Dalton, Tymber - Stoneface (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (27 page)

Maybe this was a good sign. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course you can, as much as you put up with me.”

“Liam and I might be moving.”

She gasped. “You’re getting back together with your guys?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I’d say that.” She wouldn’t allow herself the luxury of hope. “I haven’t even decided for sure if we will move, but Liam wants to move, and frankly, I want to be someplace else. We love Amy and our parents, but we agree it’d be healthier for both of us to put some distance between us and them. At least for now.”

“Good for you!” She laughed. “I’ll still call you and bug you.”

Gwen laughed, too. “You’d better. I’ll get mad if you don’t.”

“You’re a good friend, Gwen. Do you know how much I love you?”

She would miss Ruthie like hell. As exasperating as her friend could be at times, she really did love her. The things that had happened to her weren’t her fault, and Gwen couldn’t honestly say she wouldn’t have reacted exactly the same way Ruthie had. “I love you, too, Ruthie. I promise we’ll come visit you.” They said good-bye. After Gwen hung up, she stared at the phone.

“Well?” Liam asked.

She related the conversation and he shook his head. “Well, that saves you the hassle. Talk about fortuitous.”

“Yeah.” She looked at him. “You mean it? You really want to move?”

“Anywhere you want to go, sis. I have money saved up, about thirty grand. I was going to use it to move out of Mom and Dad’s. Might as well use it for us to move. Or we can use it for a down payment on a house even.” He studied her expression. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared.”

He smiled and pulled her in for a hug. “Me too, kiddo. We can be scared together, okay?”

* * * *

To keep fireworks to a minimum, they’d relented and accepted their mother’s invitation to come over that night for dinner. Gwen prayed Amy didn’t show up despite her mother complaining she couldn’t get Amy to return her calls. Liam rolled out of his bedroom door in his wheelchair.

“Are you hurting?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nope. Just resting up.” He grinned. “I’ll be damned if I’ll show up there in my chair. We’re not even taking the walker. I’ll take my cane. But I’ll use this until we leave so I don’t wear myself out.”

“Do we tell them tonight about the move?”

He nodded. “Yep. I plan to. We’ll tell them I accepted a job out west.”

“Why? We don’t even know where we’re going yet.” She didn’t even know where she wanted to go. Anywhere far enough to allow her to run from her painful memories.

Anywhere that would take her mind off Tim and Jack.

“Because it’ll take the pressure off you, and because you damn well know where we’re moving to.” He smiled. “I’d love to live out there and be able to see the West. If we don’t like it, in a year or so we’ll move somewhere else. Or hell, we can buy an RV and travel. Neither one of us needs to be tied down.”

She put her hands on her hips. “You need doctors.”

He shrugged. “So? We schedule travel to coincide around my doctor appointments. No biggie. There are doctors out there who deal with MS who aren’t in the Columbus area.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Come on, hot guys for you, hot guys for me, we can scope them out together.”

She burst out laughing. “You’re too much.” She walked over and hugged him. “And I wubs you, bro.”

“Wubs you too, sis.” When she straightened, he grabbed her hands and squeezed, hard. “You and me, right? No matter what they say to us at dinner? You have my back and I have yours, right? Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise. No matter what.”

She didn’t know if she liked the devious grin he wore. “Good. Now let’s get my ass loaded.”

They pulled up to their parents’ house a little after six. Gwen no sooner had the ignition turned off when her mom flew out the front door, hovering over Liam as he tried to get out.

“Mom,” he said, a hard edge to his voice, “I love you, but back the hell off.”

She looked hurt. “I just want to help!”

“I know, but I can do this. Just stand back.” He used his cane and carefully unfolded himself from the seat. He smiled. “See?”

“Where’s your chair? You should be using your chair outside!”

“I made Gee leave it home. I didn’t need it, and it’s stupid to make her load it.”

Her mother shot Gwen a dark look through the car to where Gwen hadn’t unfastened her seatbelt yet. “Why are you letting him walk and wear himself out?”

Before she could respond, Liam waved his hand in his mother’s face. “Helloooo, standing right here, Mom. Not a baby, not an invalid. Get over it.”

Gwen knew that look she gave him, the hard set to her jaw. Guilt trip alert. “Well,” she huffed. “I’m glad to see I’m not needed.”

Liam’s sharp tone surprised Gwen. “Mom, stop it. Right now. Cut the guilt crap. I tried for years to tell you I wasn’t a baby, and you never listened. I love you, and believe me, I really appreciate everything you and Dad did for me, but I’m okay and I’m getting along fine with Gwen. You and Dad should be enjoying your privacy.”

Their mom turned on her heel and stormed back to the house. Liam ducked his head and looked inside the car. “Bok bok bok,” he clucked at her.

She finally unfastened her seatbelt. “I’m not a chicken.”

“Bok.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, earning herself a laugh from him.

