Page 114 of Liam

I know I should do something because no one else seems to be, but I’m stuck.

In that space.

Somewhere between consciousness and oblivion.

A knock on the door has Roman rushing toward it, and I trail my gaze back to Addie. She hasn’t moved. “Where is she?” a woman says, and Addie finally looks up, her tear-filled eyes wide and focused on the voice.

A second later, a blonde woman appears in the doorway, and Addie bawls. “Dayna!” she cries, her arms reaching out, and then Dayna is there, on her knees, holding a limp Addie in her arms. The pure agony in Addie’s sobs shatters my heart, tears it to pieces. I look away, ignoring the piercing pain in my chest. Logan’s hand lands on my shoulder as Addie’s wails intensify, and Dayna soothes, “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s okay…”

I search for the courage to face them again. Dayna’s behind Addie now, her legs on either side as she holds Addie upright, stroking her forehead as they rock back and forth, and I can’t?—

I can’t fucking stand to see Addie like this. So broken. So lost. So hopeless.

“Oh, Addie girl,” Dayna whimpers through her tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“I hate this!” Addie cries, kicking out her legs. “I don’t want to feel like this!”

Dayna increases the rocking, whispers in her ear, “I know. You’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry!” Addie sobs.

“Don’t you dare,” Dayna says, shaking her head. “Don’t you dare apologize.”

“You shouldn’t have to be here!”

“I’ll always be here.” Dayna presses her lips to the top of Addie’s head. “You may not have grown under my heart, Addie… but you sure grew into it.”

43

Liam

It takes Dayna some time to calm Addie’s sobs before she’s willing to go to a bedroom and talk.

Meanwhile, I still don’t know what to do.

I can’t even tell if Addie knows I’m here. That I’ve been here the whole time.

I sit on the couch, Logan at the other end, Roman across from us in an armchair flanked by a side table. On it, a photo of Mia, Leo, and Benny stares back at me. We’re in Mia’s dad’s house—the one he stays in when he visits, and I can barely recall how the fuck I got here.

And I have no clue what the fuck is going on.

Still, I don’t speak.

I don’t ask.

Roman clears his throat, rests his elbows on his knees when he sits forward. “Do you know who Dayna is?” he asks me, and I nod. “Do you know about Addie’s parents?”

I nod. Again.

Because I don’t know what else to do, how else to feel. It’s like I’ve been dropped into a movie—one I’m somehow starring in, but no one gave me the script.

Roman heaves out a sigh, his gaze moving from the closed bedroom door to me. “Just so we’re clear, I asked Addie if she wanted me to talk to you about this, and she said yes, so I’m not revealing anything she doesn’t want you to know.”

I look to Logan, searching for a flicker of sense. He merely nods, encouraging me to listen. And so I face Roman again, squaring my shoulders and preparing for the worst. “Okay…” I say, finally finding my voice.

“Since Addie was little,” Roman starts, “she’s always dealt with negative emotions by shutting down. She doesn’t talk. Doesn’t eat. Doesn’t sleep. Doesn’t live in the present. And then something will happen—something that will flip a switch inside her, and suddenly, she’ll act as if nothing has happened at all. That’s what she was like two nights ago, after you took her to the junkyard.” His eyes remain on mine, as if watching for my reaction—one I don’t have. “That night I called Dayna and asked her to come here. And Logan got the keys to this house, so we could all stay together. I needed her here, because I knew I needed help. I knew what was coming.”

It hurts to swallow the ache in my throat. “What was coming?”

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