“So,” his mother finally said, her voice gentle but direct, “you let her go.”
Not a question. A statement of fact.
“I did what I thought was best,” Liam replied, the words sounding hollow even to his own ears.
His father snorted, the sound startlingly dismissive. “Best for who, son? Certainly not for those little girls upstairs. Nor for that young woman who looked at you like you hung the moon.”
“The team was threatening to trade me,” Liam protested weakly. “The girls would have had to change schools, leave their friends—”
“Bullshit,” his father interrupted, the rare profanity a shock coming from the typically reserved man. “You can dress it up however you want, but we’ve seen this before. After Kate died.”
Liam flinched at the direct reference to his late wife. His parents rarely mentioned her by name, respecting the raw wound her memory still evoked.
“This isn’t the same,” he insisted.
“Isn’t it?” His mother leaned forward, her gaze penetrating. “You shutting down, pushing away anyone who tries to get close. Using the girls as an excuse to avoid taking risks.”
“That’s not fair,” Liam said, anger flaring. “Everything I do is for them.”
“Is it?” his mother challenged. “Or is it for you? To protect yourself from having to feel anything too deeply again?”
The question penetrated Liam’s defenses like a perfectly aimed shot, finding the vulnerable space between his ribs where truth resided.
“You weren’t there when Kate died,” he said quietly, a last desperate attempt at deflection. “You don’t know what it was like.”
“No,” his father agreed, his voice softening. “We don’t. But we were there in the aftermath, watching our son disappear into himself, seeing our granddaughters lose not just their mother but their father too.”
Liam swallowed hard against the lump forming in his throat.
“And now we’re watching history repeat itself,” his mother continued. “You’re doing it again, Liam. Walling yourself off because you’re afraid of loss.”
“Even Morgan called us,” his mother added, her voice softening slightly. “Asked how you were holding up.”
Liam scoffed, the bitter sound echoing in the quiet room. “I’m sure she’s just looking for more gossip. Probably wants to gloat about being right all along.”
His parents exchanged another meaningful glance.
“Don’t be so quick to write her off,” his father said. “Your sister’s got her issues, God knows, but there’s good in her too. People can surprise you.”
“Morgan’s the last person I need sympathy from right now,” Liam muttered. “She’s not on my team.”
“Talking of your team,” his father said, leaning forward. “Did the Coyotes actually say they’d trade you if you didn’t end things with Sunny? In those exact words?”
Liam hesitated. “Not exactly, but—”
“Did they threaten to fire you if she remained in your life?”
“No, but they made it clear—”
“Were there other solutions you didn’t explore? Other ways to navigate the situation?”
Each question hit like a body check, knocking the air from Liam’s lungs.
“I had to make a decision,” he said finally, his voice breaking. “For everyone’s sake.”
His mother reached across the coffee table, taking his hand in hers. “Oh, sweetheart. The hardest truth is that you didn’t make this decision for everyone. You made it for yourself.”
The gentle compassion in her voice broke something inside him. Tears burned behind his eyes, but he blinked them back fiercely.
