Page 151 of The Design of Goodbye
Liam hugged him back.
chapter fifty-six
Liam placed a hand over my eyes.
“I have a surprise for you.” His warm breath tickled my ear.
“What is it?”
“Come find out.” With his free hand, he helped me off my bed.
I pulled at his fingers still covering my eyes. “Is this really necessary?”
His hand didn’t move. “Yes, you’d peek.”
He was right.
By the time he helped me put on a coat and led me outside, my curiosity was piqued. I’d expected a kiss. Or maybe a coffee. But, apparently, this was a serious surprise.
“Can I look now?”
His hand fell.
At first, I blinked. The Saturday morning sun was blazing, and it blurred everything for a few seconds. But then I saw it: a teal bike with hand-painted birds on the frame.
“Why is that”—I pointed a shaky finger at the bike—“in my driveway?”
“It’s yours.”
I shook my head. I backed up. “I’m not ready.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “It’ll be here when you are.”
I glared at the bike. I knew what it signified. “You’re leaving with Andrew, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Tomorrow. Temporary guardianship got approved yesterday.”
Andrew had been fighting for guardianship of Liam all week. I was happy he’d been granted it, but sad, too. Liam could legally live with him now. That meant Liam could leave.
“That’s good, though,” I said. “Right?”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
I wanted to be happy for him, but right now, that was impossible. “What happened to your dad?”
His gaze lowered. “Nothing.”
“What?” I gripped his arm. “He got away with everything?”
“It was my choice.” He stared at me, apologetic. I didn’t know why he was silently apologizing to me. He’d been the one who’d suffered. He was the one who deserved justice for everything he’d been through. “I didn’t want to involve the authorities,” he explained. “Andrew got Dad to sign over guardianship, and it was approved. That’s all I needed.”
“It’s still not fair,” I muttered.
“I know.”
“I want more time,” I said.
“Me too.” He frowned. “But Andrew needs to go back to work.”
