Page 121 of Shattered Melodies

We climbed out of the truck, and Jimmy rushed over to us. His face was pale, his usual cool demeanor nowhere to be seen.

“Liam, thank god you’re here,” he said, his eyes darting between Caleb and me. “We’ve got a situation.”

“What’s going on, Jimmy?” I asked, my heart racing. “You’re freaking me out here.”

Jimmy ran a hand through his hair. “It’s your parents, Liam. They’re inside.”

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. “What?” I choked out.

“They just showed up about an hour ago, demanding to see you.” Jimmy said.

I felt panic rising in my chest. This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. My carefully constructed life here in Oakwood Grove was about to come crashing down around me.

“Caleb,” I said, turning to him. “You should go. This is going to get ugly.”

But Caleb’s grip on my hand only tightened. His eyes met mine, fierce and determined. “If they’re going to try and take you away again, I’m not letting you go without a fight. We just found each other again, Liam. I’m not letting you go once more.”

I felt a lump form in my throat at his words. How had I gotten so lucky to have this man in my life?

“Okay,” I nodded, swallowing hard. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

We made our way into the house, my heart pounding so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. As we entered the living room, I saw them. My parents, looking as polished and put-together as always, sitting on my couch like they owned the place.

The moment they spotted us, my father’s face darkened. His eyes locked onto Caleb, and I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

“What is he doing here?” my father demanded, rising to his feet.

I felt a surge of anger, hot and fierce. Who was he to come into my home and start making demands?

“Caleb has every right to be here,” I snapped. “I know everything.”

My father’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “I’m talking about the night of the accident. About how Caleb was there at the hospital, how he tried to see me. And about how you lied to me, told me he never even bothered to visit.”

My mother gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Liam, sweetie, we were just trying to protect you.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Protect me? By lying to me? By keeping me away from the one person who actually understood me?”

“We did what we thought was best for you,” my father said, his voice hard. “That boy was a bad influence. He was leading you down a dangerous path.”

“That ‘boy’,” I snarled, “is the man I love. The man you kept me from for twenty years because of your own prejudices and fears.”

My mother stood up, reaching out towards me. “Liam, please. We only wanted what was best for you. We wanted you to have a good life, a successful career.”

I stepped back, out of her reach. “And did you ever once ask me what I wanted? Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, I knew what was best for me?”

“You were just a teen,” my father argued. “You didn’t know what you wanted.”

“I knew I wanted Caleb,” I shot back. “I knew I wanted music. But you couldn’t accept that, could you? It didn’t fit into your perfect little plan for my life.”

Caleb’s hand was warm in mine, grounding me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging inside me.

“Now what do you want?” I asked, my voice tired. “Why are you here? I thought you never liked this place.”

My father’s jaw clenched. “We’re here to bring you home, Liam. This little adventure of yours has gone on long enough.”

I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. “Home? This is my home. Here, with Caleb, with my music. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

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