Until There Was You(75)

“Oh, the birth-parents thing? Cool.”

“Liam! Liam, sweetheart, over here!” From the other corner of the beer garden, Stacia waved imperiously.

“Excuse me a second,” he said, his first words since arriving. He stood up, said something to Nicole, glared at Tanner, then made his way across the rooftop garden. A rather stunning brunette stopped him, putting her hand on his thigh and smiling up at him, and Posey had to drag her eyes off the little tableau.

Wednesday night seemed like aeons ago.

She glanced at Brianna and James, both of whom were watching Tanner and Nicole.

“The golden couple,” Brianna muttered.

“Totally,” James agreed. “Too perfect for the rest of us.”

“You guys are great, too,” Posey chided.

“Yeah. Dare to be different, right, James?” The two teenagers rolled their eyes at the dopey adult. Hey. It had been worth a shot.

Gretchen’s laugh cut across the crowd, and Posey looked up. Liam had made it to the Osterhagens, and Gret was fluttering her fingers over her boobage, just in case Liam hadn’t noticed it jutting out like the prow of a ship. He smiled, Max said something, and they all laughed.

“I have my DS downstairs in my backpack,” James said to Brianna. “Want to play ‘Dragon Master’?”

“Sure,” Brianna said. “Is that okay, Posey?”

“Oh, yeah. You two have fun. I’ll tell your mom where you are, James.”

“Don’t feel you have to,” he said, grinning.

The two left, and Posey offered a quick thanks that James had become Brie’s friend. Brianna, she knew, was lonely. Her family situation, cheap clothes and the fifty extra pounds she was packing didn’t make high school easy. James seemed happy enough, despite Kate’s constant attempts at symbiosis. And hey. Kate was doing a great job. James was gentle, wry and kind. Not your average teenage boy, and God bless him for it.

Well. Posey looked around. Here she was, alone at a table for eight. At least there was a giant plate of potato dumplings in front of her. But just as she felt the initial squirmings of awkwardness, Henry and Jon came over. “How are we?” Jon asked, setting a beer in front of her.

“We’re fine,” she said. “How was the hospital, Henry?”

“Oh, it was fantastic,” her brother answered. “Total BKA. Gorgeous.” At her look of confusion, he added, “Below the knee amputation. It was a crushing, right, so it was a mess, and not to blow my own horn, I did an amazing job. Want to see? I took pictures.” He fumbled in his pocket and withdrew his iPhone.

Posey duly admired the photos—she was used to it, after all—while Jon shielded his eyes.

“So, how was the float this year?” Henry asked.

Posey and Jon exchanged a look. Posey went first. “It was… Well, it was…”

“Sort of a Chagall nightmare theme,” came a voice. It was Liam. He set a glass of soda down in front of his daughter, then made his way around to Posey’s table and sat next to her. Their knees bumped under the table, and Posey felt her cheeks burn.

“A Chagall nightmare,” she said. “Aren’t we cultured.”

“I lived in L.A. I’m incredibly cool,” he said, his eyes dropping to her mouth, and her toes curled in her silly shoes.

“Oh, dear. Mom’s gesturing,” Jon said. “Come, Henry. We’re needed.”

“I just sat down,” he protested.

“Come! Be a good son. See you two later.” Jon leaned down to kiss Posey’s cheek. “Don’t eat dumplings in front of him. That detachable jaw of yours is scary,” he whispered and then pulled his partner away.

Liam stared at his kid, and Posey tried not to stare at him. But it was hard. He was undeniably the best-looking guy on earth, and she couldn’t really blame the women who cut glances his way, or waved or called hello.

“Thanks again for your jacket,” she said after a minute or two had passed. “I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”

“Sure,” he said, nodding at someone.

Posey realized abruptly that her regular clothes were downstairs, and she could change right then and there…indeed, she should’ve changed already, but clearly part of her wanted to hang on to the jacket, because apparently she was still the dopey teenager she’d been fifteen years ago.

“Dad? Can Tanner and I take a walk around the block?” Nicole asked.

“No,” Liam answered.

“Daddy, it’s broad daylight, and downtown is mobbed. Totally safe. Right, Posey?”

“True enough,” she said, earning a smile from the girl. Tanner wisely stayed silent.

Liam cut his eyes to Posey’s. She smiled. He didn’t. A little chilly, those eyes. Then he looked back at his daughter. “Fifteen minutes. And bear in mind that I can see halfway around the block from here, and yes, I will be watching. Got it, son?”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Murphy. Fifteen minutes.” Tanner practically knocked his chair over, he got up so fast.

“I’ll be watching,” Liam repeated.

“Thanks, Daddy!” Nicole fairly skipped away, and Liam took a slow, deep breath.

“Good boy,” Posey said.

He grunted, then stood up to peer over the wall of the beer garden. “Great,” he said after a minute. “They’re holding hands.”