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Rolling my eyes, I went to the bathroom, and for what felt like the tenth time since waking up, my toes curled. I felt so typical, like a regular wife doing her spousal duties. I stripped down completely after I’d filled the tub with lukewarm water and added a small amount of the baby wash. I slid in and relaxed for a few minutes before I called Liam in.
“I’m ready whenever,” I called out.
It took him only a moment to bring in Ethan who was now buck naked and wiggling in his arms. I looked up at Liam who was obviously trying not to stare at me.
“Are you sure we don’t need like a floater or something—” He stopped talking, apparently giving up the fight with himself and leered openly at me.
“Come here, you,” I said, as I reached up for Ethan. Placing him on my chest, I gently poured water onto his back.
Liam seemed to fall onto the tiles watching us both. He placed a hand into the tub, and on my knee. I moved Ethan onto my lap and smiled when Liam shifted, moving in just in case…it was cute.
When did I start using the word cute? Who the hell was I?
“I don’t want him to be involved in any of the interviews,” I told him.
He nodded. “Me neither. The last thing I want is him on display.”
Ethan slapped his hands over the water.
“I guess we’re agreed then.” I laughed, as I gently rinsed off his head, whilst trying to keep the water out of his eyes.
“God, he’s beautiful,” Liam whispered, glancing up at me. “Like his mother.”
“We only have an hour, Liam,” I warned. “But thank you.”
Pouting, he leaned over to kiss my head before he stood.
It took us more than an hour to finish the bath and get ready. But Liam and I didn’t care. We were in a bubble, a very happy bubble. Ethan had been bathed, fed, and dressed, and was now resting in the middle of our bed.
I felt Liam come up behind me. He brushed my hair to the side and kissed the base of my neck before he zipped up my black and white dress.
“I want him baptized,” I muttered as I leaned into him.
“On one condition.”
What?
I turned to him, and saw him smirk at me before he took a knee and pulled out a small box from his coat pocket.
“Liam—”
“No. You aren’t going to stop me from doing this, Mrs. Callahan. You are not going on national television without a ring. So let me finish.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Fine.”
“Melody Nicci Giovanni-Callahan, will you marry me again? No contract. Not for money or power, just for me. Just for love.” He opened the ring box to reveal a large uncut diamond ring in the middle of an infinity looped platinum band. It was so much better than the first giant ring he’d given me.
“Any day now, Mrs. Callahan.” He frowned at me.
Grinning, I shrugged. “This a big commitment, Liam, I’m not —”
“I should have just put the fucking thing on you.” He sighed, standing up. He took my hand into his and placed the ring onto my finger. “Such a damn hardheaded.”
“His first word is going to be ‘fuck’ thanks to you.” I frowned, as I realized that I had just said it as well. This whole no cursing thing was bloody hard.
“Like father, like son. Right, boy?” Liam grinned crawling over to Ethan and pulling him into his arms. “Just don’t do it in front of grandma, okay? Or in church, or in public, or to us. In fact, we will go over the rules when you can speak.”
I laughed at his list. “I accepted your ring, now what do you think about the baptism?”
“The ring wasn’t the condition. You were going accept that whether you liked it or not.” He said seriously, as he licked his lips. “I was actually hoping you would put up a fight.”
“Noted. Then what is your condition?”
He grinned widely, as he whispered to Ethan. I didn’t like where this was going.
“Liam—”
“Date nights.”
“Okay, I will fight you on that. No date nights.”
“No baptism,” he countered.
He couldn’t be serious. I wanted to take off my heel and bash his face in.
“You are holding our son’s soul as ransom for a date?”
“Dates…the ‘s’ means more than one.”
“Liam Alec Callahan, I will…”
“Remember this look, son, she’ll be giving it to you one day.” He ignored me, as he bounced Ethan in his arms.
“Liam, no dates. I do not date.”
He pouted, which in turn made Ethan pout, and I swear my eyebrows were twitching so badly it was as if they were trying to escape my face.
“Please, Mommy, think of my soul. It’s just a few dates with Daddy,” Liam said in an adorably childish voice. “Pretty please?”
“Fine! But I’m not going to like it. I’m going to be bitchy the whole time, and you are—”
“Your soul is saved little guy!” Liam grinned, lifting Ethan into the air, which caused him to giggle loudly, as he clapped his hands and swung his feet.
“Come on, Mr. Callahan. The faster we go see these…leeches the faster we can do our job,” I muttered
“A not so quickie later to celebrate?”
Shaking my head at him, I turned around and opened the door to find Evelyn standing there with her fist poised in the air, ready to knock. She glared at me.
“You’re both late…”
“Mother, we’ll be down in a second.”
She frowned at me before turning around. “She’s really pissed at me.”
“Don’t dwell on it,” he muttered, as he stepped out into the hall.
I wasn’t going to…I didn’t give a flying fuck. Liam and I were on the right path, and if she tried to screw with that, I would put her in a fucking nursing home quicker than she could blink.
With our blissful bubble obviously popped, it was now time to go face the village idiots. Our family— Ethan, Liam, and I would be fine. Now we need to fix our image and business.
TEN
“Some soap opera, you know, real people pretending to be fake people with made-up problems
being watched by real people to forget their real problems.”
—Chuck Palahniuk
MELODY
I watched as the technical personnel adjusted their cameras once again, anxious to get this “interview” started. To my left, I could feel Liam’s eyes glaring at the man whose name and title I’d already forgotten, as he tweaked the wireless microphone on my chest. I could practically see the countdown ticking away in Liam’s mind. If this guy didn’t get it right soon, he was guaranteed to lose his head.
“It’s quite alright, I’ve got it,” I said to him, as I took matters into my own hands by pinning it to my dress myself.
“Okay, great.” He smiled, completely oblivious to the fact that I only interrupted his grabby hands because I happened to like this outfit, and because Liam would’ve undoubtedly made a scene if the guy remained had that close to me any longer.
“You can breathe now,” I whispered over to Liam, covering the microphone as I spoke.
Fixing his tie, he pretending not to notice. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
