After declaring her shocking belief, Steffy proceeded to explain the reasoning behind her assumption.
To settle her suspicions and confirm once and for all that Bill did in fact know Quinn, Steffy googled the woman and showed a picture of her to Bill. His reaction to seeing her picture left no room for doubt: he knew her. Katie's eyes widened as her husband vocally expressed that.
Steffy's additional prying questions to Bill led him to admit that he had somewhat been involved with Quinn a long time ago. He described it as 'the single biggest mistake of his youth'.
The timeline of Bill and Quinn's affair matched Wyatt's age, the sword necklace Wyatt wore -which Steffy swore was identical to Bill's and Liam's -and the fact that Quinn got so defensive whenever the name 'Spencer' was mentioned all contributed in making Steffy ninety nine percent sure that Bill was Wyatt's biological father. Besides, having gotten to know Wyatt pretty well in the past two weeks, Steffy could not deny nor could she ignore the similarities between Bill and Wyatt's personalities. As perplexed as they all were at Steffy's statements, none of them could contest that she made a sensible point.
What Steffy suggested was far from out of the realm of possibility, especially for anyone who knew what a playboy Dollar Bill was back in the days. After all, this was not exactly an unprecedented situation… It was just a few years back that Liam had descended on Bill and Katie, springing on them that the former was his biological father.
By the grace of God - because Steffy really couldn't deal with it in her present condition – Bill offered much less resistance to the idea this time around and vowed to embrace Wyatt into the family if he truly were his son.
Not feeling very at ease being in this situation, Taylor and Thomas decided to excuse themselves and leave the Spencer clan to take care of this family matter privately, just as Wyatt arrived.
Steffy introduced Wyatt to everyone in the room while Liam begrudgingly went into the kitchen to get him a beer. Steffy then went ahead and cautiously walked Wyatt through her theory about his kinship to Bill and his belonging to the Spencer family. Wyatt listened to her with attention, stunned by what he was hearing. His eyes went back and forth between Steffy and Bill as he processed the new information, overwhelmed by it all. While the rationale behind her theory was particularly coherent, Wyatt simply couldn't bring himself to believe what she was saying.
The notion that he was the son of the magnate Bill Spencer, main shareholder of Spencer Publications, affluent, envied, respected and feared businessman seemed absolutely ludicrous to Wyatt. Why would his mother keep this from him? Why would she not want him to know the truth? Why in God's green earth would she lead him to believe that his biological father was dead when in reality, he was a tycoon of the corporate world who could provide for Wyatt and offer him the world's best and then some?
Katie, being the practical and rational one, suggested a paternity test to either confirm or refute Steffy's suspicions, a solution that both Bill and Wyatt agreed to. Although there was no actual evidence whatsoever that she was, for once, Katie thought that Steffy was right. She could clearly see a resemblance between Wyatt and her husband, and she was quite anxious to get to the bottom of this story.
/
The next morning, still in slumber, between dream and reality, Steffy reached out for Liam and instead of a warm and firm muscular torso, she was met with cold and soft sheets. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and found the empty spot where she expected her fiancé to be resting. She turned on her side to look at the clock on her nightstand and frowned. It was barely 6:30 a.m. What the hell was Liam doing awake at this hour?
He must have woken up before the sun even began to rise. If she didn't know any better, Steffy would have thought Liam was trying to avoid her. Absurd, right?
Now that she thought about it, she didn't remember Liam coming to bed the night before. His side of the bed was undone though, so she was probably asleep when he joined her. It had been an interesting, revealing, and quite exhausting evening. Steffy had plunged into a mini-coma as soon as her body hit the bed. Truth be told, she was still very tired. She had barely gotten six hours of sleep, a fact Bridget would not be happy with if she knew about it, and her body was a little too demanding these days to Steffy's taste.
Feeling a little chill because of the air coming through the open window, Steffy got up and slipped on a flannel robe before heading it into the bathroom. She brought her hair up into a bun for convenience before turning on the faucet and lavishing her right palm with some exfoliating facial cleanser. After thoroughly washing her face, she applied her favorite coconut facial lotion and set to brush away her morning breath.
Satisfied with her small morning routine, Steffy left her bedroom and found Liam working diligently on his laptop in the living room.
"Good morning." She greeted.
Liam turned to look at her and the corner of his lips curved into a gentle smile. "Good morning."
Draping her arms around his neck from behind, she pressed a loving kiss to his cheek and then to his temple. "You're up early."
"I couldn't sleep. I figured I should get some work done." He said tersely.
"Oh ok."
"How did you sleep?" Liam kindly inquired.
"Good. I would have preferred to wake up by your side though." She commented a bit dryly.
"Sorry."
Steffy walked around the couch and went to sit beside Liam. She frowned as she got a closer look at his computer screen. "I thought you were done with that report…"
"I am. I'm just revising it before my meeting." Liam replied, without looking at her. Steffy stared at him wordlessly and narrowed her eyes at his pretended nonchalance.
