Temptation of the Past [Mature Content]

4. [Old memories]

Liam's POV

"You're gonna be okay mom, just hold on please. I need you." Liam whispered to his mother as she took an intake of breath.

For so long, Rosie, Liam's mother has been battling breast cancer. She fought for as long as she could but now the battle was coming to an end. As she whispered the sweetest words a mother can whisper to her son, she took her final breath.

"Don't harden your heart sweetheart, you deserve to be happy and be loved. Don't allow what happened so long ago ruin your chances of happiness. I may be dying but I still want grandchildren. So, from up above I will always watch over you and remember I love you sweety." She wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "Don't make the same mistake I made." Before he can ask what mistake, the machine flat lined.

Those were Rosie's last words to her son. Day by day he replays the image of his dying mother as she lays helpless on the hospital bed, hoping that for some miracle she will make it through. It was bad enough he had lost the woman he loved and now he is also losing his mother. His father was never there for him or his mother, so, his mother was both parents for him.

Ever since a little boy Liam had protected his mother from everything he possibly can, even when she thought she had found love again, which only turned out to be a lie.

She had fallen in love with a man who was already married and had a family, so, when Liam found out he told his mother and she ended the relationship with him immediately. She was devastated for months but eventually she got over the breakup and promised herself and her son to be the woman she would want her son to love someday.

It was the day of the funeral. All the preparations were made and everything was going accordingly. During the ceremony Liam was asked to start giving his mother's eulogy when the man she had ended the relationship walked into the church. He didn't know whether to be upset or grateful that he had shown up, so, he gave the eulogy, thanked everyone for coming and was about to leave for the cemetery, when the man stopped him.

"Hey," he said as he took a seat next to Liam.

"What are you doing here Travis?"

"I just came pay my last respects to Rosie; I didn't think it would be a problem if I did."

"Well I don't see how it would be of importance to you since you only knew my mother for a couple of months." Liam said turning to the man's direction staring at him dead on.

"Is that what she told you? Liam your mother and I were high school sweethearts. Your mother called me one day and told me she was leaving the country but she dint tell me why and when I asked she said it wasn't important. After a while I stopped hearing from her so I tried calling, texting but she never answered. When I went to her parents' place, they said she had gone away to study."

"What are you talking about? My mother never mentioned anything like that to me, not even the fact that she had known you from before. So, what the hell are you telling me?"

As Travis looked into the sorrowful eyes of the man sitting in front him, something clicked in his mind. He wasn't sure if he should mention it and neither was he sure if it would be reason enough to ask.

Years ago, when Rosie called and said she was leaving to study, he had found it strange that she wanted to go away, since, she said she will never leave Exeter or him. Until that day when he realized she had actually left him, ending everything, they had shared for so long.

"I am gonna go out on a limb and ask, who is your father?"

"I don't know why the hell that would be of any concern to you but I don't know who my father is. That dirtbag left my mother when she was a few months pregnant. She had to raise me all on her own. So, tell me Travis why the hell are you enquiring about that son of a b***h?"

It took a while for everything to sink into Travis's mind. Maybe he was going out too far on that limb but he needed to know. " Liam how old are you? Pleas I'm just asking because I think there may be a chance for me to figure out why your mother left me all those years ago."

"And what would reason would that be?" Liam asked now feeling a hint of anger growing inside him.

"Liam, I believe the reason your mother left me was because she was pregnant with you." Travis didn't know whether to feel angry, happy or sad. He loved Rosie more than anything and if she had told him she was pregnant, he would've found a way to support the three of them even if he had to drop out of school.

Without another word, Liam got up from the bench and within seconds, he was laying on top of Travis, throwing punch after punch. As much as Travis wanted to fight him off, he allowed him to get his anger out. Some part of him felt like he deserved it. Maybe he did.

Feeling satisfied enough with what he had done Liam punched Travis one more time and left. With everything he was told he didn't know how to feel. Or what to do with it. For so long he had believed his father had left his mother but just to find out on the day he buried her, was that she was the one who had left him. What was her reason for doing so? What could possibly drive her to leaving a man she loved? Now he would never know. No one ever will.

Standing at the door of his truck, Liam raised his head to the sky, "Why mom? Why didn't you tell me? All these years you led me to believe my father was a dirt bag who didn't want his son but now I'm hearing something else. Why mom?" He rubbed his knuckles feeling the aftermath of his previous action towards Travis. His father.

Felling overwhelmed of the day and the news he received he drove to the nearest pub he can find. "Maybe drinking the last few hours away even for couple hours will get my mind at ease." He thought to himself as he took a seat on the bar stool.

"Rough day?" The bartender asked as she placed a beer in front him. Being a regular does have its perks.

"You don't even know." He fired back and emptied the contents of the bottle in one gulp. Surprisingly the alcohol wasn't helping, so, he thought the next best thing was s*x. He pulled out his cell from his pocket and called Amber, his usual hook up.

"My place one hour." He said over the phone then hang up.

An hour later he walked into the house to find Amber waiting for him in the kitchen. "Liam are you okay?" She asked as she closed the gap between them.

"No talking, bedroom now." She followed his demand and headed to the bedroom. Before she can say another word, Liam pushed her up against the door. "I don't want to talk, I just want to forget, so, make me forget."

She looked deep into his eyes and without another word he slammed his lips on hers. She didn't know what had happened or gotten into but she knew she wasn't going to get it out of him until he had slept it off. So, she gave him what he wanted. If it would help to forget his troubles for a little while, she was willing to do whatever it took for him to be happy.