chapter eight: close enough to break
1875 Words
The next morning arrived with the scent of fresh pancakes and the sound of quiet laughter drifting from the kitchen.
Anna stood in the hallway, frozen for a moment, watching the scene that had once felt impossible.
Liam—shirt sleeves rolled up, hair slightly tousled—was flipping pancakes on her old, scratched frying pan. Beside him, Noah and Nathan were perched on stools, giggling uncontrollably as he made faces and told them a wild story about a talking dog who once ran for mayor.
For a moment, it felt like a dream. Too soft. Too perfect.
Too temporary.
Anna stepped in quietly. “Smells like someone’s trying to bribe their way into favorite-parent status.”
Liam turned, grinning. “Is it working?”
Nathan held up a syrup-drizzled pancake like a trophy. “Best pancakes ever!”
Noah nodded. “Even better than Mommy’s.”
Anna gasped, mock-offended. “Traitors!”
They all laughed, but behind the warmth, Anna felt the shadow of reality creeping in. This wasn’t forever. Liam still didn’t know the full truth. Not about the twins’ parentage. Not about why she kept them hidden. Not about how much she was still guarding her heart.
Later, when the boys had gone to play in their room, Liam found her in the living room, folding laundry.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice unusually quiet.
“I’m fine,” she said too quickly.
“You always say that when you’re not.”
Anna hesitated, folding the same tiny T-shirt twice. “I don’t know how to do this, Liam.”
“Do what?”
“Let you in.”
He moved closer but didn’t touch her. “Then let’s start small. One question at a time. One truth at a time.”
She looked at him then, really looked. The man she’d once known only as a stranger. The father of her children. The one who had the power to ruin her or restore her with a single decision.
And she nodded.
“One truth, then,” she whispered. “The boys… they’re yours.”
Liam didn’t move. For a second, he didn’t even breathe. Then, slowly, his face paled. “You knew that night? That you were pregnant?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I didn’t know until weeks later. And by then, I couldn’t even find your name. You’d vanished.”
He sat down, stunned, like the floor had shifted beneath him. “They’re mine.”
Anna nodded, heart pounding.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, running his hands through his hair. “God. All this time. I missed everything.”
“I didn’t keep them from you to be cruel,” she said softly. “I was scared. Broke. Alone. I didn’t even know how to reach you.”
Liam looked up, eyes glassy. “I could’ve helped. I would’ve… I would’ve been there.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I know that now.”
A beat of silence.
Then he stood and crossed the room slowly, wrapping her in his arms.
“I can’t change the past,” he whispered. “But I’m here now. And I’m not leaving again.”
And for the first time in five long years, Anna allowed herself to believe it might be true.
The afternoon passed with an unfamiliar warmth, a fragile kind of happiness that Anna didn’t want to jinx. Liam stayed, not as a guest, but as if he belonged—helping the twins build a blanket fort in the living room, letting them wrestle him to the floor while laughter echoed through the small apartment. For the first time, it felt like a family.
Anna busied herself in the kitchen, hands shaking as she chopped vegetables for dinner. Her thoughts churned, a storm beneath her calm surface.
She’d finally told him the truth.
The twins were his.
And he hadn’t run.
But a storm was coming, and she felt it in her bones.
Liam appeared in the doorway, a quiet shadow, wiping his hands on a towel. “Want help?”
She looked up. “I’m fine.”
“You say that a lot.”
“Because it keeps people from asking too many questions.”
He leaned on the counter beside her. “Then I’ll just make a statement instead.”
She arched a brow.
“You’re not alone anymore, Anna. Whether you like it or not, I’m here.”
Her hands stilled. “It’s not about liking it. It’s about trusting it.”
He nodded. “Fair.”
They stood in silence, the kind that wasn’t awkward but heavy with all the words still unsaid. Finally, Anna spoke.
“You’ve stepped into their lives like you’ve been in it from day one. They adore you already.”
“I adore them too.”
She looked away. “It scares me.”
“Why?”
“Because if you leave again…” Her voice cracked. “It won’t just be me who gets hurt.”
He gently reached for her hand, his touch warm and grounding. “Then I won’t leave.”
She didn’t answer, but she didn’t pull away either.
After dinner, when the boys had drifted off to sleep inside their fort, Anna found Liam standing by their door, just watching them—eyes wide, full of wonder and guilt.
“They’re perfect,” he whispered. “I missed so much.”
