Page 95 of Darkest Game

“I’m happy for you. I know how much you love him.”

She takes my hand. “And now I know how much you love Liam. I’ll be here for you in that regard. I promise.”

My mom stands off to the side, her arms crossed over herself. I get up and approach her.

“Hey,” she says. “How are you holding up?”

“As long as Liam is fine, I’ll be fine. How are you holding up? I know you don’t want me to be with him. I know you don’t want me to love him. But I do, Mom. I do.”

My tough strong mother lets out a quick sob before shutting her mouth.

“It’s ok, Mom.”

“I just want you to be safe.”

“It’s because of Liam that I’m alive right now. That has to mean something. It has to.”

Her eyes roam over my face. “I’m proud of you, you know. You’ve always been my shy girl but you’ve grown into a confident woman in recent days. You should get back into dance.”

“Dance?”

“I know how much you loved it. How much it meant to you before Denis took it away. You should do it again. I would love to see you on a stage.”

My heart clenches at the thought. “I would love that too.”

She gives me a soft smile and pushes a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I’ll try with Liam. That’s all I can promise for right now.”

And that’s as good as it’s going to get with her.

A different doctor shows up to tell us that Liam is out of surgery. “We got the bullet out,” she says. “And he was fortunate. It missed his spine. And didn’t hit any major organs. He’s resting now but you can go see him if you want. It will be a recovery but he’ll make it through.”

I fall to my knees with a sob. Mom helps me stand back up and together, we walk to Liam’s room. She continues to hold me upright. It’s her own way of supporting me.

Liam is asleep in the bed but his eyes flutter open when I touch his hand.

“Hey,” I whisper. “You made it.”

“I did?” His voice is groggy.

“Yes. You did. You saved my life. Again.”

“I would do it again.”

Mom approaches his bed. “I just have to say… thank you for saving her life. I am grateful for you for that.”

“Your mom needs to know,” I say to him. “I’ll call her.”

“It’s a whole family gathering,” he slurs, clearly still out of it.

I call Ashely using his phone since I don’t have her number. I tell her about Liam in the hospital and she tells me she’s on her way.

When she shows up, it’s still just me and my mom with Liam. She stumbles to a halt before rushing over to Liam’s side.

“Mom,” I say. “This is Liam’s mom, Ashely. This is my mom, Tatiana.”

Ashely offers her hand to my mom, who takes it after a moment. “We’re a family now.”

“We are,” Mom says, her eyes widening. “It’s nice to meet you.” She seems to warm up at the sight of Liam’s mom.