Chapter Ten: Stick of Dynamite

I left Hailey with Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy as I flew from O'Hare to Heathrow, ready and waiting to greet London solo with a smile on my face. Liam had been surprisingly quiet after Penny had delivered the news that he wouldn't be accompanying me on trips on behalf of Nell's Rags anymore, and I was relieved that I didn't have to be the one to have the conversation with him in the interim. Once I arrived at Heathrow, I pulled out my phone, taking it off of airplane mode as I walked through the airport itself, following the signs to baggage claim to retrieve my suitcase and get a car to my hotel.

I was surprised when I received a phone call, just after texting Penny to inform her that I'd arrived there safely, and placed the phone next to my ear. "Pops," I said, pleased to hear from someone that always had my back. "What's up?"

"You land in London yet?" he asked.

I scoffed, making my way towards the correct carousel. "No," I replied, "thought I'd keep my phone on during the duration of the flight to make the attendants mad. Yeah, I'm fucking in London already," I said, tapping my foot as I waited for my bag to come around.

"Okay, jesus, Iana, no need to bite my head off," he said.

I sighed, rolling my shoulders. "You're right, I'm sorry," I replied. "It's just that Hailey usually stays with Mom and Dad whenever I go out of town, and she cried a bit after I had to leave her with Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy…"

"Don't worry, I'm taking her out later on today," Pops confirmed as my suitcase came into view and I stepped forward, managing to grab it without taking a break from the conversation. "I mean, if you're cool with that…"

"Pops, I would never not be okay with that," I replied, moving quickly to find the nearest exit so as I could get a car. "Why wouldn't I be? Unless…"

"Don't worry, kiddo, I wouldn't invite Murphy, even though Ian has been chewing me out for the past few days about it," he replied. "I know that you don't care if we see your mom, but if you want us to keep Hailey away from her…"

"Of course I fucking want Hailey to be kept away from her," I replied, knowing full well just how harsh I sounded as I stepped outside into the late afternoon sunshine, waving to a driver who stood before a town car, a piece of thick paper boasting my name. "She fucking got drunk after years of sobriety, refuses to give me an explanation, and allowed Hailey to get sick when she promised me she'd keep her safe…"

"I think your mom wants to tell you what happened, Iana," Pops said gently, as I nodded at the man to place my suitcase in the drunk, and let myself into the back of the car. "The trouble is, you're not letting her get a word in."

I scoffed, leaning back against the fine leather upholstery as the driver got into the right side of the vehicle, and drove through the airport parking lot, all on the left side of the road. "I guess I just don't want to deal with her shit right now," I muttered.

"And you're allowed to make that decision," Pops said. "But I just don't want you to lose sight of what really matters here."

"Like my daughter's safety?" I asked, and I could sense Pops hesitating over the phone. "If that's what you're saying here, Pops, that I should let Mom get away with this, then that's just fucking bullshit, and it'll never happen."

He sighed. "That's not what I meant, kiddo."

I bit my lip. "Look, I'm in the car on the way to the hotel now, so I really shouldn't be taking a phone call or anything right now. Listen, Hailey can be around you, Yev, Uncle Ian, Uncle Lip, Aunt Mandy, Franny, Clark, Ezra… But not Mom or Dad, or any of the kids, except Fionn, for the time being."

"You seem to love Fionn the most out of that bunch."

I smiled automatically then. "Of course I do," I replied. "Clayton was so goddamned independent from the get-go, and Fionn always needs me somehow. But it's not like it doesn't work both ways; I need him, too. He's the only one I can really talk to about all the shit that went down way back when, because he was there, and he gets it on that level."

"You know, he's not the only one that's there for you now, Iana."

I smiled a second time, nodding. "I know, Pops. And, just like with Fionn, it works both ways. I will always be there for you, too."

"I know that, kiddo," he said, his tone gentle. "And, just know, that I'm yelling at your mom every single day for doing what she did. Doesn't help much, because Ian says that it could only cause her to relapse, and your dad isn't too happy with me either. Problem is, the two of them handle her with kid gloves because of her past."

"She's not the only one with a fucked past, Pops," I said quietly, turning and looking out at the city of London, and marveling at its beauty. "We've all got something lodged back there that we can't talk about at all, or only with a select few people. She needs to get to the point where she doesn't just fall back on it."

