This chapter was based on a request. However, I don't think it came out exactly as they hoped. So next week I will share an 'extra' chapter that will give them the desired result. This takes place not long after Jay and Hailey got married and for Liam, the struggle is real.

I am working on a recent request and giving last call to any requests. Feel free to ask if you have anything. If I'm not comfortable with it or unable to meet I will let you know...but I do take each one under consideration. I do have several more chapter requests written, so if yours hasn't been shared yet, it may be coming.

Thanks for reading!

Shattered

It had been a tough few months. The Roy Walton situation had eaten up so much of their time, patience and sanity that there was little left over for Liam's rebellion. On one hand Jay could understand his son's behavior, but on the other hand, it was still unacceptable and he couldn't allow it.

Jay and Hailey had moved in together months ago and had married more recently and neither act had sweetened Liam on the idea of welcoming Hailey to the family. They had gotten along well before she and Jay became romantically involved. Well they had been involved but Jay hadn't shared it until he was certain their relationship was leading somewhere. But when he shared the news Liam distanced himself, becoming disinterested and cool towards Hailey. It was no secret that Jay had a terrible record when it came to romance, and Liam seemed to expect a break-up in the not too distant future and when it hadn't happened he seemed to ratchet up his snotty behavior. And that morning had been a fine display of poor conduct.

Hailey had only been trying to help Liam get ready for school. She had offered to get his breakfast for him, which he declined, and then help with his lunch which made him snap at her.

"Just leave me alone. I'm not a baby, I can get my own breakfast, my own lunch. Just because you're screwing my father does not make you my mother!" He yelled.

Jay had just finished getting dressed and was tying his shoes when he heard the exchange and walked out of the bedroom just in time to see his son smash a glass on the floor. "There, now you can't come into the kitchen," Liam shouted at her.

"Don't move," Jay said sharply as he took his shoe-clad feet into the kitchen and picked Liam up, who was wearing only socks and deposited him in the living room. "Stand right there and don't you dare move." He warned.

Hailey had already gotten the broom and had begun sweeping up the broken glass. Jay took it from her as he saw moisture in her eyes. "Let me do this," he said as her phone chimed.

"It's Voight. We caught a case." She said trying to keep her face and voice even.

"Okay. Go. I'll catch up. I'm sorry about his behavior. We're going to have quite the talk." Jay said as he looked up at her.

"He's a kid Jay. He's been through a lot."

"Maybe, but this behavior does not fly in my house. Our house," he amended. "I'll see you later," he said planting a kiss on her lips before she left.

Jay watched her leave, noticing that Liam was not where he had told him to stay. After he swept the kitchen he dragged the vacuum cleaner out and went over the floor twice. There was no doubt Liam would be late for school, but that couldn't be helped. He just could not believe the way his son was behaving. He could tell Hailey was holding back tears as she left. He knew this marriage and the changes that had come with it wouldn't be easy, but he still expected better behavior from his son.

Once he was done he grabbed his gun and badge and barged into Liam's room without knocking to find him putting books into his backpack. "Let's go," he barked. "It's late."

"Let me grab breakfast and my lunch," Liam said avoiding eye contact.

"You can buy your lunch at school and grab breakfast to go."

Liam went into the kitchen and grabbed his lunchbox. "I said no that you'll have to buy it at school." Jay said grabbing a granola bar and bottle of water handing them to his son.

Liam snatched them as he tossed his lunchbox across the counter, causing Jay to grind his teeth in frustration. "I could have gotten my lunch and had breakfast if I had been left alone."

"No. You could have done both if you had been a reasonable human being and not a bratty two-year-old. What is wrong with you?"

"I don't need any help; I'm not a little kid. Hailey is always in my way trying to do stuff and I don't need her help."

"So to prove how grown-up you are you have a tantrum, great plan." Jay said as he locked the door behind them.

By the time he turned around Liam was already at the elevator and was stepping inside causing Jay to jog to catch up. "We are going to have a very long talk tonight about your behavior," he warned. But Liam didn't respond or even give any indication that he had heard his father.

"Did you hear me?" Jay asked as he realized there was an ear bud in Liam's ear. He pulled it out, despite Liam's protest and demanded the other one.

"They're mine." Liam exclaimed.

"No, I bought them."

"For me, for my birthday. That makes them a gift." Liam stated.

"One that I can take away when you do things that cause you to be punished."

"When do I get them back," Liam said reluctantly dropping the second one in Jay's hand.

