Page 17 of Impossible

I almost run downstairs as I try to escape these thoughts. I put Harper on the floor with her playmat that she loves. As I lie next to her, Liam joins us in the family room. He is dressed in dark blue shorts and a gray shirt. His hair is slightly damp and parted to the side. Thankfully, my earlier reaction is gone, and he is just the same old good looking Liam that has never phased me before. Minus a weird flutter my heart just made, but that meansnothing.

“Hey, Riley. I’m sorry about that.” He sits down on the couch while I stay next to Harper on the floor.

“It’s no problem at all. I love hanging with my girl.”

He smiles as he watches me lean down and give Harper a big kiss.

“How was your night? Did you do anything exciting?” he asks.

“Oh, yeah. I got all dressed up and drove into the city to have dinner with my parents at a restaurant that is way too expensive with portions that were way too small.”

“Wow, that sounds…,” he makes a funny face at me.

“Yeah, I’ve had more exciting Friday nights, but the night was redeemed. I forgot I had a piece of cheesecake leftover in my fridge that I got to scarf down when I got home.”

“Well, thank goodness for cheesecake,” he smirks at me.

“Hey, don’t underestimate the power of cheesecake. It can make everything better.”

“I will keep that in mind.” He stands from his seat and comes over to pick up Harper. “She actually needs to take a nap. I’ll go put her down if you want to hang out, I shouldn’t be long.”

Liam is gone maybe ten minutes before he returns, stopping on the steps. “You wanna head up and get started?”

“Yeah, might as well while she is asleep.”

I follow him up the stairs until we make it to the bedroom, which still has evidence of Becca everywhere. I look around at her clothes hanging over a chair, books on her nightstand, and her jewelry spread across the dresser. Liam stands there with his hands in his back pockets, looking around the room.

“Do you, um, have boxes?” I whisper.

“Yeah, right over there in the corner. We just need to tape them together.”

“Okay, well, let’s just get this over with.”

He nods his head as we walk over to the boxes and begin to assemble them. The sadness in the room is palpable. You can feel how big of a step this is for him. It’s like he is officially acknowledging that Becca is gone, and he has to move on with his life. We spend the entire time assembling boxes in silence.

“So, tell me what you want me to do. I can pack everything up, we can pack some stuff, leave some out. Whatever it is that you want.”

He sighs as he scans the room. “I think we need to pack everything up. It’s not like I’m getting rid of anything yet. I just can’t look at it every day. Besides, leaving her earrings out is not going to bring her back.”

“Okay, well, let’s get started. I will start with all of her jewelry in here and the bathroom. Why don’t you begin to pack her clothes?”

We both set our to complete our tasks. The silence continues as we both pack and continue to cross each others path. It takes me longer than expected to pack everything up. I kept coming across pieces of jewelry that I got Becca for birthdays or special occasions. Part of me wanted to ask if I could hold onto some of them, but they’re not mine to keep. Harper should have the option to keep any of her mother’s jewelry that she wants.

After about an hour of packing, Harper’s cries sound through the baby monitor. Liam walks in the room from the closet.

“I should go feed her.” He begins to walk out of the room. “I’ll try to be fast.”

“Take your time,” I tell him as he leaves the room.

Liam and Harper are gone for about forty five minutes. In that time, I manage to get all of her clothes packed and have moved on to odds and ends around the room. Her glasses, perfume, toothbrush, etc. Some of it I opt to throw away. I don’t think Liam needs to hold on to her used toothbrush or deodorant.

When he comes back into the room with Harper strapped to his chest, I can’t help but let out a little chuckle. Why is it so funny to see a man with a baby strapped to his chest?

“Look at you two! Are you having fun up there?” I ask Harper. She smiles at me, and I turn to mush. This was her first genuine smile at me.

“Wow, look at this place. You got a lot of work done since I was gone.”

“Yeah,” I inspect the room with him. “It’s really down to odds and ends that you may come across. I’ll leave this box open for you to pack whatever we may have missed.”

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