"That's exactly what I tell her, Iana."

"Well, not that it would make a difference, but tell her that from me, too," I told him, my voice firm as I considered it. "Last thing she needs is only you giving her hell."

"I'm not the only one, Iana, believe me."

"I do, Pops," I tell him. "Always."

. . .

The next week was filled with too many buyers meetings to count; I'd never had such big fish to catch before, and they were hell-bent on talking me down, as I believed some of them were stuck back in the 1950's, meaning that they thought I should've been married and standing in a kitchen cooking a roast dinner or some shit. Nevertheless, I forced myself to remain as compliant as I could with all of them, knowing that Penny wanted this deal to happen no matter what. It took me by surprise when one of the three head buyers, Antony Maybrook, told me that he wanted to meet for a solo drink, just to go over the finishing touches, once the deal had gone through, and I told him we could meet at the bar at my hotel.

"Mr. Maybrook," I said, offering my hand to him on the night in question, and he took it, clasping it just the right amount as I carefully slipped into the private booth he'd gotten for the two of us. "I take it you don't want me to just sign on the dotted line?"

He grinned. "Don't worry, I have plenty of paperwork for you, Miss Milkovich."

I lifted up the glass of provided champagne, and found that it didn't compare in the slightest to the one that Liam had brought me in my apartment. "Very well, then," I said, knowing that patience was the key in any given sales situation, and yet I would not force myself to give into this slippery man's will. "What is it you want now, Maybrook?"

"Nothing that I think you're not prepared to give me," he replied, his tone steady.

I blinked, lowering my flute back down onto the table. "Meaning?" I asked, forcing my tone not to change, for I had to exude confidence at every opportunity.

He smirked then, looking me over. "Do you honestly know how dangerous it is for a woman to be traveling alone, doing a man's job?"

I felt my hackles rising automatically, but wouldn't allow myself to give into it, for that was exactly what this man wanted, to label me as an irrational woman and, therefore, incapable of making big important deals like this. "I like to think that the workforce has become all the more equal in the last few decades," I replied. "Of course, there are a few outliers to that equation, which include my dear friend, Penny, CEO of Nell's Rags. And then there's the other side of the same coin; you, for instance."

Maybrook looked entirely disinterested in my reply, and yet, he kept staring at me with his yellow-green eyes, an unnerving expression on his face. "Oh, really?" he asked, and it was then that I felt his hand on my leg; stupidly, I'd worn a little black dress that Penny had specifically designed for me, and, whenever I sat down, it rode up my hips ever so slightly, leaving my milk white legs on display. "I think that, perhaps, you need a reminder of where you are on the totem pole of life, Miss Milkovich."

"What does that mean?" I asked, speaking through my teeth now, wanting more than anything to grab ahold of his wrist and twist it, but found that I was suddenly nervous.

"It means that you've been living too much in the twenty-first century," Maybrook went on, and began to glide his hand upwards along my leg, and towards the dresses hem. "I think, perhaps, someone like you should be at home with your daughter, instead of cavorting around Europe doing a man's job."

I reached out then, taking ahold of his wrist before he could access the area between my legs, and narrowed my eyes at him. "I think you're thinking too much in the past, Maybrook," I told him as I felt my eyes flashing in rage. "This is not the time or place for you to be fondling a business associate without her permission. Now, I'm going to ask you nicely," I continue, digging my nails expertly into the flesh of his arm, "to keep your hands to yourself, or you're going to be picking yourself up off the floor when I'm finished with you."

Although he'd stiffened when my nails made contact with his skin, he twisted his arm out of my grip and pinned me back against the booth, his arm lengthwise against my throat, the other pinning me back on my stomach. "Tell me why I shouldn't discipline you for not respecting the man you're working with," he said, his breath a mixture of fine wine and garlic, and I shut my eyes on a wave of pure revulsion. "I'll bet you like it rough; someone like you, raised up from the Chicago ghetto. I'll bet you like being told what to do and smacked around like the cunt you really are…"

It was amazing to me that, just a moment later, the pressure on my neck was gone, and my eyes flew open, as did my mouth, when I saw the scene unfold before my. My hand flew to my throat, slightly bruised by that bastard's arm, and yet, I managed to speak, just one word. "Liam," I whispered then, shaking my head in shock.

