Torn (23 page)

I headed home and realized my couple hours shopping trip turned into an all day excursion. I saw that it
was already 3:30! I pulled up in the driveway and bolted into the house.

 

Just as he said, Liam was in his chair flipping though the channels on the TV.

 

“Hey, I was starting to worry about you. I sure hope you didn’t put a second on the house!” He said
setting down the remote.

 

“Sorry, I was having some really good luck finding some outfits. I lost track of all time.” I set down my
bags and climbed into the chair with him. “Do you wanna see what I got?” I asked really sweetly.

 

“Of course.” He said with a smile.

 

I quickly jumped up and gathered my bags and began to pull out my outfits.

 

“A black, sequined tube top.” I held it up to me. “With black ankle pants. I have the perfect shoes to go
with these. I figured I would wear this on Friday night.”

 

“Wait, what is Friday night?” He interrupted.

“Oh, shit, sorry. Courtney and I are going to go out and Jason and you are heading out for the
respectable bachelor/bachelorette parties. Courtney told me the other night when I called her and I
completely spaced it. Are you okay with that?” I asked biting my lip.

“Yeah, I just was thinking that we were going to go out on Saturday night, but yeah this will be a lot of
fun!” He said smiling.

 

“Okay, now back to me!” I laughed and pulled out a strapless, hot pink dress that had a lace cover.
“What do you think of this for Saturday night?”

 

“Wow!” He sat up in his seat. “I actually like that. A lot. I can’t wait to see you in it. Or it on the floor of
the suite.”

“I thought so.” I winked at him. “I also got a newbathing suit and some shorts and tops. Needless to say,
I found some good deals out there today.” I said as I began to put the items back in the bags to take
upstairs.

“I am going to take a snooze down here, are you doing anything else today?” He began to holler at me
as I headed into the kitchen to put the flowers in some water and the wine in the fridge to cool.
“I was thinking of taking a couple minutes in bed. I’m going to set my alarm. I figure we can leave here
about 5:30?” I suggested.

“Alright, just wake me up when you get up.” He said as he leaned back into his recliner.

I headed upstairs to lay down. My head still wasn’t fully better and the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything
all day was not the best idea. I turned on the TV and laid down for a minute and then my stomach
wouldn’t let me lay there for any longer.

I jumped up and headed downstairs for a light snack. I saw Liam sleeping in the chair; he really must
have been tired. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed some carrots and poured a tiny side ranch. I filled
a cup of water and headed back to the room.

I felt exhausted but I couldn’t seem to fall asleep. I think that my mind was just too busy to let me sleep
and it was going to be a long evening. After watching a few shows on TV I realized that it was
approaching five.

I hopped off the bed and headed back towards the bathroom so I could touch up my makeup and
decided to throw my hair up in a ponytail.

 

I grabbed my plate and cup to take back to the kitchen and saw Liam on his phone. He was typing
something.

 

“Hey, I thought you were gonna still be asleep.” I said as I set my dishes in the dishwasher.

“I just woke up actually. Just checking my emails and I found that I was dying of thirst so I came in for
some water. Should we be a little early and maybe I can help Avery with the grilling?” He said as he put
his phone back in his pocket.

“Yeah, let me just grab the wine and the flowers and we can head out.” I smiled and gave him a quick
kiss.
Chapter Sixteen

We really didn’t have much to say on the way to my mom’s house. We just played the radio and
occasionally made comments about how overplayed that a certain song is or how this group was going
on tour and we should think about try getting tickets.

“Speaking of tickets, while you were out today; I got us a reserved table at Haze and bottle service. I let
them know that it was in celebration of a wedding, so they threw in an extra bottle for us.” Liam said as
he grabbed my hand.

“Oh great! Thanks for doing that! I’m sure we will have an amazing time!” I said excitedly.

 

“I guess we weren’t the only ones that wanted to be early tonight.” Liam said pointing to a truck in my
mom’s driveway.

 

It was Caleb’s. Shit. Breathe Ryleigh.

 

We made our way into the house and I could feel my heart about to explode out of my chest.

 

“Mom? Anybody home?” I called out.

 

My mom came running in from their backyard. She quickly pulled me into a hug.

 

“Ryleigh. How are you sweetheart? Hi, Liam!” She pulled him into a hug as well.

