Year of Goodbyes

Chapter 7

I woke up to my daughter's giggles and little kisses. I pretended to be sleeping still, then I suddenly grabbed and tickled her. She is laughing hysterically, asking me to stop.

Collette woke up and smiled. She kissed her left cheek while I kissed her right. She also tickled Sophie and sandwiched her in between us.

" Good morning, sweetheart. Why are you up early?" I asked her and hugged her. Every day I thank God for this little bundle of joy.

She keeps me grounded and is the reason I wake up every day with a grateful and happy heart.

" Nana and I cooked breakfast, mommy. Then, she asked me to wake you and auntie Coyet." She answered with her sweet little voice.

" Oh, God! My baby girl, you are just so adorable saying my name like that. Can auntie Coyet take a little bite on your cheek, baby?" Collette acted like she would bite her cheek, and she squealed again and hid in my chest.

" Mommy, hide me! Auntie Coyet is going to eat me!" She squealed, and I laughed.

" Alright, you two, let's go down and eat breakfast or Nana will come up and s***k our bums." I got up laughing. Sophie clung to my neck and wrapped her tiny legs around my middle.

Collette also got up and followed us downstairs. Mom prepared a delicious breakfast. I missed her cooking, especially her special blueberry muffins.

"Good morning, girls. What time did you sleep last night? I heard your laughter in the wee hours of the morning." My mom asked us, smiling.

" Well, aunt Agnes, we have six years of catching up to do, and one night is not enough. I missed your home-cooked meals and your heavenly blueberry muffins." Collette answered, grabbed a muffin, and stuffed it in her mouth in one go.

My daughter Sophie was so fascinated with her auntie Coyet that she tried to imitate her every move. We all laughed at her when she had a hard time stuffing the big muffin in her tiny mouth.

" Oh, baby, slow down. You will choke yourself, sweetheart. Take small bites, alright? Don't follow your crazy aunt Collette." I removed a big chunk of muffin out of her mouth and glared at my best friend.

" You're a bad influence on my daughter, you crazy woman." I continued to glare at her, but I was smiling too.

It felt so good to be around her after so many years. I do miss her a lot. I have been arguing with myself when I was in Denver about whether to call her or not.

I know I've hurt her when I also cut her out of my life. I don't want to drag her into the mess I made and complicate things. I know that I won't lie to her if I contact her during those times.

She is like a sister to me, and we made a promise to never hide secrets from each other. But this secret is so important, and I was afraid it would break us apart.

" Well, my beautiful niece, if you think I am awesome, wait till you see your mommy stuff two muffins in her mouth," Collette told Sophie, grinning. My daughter's eyes turned so big, and she looked at me expectantly.

" Can you do that, mommy?" She asked me with wide eyes and in awe.

" Oh, sweetheart, your mommy is the all-time champion when it comes to eating my blueberry muffins." My mom answered Sophie and chuckled.

" Can you show me, mommy, pliiith?" She begged, so eager to see me make a spectacle of myself.

" Oh, God, I haven't done it for six years, baby. I'm not sure I can still do that." So I grabbed two muffins and stared at them, hesitating to make my daughter's request.

Just when I was starting to stuff the first muffin, our doorbell rang. My mom went and opened the door for whoever was outside. I was now stuffing the second muffin when Liam strolled into the dining room.

I looked up, and our eyes met, mine wide with shock and horror, while his eyes went from my eyes to my mouth and back. I can see he is trying so hard not to laugh. I must look like a fish out of the water or a monkey with a mouth full of bananas.

I tried to swallow, but I choked instead. I coughed so hard, and I couldn't breathe. Mom, Collette, and Liam rushed to my side and helped me. Mom tapped my back, and Collette tried to give me water.

"Relax, baby, breathe. Bella, calm down, try to relax. That is why you have to chew your food before swallowing, babe." Liam squatted in front of me and rubbed my back. He looked worried but also smiling, suppressing his laugh.

I can smell his aftershave and his natural scent. He is so near, and he is touching me, not helping at all, Liam! God! This scenario is so embarrassing, especially now that Collette is laughing her ass out.

Finally, I'd finished swallowing the muffins and was able to drink the water Collette offered. Thanks a lot, Liam! Did I forget to mention him calling me baby and babe just now made it impossible to relax?