"Don't you ever think about touching a woman like that again, you son of a bitch!" Liam yelled at Maybrook, holding him firmly by the collar of his starched white shirt, glaring down at him with those beautiful silver eyes of his. "And don't you even think about looking at, or even talking to Iana ever again! She's more human and a harder worker than you'll ever be, so just slither out of her, you fucking prick!" he said, socking him once in the face for good measure, before he dropped him, literally kicking his ass as Maybrook crawled out of there. Liam then turned and stared at me then, now struggling to get to my feet, and he helped me in steadying myself accordingly. "You okay?" he asked.

I raised my eyes to his, wanting more than anything to thank him, and to show him just how much I appreciated him. I felt whole as he stared down at me, his eyes full of concern, and maybe something else, as I struggled with the words. However, as always, my damned pride came out to play, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "What the hell are you doing here?!" I demanded, yanking my arm back from his grip.

"Apparently being your knight in shining armor," he replied, and moved after me as I turned to leave the hotel bar. "What? Is it a turn-off to you or something?"

"Look, I had Maybrook under control," I shot back, walking towards the hotel elevators and pressing the button. "I didn't need you swooping in, like always, and taking control." I turned back and looked at him then, shaking my head. "What the fuck are you even doing here? Penny said she was going to tell you that I wanted to do these trips on my own…"

The elevator dinged open then as Liam nodded, as I swore to myself as he walked into the elevator after me, and became infuriated when he pressed the same button as me, although all the executive suites were on that floor… "I know," he replied, and I felt my nails digging into the palms of my hands as rage continued to flow throw me. "Penny and I had a discussion about it, of course, and I agreed that you were ready."

"Then how in the hell can you explain being here?!" I hissed, becoming annoyed that the elevator was going so goddamned slowly.

"Had a charity function earlier this afternoon," he replied, shrugging it off. "And before you ask me, no, I'm not making it up. I shook hands with His Majesty King William, and he seemed delighted to have someone like me in attendance."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes as the elevator dinged open onto my floor, and swore under my breath as Liam moved to follow me. "This conversation is over."

"Not from where I'm standing," he replied, and took my arm to spin me around, but, when he did so, I socked him in the shoulder. "Whoa! Dammit, Iana!"

"I told you that nobody can fucking grab me when I'm least expecting it," I said then, speaking through my teeth. "I have a lot of trust issues with men, and why the hell shouldn't I? I was raped when I was five-years-old," I said, and Liam looked sickened by the proclamation. "What are you giving me that face for?!" I demanded.

He sighed. "Sorry. You just… You never talk about your past."

I rolled my eyes. "All my mother ever did was blame her past on the bullshit she put me and my brother's through forever," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm never going to be like that when it comes to Hailey. Sure, I'll probably talk about it with her when she's old enough to understand it and stuff, but I'm not going to blame every insignificant thing in my life on my past, and how I'm predispositioned or some shit to be this way. Fucking imperfect."

"Iana, of course you're imperfect," Liam replied, not unkindly, and my eyes readily snapped to meet his. "Everybody fucking is. If someone ever told you to be perfect, they're fucking assholes, because perfection does not exist. It never did."

"I know it doesn't exist," I said quietly. "Guess the whole me being damaged makes me feel that way even more…"

"You're not damaged, Iana."

"Of course I'm fucking damaged!" I shouted then, feeling the tears escaping me eyes and flowing down my eyes. "I was conceived through a one-night-stand in Mexico, while my mother was drunk off her ass on tequila, and my biological father was pining after her own twin brother, and thought fucking her was the next best thing. I had to play mommy starting at the age of five after my dad ran off, and my mom hooked up with a cop who started abusing her and me. Not to mention the smoking at twelve, drinking at thirteen, and sex at fourteen really helped things over the course of my life. Let's just say that, after everything, all the bullshit, all of it, I'm surprised I even lived to see eighteen."

Liam searched my face then. "What else don't I know about you, Iana?"

I shrugged, dashing the tears from my eyes. "Plenty."

"I'd like to find out what else I don't know."

I sighed, looking back up at him. "And I'd like to know why in the hell you came all the way out to London. You said it was for some charity thing, and I'll buy that, for now. But what made you stand up for me tonight? What made you grab Maybrook away from me like that? What is this thing between us, Liam? What's really going on here? Because, as far as I can tell, you're getting married at the end of next month, and I just don't understand any of this…"

"Neither do I," Liam replied, and wrapped his arm around my waist then, before yanking me at full-force against him, molding his body to mine as our lips met.