 

“Good, thanks mom! Why are you so huggy today?” I joked with her.

“I am just so glad that we had a chance to get all of us together and do a dinner. Ryleigh, Caleb is in the
back helping Avery with some of the steaks. His parents are on their way, they just called.” My mom
sounded like she was going 90mph. “Liam, dear, you can head out with boys. There is beer in the fridge,
so grab one on your way out. I am going to put Ryleigh to work in here.” She pretty much pushed Liam
towards the fridge and out the door.

“Thanks, Lynda.” Liam said as he headed out to the backyard. I could see him shake hands with Avery
and then shake hands with Caleb. Things looked okay so far.

 

“Ryleigh, you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost!” My mom said as she started to get all the salad
fixings out of the fridge.

 

“Yeah, just not sure how Liam and Caleb would get along.” I said coming over to the counter to help her
cut up some sort of vegetable.

“Why wouldn’t they get along?” She stopped what shewas doing to look at me.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Liar. “Just because I told him about Caleb being an old friend and I don’t want him to
get this wrong idea about any sort of Caleb and I in the past.”

My mom went back to chopping up some onions and I began to cut the tomatoes. Avery came in from
the back and I greeted him with a smile.

 

“Hello Ryleigh.” He said shortly. Avery always made me feel like my mom was perfect for him but I never
fit into the mix.

 

“Hi Avery. We brought you a bottle of wine; it’s there on the counter. Oh, mom! I brought flowers; they
are on the table by the door!”

“Thank you Ryleigh.” Avery said as he brushed his hand through his salt and pepper hair. He looked like
he was ready for a haircut. He had always worn his hair a bit shorter than it was. “I will put this in the
fridge and we can have it with dinner.” He examined the bottle. “This actually will go very well with
steaks, good choice.”

I think that was the first compliment that he had ever paid me, I about fell over.

 

“Thanks, Avery.” I smiled over at my mom. I looked back outside to see the boys were talking. I wanted
to run out there to say hi. I decided I would finish up this tomato and then do just that.

“He is trying to be a bit nicer. To everyone.” My mom chimed in. “That night when you and I were
talking; after I got off with you, I told him that he was an ass. He said he was going to try and be a bit
nicer to everyone, so give him a chance.”

“Wow! I think I can.” I winked. It was then when my heart about stopped. I could see Liam lean into
Caleb and begin to tell him something a bit closer. I could tell that Caleb was clinching his jaw. I stopped
what I was doing, grabbed three beers out of the fridge and made my way outside.

“Hey Caleb! How have you been?” I reached up and gave him a quick hug.

 

I handed him a beer and then handed one to Liam and pretty much stood in the middle of them.

 

“Hey Ry. Not too bad! I haven’t seen you since that night at The Melting Pot.” He looked over at Liam.
“How you been? You look stunning by the way.” He cracked open the bottle of beer.

 

“Been good, just been busy with work. What are you boys doing?” I tried to open my beer and Caleb
grabbed it from my hands and opened it.

 

“Nothing honey. We are just shootin’ the shit. Making sure that the steaks get cooked to perfection.”
Liam said in a short tone and finishing up his first beer.

“Well I wanted to come and say hey and then head back to the kitchen to help my mom. It was so good
to see you again Caleb. Glad you could make it! My mom said that your parents should be here any
minute.” I said and began to head back into the house.
“Thanks Ry, great to see you too.” Caleb said.

Just then Liam pulled me around and gave me a deep kiss. I felt a little embarrassed by this; it was
almost as if he were trying to show off.

 

I pulled away and headed into the house. I wiped my lips, that was the sloppiest kiss I had ever received
and it wasn’t even a good sloppy. I actually felt disgusted by it.

 

I went back to chopping tomatoes and then moved onto the cucumbers. Could this night just please
end.

“Ryleigh!” I turned around and saw Caleb’s mom, Joanna, walking into the kitchen. “You look all grown
up!” She was always the sweetest woman to me; it started when my mom and I had a rough patch my
sophomore year of high school and she became like a second mom to me.

“Hi Mrs. Martin! You look amazing!” She pulled me into a hug.