"When I feel that you deserve them." He was about to say more but the elevator doors opened up and an elderly woman, along with a man and his daughter entered, so he swallowed his words.

Once at the truck Liam climbed in the backseat and instantly began playing with his phone. "Put your phone away," Jay ordered. Liam sighed but did as he was told.

"What were you thinking, acting like that?" Jay asked, his face tight with anger and frustration.

"I already told you. I was mad. She doesn't back off. I haven't had a mother for seven years and I don't need one now."

"She's trying. She's trying to be a good person. To be helpful. To let you know that she is there for you."

"Well, I don't need it."

"Then you politely say you don't need help. You don't scream about her only being around because she is sleeping with me. We are married, she is your step-mother whether you like it or not."

"Until she leaves," Liam muttered quietly.

"What did you say?" Jay asked, his eyes flicking up to the rearview mirror.

"Until she leaves," he said louder. "I get close to someone, a woman in your life, and they leave. Just because you're married doesn't make a difference."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"It's the truth. You work long hours, you have a kid. Doesn't make you particularly attractive for long."

Jay wasn't sure what to say so he focused on the traffic ahead of him. The stop and go routine was aggravating to say the least. Tension filled the cab and Jay let it sit as their conversation thus far hadn't resolved much of anything. When they were a block away from the school, Liam moved towards his door and announced he was getting out.

"It'll be faster if I walk. Will you let the school know that I'm going to be late so it's an excused absence?"

"No. You created the situation that made you late, so you deal with it. If you get detention that's on you."

"Whatever," Liam said.

"I will try and pick you up from the after school program, if not go to the library as always," Jay announced, ready for a break from his son.

"You know what Dad—it's fine that you and Hailey are married, you can fuck whoever you want. But that still doesn't make her my mom." Liam slammed the door and jogged up towards the crosswalk.

Jay jumped out of the cab and called out his son's full name, but Liam simply ignored him. As he stood there in the street by the truck, he was certain he saw Liam swipe away a tear. With traffic starting to inch forward Jay got back in the truck and slammed his hands on the steering wheel in aggravation.

Liam was buzzed into the school and immediately stopped and leaned against the wall. He tried to take a deep breath but found it difficult to gather the extra oxygen. What the hell was he thinking, talking to his dad that way. Talking to Hailey that way. He could feel his father's disappointment and anger mixing with his own frustration and desperation during the drive. He had thought for certain that the marriage would never happen, couldn't happen. Jay Halstead just wasn't a guy that would ever get married. But then it did happen, and Liam found it hard to believe, then he found it hard to accept. It had nothing to do with Hailey, she had only ever been nice to him, it was more about the position that she had taken. It was Jay and Liam Halstead, that's it, nobody else included, unless of course it was his mother. Erin knew that. All the other women knew that. How could Hailey not understand that?

Now he had mouthed off in the biggest degree and his father was going to kill him. He had pushed it way too far and he was somewhat surprised when Jay came into his bedroom to get him he hadn't just laid down the law along with laying down his belt. And that had been before his last statement in the truck before he jumped out. He heard his dad yell out his full name, first, middle and last name. That was never good. He knew he had to be outside of the truck because he had heard it clearly, but Liam had refused to look back. He was doomed, absolutely doomed. His father's anger would only grow throughout the day and he was sure that Hailey would be told to stay away during the evening. The worst part about it all, was that he deserved whatever Jay handed out.

He hadn't stayed in the living room where he was told to, because for one he was embarrassed about what he had said and done, and secondly because he was afraid his father was going to let him have it right there and Hailey would see it. But moving wasn't that smart either, it was just one more thing he had done wrong that morning. Everything was such a muddled mess in his head and he just couldn't see straight anymore.

Jay barely remembered the drive to work and he got there he found Hailey working the phone in an effort to build on the case that had started hours ago and without him. She was deep in the moment and only focused on her job, showing nothing of the incident earlier that morning. "I told Voight you'd be late." She said as soon as she hung up. "He had no problem with it. How was Liam?"

"How are you?"

"I'm fine Jay. He's the one to worry about. I guess I'm coming on too strong. I just want him to know that I am there for him. That I'm happy to help."

"I think it's just been the two of us for so long and he's still struggling to make room for someone else. He's used to doing a lot of things for himself. I think he's mad at me and taking it out on you. He wants my attention or I've done something he doesn't like, but this is all on me."