It felt so right, being there in his arms, and I wanted more than anything to kiss him back, and not just stand there like a statue. I wanted him to be mine, I saw that now; I wanted Liam more than almost anything, save for my daughter's wellbeing. But, given Liam's ties to Illiana, and the fact that he couldn't seem to make up his mind, allowed the clouds to part, and permitted me to see the light.

Reaching upwards, I gently pushed him back then, and willed for myself not to cry. "We can't do this again, Liam," I said firmly, and said the one thing that I'd vowed never to say out loud. "As long as you're marrying Illiana, and are engaged to her, this can't happen. I won't be second-best to you, Liam; I won't. You say it won't be a real marriage; well, it sure as shit seems like Illiana didn't get the memo. So, as far as I'm concerned, you and I no longer have anything to say to each other on the matter. Because, as long as Illiana's in your life in a romantic way, I can't be," I tell him then, finishing quickly before I unlock my hotel room door, and head inside, locking the door behind me. I lean up against it then, the fresh tears already falling down my face, as I sense Liam hesitating outside the door. However, my last resolve breaks as I hear his footsteps walking away from the door, and know then that the choice has been made.

. . .

"That son of a bitch," Penny said, pacing around the front room of her work suite when I told her what had happened in London.

"Look, Penny, it's all right…"

"Of course it's not all right!" she cried out then, whipping around to face me. "That son of a bitch has had his greedy little paws in the cookie jar for as long as I can remember, and it stops now. I am officially cutting him off."

My eyes nearly popped out of my sockets. "But the Maybrook Cooperation has been giving you funding for Nell's Rags ever since you founded it. He was one of your investors back when you were a fledgling company. You'd really just cut him off like that?"

"For you? Absolutely," Penny replied, crossing her arms. "You're my best friend, Iana, and you're practically family anyhow. I don't mince words, Iana, I mean what I say. Never in my life have I appreciated Maybrook, but he never did anything that would stick. This time, the hotel security footage backs up your claims of harassment and assault. It's unacceptable, and I won't stand for it any longer. He can use his millions to hire a whole team of lawyers for all I care; Nell's Rags officially doesn't need him."

I shook my head. "Wow… Guess I just thought it'd be the typical reprimand and then I wouldn't have to deal with him face-to-face again…"

Penny sighed. "I'm not your typical CEO, Iana. I take care of my family and friends first. And there are plenty of well-qualified, and better-mannered, investors who want a piece of the cake, so it's not like we'll be hurting for money."

"I'm sure not," I replied, perching on the edge of the couch. "It's just…"

"What?"

"Well, you'll see in the footage that, after Maybrook got off of me… Well, I didn't push him off me. He was pulled from me."

Penny raised her eyebrows. "Pulled from you?"

"Yeah," I replied, swallowing. "By Liam."

Penny sighed. "Look, I told him to stay away from you. He had this charity thing in London the same time you'd be there, and I told him not to stay at your hotel, but we have an investment in that hotel, so the rooms are free for us…"

"It's okay," I replied, raising my hand. "I'm not going to fault him for stepping in, although I didn't really need his help." I smiled slightly then. "Guess it's in his nature to want to help, like it's in everyone's nature to want something they can't have…"

Penny blinked, walking up to me then and sitting beside me. "Are you saying what I think you're saying right now, Iana?"

I sighed, biting my lower lip. "Yeah, I guess I am…"

"You want to be with Liam," she said quietly, the revelation coming to her as quickly as it had come to me, and that was saying something.

I shook my head then, feeling my shoulders automatically hunching. "Look, I know it's stupid to want something like that, especially since he's with Illiana, but…"

"But nothing," Penny said, her voice firm. "If it's taken you this long to admit that you have feelings for Liam, I can't imagine how long it'll take him."

I scoffed then. "He's a man, with a gorgeous fiancée on his arm. Chances are he'll never want to admit he has feelings for South Side trash like me…"

"You are not South Side trash, Iana," Penny said, her voice firm. "And I don't ever want you to hear you say that about yourself again. You hear me?"

