy playing together again.

“Be careful, children. No fighting!” I urge before sitting down for a bit with closed eyes.

Damn, I’m tired. One kid is tiring as hell, imagine a dozen. On top of that, entertaining the adults as well.

“If you need a break, I can take over for a little bit,” Jake whispers next to me.

“It’s okay.”

“Sis, don’t be stubborn. I can look over them. Go take a breather.” He gives me a side-eyed warning, and I huff in defeat.

With a last look at Dylan and the other kids, I slip out of the room and cross the diner. Shilah gives me a wave, which I answer back before stepping outside.

The nights are cold by now, and even though I am using a long-sleeve shirt, it still makes me shudder with the temperature drop when I step outside. Taking a deep breath, I lean back on the diner’s wall. It’s particularly calm today, and I bask in it because it means there’s no one outside.

It’s not even six in the afternoon, but the sun has already set, so the party is bound to finish soon. My thoughts go back to Liam and what to do. Because Ihaveto do something; Jake is right. I can’t keep dragging this on. If we had never met again, I could have gone the rest of my life with this part of my life behind me, in the past where it belongs. I guess I need to reopen these wounds just once more so they can finally heal properly.

“How am I going to solve this?” I mumble to myself while rubbing my eyes. I’m exhausted.

“I wonder the same, too,” an all-too familiar but unexpected voice answers.

I look up to face the person next to me.

The first thing my eyes notice are his. The bright blue irises focused solely on me are soul-stirring. With the blatant heaviness of all of our story perched in the front row of the circus. And yet, I know might be mirroring the same.

Sadness, hurt, longing...

“Liam…” I whisper.

TWENTY-FIVE

Liam

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