Page 46 of Liam

"Freyatried the single mother thing for a while, but I was cramping her style. She kept me until she was nineteen, then gave me up. Put me in foster care."

I hugged Liam's chest tighter to me. If I could move my legs, I would've tossed one over his thighs to pull him to me. He was sharing some painful things with me.

I felt honoured.

"I wasn't old enough to forget her. No matter how much I wanted to. Her face haunted me." Liam sighed. "I never stayed long in any one home. They weren't happy households. Divorce, verbal abuse, and general lack of attention. I was unlucky in where I was placed."

I tipped my head up and kissed Liam's cheek.

He hummed and wrapped me snugger in his arms.

"I didn't look for my birth parents until I was in my late 20s. Just wasn't ready. It floored me a little when I discovered they both had families with children not much younger than me."

"And you connected with them?"

"I showed up at Freya's house in Calgary one afternoon. Hadn't meant to without calling her first. Just hopped on a damned plane on impulse. She assumed I was her daughter's new boyfriend. When I told her who I was, she became overly excited."

"Overly excited?"

"She couldn't get over how gorgeous her son was. She made me feel like an object. It wasn't the warm and fuzzy reunion I had imagined. Never changed. Months later, when I told her I was gay, I thought for sure she was going to work herself up into a rapture, she was so thrilled."

My gut clenched. His mother hadn't taken the time to get to know him. She was clueless about what she was passing up. Liam was so much more than his outward beauty.

"Do you see her often?"

"Every couple of months she's in town for a conference. She's an administrative manager in a major grocery store chain. She makes sure we meet somewhere she can show me off."

Fuck, that's repulsive.

"And your birth father?"

"I rarely see him. Maybe twice a year. I'm a bit of a failure in his eyes. Being gay doesn't help. He doesn't agree with mylifestyle."

"He's an idiot. I'm endlessly thrilled you're gay."

I pushed up on my elbow, gazed down into Liam's eyes, and kissed him. We became lost, uncovering threads of increasing trust as our lips met. I'd never felt this connected with anyone.

I closed my eyes as I lay my head on his chest.

"You are so special," Liam whispered against my hair. "I'm a lucky guy."

Sleep was about to haul me under … I felt so safe in his arms.

"You too," I managed. "I'm lucky too." I yawned and clutched his arm.

Liam stroked my hair. "Sleep, beautiful man."

I smiled.

And that's the last thing I remember.

When I opened my eyes, it was bright in my room. I panicked for a second when Liam mumbled something beside me. I don't think either of us intended for him to stay overnight.

I wanted to cuddle against him, infuse myself in his scent and warmth, but I felt stiff. I needed to start my day. I'd fallen asleep in my clothes. That was going to make things difficult.

I started with the water bottle I kept filled and on my bedside table. I needed to drink the whole thing. Dehydration was my enemy. It was tough to get down, but I finished all the water along with taking my supplements, blood thinner, and pain medication.

I looked over at Liam. He was sound asleep. I squirmed out of my jeans and started my morning exercises. I needed to keep my legs from tightening. I needed to stay limber.

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