First Kiss Last by Sara Miller (read e book .TXT) 📗

“Oh, Liam . . .” Leah was not sure what to say. Her heart broke again, for the umpteenth time.

“I dreamed about you and I thought it meant you were back. I was so excited I drew a picture and showed it to Sky but she got mad and ripped it up! Wanna see?”

Leah nodded. She was beyond curious.

Liam jumped down and pulled several tattered papers out of the back pocket of his jeans. He handed the pieces to Leah and she put them together.

In the drawing were three figures. One in a blue dress, one in a big pink dress, and one in a green dress. The figure in the green dress was wearing brown boots. The image was torn twice, directly through the person in the pink dress.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“I love it!” Leah couldn’t help but laugh. She remembered the shared moment fondly.

“Sky got so mad she tore it,” his dark eyes flashed in anger. His bottom jaw stuck out just like his father’s. “I told her I dreamed she found the perfect dress and she said dreams are stupid. I told her it was real and I could prove it!”

“H-how?”

Liam reached into his front pocket and began pulling out white and gray plastic pieces. He sat them one by one on the bench. When he finally looked up at her, she understood.

“Oh no, your airplane! What happened to it?” The last time she saw it, he’d stuck it in his pocket while they were shopping. Was it possible he still had it when he woke up, just like she still had the crayon? It would appear so.

“Sky smashed it to bits!” he shook, his hands fisted at his side. He had never looked more like his father. “And then she ripped my picture!” he stomped a boot into the dirt. “I cried so hard that Dad grounded Sky and she didn’t get to go to the dance. Now she’s mad at me too.”

Leah couldn’t help but feel this was all her fault. She had done this to them. It was one thing for her and Cade to have had a falling out, but now it was directly affecting the children.

Liam was putting his broken plane back in his pocket when someone approached.

“Liam?” the woman asked. “Hi, baby.”

Leah was instantly on alert.” Liam stood as close to her as possible, staring at the stranger.

“Come here. Come see your mama.”

Liam clutched at Leah. His body was rigid and unmoving.

Leah recognized Liam’s mother instantly, she could see bits of Sky in the women’s face and build. Cade’s ex looked like she’d probably been very pretty at one point. Unfortunately, time had not been kind to her. Leah recalled talk of drinking and even drug use and knew that would age a person significantly.

But just to be sure, “Nicole?” she said.

Nicole narrowed her eyes, nodded curtly, and quickly turned her attention back to her son. She made several attempts at persuading Liam to come to her.

Leah was thankful the boy did not budge. She recalled that Nicole had no parental rights and thought she remembered something about there being a restraining order. So when Nicole took a few steps forward, Leah got to her feet as quickly as she could. She moved so that Liam was hidden behind her.

“Just who do you think you are to stand between me and my son?” Nicole laughed, but her tone was threatening.

Leah considered. Her brain said she was no one but her heart had a different opinion. She’d decided on saying she was a friend of the family when Sky ran up.

“Oh, Leah, thank God. I didn’t think you were here and I can’t find—”

“Hello, Skyler. Not even gonna say hi to your own mama?”

Leah watched Sky go pale. She felt Liam shift behind her. Based on Sky’s instant look of relief, she saw him and knew her brother was safe. Just as quickly, Sky’s countenance changed again and she whipped around, facing her mother.

“What are you doing here?” Sky demanded.

“I’m your mom. Can’t a mom visit her own damn kids?” Nicole quickly changed her tone, “Now come on, let’s go get ice cream.”

Sky said no at the same time that Leah said absolutely not. Leah was louder and more assertive. Sky stepped closer to her and Liam.

“Just who the hell do you think you are?” Nicole demanded, all amusement gone. She took a step closer. Several feet still separated them but it did not feel like enough. Leah honestly did not know how to answer so she spoke to Sky instead.

“Call your dad,” Leah kept her voice quiet yet firm.

Sky looked at Leah in shock.

“Now, Sky.”

Sky startled, then sprang into action. She pulled out her cell phone and began to tap furiously.

Knowing Sky was getting help, Leah turned her attention back to Nicole who was trying again with Liam.

“Liam, baby, come out where I can see you! I’m your mama, do you remember me?”

“No!” he yelled from behind her.

Leah felt relieved he wasn’t falling for her sweet talk, but the relief didn’t last long.

“You’re not my mom,” he shouted. “Miss Leah is gonna be my mom!”

“Miss Leah?” Nicole sneered at her. “So you’re Leah? Cade’s perfect, precious Leah. No one can live up to your standard.”

“What?” Leah had no idea what Nicole was talking about. She had never met Cade’s ex in her life, but Nicole seemed to somehow know of her.

“I spent my entire relationship with Cade being second best to you. Did you know that? I wasn’t as pretty as you or as smart as you or as kind as you. Then he goes and names my own damn kid after you.” Nicole was so mad she practically spit as she spoke.

Leah was trying to process too much at once. Liam was named after her? Leah, Liam . . . they did share the “lee” part and both were two syllables. Was it true? Would Cade do that?