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So guess what guys? I went to my school orientation the other day! I got myself my first sweatshirt for my new school. I am so excited for the fall. It's definitely nice to be experiencing a fresh start in my life. 

Also speaking of new starts, I have begun the first chapter of another new story. It will actually be the sequel for this story. This is a story I began writing years ago only I never finished. Looking back now I decided to scrap what I had written and began again. So the sequel will be completely new as well. At this point I will be working on My Unexpected Love and this one at about the same time so we'll see which story I will begin posting first. 

Lastly, the pic up above is of Adam (he's yet to be introduced, but will do so very soon). 

~*~*~

Chapter Nine

Liam walked through the front door of his house and was shocked by the sight before him. Standing in front of the mirror that hung in the living room was his mother. She was combing her fingers through her curled hair so they would come out looser. Despite her hatred of it, she had actually taken the time to put on makeup today, and she was wearing a dress. Liam's mother was never fancy or girly by any means. She didn't style her hair, wear makeup, or dress in a particularly fancy way which is why it was such a shock to see her this way.

"Mom?" His voice was filled with shock.

"Oh hello sweetie." She smiled at the sight of him. "You're home late."

"Yeah, I had to stay late at school. Chase and I needed to discuss the baby," he answered gesturing to the baby in his arms. Walking over to the couch he laid it down trying not to jostle it too much so it would remain asleep. He then took a few steps closer to his mother. "So what are you so dressed up for?"

Sending him a nervous smile, she awkwardly balanced on one leg as she slipped on one of her heels before doing the same with the other. "Well actually I have a date tonight."

"A date," he said slowly. The word almost tasted bitter in his mouth.

"Yes," she continued, "Bradley set me up on a blind date with one of his co-workers. The date is tonight, hence my attire." She gestured to her clothing.

"So you're going then? You're going on a date?" She laughed at his stammering. "That was sort of the idea."

"I thought you didn't want to date?" He confessed to her.

Giving him a curious looking, she asked, "Where did you get that idea?"

He shrugged. "You've just never really done it since you and dad divorced."

She hesitated before speaking, "Well, I have actually." Liam's face was filled with shock at her confession. "I've dated men before Liam . . . I just didn't know how to tell you. It took you a long time to work through the anger you had toward me and you still haven't reconciled with your father. I honestly just didn't want to set you back at all."

Liam was surprised by his mother's words. She had been seeing men and dating for, probably a few years now, and she never told him. A part of him wanted to be angry at her, but the other knew that the anger he felt was the reason she didn't tell him in the first place.

"Where are you guys going?" He asked trying to make an effort toward her.

She seemed to appreciate it and sent a small smile his way. "We're going dancing."

"Right," he muttered awkwardly. "I'll just . . . I'll be in my room."

Turning around, he picked up his backpack and Harley before leaving the living room. As he walked to his room, Liam honestly wasn't sure how he was supposed to be feeling. Should he be angry that she kept this secret from him or happy that she's finally moving on? Perhaps scared that she may actually like this guy and eventually marry him? Or possibly even sad, because until either of his parents met someone, he could live in some type of fantasy that his parents will someday reunite and remarry?

Entering his bedroom, Liam placed Harley onto his bed before making his way over to the closet. He hesitated scared for what he was about to do, but he pushed himself to open the doors, because this needed to be done. On the top shelf sat a shoe box that was covered in dust and hadn't been moved for a few years. Reaching up, Liam grabbed the box and pulled it down before walking over to his bed.

"Liam, I'm leaving," his mom called out from outside of his room. "I love you."

"Love you too," he mumbled staring at the box.

In his opinion, knowing what was in the box was making this so much harder compared to if he didn't know what was in the box. He knew what was inside, and he knew that he needed to face this. It was hard, but it needed to be done, because inside of the box sat his past. He couldn't continue to run from his past it was time that he confronted it instead.

His breathing was shaky as he took off the lid and stared inside of it. The first thing that he noticed inside of the box was the pictures. Picking them up he shuffled through them and couldn't fight the smile that spread across his face. There were a lot of pictures. Some were of him and Liz when they were younger. After they became friends they truly were as thick as thieves. They never left each other's sides. Putting them aside to show to Liz, he moved to the next stack.

These photos featured himself and Leslie. One was of them at Halloween one year. Leslie would have been about eight or nine and was wearing a black and white cat costume, while Liam was probably close to four and was dressed as a Dalmatian. He was going through a Dalmatian phase at the time. Continuing through he found a few more pictures of them on school picture days, camping, and even some shots of them at Christmas. Knowing that his sister would appreciate them, he set them aside as well.

Liam braced himself before moving to the final stack of photos. These photos were a lot more disappointing. They featured pictures of Liam, Leslie, and their parents. There were even a few pictures of just their parents. Staring at them, Liam couldn't help but believe that they were now divorced. They had been so happy and in love. . . So what happened? How do you just fall out of love with someone?