"He's had lots of changes in his life. Looking back, we should have probably lived in your apartment and found a new place after we got married. Let Liam be a bigger part of the decision." Hailey explained.

Jay nodded, "maybe. But we're here now and there is no way I am going to allow him to think that it is okay to talk to you that way." He said keeping Liam's final words to himself. He just couldn't believe that his son had spoken to him that way. They had their share of arguments and fights, but Liam had never been so disrespectful before.

"You okay?" Hailey asked as she studied Jay's face. "You seem like something happened. Did something happen with Liam?"

"He's fine. For now." He said with a weak smile.

"Why just for now?"

Jay came clean and told her about the trip to school, including Liam's parting words.

"Wow. That seems out of character for him." Hailey said quietly, looking off at the wall.

"And unacceptable." Jay interjected.

"It seems as if he believes our relationship doesn't have much substance. I think he is afraid to get close to me because he fears that we'll split up."

"He feels that it's all about sex." Jay said.

"He's twelve now. He understands it's part of a relationship. When he was younger that didn't come into the equation. Now he seems to be putting it front and center. It is one of the things that I can give you that he can't and it's causing a lot of jealousy. He may not even realize that's what's driving his anger." Hailey shared.

"I never thought about it that way. I was always careful with women. I didn't bring them home after a few dates. Nobody slept over."

"Nobody? Ever?" Hailey questioned.

"Well a few on occasion. But I made sure they were gone before he woke up."

"Or so you think."

"So I think? They were always gone, I made certain."

Hailey took a breath and pulled Jay further into the quiet corner that they were standing near. "You had frequent nightmares. Liam was attuned to hearing you in the night. There's no way he didn't know you had company sometimes."

Jay absorbed her words and saw her point. "How did this get so complicated? But even so, he never mentioned it. And we're married. This relationship is official and documented."

"It is. But his generation has very few parents that are together so a piece of paper is meaningless. He wasn't thrilled about sharing you, and now it seems to be more about separating himself from us, because I'm still in the picture. If he can't get me to leave, then he will be the one to take a step back. He's just working through everything."

"Jay!" Voight called out waving him towards his office.

"Yeah?" Jay replied trying to put his work face on as he crossed the room.

"Everything okay at home?"

"Fine. Sorry I was late."

"It's fine. Everything okay with Liam?"

"Yeah, just teenage angst. A little acting out. I'll handle it tonight."

Okay. Let me know if you need anything. But in the meantime I'm going to need you to be all-in on the Isaacson case."

"No problem."

"If you need to talk about anything, I'm here," Hank offered.

"Thanks," Jay replied and headed back to his desk to get started. Once he dove into his day he was able to distance himself from what had transpired that morning. He checked the app later in the day and Liam was still at the school where he was supposed to be for his after school session. He imagined that his son was still a little unsettled from what he had said earlier. Liam knew he wouldn't get away with it and why he decided to double down was beyond Jay.

"He still at school?" Hailey asked when she noticed Jay looking at his phone.

"Yeah."

"I'm sure Voight will let you leave early. You got a lot done today. Really not much else to round up."

"Probably. I'll put in another half-hour or so then I'll head out."

Jay had briefly thought about texting Liam but had no idea what he would say. Besides, it would just give Liam an opportunity to dig himself a deeper hole. His son was no angel, but this morning he seemed like an entirely different kid. Finally, he finished the task-at-hand and told Voight he was heading out, but before he got far Hank had stopped him.

"Going to pick-up Liam?"

"Yeah. We need to have a long talk."

"Kids that age—life is hard, and harder than ever these days. He's had some changes in his life recently."

"He has. I guess I didn't see them from his perspective."

"He loves you and you love him. It'll work itself out. But you need to take it one step at a time. Look through his eyes. I made a lot of mistakes as a father and one of them was not bothering to try and understand what Justin was going through. Or worse, why he was going through it. I tried to cover up his mistakes instead of finding out why he was making them. It didn't help either one of us. I didn't discipline when I should have, and I didn't listen when I should have. He had to handle far too much on his own and as you know it didn't go all that well. He had to gain his own footing, and he did, but I should have done more. I failed, but I know that you won't."

Jay wasn't sure what to say so he stood there silently and finally nodded his head that he understood.

"You've got this Jay. I have faith that you will figure this out a hell of a lot better than I ever did."

Jay gave a curt nod and hoped to hell Voight was right.

