Player's Guide To Ever After? (PLAYBOOK #3)

CHAPTER 19: Tiny Violin

LIAM

“I am not coming.”

My mother lights the wedding invitation with her cigarette and leaves it on the ash tray to burn. I look at my father and Hailey but they seem too stunned to even speak.

“She is pregnant.” I am getting better at announcing it.

“So? That is not a valid reason to marry the girl, you are 22 years old.” My mother exhales a cloud of smoke. “Are you crazy? Planning an entire wedding and expecting us to show within a day’s notice?”

“Mom please,” I press my hands together to beg. “I need to do this.”

“Why?” She stands to face me directly, “give me one reason. A very good reason why you need to marry her Liam.”

I look at my father and Hailey again but still they remain like statues as they each hold an invitation of their own.

“Because I am tired.” My lower lip is already trembling. “And I just want to start over,” with no ties to a mafia princess who keeps leading me astray.

“Not good enough.” My mother sits back down and I fight the urge to kick the table between us.

We have been at this for nearly an hour now.

“Why not?” I address the entire room. “I eloped at 21years old with no prenuptial agreement and with someone I wasn’t even dating but when you found out, we celebrated.”

“That is different and you know it,” mother opposes. “We actually knew and met Odessa, we trusted you both to figure it out and last I checked, you eventually did.”

“This is not about Odessa!” I yell because I have had enough of my world revolving around that name. “I am having a child for Christ sake!”

“But it is in a way because of Odessa.” Hailey jumps in. “What if it was her? What if you had to disappear for a while and not even a week later, she is already pregnant. Then you find her married to some guy all because you left.”

My fist ball as I face my older sister.

“I don’t expect you to understand.” I have no time for Hailey because I still have to deal with Neels.

He is probably going to have the tantrum of his life when he finds out or worse, say nothing.

“You mean you settling? You are right Liam, I will never understand that.” Hailey rubs her thumb and forefinger together to create a tiny violin.

“Hailey—” I warn.

“You are marrying a girl that once cost you everything. I’d understand a little if you loved her but you don’t Liam, so what is the real catch?”

“I love my child, that is enough for me. Besides, doing things for love have never done me any good” so it was time I stopped.

My mother shakes her head in disagreement but I look to my father, his silence is worse than their reactions. I expected this from my mother and sister because they never hold back but him?

“Do you even hear yourself? This is your life Liam! Your future! You are about to be 23 years old and this is how you want to start?” Hailey shows me the invitation like I don’t already know it. “Trapped by someone you do not love?”

“You are right Hailey!” I show her I can yell too. “It is my life! My future! My f*cking decision” and my burden to bear alone.

“Fine.” Hailey crumbles the card and tosses it in the bin. “I am not coming either.” She turns away from me with obvious disappointment.

I kick the table to get the attention of the room.

“You are my family, my blood! Why are you taking Odessa’s side?” I am honestly getting sick of this.

First, it was my best friends and now it’s my family? This is not fair.

“Like you said, this is not about Odessa.” Mother mispronounces her name. “It is about you and how you are rushing something serious because of pain.”

But that is where she is wrong.

Like Hailey figured, all this started because of Odessa and I tried waiting out the pain once upon a time but even moving didn’t help. It only stops when I am with her but I can’t depend on that forever.

It is time for a different path.

“I am—”

“Enough.” Father rises up to stop me. “We will be there Liam, all of us.” He doesn’t yell as he closes the invitation card only to leave it on the dining table.

“But dad—” Hailey tries to protest but one look into his eyes and she stops.

“All will be there,” he looks at my mother and she remains silent. “If this is what he wants, we will support Liam just like we have been all his life” he assures and no one protests.

I take it back, this is worse than his silence because my father is not a man who easily conforms. Especially when it is serious matters like marriage and a child.

“Fine, it better be open bar all weekend.” Hailey walks out in frustration.

“Congratulations Liam,” mother lights another cigarette. “For your sake. I hope she is worth it.” She burns off the previous one on the ash covered card.

My child is the worth it. I walk out of the room to find Neels waiting behind the door.

“Vecker just called,” he closes his iPad. “She is back from her trip, she says she was in South Korea all this time.”

His grey eyes widen as he looks back into the room where our parents are sitting in silence.

“I know.” I close the door to keep his attention on me.

“What’s going on?” Neels looks at his feet.

Even though he is 8 now and a little bit taller. I still see the family baby when I look at him, especially when he is gloomy.

“I am getting married.” I bite the bullet. “Not to Odessa though, to some girl I used to school with. Her name is Olivia—”

“Fisher?” He completes to my surprise. “I saw the cards before anyone could, that is why I called Vecker and…”

“And?” I am curious to know about their conversation because it has been 3days since she came back.

“Do you not love her anymore?” Neels asks instead. “Is that why you are marrying someone else?”

“I thought you’d be happy baby bro.” I push my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “Now, you get to marry her.”

Neels tries to hide it now but we all know he is still in love with Odessa. Their picture is his wallpaper on every device.

“Liam,” his nose scrunches to show he is not in the mood for morbid humour.

“Olivia is pregnant Neels.” I try to make him understand.

“Do you not love Vecker anymore?” He ignores me and asks again, “because I don’t understand why you would choose to leave her when she needs you.”

“Neels—” I drop my hands because I am also not in the mood.

“The first time you guys broke up, you were not the only one that lost. You didn’t see Vecker like mommy and I did, how she wasn’t present and how she was hurting.” Tears prick his eyes, “you were worse. You left and didn’t even call but Liam, we also lost.”

“Please don’t do this.” I shake my head.

“If you marry this Fisher girl, we won’t lose Odessa again. We won’t lose you but it will never feel right even with a baby.” Neels’ eyes are sparkling with tears now. “So, do you not love Vecker anymore?”

“I just love someone else more,” my child overpasses everything I am feeling.

“You are making a mistake.” Neels shakes his head. “You keep making the same mistake but this time you will truly suffer the consequence.”

“Neels.” My own tears prick my eyes because that was very hurtful.

“No Liam!” He matches my tone, “it is not until you are about to lose someone that you finally pay attention.”

“I am going to be a father,” I try my best to keep calm. “Why is no one in my corner? Why are you choosing someone who has caused me the most pain in the entire world? You are my brother, my best friend.”

Him saying all this is breaking my heart because they barely know Odessa like I do but they are all still choosing her. Even my father who is not bothering to speak up.

“No one is choosing Vecker over you, it feels that way because you have been sitting in poop for too long Liam.” Neels holds his iPad firmly. “You can’t even tell that it stinks anymore.”

“Neels—” I call when he walks away.

“Congratulations,” he runs up the steps. “I am truly happy for you, if you are.”

I storm out of the house when I hear his door slam close. I drive for hours and don’t stop even when the moon replaces the sun, eventually I sit down by the empty beach I ended up in and pull out the ultrasound picture.

I just need to remember who all this is for, my son.

They world may not understand it but I grew up in a dual parent home and I want him to have the same life and opportunities as me. Olivia and I will fall in line eventually, we will grow in love and raise a healthy baby.

Then the world—well, everyone—will see that letting go of Odessa was the best thing to do, especially for my family.

You have been sitting in poop for too long Liam, you can’t even tell that it stinks anymore. Neels’ voice echoes in my head and I keep staring at the picture to stop crying.

I have done enough crying to last a lifetime.