After getting out and locking the car, she followed a step behind him, close enough she could steady him if he stumbled, but not hovering. He made it up the drive and onto the front porch without trouble or hesitation. He went straight to the dining room, where their mom had already set the table. Their dad walked in, a thunderous look on his face.

“What did you say to upset your mother?” He directed the question at Gwen.

Liam raised his hand. “Get off her case. Mom’s mad at me. I told her I didn’t need any help walking from the car and she tried to chew Gee out for not bringing my chair.”

Their father’s gaze didn’t waver from Gwen. “Well, why didn’t you bring his chair?”

“Yo, Dad. I’m sitting right here.” Gwen recognized the frustration and barely checked anger in Liam’s voice. He’d had enough, and now that he wasn’t living here, he’d make his stand. “I told her not to bring it.”

“You’re supposed to take care of your brother—”

Liam’s fist slammed into the table, rattling the dishes and making Gwen jump. “Dad, stop it! Right now!”

Their father finally looked at Liam. “
What
did you say to me?”

“I said stop it. I’m thirty-five, not a kid, not a baby. Lay off Gee. If you have a problem, take it up with me, not her.”

Their mother appeared in the doorway, a pinched look on her face and a casserole dish in hand. She set it on a hot pad on the table. “Everyone sit down,” she said, ignoring the fireworks. “It’s ready.”

“Do you need any help, Mom?” Gwen asked.

She didn’t even look back as she turned. “No.”

Without the leaf, the dining room table was round. Gwen sat with Liam on her right and her mother on her left. Liam reached under the table and patted her thigh reassuringly.

Their father sat in his usual place, a dark, thunderous look on his face as he glared at them.

Gwen wondered when the true fireworks would start. She fought the nervous roll her stomach took and prayed she didn’t yak all over the table.

Her mother finished bringing out the food. During her father saying grace, Liam reached over and held Gwen’s hand under the table. As their father finished, Liam gave her hand a gentle squeeze. When she looked at him, he winked.

This would be okay. This time she was fine letting him step into protective big brother mode without feeling guilty or irritated about it.

Truth be told, she needed it. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to stand up to their parents on her own about this, even at her age.

The conversation was strained all throughout dinner as they moved on to dessert. Liam forged on as if everything was fine, deliberately ignoring their father’s stony silence and their mother’s clipped replies.

Finally, their mother thawed a little. “I still can’t believe Amy has turned like this. I don’t know what is wrong with her. I wonder if she’s taking drugs?”

“No, Mom, she’s not taking drugs,” Liam said. “She’s just trying to figure out her life. Midlife crisis.”

Mom sniffed. “Well. I don’t know why she should be having a crisis. What is there to be…crisising about? She only works part time. If she’d stayed here, you wouldn’t have moved out—”

“Mom, don’t,” Liam gently warned. “Don’t go there. Please. Let’s enjoy dinner.”

Gwen inwardly groaned at their mother’s high-pitched tone. That indicated tears would soon follow. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? She leaves, you leave.”

Gwen gave Liam credit for trying. He kept his voice gentle. “Mom, I moved out because it’s time for you and Dad to get your lives back. When he retires, you two can do everything you planned. Gee and I get along great—”

“And we didn’t? I thought you were happy living here. I tried so hard.”

Their father said nothing.

Gwen’s stomach rolled, but Liam continued, undeterred. “Remember how you freaked out when each of us left for college? Think of it like that. Only you should be glad it’s me and Gee sticking together. You always told us as kids that we should stick together.”

That mollified her a little. “Well, I do have to say I’m proud of you two for being so close. Now if I could only figure out where we went wrong with your sister.” She dramatically sighed.

“You didn’t ‘go wrong’ with any of us.” Liam took a bite of his peach cobbler as Gwen was suddenly seized by a really bad feeling her brother was up to something. He didn’t disappoint, either. “Being pregnant will do that to you,” he blithely added.

Gwen froze. Liam continued eating as if he hadn’t just dropped a Hiroshima-sized bomb on their parents.

Their father finally spoke. “
What
did you say?” His voice sounded tight and strained. She prayed he wasn’t close to having a coronary.

Liam took another bite of his cobbler as if nothing was wrong. “Pregnant. Amy had her OB appointment today.” He frowned a little. “Didn’t she tell you about it? Mom, this cobbler is great, as usual. Gee, do you have the recipe so you can make it for us at home?”

Gwen fervently prayed Liam had an exit strategy. Her stomach dangerously rolled again.

Their mother looked stunned. “Amy is
not
pregnant. She’s…she’s not married. She doesn’t even have a man in her life!”

Liam snorted. “Um, yeah, she is.” He faked innocent confusion. Gwen recognized that expression from when they were kids. “I could have swore she said she told you guys about the baby.”

Their father threw his napkin on the table. “
What
is going on? No one’s told us anything! What baby? What in Heaven’s name are you talking about?”

Gwen forced down the last bite of her cobbler and kept her mouth shut. Liam finished his and leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry, Dad. I thought she told you.” The picture of Mr. Innocence.

“Who’s the father?” their dad demanded.