His mother had lied to him. That had to be the truth. His family was motivated by one primary goal: selfishness. Elise hated Raven. He knew it.
Raven is not my fucking sister, Liam told himself as he stood at the front door. He’d driven his motorcycle, needing the speed and the fresh air. On the way over, he’d come up with something brilliant to say. He waited for the door to open, ready to explain why he had stayed away a whole week. Of course, Liam avoided her. He’d tried to wait until the DNA results were back, but fuck it. This entire week away was torture enough and had given him time to rationalize their next step. The words were on the tip of his tongue. When Raven opened the door, the only words capable of tumbling out of his mouth were “I miss you,” as he looked into her depressed face. Speech had spread its wings and flown away–left him in the cold, no matter how hot it was outside.
She let him in, closing the door to the pre-summer heat. “What do you want?” Guarding herself, she folded her arms across her chest, but there was a glimmer of longing in her eyes. That love was a tiny seed of hope.
Stuffing his hands into designer jeans, Liam stepped closer to her. While time had ticked by, he’d determined that it was impossible for her to be his sister. It was the only way he was able to rationalize his addiction. “I need you.”
“Well, you don’t act like it. You’ve been avoiding me like I’m a damn disease. For a whole week.” Raven took a step back. “I’ve been neglected by Charlene! Granny is in the hospital with Grandpa Otis. Bet you don’t know the pneumonia passed–because you do not care. I found out that a long-term friend has been stabbing me in the back, and the other one might be my brother.” Her voice quivered. “I’ve been through enough crap in the past couple of months. All you had to do was talk to me.” She pushed his chest. “Just go!”
He didn’t budge. “I moved back to my parents’ house since the dorm rooms at Brinton Prep are getting ready for new students,” he started. Those weren’t the words that should’ve been coming out of his mouth. He needed to tell her that his grandfather was in town, keeping him busy with talk about running the hotel dimension of the Delacroix Corporation. Being near her had fogged his mind. He stepped closer; she stepped back.
Raven shook her head, looking at the floor. “No excuses.”
“I love you. Forgive me.” Liam had a look of possession in his eyes. She was his. He was obsessed with her smell, her voice, her face, everything about her. Liam didn’t tell Raven that he had tried for days to stop thinking about her and how he felt when he realized that it was…impossible. His thoughts always reverted back to Raven. Liam moved in slowly, touching her cheek, kissing his obsession.
“Just leave me alone.” Raven pushed him away. For her own soul, she had to try.
They sat next to each other on the couch, both looking across the tiny living room. His insides twisted. Okay… I’ll let her be mad for a while, but she’s mine.
“I’m pregnant.”
“Aren’t you on birth control?”
Her face reared back as if slapped. “Yes! I didn’t know I was supposed to take the pills for a week before they’d become effective. I just took them!”
Liam’s eyes met hers and froze for a fraction of a second. She seemed frantic as she tried to explain the process.
He got up from the couch. “Why haven’t you told me?”
With jittery legs, he paced around the area. Pierre had come to see him for this month’s pep talk. Liam intended to take Raven to Paris with him this fall. A baby presented a problem. I’m too young to be a father. He felt her eyes on him as he moved around the worn carpet. Maybe she brought this up to gauge how much he loved her? Sighing, he thought about the day Chris came in between them. The day at the ice cream shop, when Liam had wanted to tell her how much he’d loved her, even then. It was time to stop thinking and react. Say what he meant. But his brain just kept overanalyzing what was coming between them. A baby… Entrapment? Or a lie?
No. Liam knew Raven had to be pregnant, she wouldn’t use a lie as a snare. The dejected love was written all over her face, along with a mixture of nervousness as she bit her lip, and vulnerability showed in her glossy, blue eyes.
Closing his own eyes, Liam let his thoughts take over, tried to figure out what to do. Should we get rid of it? But Raven needs to feel like she can always depend on me… We can have another baby later–
“I didn’t know if I would keep it.” Raven’s words flooded through his thoughts. “Especially if you are my half-brother.”
Those words knocked the air out of his lungs. Now he felt like an ass. Why did I even hesitate about keeping the baby, our baby? He loved Raven with all of his heart. There was enough love for their child, too. He knelt to the floor in front of her, pushing up her T-shirt, and placed his face to her flat abdomen. Indescribable feelings of love washed over him. Breathing in slowly, he felt her soft hands on the back of his neck, stroking it like she often did when he was stressed. He stood back up.
As much as he wanted to, Liam had to keep his distance. They had to know the truth first. That his mother was a pathological liar. Why am I blaming my mom?
Liam took a deep breath. Elise didn’t have anything to do with Charlene and Jonathan’s actions.
“Go home, Liam.” Raven’s emotionless words weeded through his tormented psyche. She stood up and went to the door. Without another word, Raven held it open.
He stepped to her. His knuckles softly grazed her cheek. He kissed her cheek, and then his mouth caressed hers before he stopped himself before taking things a little too far.
“I love you, Raven. Once this nightmare is over, I’m going to make you mine.”
Raven didn’t refute his declaration, nor did she agree.
Those sparkling blue eyes were full of tears. He bestowed each eyelid with more of his love. Raven sniffled, “Leave me.”
“You will always be my Raven,” Liam said, arms wrapped around her. The sunlight flickered off her melancholic face. He gave her the tightest of bear hugs. He wasn’t ready yet, not just yet, to pull away from his most prized possession.
“Run away with me,” Liam said as suspicion took over again. He’d talked himself into them running away, and then just waiting for proof. For seven days, intuition told him that his mother was behind this explosion. But how?
Raven leaned back against the door. As she dragged her bottom lip through her teeth, Liam hastily pulled a velvety box out of his pocket. “Let’s just go and make a life with our baby.”
Raven’s eyes widened as Liam opened it. “I graduate in two days… I can’t leave Grandpa…” Protests died on her lips as he put the ring on her finger. The spiral silver ring fit her finger snugly, all the way from the base to the knuckle.
“I know it’s nothing much.” He watched her gaze at the ring. “Most of my funds are tied up for interest purposes. I’ll make more money by continuing to invest with Shawn’s father. Then I’ll buy you the best ring. We won’t leave with much, but I’ve made money. I’ll make more.”
Liam got back onto his Ducati with a sound mind. They parted ways, with a plan to meet this evening. Liam felt guilty for the moment. But what was momentary guilt, if he spent his entire life regretting not being there for the one he loved? Besides, they’d leave. Once they got word of the DNA test and of them not being related, Pierre would welcome Liam and Raven into their lives. Yes, it would be safer for her to be family than an enemy of the Delacroix.