" Are you okay now, Bel?" Liam looked at me with concern and was shaking his head. "What were you thinking, stuffing all those muffins in your mouth?"

" I'm sowi, mommy. I made you do it?" Came Sophie's small voice on the verge of crying.

" Oh, my sweetheart, it's not your fault. Mommy was just startled. That's why I choked on my food. That is why you should not do what mommy and aunt Collette did, okay?" I hugged her to me and placed her in my lap.

" You had me worried back there, Bella. You scared the hell out of me." My mom said and went back to her chair.

" If I weren't so scared, I would have taken a video or at least a photo of you choking, Bella. It was hilarious," Collete said, still laughing. I glared at her and threw a napkin at her.

" What are you doing here anyway, Liam? I think you were the one who caused Bella to choke." Collette turned her attention to Liam, who was still standing close to me and was staring at my daughter Sophie.

" Huh? Oh, yeah, mom asked me to get you. You seem to forget your way home and that you have a fiance waiting for you." He answered Collete, then looked at Sophie and me.

I felt so awkward and nervous at the same time. The way he was staring at Sophie got me so worried.

" Why don't you take a seat, Liam, and have breakfast with us? You can take Sophie's place since she's in her mother's lap now." My mom motioned Liam to a chair beside me, where Sophie used to sit.

" Thank you, aunt Agnes," he said while taking the seat beside me.

" I will have a muffin, I guess. I already had my breakfast at home." He added, then took a bite at my mom's famous muffins.

"Mmmm, no wonder you're stuffing your mouth with these muffins, Bella. This is so good, aunt Agnes. You could make a profit out of this." He praised my mom and stuffed the rest of his muffins into his mouth.

" Thank you, Liam, that is so sweet of you. Would you please bring some for your parents? I've baked a lot for Bella and my darling Sophie." My mom thanked him and smiled.

" Oh, before I forgot, Bella, my parents are inviting you and your daughter to lunch at our house. They were so excited when I told them about Sophie." He informed me, and I felt nervous all over again. I glanced at Collette, asking for help.

The traitor just smiled and said, " That would be great! I'm dying to introduce Sophie to mom and dad!"

" Isn't she the cutest, Liam? Come to think of it, she kind of looked like you when you were a kid, right? Of course, anyone would think she's your daughter, but that would be crazy, right? You and Bella were never together. That's ridiculous!" She added, and I shot daggers at her for putting ideas into Liam's mind.

My mom choked and immediately drank water, averting her eyes away from Liam and Sophie. I held my breath when Liam focused his attention on Sophie again.

" Yeah, you're right, Cols. That's what I thought when I first saw her, she kind of looks like me, huh?" Then he lifted his gaze at me and gave me a perplexed smile.

I cleared my throat before speaking. " You're crazy, Cols, that would be impossible!

" I'll try to come, Liam, but I won't promise. I have to go to school and meet with the Principal later." So I told him, not so sure if I wanted to accept the invitation.

" Oh, come on, Bella! You can always go tomorrow. You still have plenty of time. I'm sure mom and dad are dying to meet our little Princess." Collette complains. I shot her another glare and then looked at my mom.

" I think you should go, honey. It's been a while since you last saw Carmen and Demitri. I'm sure they would love to see you and meet our Sophie." My mom agreed, and it's three against one now.

" I guess I should, ha? Okay, we'll be there. But would it be okay with your girlfriend?" I asked Liam, and he raised his brows at me.

" Of course, it will be! You are practically family, Bella. Mom and dad want to welcome you back home. Don't worry about Taylor. I'm sure it's fine." Liam assured me, then reached out his hand to stroke Sophie's face.

" Can uncle Liam get a hug, sweetheart?" He asked my timid daughter. She looked up at me, and I smiled at her, encouraging her to go and hug Liam.

So she went down my lap and went into Liam's waiting arms. He scooped her into his lap and hugged her tight. My heart constricted, and I felt a lump in my throat. I reached for my water and looked elsewhere to hide the tears pooling in my eyes.

If only he knew how many times I had wished he would be able to hold her. I turned my gaze to Collette, and I saw pity and sadness in her eyes.

Looking back at Liam and my daughter, I smiled sadly. Liam was holding her tenderly and showering her with kisses. The wonder and happiness in my daughter's face are like a knife to my heart. How will I ever survive this?