He sat in the truck for a minute trying to gather his thoughts. Hailey had headed out earlier on some follow-ups so he texted her that he was going to pick up Liam. She replied that she would probably be late, but to go easy on the kid. She encouraged Jay to talk it through with him. He replied with the thumbs-up emoji. But in reality, Liam would dictate how the evening would go. Jay planned on reacting to how is son behaved and the words he chose to use along with the attitude behind them.

Jay ran various words and arguments in his head. He was afraid he would only make things worse. He thought about what Sarge had said and wondered just how obvious their family discord was. He thought about what Hailey had said concerning the jealousy. Their words coiling around and around in his head until they were a snarled mess. He and Liam had always been close, but when he was getting serious with Erin, Liam had acted out, not to this degree but he was only eight back then. Now he was older and a marriage had happened, sealing the deal and the future. No matter what Liam did or didn't do, his place in the family would never rival that of a wife.

When he checked in at the school for pick-up Liam up he had to be paged since he wasn't in the gym. It took over five minutes for the boy to slouch out towards the backdoor. He saw Jay and stopped to put his coat on, taking his sweet time.

"Not in the mood to play today?" Jay asked looking around at the chaos of the gym.

"Needed help with my homework," Liam mumbled, looking at the floor. "Math."

The school opened up the art room and two other classrooms and had teachers that rotated out for homework help. The kids could just be in there to do their homework or have quiet time.

"Did you get it done?" Jay asked as they got in the truck, Liam once again optioning for the back seat.

"Yes." Liam said turning his attention to whatever was happening outside his window.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I'm glad I got my homework done. And I showed maturity getting help."

"I meant about this morning."

Liam sighed. "Can't we wait until we get home? You need to focus on the road instead of yelling at me."

"Fine, we'll wait until we get home." Jay replied, feeling blessed for the reprieve, which didn't last very long.

"Dad?" Liam said, immediately deciding not to wait until they got home.

"Yes Liam."

"Are you going to hit me?"

"What?" Jay asked turning around in his seat since they were at a stoplight. "What would make you ask that?"

Liam shrugged. "Because you love Hailey more than me."

"Of course I'm not going to hit you. And I do not love Hailey more than I love you. Why would you think that?"

Liam shrugged. "The traffic is moving," he pointed out causing Jay to turn back around.

They moved about ten feet and stopped again. "Unbuckle and climb up here," Jay said.

Liam reluctantly undid his seatbelt and climbed over the seat and settled into the passenger side, buckling back up. He looked straight ahead and then out his window.

"Son, I know things are different and Hailey and I or just me should have done things another way."

"Like what?" Liam asked, taking a sudden interest in his fingernails.

"We should have had Hailey move in with us and then the three of us go look for an apartment together."

"Yeah," Liam agreed.

"I shouldn't have suggested we get married that night. It should have been planned for a future date."

"It was all just so fast. We moved and then you guys were barely talking. Hailey was acting all weird then you barely spoke to her even when she talked to you. Then one night you are getting married. It was hard enough moving into a new apartment together."

"You're right."

"I mean I figured you were going to break up and I wondered if we were going to move back to our old apartment and then suddenly there were rings and you're married. It was like I wasn't even here."

"I'm sorry. It was too fast. All of it. We had struggled briefly, but it wasn't going to ruin our relationship."

"It seemed like it was." Liam said in a defeated tone.

"Sometimes problems take a while to work through, but somehow you know that you are going to get there."

"It's like you forgot all about me. Like I hadn't been around for the last twelve years."

"I didn't forget about you, I just had a lot of other things to deal with."

"So you did forget about me."

"Never. I just didn't think things through as well as I should have. But that doesn't mean I don't love you as much as ever."

"Okay," Liam replied quietly, accepting his father's explanation.

"Tell me what you were thinking this morning when you said those things."

"I was mad. I was mad at you, and mad at Hailey, because you kinda forgot about me like we just talked about and Hailey was trying to be all nice and it was like she making it up to me and that would make everything okay."

"She wasn't trying to make anything up to you. She was trying to be a mom."

"But she's not my mom."

"She knows that and she's not trying to take the place of your mom. But she is in that role now and wants to do her part. She wants you to know that she is on your side. And for that, she deserves respect, not the trash talk you spewed this morning."

"Am I in big trouble?"

"Yes, you are. The disrespect that you showed is beyond obnoxious. If you are hurting or something is bothering you, you come to me, or Hailey and we will work it out. You do not go yelling about things you don't understand. We can talk and help you understand. You made incredibly poor choices this morning."

