Escaping to Ireland

Vinessa

I allowed Liam to take my hand and lead me into the living room.

I was opening my mouth when he talked first.

"Can't we just sit here for a little bit longer," Liam said, and I knew he was trying to push this conversation off as long as he could.

"I need to know why," I said, looking at him.

"Why what?" And I could tell he had no clue what I was asking about.

"I need to know why you didn't tell me about him or communicate with me for the last three weeks." His eyes didn't leave mine, even while he sat there, and I knew he was thinking about it and why it had happened the way it did.

"I don't know," he said, looking in my eyes still. My hands slipped out from underneath his.

"That's not good enough. You must have a tiny guess why. You write this story about us...." Vinessa said, holding up the journal. "You were thinking about me while you were there but not enough to let me in...."

"I was scared." He said, exhaling, and I could tell it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I was scared I was going to lose you." He stood up and sat back down, grabbing hold of my free hand, his journal sitting on my lap. It was as if he was grasping onto a life vest, and he needed me to see. "I knew if I called or texted that everything would come out, that I have a son, my son who has to have all of my attention on him. And I see now that having you meet him with our relationship being where it is at was not the wisest choice. But it doesn't change how I feel about you, that I love you. That I want you to be a part of our lives. I was scared you would run, that when I got back to Ireland with Bennett, you would not be here. And that Ireland would not be Ireland to me anymore. I thought I had a better chance of you not running if you could see me in person and meet him."

"Why did you think I would run?" I asked him, finally seeing a little of how Liam had been looking at this whole situation. He thought it was better to shut me out, but that was because he didn't trust me to stay with him while this huge monumental life event was going on with him. I would have been a shoulder to lean on, not just another distraction for him.

Liam's eyes were as serious as I had ever seen them. "He's a kid, Vinessa. A serious decision it's not like going into a relationship with someone that has a dog, but a kid."

"I get that, Liam," I said his name as he had with me. "But I would have been there for you. I know how excited you were to have a kid. How excited you are to have a kid. I would have been rooting for you every step of the way."

"Would have... And what about now, are you staying or running?" This was it. This was everything he had been worrying about with our relationship. Was I going to stay, or was I going to run?

I didn't give him an answer out loud; instead, my lips were on his before I knew it. I felt as if I was an alcoholic who had gone without alcohol for three weeks, but as soon as I took my first sip, there was no way I was ever going to put the bottle down.

"Is that you are staying?" Liam asked, his eyes looking hopeful since he had been back.

"I love you," I said, colliding with his lips again.