"You're shaking." He grabs my hands.
"Am I?" I giggle nervously.
"Yeah. A lot more than you were that night outside of the bar. What is going on? I swear every time I step into the room, I set you off."
"It's nothing. I've always been a nervous Nelly," I lie.
“You’re also freezing.” He places his hand on my cheek. “Are you getting sick?” I shake my head. “I promise I’m not upset your son is here if that's what you are worried about. I let my employees do it every once in a while when they're in jams."
“It’s not that.”
“Then what’s going on?” he presses.
I know it’s now or never.
“Is there any way I can talk to you somewhere with more privacy? I have something I need to tell you and I can’t have anyone walking in.”
“Of course. Let’s go to my office."
“Sit.” He waves to the chair in front of him and props himself up on the edge of his desk. “What’s going on?”
I brush my clammy hands down my skirt and look over where Matty is sitting on the couch in the corner of Liam’s office playing on Liam’s iPad. Liam set him up with a movie and headphones so he would be distracted while we talked. I haven’t stopped shaking and my stomach is doing flip flops. Why is it so freakin’ hot in here?
“Holly, what is going on?” he urges sincerely.
Just do it, Holls.
I take another deep breath to try and calm my nerves. “I don’t know how to tell you what I need to tell you. It’s going to sound crazy.”
“Just tell me.”
“Remember how I told you how we met three years ago?”
“Yeah?”
“Oh god.” I run my hands down my face, my stomach turning. Here goes nothing. “I remember it because I got pregnant that night.” I spill the words out and suddenly feel like the hundred pound weight has been lifted off my chest.
“Excuse me?” he whispers darkly. A cold chill has drifted into the room.
I take it back. The weight is back.
“I told you it was going to sound crazy.” My head lifts and I can see the wild look running through his eyes. Fuck, he thinks I’m lying or indeed insane. “I would have told you sooner if I knew who you were. I only knew your first name and…”
He holds up his hand to stop me. "Are you fucking serious? Is this some fucking joke to you?"
"No, of course not," I stutter and take a deep breath. “And can you watch your tone in front of Matty?” Matty might have headphones on, but he tends to hear everything.
His lips press together in a hard line. “Convenient. You just show up out of the blue and want to claim a child on me? Seriously? How much money are you looking for?"
"What? None. I swear."
“How can you even be sure he's mine? Or you just going down a list of potential fathers hoping someone bites?"
“Because unlike you, I don’t sleep with everything that walks,” I bite and rise from my seat. Fuck him. He doesn't have to believe me, but he doesn't have to basically call me a gold digging whore. “Listen, I never thought I would see you again. The fact I ended up here, working with you still blows my mind. When I saw you the other night at the bar, I knew from your eyes alone who you were and that's why I went into shock." I point over to where Matty is sitting on the couch. "He looks just like you."
He stares at me, and I watch his eyes glint over to Matty. The only sound in the room is coming from Matty giggling at whatever he is watching. Liam loosens his tie and moves around to his desk and falls into his chair.
I don't know how long he stares at me, with that look Matty gets when he's pooping. All scrunched up and serious. I feel silly myself. I should have done this better.
Though, I wouldn't have known how other than just to yell it out like I did.
"I guess I should go." I stand, tucking my hair behind my ear and feeling a rush of disappointment in the events. I make my move towards Matty, wanting to run and hide and most of all forget.
"Wait!" he calls out, just as I reach for Matty, who is still blissfully unaware of the events going on around him. "I…don't know what to say." He yanks on his hair and throws his head back.
"I get it's a mind trip. It is for me too."
"I'd say.” He huffs out a laugh. “Can you sit back down?” I nod and take my place back in the ugly brown leather chair in front of him, I hope to replace. “I see how he kinda looks like me and my brother at that age, but…" His words wander off and his eyes widen like he’s had a Eureka moment. "Wait. Are you sure you didn't sleep with my brother? We are identical twins."
"Is his name Liam too?"
He narrows his eyes. "No." Then his lips curl into a smile. "No, but when we were kids we would change names to fuck with people. Then again, he has been with the same girl since high school." He glances over at Matty. "I'm just finding this hard to believe. Yesterday you were my Red…" He closes his eyes and pulls hard on his hair again.
His Red?
"And today you're saying all this." When he opens his eyes again, he looks so—lost.
"I understand what this all looks like. I honestly never thought I would be here telling you. Much less years later be working for you. "
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