Liam didn't reply and chose to stay quiet the rest of the ride so Jay let his words linger and marinate. He had texted a dinner order to a café by their apartment and had Liam run in and get their order while he circled the block. Once back in the apartment he ate quietly while Liam consumed his dinner on the slow side. "Finish up," Jay said as he dumped his plate wiped up the crumbs.

"I have a lot left," Liam protested.

"I see that. Eat it or save it for lunch tomorrow but we need to talk."

Liam got up and put the remains of his dinner in a container and set in the fridge.

"Is all of your homework done?"

"Yeah." Jay's eyebrows shot up. "Yes sir," Liam amended, recalling that he was in trouble and needed to use the title expected. He really didn't need any more strikes against him.

"Put your backpack in your room," Jay said. "And then come back out." He added. He was pleased that the homework was completed. He figured Liam knew it was going to be a rough night so he had gotten his work done. A good sign of maturity and responsibility and proof that his son was still in there with all that preteen turmoil.

Liam came back out looking at the floor. "Sit," Jay ordered pointing to the chair that Liam had just vacated. "We have already established that I love you and no matter what, will never stop loving you. And that there is room for all three of us in this house and in this relationship. We also agree that what you said was unacceptable. Right?"

"Right," Liam said clearing his throat.

"In the truck you had gentle, understanding dad. Now it's time for stern, angry dad. Doesn't mean I don't love you, but you need to understand how far over the line you went."

"Do you still have my ear buds?" Liam suddenly asked. He had no idea why he thought to ask that. Most likely because he wasn't ready to deal with stern, angry dad yet.

Jay seemed confused for a moment as he had entirely forgotten about them after he put them in his coat pocket. He went over to his coat and checked finding that both were still there. "They're right here. But you are not getting them back yet."

"Can I put them in the charger so they're ready when I am?"

"Fine," Jay sighed, thinking he was doing a lousy job of being stern, angry dad.

Liam disappeared and came back with the charging station and Jay put the two earpieces inside and then took it from his son. "I'll let you know when you earned them back. Now sit down."

"Dad," Liam tried again.

"Yes son?"

"Nothing," he replied, clearly just stalling.

Jay resisted the urge to shake his head or roll his eyes. He took a breath and started. "Now, I do not ever, and I mean ever want to see or hear what I did this morning. You do not speak to adults that way, especially two adults that love you." Jay said, not wanting to waste anymore time.

"Hailey loves me?" Liam asked, his voice showing surprise.

"Yes she does. But you seem resistant to letting her show you."

"She only does because she has to."

"You could say the same thing about me. And no, she doesn't have to, just as I don't have to. But we both do; very much."

"Okay," Liam said looking up in his father's general direction.

"I don't think I have to tell you that you owe her an apology. And it needs to be more than just an 'I'm sorry'."

"When will she be home?" Liam asked tapping his index finger on the table.

"I'm not sure. She was in the field when I left to pick you up. I imagine she is giving us some time and space. I think you should write it out for her. If she comes home before you go to bed then you can give it to her yourself."

"Okay," Liam agreed.

"And you owe me an apology. I cannot believe you said that to me this morning. Where did that even come from?"

Liam shrugged. "I don't know."

"You know my relationship with Hailey isn't based on sex."

"I know. It just came out."

"Twice. You said a milder version to her."

"It's just that before you would have dates and stuff and they wouldn't be around when I was—it was different and I liked it better that they left and then it was just us again."

"Left?" Jay questioned.

"Before morning."

Jay looked down at the table and then sat down. Hailey had been right; Liam knew he had women over in the past. "Wow, I thought I was being sneakier than that." Liam shrugged again. "They were women that I dated and whose company I enjoyed, but a bigger relationship wasn't in the future. I had no idea that you were aware."

"I'd hear you talking to someone," Liam began and Jay wondered how detailed he was going to get. "I didn't know exactly what was happening when I was really little, but once I heard something and thought you were having a nightmare, but you weren't."

Jay turned a shade paler than he already was. "Oh." Was all he could muster.

"I didn't see much, just that you weren't alone," Liam said quietly leaving Jay wondering if it was the truth or not.