I nodded, knowing full well that it wasn't a promise that I could keep verbally yet. "Changing subject," I said, turning to look at Penny, my voice firm, so that she knew the subject of me and Liam was closed. "Can I make a personal impact statement about what happened to me while I was in London?"

Penny smiled, reaching out and taking my hand. "I think that's a great idea," she replied, and put her arm around my shoulders.

. . .

"Nineteen!" Franny shouted as soon as she saw me, yanking me into her arms amid the swarm of people all around us. "You are nineteen, Iana Phillipa Milkovich! How does it feel?"

I rolled my eyes, taking the red solo cup filled with punch, and doing my best to grin at everyone around me, knowing that Franny standing guard beside me to keep my mom away from me for the night was the best I'd get right now. "I say… It feels pretty darn good! Let's party hard!" I yelled then, feeling like a baseball umpire or some shit, before holding the cup aloft briefly, before tipping the liquid down my throat, while the whole party broke out in a group cheer, and urged me to chug.

I was passed around from person to person, and did my best to avoid Mom and Dad, not wanting my birthday to be wrecked by fighting with them. I felt immense relief when Yev took over guard duty from Franny, putting his arm around my shoulders. My brother resembled a glorified bouncer, and I felt a smirk developing on my lips as we made our way outside, and he lit a cigarette, handing it over to me.

"What's the face about?" he asked.

I scoffed, watching as he lit a cigarette for himself, as I leaned back up against the house. "I don't know. You look like a fucking bouncer," I joked.

Yev grinned. "You know the only reason why you're still standing is because it's your birthday, right, little sis?" he asked.

I smirked more broadly this time, bringing the cigarette to my lips. "Oh, big brother. One false move, and I'll have you on your ass. No questions asked."

He nodded. "That's the Milkovich in you talking."

I laughed then, allowing the positivity to fill me up as I put the cigarette in my mouth. "You know it!" I shouted.

I drifted back inside after finishing my cigarette, doing my best to continue to ignore and avoid my parents, and had a couple more drinks before heading upstairs. It was quieter up there, and I shook my head at the splintered portion of the wall that I'd made several months back, when my eyesight was failing me, and I had zero idea what to do with my life. I stepped forward, checking out all the imperfections behind the wall, where the wood was sticking out through the shittier than shit wallpaper, and shook my head.

"Boy, you have seen some better days, my friend," I muttered to myself, touching the edge of the wall, where the paneling was in slightly better condition.

"Iana?"

I turned around then, a sigh automatically escaping my lips as Liam came up the stairs and slowly walked towards me. "To what do I owe the pleasure on the first day of my final year of teenhood?" I asked him, my voice filled with sarcasm.

"You don't need to be like that, Iana. Not with me."

I crossed my eyes automatically then, and took a step backwards. "The walls are a preexisting condition, Liam. It's just the way I am."

He shook his head. "No, I don't think it is."

"Of course it fucking is," I said, fighting and losing the battle to keep my temper. "This can't just go back and forth constantly. I know that's what you want, but it can't involve me, Liam. Not anymore; it just can't."

"Iana, I think I know what you want…"

"Then stop fucking waving it in my face like I mean nothing to you," I shot back. "It's clear the choice you made is what it is, and I don't want to hear another goddamn thing about it."

"Iana…"

"No! You fucking broke my heart, Kennedy!" I shouted at him, and continued stepping away as he worked hard to come closer. "Smashed it into little tiny pieces, and repeatedly do it again and again every single time we have this fucking conversation. I can't go on and on like this, because I have fucking feelings, too. I may be South Side trash, Liam, from the fucking ghetto, but I still have feelings, because I'm a human. A human with genuine thoughts, thoughts that I probably shouldn't feel, but do anyway. It's an unconscious thing at this point; I'm unable to turn it on and off anymore, and I wish I could. God, things would be so much easier if I could just turn off how I feel about you, but I can't do that. I can't do that, and it's killing me. It's literally killing me to be walking around, pretending that I'm okay with you getting married and all that, because I feel like, at the same time, it's a death sentence for me…"

"Iana, you don't…"

"No, I'm talking now, Kennedy!" I shouted, and Liam immediately backed down. "Why would you step in like that in London? What could you possibly gain from sticking your neck out like that to save me?"

