I looked down at our joined hands. “He’s ignoring my texts. It’s like I don’t exist anymore.”
Killian’s grip tightened. “You do exist. You’re here. You’re loved.”
I let out a broken laugh. “He doesn’t see it that way. To him, I chose you and gave up on everything else.”
“You didn’t give up on anyone, Liana.”
I sighed. “But he’s disappointed in me. and I can’t blame him. I don’t even know if he’ll ever speak to me again.”
Killian reached up, cupping my cheek. “He will. Maybe not today. Maybe not soon. But he will.”
I closed my eyes, leaning into his palm. “I hope so.”
He kissed my forehead. Then stood.
“Come on,” he said, gently tugging my hand. “Let’s go shopping.”
I blinked. “Shopping?”
“Yeah. For Ryan. and for you. I know you don’t feel up to it, but maybe it’ll help distract you. Just for a bit.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Ryan was already awake and talking excitedly to Agnes when we came out. She was laughing at something he said, her hands busy folding laundry.
“Agnes,” Killian said, “this is Liana.”
“We’ve met,” she smiled warmly. “But it’s nice to officially welcome you, Luna.”
Ryan ran to me. “Mom! Guess what! Miss Agnes said she used to take care of Uncle Killian when he was little! Isn’t that cool?!”
I smiled. He was glowing. Happy.
“That’s really cool,” I said, ruffling his hair. “Did she tell you if Uncle Killian was naughty or not?”
“She said he was very bossy but always gave her chocolates.”
Killian groaned. “Okay, that’s enough ancient history. Let’s go get you some new clothes, little man.”
Ryan jumped. “Really? Can I pick Spider-Man ones?!”
Killian winked “Ofcourse you can. Even the ones with Batman!”
“??yyyyyyyyyyyy!”
I laughed a little. Just a little. But it helped.
We left shortly after.
Then we headed to the mall.
Shopping with Killian and Ryan was chaotic and strangely healing. Ryan darted between stores, picking things he liked and then tossing them back if he found something better. Killian chased after him while I walked behind them, just watching.
It was… peaceful.
Killian kept checking on me, every now and then squeezing my hand, asking if I was okay. I wasn’t. Not fully. But I was better.
By the time we were done, we had too many bags, two cups of frozen yogurt, and one very cheerful Ryan.
Liana’s pov
“I’m hungry, Mommy!” Ryan muttered from the backseat since we were already finished with shopping. Too many bags filled the back seat, making it a tight squeeze.
“You didn’t even let me finish buckling my seatbelt before complaining.”
“But I’m starving! I can’t wait till we get home. My tummy is growling so loud.” He made a low growl noise in his throat and rubbed his stomach.
Killian chuckled quietly. “Alright, alright. We’ll stop somewhere and eat. There’s a nice restaurant not far from here.”
Ryan’s eyes lit up immediately. “Do they have chicken fingers? And fries? And ketchup?”
“Yes, they have chicken fingers and fries with ketchup,” Killian confirmed, glancing at me with a small smile before starting the car.
The drive to the restaurant didn’t take long. Ryan kept tapping his feet on the car floor while humming some cartoon theme song under his breath. I watched him for a moment, letting the sound pull me away from the ache that was still sitting quite heavy in my chest.
We were seated at a quiet corner of the restaurant. The waiter brought menus, but Ryan already knew what he wanted.
“Chicken fingers. And fries. With ketchup. And apple juice,” he said confidently, handing his menu back.
“You sure you don’t want to look through the whole thing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He shook his head seriously. “I already made up my mind.”
I looked down at the menu, but I wasn’t really reading. My fingers were just moving, flipping pages as if I was paying attention. I could feel Killian’s eyes on me.
“Liana,” he said gently. “Try to eat something.”
I nodded slowly. “I will.”
We placed our orders. Ryan began to color on the kids’ menu with the crayons they gave him. I watched his tiny hands work fast. His tongue peeked out slightly from the corner of his mouth-he always did that when he was concentrating.
I glanced at Killian. He was silent, just watching me. His face was unreadable.
After a moment, I took a deep breath. “Ryan,” I said softly, “Can we talk about something?”
He looked up at me with his big brown eyes. “Okay. What’s wrong?”
I looked at Killian for a second, then back at Ryan. “You remember how we talked about your dad before? And how I told you some things were complicated?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing. “Yeah I remember. You said not to ask too much because it made you sad.”
My throat tightened as I reached for his hand. “I think it’s time you know. Killian… isn’t just Uncle Killian. He’s your dad.”
Ryan blinked. Once. Twice. Then frowned. “But… you said he was your brother.”
I swallowed. “I did. And it’s… a long story. One I’m still going to tell you one day. But the truth is… he’s not really my brother. Not by blood. And he’s your real dad.”
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