“I did too,” Anna admitted. “They took their first steps holding onto a couch leg. I cried for an hour.”
Liam chuckled, wiping a hand over his face. “I want to know everything.”
“You’ll have to earn it.”
He smiled. “Challenge accepted.”
But neither of them noticed the phone buzzing silently on the coffee table.
A message flashed across the screen from a number Anna didn’t recognize:
“We need to talk. The past never stays buried. —C.”
Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the windows. The storm she’d been dreading was closer than ever.
The next morning, Anna stirred to the sound of muffled giggles and the scent of fresh pancakes. Confused, she slipped out of bed and padded into the kitchen—only to find Liam standing at the stove, wearing her polka-dotted apron while the twins sat on the counter beside him, covered in flour and joy.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Liam said with a grin. “We made breakfast.”
“You made a mess,” she said, but couldn’t hide her smile.
The twins beamed at her. “Mommy, Daddy made pancakes!”
Her heart stuttered at the word—Daddy.
It wasn’t said with hesitation. It wasn’t even a question. It was a declaration.
And Liam… he didn’t flinch.
He simply turned and kissed the top of both boys’ heads, smiling like he’d been their father forever.
“Is that okay?” he asked softly, meeting her eyes.
She blinked, swallowing emotion. “Yeah. It’s okay.”
Later, after the boys had gone down for their nap and the kitchen had been cleaned, Anna found herself on the couch beside Liam. The quiet was comfortable now, like an old song she’d once loved and forgotten how much.
He looked over at her. “I need to know something.”
“Okay.”
“That night… years ago. Do you ever think about it?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Sometimes. Not because of the passion, but because of what it gave me—what it gave us.”
He nodded. “I think about it all the time. The way you smiled, the way you disappeared before I woke up. I thought I’d dreamt you.”
Her heart thudded. “I never meant to vanish. I just… I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of hoping you’d stay.”
He leaned closer, voice low. “I would have.”
“But you didn’t.”
Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, worn photo—Anna’s student ID picture.
“I searched for you. This was all I had. Your name wasn’t even real.”
She stared at the photo, stunned. “You kept that?”
“For years.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy and vulnerable.
Anna finally whispered, “What now, Liam?”
He didn’t answer right away. Then he touched her face gently. “Now we rewrite everything.”
But outside, the sky was darkening. And across town, a woman in red stilettos dropped her cigarette, grinding it into the pavement as she glared at a glossy photo of Anna and Liam—together in front of the daycare.
She made a call.
“It’s time. She’s not staying hidden much longer.”
Jacob added, eyes wide.
Her heart ached and swelled at the same time.
Daddy.
They’d said it again. So easily. So naturally.
She turned to Liam. “You’re okay with them calling you that?”
He gave her a soft smile, stepping closer. “I don’t want to replace anyone. But if they feel that connection... then I’d be the luckiest man in the world.”
Anna looked away, overwhelmed. It was all happening so fast—and yet, it felt so right.
They sat down to eat, laughter filling the air between bites of slightly burnt pancakes and sips of juice. It was messy and imperfect, but it felt like home.
After the boys went down for their nap, Anna found Liam sitting on the couch, staring out the window.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, settling beside him.
He didn’t answer immediately. Then, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this right.”
“Do what?”
“This. Us. Them.” He glanced at her. “I can’t pretend I haven’t made mistakes. But I want to try now, Anna. I want to be there.”
She drew a breath. “It’s not that simple.”
“I know. But I’m not walking away. Not again.”
His voice was low, serious. He wasn’t making promises wrapped in charm—he was offering himself honestly.
She touched his hand. “Then stay. We’ll figure it out.”
A silence stretched between them, deep and warm. Then Liam pulled something from his pocket—a creased, faded photo.
She recognized it instantly.
“My old student ID.”
“I’ve had it all this time,” he said. “It’s how I looked for you. I never stopped.”
Anna stared at the picture, remembering the girl she’d been back then—hopeful, lost, brave. And the man beside her now—the one who hadn’t known he’d created a family in a single night—was no longer a stranger.
But neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring.
Because miles away, a sleek black car rolled to a stop outside a hotel. A woman stepped out—sleek red heels clicking on the pavement. She pulled out her phone, staring at a photo of Liam and Anna at the daycare.
She tapped a contact.
“It’s time,” she said coldly. “I’ve found her. And I’m going to destroy everything.”
- Writer