Feeling her eyes on him, he slightly, almost unnoticeably, moved to his left on the couch away from her. "I brewed some tea in the kitchen if you want some."
"Thank you." Steffy acknowledged. "I'm good." She said, grabbing his own mug from the table and bringing it to her lips. She took a sip of the hot beverage, keeping her eyes focused on Liam. "So are we going to discuss this?"
He glanced at her. "Discuss what?"
"Clearly, you are upset with me, and I think we should talk about it."
"I'm not upset with you, Steffy." Liam replied simply.
She let out an ironic chuckle. "Well, that sure is a good imitation."
"I'm just busy, Steffy. I don't think you're upset with me every time I wake up alone, do I? which happens quite often by the way."
Steffy narrowed her eyes at his puerile jab, which she saw as nothing but a pathetic attempt to distract her from the real issue. "I do not care that you woke up at dawn, Liam, and you know it! I care that you are obviously mad at me, yet refuse to acknowledge it or talk about it." She declared, unintentionally raising her voice. "How are we supposed to move past this if you won't even tell me what it is that you're upset about!"
"Steffy, I am not -" Liam left his sentence unfinished as he was caught off guard by Steffy abruptly shutting down his laptop. "I was working on that!" He exclaimed hotly.
"You've been preparing for this meeting for weeks, you'll be fine." She said, unswayed.
Liam sighed, then relented. If she insisted… "What do you want to talk about?"
"Well, you could start by telling me what's got you so upset." She suggested helpfully.
He stood up and took his mug from her before walking into the kitchen. "What makes you think I'm upset?" he asked back.
Steffy glared at his back. "Liam, you are well aware of how much I hate it when people answer questions with questions of their own, so will you please kindly answer my original question?" she was getting seriously irritated with his elusiveness.
"I'm not upset with you." Liam began and it was all Steffy could do to refrain from rolling her eyes. "I just thought we had a stronger relationship. My mistake. No worries, I'll get over it." He simply stated.
She knit her brows in utter confusion. "Excuse me?" she wracked her brain trying to figure out what he could be alluding to. The only thing she could think about seemed highly unlikely. "You're not talking about Wyatt, are you?"
Liam's eloquent silence said it all, and Steffy's eyes widened in surprise. Of all the possibilities…
"You cannot be serious."
Liam snorted. "I'm sorry, Steffy. I think I'm allowed to be upset at you for what you did last night!"
"Oh, so now, you're admitting that you're upset?" she asked sarcastically, arching an eyebrow at him.
His only response was to throw her a withering glare.
"Liam, you're acting as if I just sprung this on you." Steffy observed.
"Didn't you?" he shot back.
"No, I did not. I talked to you about this before I made any public declaration."
"Without telling me that you intended to drop that huge bomb on my family that very same night." He pointedly reminded her, unamused by her act of obliviousness. "Don't you think it was inconsiderate of you to make such a declaration at all without discussing it with me first?"
Steffy was silent for a brief moment before she responded, "Yes, I should have, and I'm sorry that I didn't." she conceded. "But that was not malicious on my part, Liam. It was a spur of the moment type of decision. I hadn't planned it."
Liam sweetened his tea before he turned and met Steffy's steady gaze. "Yet, you thought of inviting him to our family gathering."
She frowned at his avoidance of uttering Wyatt's name. "He has a name, Liam: it's Wyatt. You might want to get used to calling him that as he very well may be your brother."
"He's not my brother until proved otherwise." Liam replied dismissively.
Steffy released a deep sigh and closed her eyes in quiet weariness. Picking her battles, she decided to drop the subject for now. Considering the precarity of the circumstances, Liam's inexplicable hostility towards Wyatt was an issue that could be addressed later.
"Liam, I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I was inconsiderate, and I'm sorry. It was not intentional."
Regret and remorse was laced into her voice, making it impossible for Liam's expression not to soften as he raised his gaze to meet her apologetic eyes. Steffy was not perfect by any means, but one thing he couldn't accuse her of was being insensitive or inconsiderate of his feelings. No one cared about or took care of him as much as Steffy did. He knew full well that she hadn't meant to hurt him, and the truth was Steffy was not the one Liam was mad at.
"I know." He conceded in a low voice.
"I love you." She professed, bringing a small smile to his lips.
"I know..." Liam said again. "Listen, I don't -" His phone going off interrupted him. Steffy watched curiously as he set his mug on the dinner table before he pulled his phone out of his pants' pocket. "It's my Dad." He informed Steffy as he sent his father a text message in reply.
Steffy furrowed her brow. "It's a little early, no?"
"We have an important meeting in less than an hour. I should get going." He finished his tea in one large gulp and put the mug in the dishwasher before reaching for his car keys. He walked back into the living room to find Steffy staring at him.
"So what? You're cutting our conversation short?" she asked ardently, flooring Liam. It never ceased to amaze him how candid and raw Steffy was with him. She was never afraid to speak up and express her feelings. She was always emotionally available for him, always -at least where Liam was concerned. It was a fact that imposed respect.