"Maybrook is a serial," he replied, and I immediately went quiet. "He's done this with other women in the past, not just women who work for Nell's Rags. I knew I had to be waiting in the shadows, just in case he pulled something."

I shook my head. "That doesn't explain how you knew…"

"Penny mentioned it in passing that you'd be meeting him," he replied. "Penny doesn't know about Maybrook, and I only heard rumors. The confirmation came when I saw his hand on your thigh, and I knew I couldn't let it go further than that."

I dragged my hand down my face then, shaking my head. "What happens now?"

"We turned in the footage to the proper authorities, and they're looking into it," he replied. "I should tell you that, because he's considered a pillar of the community, he'll likely be able to resign his position, and pay out the nose to the confirmed victims."

"They're not victims," I said, my voice firm, and Liam's eyes rose to meet mine. "They're not victims, Liam. They're survivors."

"Like you?" he asked.

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess like me," I said quietly, turning at the sound of footsteps on the stairs behind me, and my eyes widened slightly then. "Axel?"

"Hey, Iana," he said, putting an arm casually around my shoulders, and, for a fraction of a second, I could see Liam register jealousy in his expression. "Everyone's wondering where the birthday girl went. They almost sent out a search party, but I volunteered to be on the task force to find you."

I forced a smile to my lips. "Yeah, Axel, I'm sure you did."

"We'd better get back down," he urged.

I nodded, looking briefly at Liam. "See you later," I said, and moved to follow Axel. "I doubt they're really looking for me…"

"Sorry," Axel said quietly. "Just saw that slimeball following you up here and figured that you needed rescuing."

I shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."

"No, but you literally cannot handle being too close to him," Axel said, his voice firm, and I locked my gaze with his. "He's hurt you too many times to count, Iana."

I sighed. "I know that. Don't you think I know that?"

Axel shrugged, letting go of my shoulders. "That, or you have an extremely high pain tolerance, Iana," he said quietly as we stepped back into the fray of the party.

. . .

I stepped into the restaurant where Penny had made us dinner reservations; I assumed it all had to do with the wedding, due to happen in about a month. I still couldn't believe I'd allowed myself to step out of line with Liam, breaking my vow to be a bridesmaid, for bridesmaids are always faithful to the best interests of the bride. Shaking my head, I stepped towards the hostess desk, who told me that they were getting our table ready, and to have a drink at the bar while I waited for it.

I smiled, thanking the hostess and walking towards the bar. Hopping up on a stool, I asked for a vodka cranberry and flashed my fake I.D., which the bartender took. I perched on the stool and thanked him when my drink was delivered, sipping it slowly. I allowed my eyes to wander around the dining room, and settled on the row of intimate, two-person booths in the back. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw Liam and Illiana sitting in one of them, and the very notion that she was reaching out to touch his hand made me sick. They seemed to be having a very serious conversation, and although all my instincts screamed to go over there, I stayed put, just watching them.

It was when Illiana leaned in and kissed him on the cheek that all bets were off. I wasn't even aware that I was gripping my vodka cranberry in my hand, and, the moment Illiana's lips met Liam's cheek, I let the glass go. It shattered upon impact of the floor below, the pink drink flying everywhere, and the ice cubes clattering dramatically. I didn't even lower my eyes to the mess I'd made as I got to my feet, and it was then that Liam and Illiana turned and stared at me, hers an expression of surprise, and Liam's of shock. I saw him pulling away from Illiana then, and moving towards me, but I couldn't…

"Iana, wait!" came his shout after me, as I fled towards the front of the restaurant. I dashed by the hostess' desk, and flew threw the double doors of the entrance. "Iana!"

I ran up to the first Uber driver I could find, hopping into the car. "Step on it!" I nearly screamed at him, and he pulled away from the curb, just as Liam exited the restaurant. I felt myself shaking, but no tears came flowing down my cheeks; instead, they were suspended just beneath my eyelashes. I paid the driver handsomely when we arrived at my apartment, and I thanked the sitter for watching Hailey, but, as my evening plans had changed, I no longer needed her services for the night. I paid her double and she left, and I immediately walked into my daughter's bedroom and spotted her playing.

"Mama?" she asked, getting to her feet, and walking towards me.

"Hi, sweetheart," I said, scooping her into my arms and sitting on her bed.

"How come you're home?"