Not able to look at the smiling faces of his parents anymore, Liam put them aside and moved to the next item in the box. He pulled it out and a smile was brought to his face. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was Liam's favorite book as a little kid. It was actually one of the first classic books that his father had ever read to him, and probably where he got his love for the classics. The copy was old, and wrinkled, and torn a few spots, but Liam loved it more than any of his other books.

And finally for the last item inside. An envelope was at the bottom of the box. On the envelope was Liam's name, address, and the return address of the apartment that he dad had rented shortly after the initial divorce. Picking up the envelope Liam discovered that his hands were shaking from the nerves. He tried to stop the movement by squeezing his hands into fists but it honestly didn't do much. Ignoring it he ripped the top of the envelope and pulled out the piece of notebook paper that was inside.

Dear Liam,

My heart is breaking as I write this letter to you. For fifteen years I have spent almost every day watching you smile, laugh, and even scowl as you grow into a man, and I could not be any prouder of you. You must be so upset by what is happening right now. In all honesty, I am too. My own parents divorced when I was young and when I got married to your mother we swore that we would do everything possible to prevent putting you kids through that. Now, no matter how much we would like it to, life doesn't always go according to plan.

I am sorry that I failed you, Liam. The last thing your mother and I wanted was to hurt you or Leslie. We love you both with all of our hearts, and if we could change things we probably would, but there is no longer love between us, and we would rather be divorced with happy children then married with sad children. I know that you may not be feeling particularly happy right now, but perhaps someday a day will arrive and you will realize that you are no longer sad or angry. You will think of your family and the past and realize that the situation before you doesn't hurt quite as much as it once did.

Now son I am sorry to say that you did get your anger from me. I was angry at both of my parents for a long time before I finally accepted their divorce. I like to think that dealing with divorce is similar to dealing with death. Just as you would grieve a family member, you must grieve for your parents' marriage. As you know your grandfather died when I was twenty. I am sorry to say that I never had the chance to forgive him for what happened, and I am forced to live with that guilt. Perhaps if I had forgiven him earlier then we could have had a relationship before his death? I pray with all of my heart that you do not allow your anger to cloud you for too long.

You are my son and I love you more than life itself. If you ever need help with anything, or even just want to talk, I will always be here for you. I will only ever be a phone call away. If you need warming in the winter, shelter in the rain, someone to catch you when you fall and stand you up again I will always be there, because we are family and there is no greater thing in the world, besides perhaps love itself.

Love greatly,

Dad

Liam didn't realize that he had been crying until tears began to hit the letter. It was almost as if Liam could hear his father's voice as he read the letter. It hurt knowing that after all this time Liam had ignored this letter . . . ignored his father.

Reaching aside, Liam picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. "Hey," he said once the phone had been answered. "Is there any chance I can get a ride somewhere?"

~*~*~

"You sure about this?" Chase asked from his spot in the driver's seat.

Liam fought the nerves and anxiety that threatened to overtake him. "Not really, but I need to do this."

Chase nodded. He seemed to understand where Liam was coming from and for that he was grateful. "Don't worry about Harley for the night. I got 'em."

"You sure? It was supposed to be my night," Liam said not moving his eyes away from the set of yellow townhomes that stood before him.

"It's no problem," he promised. "Do you want me to wait for you?"

Liam shook his head. "I'll be okay."

Taking a deep breath, Liam grasped the door handle and climbed out of Chase's car. You can do this. You can do this, he thought to himself. His steps were short and slow as if he was trying to buy himself more time. Eventually, though, he reached the front door.

His arm felt like jelly as he raised it to knock. His first knock was barely a tap on the door so he did it again this time a bit harder so it could actually be heard. Almost immediately, Liam heard footsteps near the front door.

Glancing behind him, Liam noticed that Chase's car was still there. He was half tempted to make a run for it and forget about this idea, but before he could do anything, the front door was opened to reveal a very familiar face. Age had definitely occurred in the last few years. Several wrinkles and stress lines now adorned his face. His hair that had always been black like Liam's was now streaked with grey similar to that of salt and pepper. It was also thinning as he began to lose hair.

"Liam." His voice though was still as strong yet soft as it had always been. He appeared to be shocked as if he couldn't figure out whether this was real or a dream he was scared to wake from.

Quietly, he said, "Hi dad."

Before any other words could be said, Liam's dad pulled him forward into a desperate hug. He clung to him tightly as he terrified that his son would soon disappear. Liam hadn't realized how much he had missed being hugged by his father. He was embarrassed to admit that tears welled in his eyes as he hugged him back.

Choked up, his father whispered desperately, "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too dad."

~*~*~

Now if anyone is wondering why the last few lines of the letter sound familiar they are originated from the song Always There from Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure. That is one of my favorite Disney movie songs and I really wanted to add that into the story somehow. This chapter is definitely one of my favorites. I have experienced my own problems with my parents in the past, but no matter how much we may fight or what problems we may have I know that they are always there for me and I really did want to show that. 

~Kaylee

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