He had tried to be careful; making sure his son was long asleep before inviting anyone over. Ensuring doors were closed and that his date was aware his son was nearby, but apparently, it was just too much to contain. It wasn't that frequent, not really. He hated to spend an evening at a woman's house as that would leave Liam with a sitter even longer. He did of course visit girlfriends from time to time, but tried to keep it to a minimum. He also tried to arrange things for when Liam was out of the house. Will would always schedule his day with Liam well ahead of time to allow Jay time to get his own agenda in order. Now it was making a bit more sense as to why Liam was frustrated. He had known his father to have more 'friends' than relationships and so why did he need the relationship if he had a 'friend'.

"You want to know why Hailey is different? More than a friend that leaves in the morning?"

"I guess."

"I love her and she loves me. Kind of like you have friends that really get you and friends that are okay to hang around with but you wouldn't share secrets with."

"You share secrets with Hailey?" Liam asked looking up at Jay.

More than you'll ever know, Jay thought. "The biggest secrets. There is a lot of trust in our relationship. We have a connection. A strong one."

"So she doesn't go home in the morning."

"No she doesn't. She is already home."

"You had a connection with Erin but broke up anyway." Liam pointed out.

"I did. But sometimes other things get in the way."

"Am I in the way?"

"No son, you are not. You are a part of it; we're a family, all of us, together."

"Were you at Hailey's house sometimes when I was with Uncle Will or a friend's house or you didn't come home from work?"

"Sometimes. Son, you'll be able to understand more when you get just a little bit older."

"I think I'm starting to get it now."

Jay paused and took a minute to grasp the change of direction the conversation had suddenly taken. "Girls looking a little different to you these days?" He asked.

"Yeah. Yes sir."

Jay smiled. "Then a lesson in respect is important. You treat people as well as you want to be treated. You show a girl you like her by being nice to her. You don't act like an idiot or showoff, girls don't like that."

"Some do. Micah acts stupid and he pushed Lauren and someone said it was because he liked her."

"It is never okay to push or hurt someone, even mildly, especially if you like them. It is not okay to treat someone like that; it's abusive."

"Okay, I understand."

"Anyone you've noticed?"

"Jessica Patton is really nice. She likes to read and sometimes after school, we'll sit next to each other and read. If we're reading the same book we'll talk about it. She has pretty hair."

"Well it sounds like you're off to a good start."

"Am I grounded?" Liam asked, turning the conversation again.

"You bet you are. Two weeks and I think I'm letting you off easy." Jay explained.

"I got detention for being late. You have to either sign the slip or respond to the text."

Jay pulled out his phone and saw the message and replied "yes".

"Two weeks and extra chores. Grab a piece of paper and get started on Hailey's apology." Liam got up and headed to his room for his notebook and a pen. He came back out to see Jay texting, but he looked up at Liam, "and son, if I tell you to stay somewhere, like I did this morning, you damn well better stay there. Understood?"

"Is that angry dad speaking?" Liam asked.

"It certainly is and I'm serious. Would like to see more of angry dad?"

"No sir," Liam said quietly, looking contrite. "Thanks for being more understanding dad tonight."

"You're welcome. I hope it had a good impact. If not, then I can easily switch over to my alter ego. You get what I'm saying?"

"Yes sir."

"Talk to me. Talk to Hailey. That's all I ask."

"I'm not calling her Mom."

"Nobody is expecting or asking you to."

"Okay. I'll get started on the apology. Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you yours or do I have to write it too?"

"You can tell me."

"I'm sorry about what I said to Hailey and smashing the glass and not staying in the living room where you told me to stay."

"And," Jay encouraged.

Liam took a breath. "I'm sorry about what I said in the truck."

"And?"

Liam looked thoughtful. "I won't do it again."

"Good. Because after this talk I expect more from you. You will get a lot more of stern dad in the future."

"I don't like stern dad."

"I don't either, so straighten up and fly right. Go get your tablet and phone and give them to me."

"I get my phone at school right?"

"Yes, but I don't want you on it. You better have a nearly full battery when I pick you up."

"Man," Liam complained as he went and got the electronics.

Jay finished his text and saw his son returning he continued. "And Liam, if you need to talk to me about anything, I'm here for you, no matter how late I worked or how many days in a row. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't forget that."

"I won't."

Jay sighed and texted to Hailey that all was well and that Liam was working on his apology to her. As he watched Liam work on his task Jay felt that he had handled it better than he thought he would, remaining mostly patient and calm, while getting his point across. In addition, he found himself quite grateful that the ending of the day had been much better than the beginning.