I sighed. "Well, Mama's plans changed for the night, darling," I said quietly. "Plans do that sometimes. The most important part is, we all have to keep on our toes."

Hailey turned in my lap then, her eyes meeting mine. "Is that why you're sad?"

I smiled then, a small laugh escaping my lips because of my daughter's perceptive nature towards my feelings. "Not exactly, baby. No."

"Then… Why are you sad?"

I swallowed then, considering how to answer her question. "Well, baby, sometimes when you're an adult, you feel a certain way. Now, you're not supposed to feel that way, but you do, and no matter what you do, you can't figure out how to stop it."

"Like you loving Liam?" she asked.

I laughed then, and shook my head. "No, sweetheart. Mama doesn't love Liam…"

"But you always say his name when you're sleeping," Hailey said, a small, innocent smile coming to her lips. "You say it quietly, but I can hear you…"

I smiled. "Mama's just got a lot on her mind. Adult stuff," I said then, and Hailey sighed, knowing when a subject was closed.

. . .

"Oh, I am drinking tonight," I said, taking the offered flute of champagne and letting out a cheer as we toast to me and Yev for what must've been the twentieth time. "How're you feeling about the little break we get?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Not much. Summer quarter starts soon."

I rolled my eyes. "Boo," I replied. "Don't remind me."

Des grinned, coming up behind Yev and throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Well, we actually have some news…"

I raised my eyebrows then, sipping my champagne. "Yeah?" I asked. "Anything you care to share with me, Des?"

"We're moving in together," Des replied, looking at Yev lovingly.

"You didn't tell me that!" I said, gently smacking Yev. "When is this happening?"

"Over the summer," Yev replied. "That'll be the perfect time to incorporate my things with Des's things in his apartment."

"I have some vacation time coming up, so the timing is just perfect," Des said with a smile. "I'm just so happy you introduced us, Iana."

I gave a little shrug at that. "Just had a feeling," I replied.

I drifted around my apartment for a bit then; the people over were mostly part of the younger crowd, which meant that Hailey was with Uncle Lip and Aunt Mandy for the night. I was extremely thankful for Penny and Lacey for throwing together this little celebration for me and Yev finishing yet another college quarter. It was nice to let loose for a while and allow myself to be happy, despite my entire world threatening to crumble at the seams.

"Iana?"

I turned around then, plastering a smile on my face. "Hey, Liam."

"Hey. Haven't seen you since…"

"Yeah, it's been a while," I said, cutting him off, knowing that the last time he'd seen me, I'd been literally running into an Uber to avoid him. This had happened a full three weeks before, and I'd done my best not to be stuck in a one-on-one conversation with Liam ever since. "I guess time flies when you're having fun," I joked.

He sighed. "It was awkward for me, too."

"Yeah, well, I suppose I owe you for the vodka cranberry. Penny told me that they made you take care of the tab. If you want me to pay you back…"

Liam shook his head. "No, it's fine. Really."

I swallowed then. "How considerate of you."

"I try to be, Iana. I really do."

I nodded, swirling my champagne in its flute, trying my best to consider what to say next. "Well, if there wasn't anything else…"

"Actually," he said, cutting in my attempt to walk away from him, and placed his hand gently on my arm. "Iana, I…" He hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah?" I asked. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say that…" His eyes locked with mine, attempting to convey something to me, which I had no idea what it was, and then, his courage was gone. "I've always had the utmost confidence in you, Iana," he said, forcing a smile to his lips. "You're working full-time, plus you're a mom, and now you're on your way in college. I knew you were one-of-a-kind from the time I met you, Iana, and that you were special. I just knew that something good would come from knowing you, and I was right. It's amazing."

I smiled slowly then. "Well, thank you," I said, stepping forward, and accepting his hug. "I guess you could say… Knowing you hasn't been easy, Liam Kennedy. But, at the end of the day, it's been a hell of an adventure."

I heard the harsh footsteps beside me then, which promptly caused me and Liam to literally fly out of each other's arms. Our eyes locked onto the other's for mere seconds, but it felt like an eternity as our souls were clamoring to join into one, although it could've just been my hopes, dreams, or my imagination. I turned my head then, spotting Axel, who gave me a look of pure rage then as he stomped towards the front door of my apartment, before yanking it open, and slamming it behind him.