 

“Honey, you’re allowed to call me Joanna. You were always so polite, but now you are really need to
stop making me feel any older than I already am.” She laughed

 

“Okay, Joanna.” I smiled, feeling sort of bad. I had always called her Mrs. Martin and never really
addressed someone that I been so proper with by their first name. It was actually a little embarrassing.

 

At that moment, Liam and Caleb both came into the house.

 

“Joanna, this is my husband. Liam. Honey, this is Joanna Martin. She is like my second mother and
Caleb’s actual mother.” I laughed.

“Pleasure to meet you Liam.” Joanna stuck her hand and they both shook hands. Joanna had a look on
her face as if she had known something. I right then knew, Caleb had told her everything. I was actually
mortified and could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks.

I introduced Liam to Caleb’s dad, Patrick, as Avery headed back out to the grill to grab the steaks.

 

“Dinner is officially ready!” Avery hollered in.

 

“Great, I’m starving!” I said quickly leaving everyone to go grab the wine. I was going to need excessive
amounts of alcohol.

Everyone gathered at my mom’s formal dining table, grabbing at food and pouring glasses of wine. We
all made small talk around the table. Joanna found ways to ask Liam small questions and then compare
her son to him. Thankfully they were just random where did you go to school? College? Did you serve in
the military?

Caleb sat across from me and I could tell that he was constantly staring up at me. I tried to keep my
head in my food. It was only when I went to take a drink of wine I caught his eyes. He looked as if he was
going to burst at the seams. Something had pissed him off earlier with Liam and he had not been the
same since.

As we wrapped up dinner, we headed to the back patio and brought out the dessert wine. Besides me;
nobody really cared for sweet desserts, such as cake, so we opted for the wine.

 

“I would like to make a toast!” Liam said as he stood up, “To a great family, friends and expanding the
brood.”

 

I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head and I about spit my wine out through my nose. I
began to cough.

 

“Ryleigh! Are you pregnant?” My mom screeched.

 

“No, Mom!” I yelled back at her.

 

“Sorry, I wasn’t supposed to announce that.” Liam said with a smile.

 

“What’s going on then?” My mom looked utterly confused.

“Lynda, we were talking last night and we have decided that we are going to try for a family here in the
very near future.” Liam said as he came over and stood next to me as I sat down in the lawn chair. He
placed his hand on my shoulder. “Sorry honey, I have just been too excited to keep it a secret.”

I got up and started to walk away towards the opening of the lawn. Liam began to follow me and then I
heard him stop. He began to say something else to Caleb. I turned just in time to catch Caleb throw a
right hook right into Liam’s jaw!

“What the FUCK?!” I screamed running back and kneeling down to Liam who had fallen down onto the
brick patio.

“Sorry, Lynda. Avery. I’ve gotta go.” Caleb said shaking his fist. I think everyone was in too much awe to
respond. He leaned in and kissed Joanna on the cheek and patted his dad on the shoulder. He turned
and walked back into the house.

“Are you okay?!” I asked Liam.

 

“Yeah. Don’t know what the fuck his problem is. I think that he is upset that we are so happy together.”
Liam said as he stood up. I left his side and ran after Caleb.

 

“Caleb!” I shouted as he was heading towards the front door. He turned to face me. “What the fuck just
happened?”

 

“Ryleigh, I am sorry! That guy, your husband, he is a fucking dick! Did you tell him? About us that is?”

“No! Of course not! Why?” I asked in shock.
“Cause he must have seen something, heard something but it seems to me that he knows. He told me
when we were out in the back right before you came out…” We were interrupted by my mom coming in
the house to get some ice.

“Look, Ryleigh, I would watch out for him. He’s nothing good, he is not right for you. I know that I can’t
tell you who to be with, but Ry, if you can’t tell that he is just fake then you are right you do deserve
him.” Caleb said as he headed out the door. He jumped in his truck and headed out.

I was just in shock over the whole thing. I couldn’t move from my mom’s living room.

 

I felt a hand placed on my shoulder and saw Joanna standing behind me.

“He loves you, Ryleigh. He has always loved you, since the day you first met him. Yes, I know everything.
He was never one of those kids that told their parents only part of the story. Caleb, he has never hid
anything from me and even if he did, after that punch, we would all be dumb not to see that he is trying
to protect you. You are a very smart girl, so I can’t tell you the choices that you need to make in life.”
She leaned in and gave me a hug.