"Steffy, I have a business meeting. It's not like I can delay it."
Steffy finally managed to tear her gaze away from him and looked down, exhaling a sigh of defeat. Why was Liam being so aloof with her? Why was she feeling like he was pulling away from her?
"Please don't leave upset." She pleaded quietly.
Liam's heart broke in that instant. He hated causing Steffy any pain, which was all he seemed to know how to do.
After having walked to Steffy, Liam knelt down to be at eyelevel with her. He gently, almost hesitantly cupped her face and tenderly stroked her pale cheek with his thumb. He brought her face nearer to his, and Steffy moved her hands to his wrists, keeping him close. They closed their eyes as their foreheads touched.
"I'm not upset." Liam whispered.
Steffy released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She tightened her grip on Liam, as though trying to prevent him from leaving. And although Liam wanted nothing more but to remain right where he was with the woman he loved, his phone buzzed and inevitably brought him back to reality.
"Stay still." Steffy immediately said.
Sighing, he moved his hands down to her neck. "I really have to go, Steffy."
Disappointed and pouting, Steffy made to move away but Liam stopped her. He lifted his head enough to press a kiss upon her forehead. He let his lips linger there for a moment before rising from the ground.
"I'll talk to you later, ok?" He said and waited for her to look up at him.
When she did, she nodded slightly and seeing the small smile that had touched her lips, Liam smiled back at her before grabbing his briefcase and heading out. If Liam hadn't been in such a rush and had taken the time to really look at Steffy, he may have noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
/
*Three days later*
Liam pounded heavily into the punching bag, blow after blow, releasing all the pent-up anger in him. Boxing really was a great outlet for frustration. It beat lashing out at Alison for the tiniest honest mistake anyway, and it was certainly a healthier way to cope with his ire. Liam could see why his father spent so much time in his private gym room at the office.
Emotions were running freely and wildly through Liam's body, ending their course on the cylindrical inflated bag. These were emotions that he was not used to dealing with. Liam wasn't familiar with feelings such as anger. He rarely experienced it, especially to the point where he felt the physical need to let it out. From his early childhood, Liam's mother had taught him to have a positive outlook on life and to always keep in mind that no matter how miserable his lot seemed to be, there were people out there in the world in far less fortunate circumstances.
Unfortunately, as much as he tried to remind himself of his mother's words of wisdom, today, they just didn't have the desired effect; Liam couldn't seem to get a hold of his emotions and prevent the negativity from taking over. As a matter of fact, his fearful thoughts had been plaguing Liam for a few days now, exhausting him both mentally and physically, turning him into a fuzzy person and a lousy life companion.
Liam frantically laid into the punching bag, his rage only mounting with every hit he delivered instead of subsiding. It felt like he was releasing months' worth of garbage, and in a way, he was. He had accumulated so much anger and resentment ever since his mother got diagnosed with cancer, and he'd never dealt with any of it, only burying the feelings deep within, first so he could be there for his mother and then because it was just easier to pretend like they weren't there. Liam had always had a solid grasp on those feelings. He'd always managed to keep them dormant. Until now. Until Wyatt.
Meeting Wyatt stirred up old feelings and insecurities within Liam and caused them to come rushing back to the surface, threatening to consume him if he didn't find a way to let them out. There was just something about the guy that triggered a visceral reaction in Liam, and the mere prospect of being related to Wyatt in any way was enough to send Liam into a tailspin.
Liam threw in one final punch before laying his head onto the punching bag, exhausted, panting heavily. Removing his earbuds and putting them in his pocket, he walked towards the small table across the room to retrieve a bottle of water. He emptied its contents under a minute, the threw the bottle in the trash.
Liam heaved a sigh of weariness as he leaned his body against the wall. Feeling desperate for answers, he solemnly lifted his eyes to the ceiling as though seeking them from up above. He knew his father's belief in God was shaky at best and he knew that Bill would find him ridiculous if he could read his thoughts, but God had always been a strong presence in Liam's life. God had seen him through the darkest, most painful moments of his life -not the least of which was his mother passing away -and right now, Liam really could use heavenly guidance.
Taking a deep needed breath, Liam closed his eyes and opened his heart.
He prayed for direction.
He prayed for purpose.
Fear. It was a powerful feeling. All-encompassing, consuming, engulfing, overwhelming. Paralyzing.
Liam was afraid -and completely unaware of the full extent to which he was afraid. He was fearful of his past coming back to threaten his future, he was fearful of not being able to be the man the people in his life needed him to be, he was fearful of waking up one day and realizing that he was nothing but a disappointment to those he loved and cherished most.
Liam felt strange… disconnected… empty… overcome. He was at a loss. And all he wanted was to be found.
All he knew was that he loved Steffy and their unborn child unconditionally
Of all the thoughts racing through his mind, of all the questions swirling in his psyche, coming for his sanity, one was overshadowing. Did he deserve Steffy's love?
Thank you for reading. Please share your thoughts.
Any readers left?