Continued from Pearl and Liam 4



The early the next morning, Pearl woke up. She was still tired... But she couldn't sleep anymore. However, she didn't want to get up just yet. She let memories of last night drift back to her groggy mind, and a smile spread across her face. She looked up at Liam, marveling to herself that she'd found someone so perfect... so fast. Sexy as hell, definately, but also one of the most wonderful men she'd ever known. She took a lock of his hair, light brown and slightly gray, and twirled it around her fingers. He was good with Jade, he was kind, he was brave... Her eyes filled with admiration for him. He was a good fighter, even if he had the ugliest sword in history. He had no fashion sense, he was tough--he didn't complain about broken ribs or exhaustion unless he'd been drinking and thrown in the stocks, he was considerate--even of nosey old ladies, he had a wonderful singing voice--one that could lull her son to sleep, he had a sense of humor. He could be a little exasperating, but when he was tired and naked in freezing cold water at midnight he was more willing to blurt things out, same with her. He could give relaxing massages. He was secure enough about his manhood to wear a frilly pink apron, even if it was to keep his only pair of pants from getting ruined (which was really just prudent). He was wonderful! He was perfect...

... Even if he snored a little. He wasn't snoring now, caught in another nightmare. They had been getting better, but the scuffle with Richard had brought them storming back. His eyes flickered rapidly below the lids, and his muscles twitched. This one featured Richard, of course. Richard took Jade and Pearl away, and Liam found himself running in a forest with thick, suffocating fog. His hands were bound behind his back, and he couldn't catch himself when he stumbled. He didn't even pause to spit the leaves out, squirming back to his feet, yelling for Jade and Pearl. Where were they? They had to be somewhere close... Where? Where? He saw a shadow in the fog, a human shape that blurred into the treetrunks, but Liam knew it was what he was looking for. "Pearl!" he yelled, rushing forward. The fog suddenly cleared, and he realized that it wasn't Pearl. It was...

"Nehh!" Liam gasped, jerking awaked, and foundering for a disoriented moment in the unfamiliar bed. But Pearl was beside him, and he sighed, forcing his heart to slow its flight. "Hail Mary, full o' grace," he prayed quietly. It was a silly thing, praying after a nightmare; he hadn't done this for many years, and he hadn't stepped into a church since he pranked the Reverand and earned his stripes. But it seemed right at the moment, and he found himself whispering the once-familiar words without thinking. "Blessed are yeh among women an' blessed is the fruit of yer womb. Holy Mary, mother o' God, pray for us sinners now an' at the hour of our death. Though that c'n be a long time comin.' Protect me an' mine. Amen." the second to last line was his addition from boyhood. The last was new. He sighed again, sitting up and swinging his legs off the side of the bed, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. 

Pearl moved away from him, she was sitting up, nearly a foot apart from him. Once he started praying and moved to the edge of the bed she scooted toward him and touched his shoulder, walking her fingers up to the back of his neck. "Nightmare?" she asked knowingly. She was leaning forward as well, to try to see his face.

He turned, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. "I'm sorry I woke yeh," he murmured into her hair. His hands were shaking, and he clung to her to stop the trembling. He buried his face in her cascading locks, his nostrils filled with the scent of her hair. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Pearl squeezed him tight, shaking her head. "No," she said. "I was already awake." She rubbed his back with her hand, the way she soothed Jade after a nightmare. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked quietly. "Sometimes it helps..." You don't have to be brave. Nightmares are awful. Imagination used against you...

He closed his eyes, and for a moment, it didn't seem like he would reply. "I lost yeh," he said quietly after a moment. "It was dark... foggy... and yeh and Jade were gone. I couldn't find yeh... Me hands were tied, and no matter where I looked, yeh weren't there." He sighed, reassured by her warmth and presence. She's real, Liam. She's not going to vanish. Yer jumpin' at shadows now... His mouth opened to finish the dream, but he closed it again after a moment. No, that wasn't a road that he wanted to go down just yet. He didn't know how to explain it to her. "I know it's stupid," he muttered, feeling foolish for being reduced to shakes over a little thing like that.

Pearl hugged him tight again, shaking her head. "No," she said. She pulled back and looked into her face, shaking her head again. "Liam... Nightmares..." she cast about for the words and sighed, "They're awful. After my parents died, for years afterward I would wake up screaming, or in a cold sweat. I'm a light sleeper now, and I think it's partially because of that." She smiled a little, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, if you want to talk about stupid things to fear--I'm afraid of birds." She put her forehead against his and looked into his eyes. "You're not going to loose me," she said, half-smiling. "If anything, you're stuck with me now."

He smiled, pulling he back down to the bed with him slightly on top of her. "Oh is that so?" he said teasingly, nibbling on her ear. "I can think of worse things." He snuggled into her, holding her tight. Liam bit his lip, thinking and not thinking. "Pearl..." he started, but then lost his nerve.

"What?" she asked, frowning slightly. She sat up a little. "You've been doing that a lot," she said. "Starting to say something, and giving up... What is it?" she asked.

Liam wanted to shrug it away, but he knew it wouldn't work. He chewed on his lip, and then decided to just go for it. "Pearl, could yeh reach over and find me pants?" he asked, and then nodded when she scooped them up from the floor. "The left pocket." Inside was a little cloth bag, and he took her hands as she pulled it out. "I want to give this to you, but I'm worried it's too soon. I... Look inside."

Pearl raised her eyebrows. She felt her heart flutter, and hesitated, glancing up at him suspiciously. She opened it and looked inside...

It was a pair of rings, simple gold bands. One was larger--Liam's obviously. The other was fitted for Pearl's finger and held in its prongs a small, beautiful blue pearl. The pearl was swirled with white and blue like the waves of the ocean, and it had cost Liam more than he wanted to think about, but she was worth it. His throat had gone very, very dry, and he worked his mouth about for a bit to loosen things up. "If... if I asked yeh ta marry me, would yeh say yes?" he asked sheepishly.

Her eyes bulged, looking into the bag. She glanced up at him questioningly and then upended the bag into her palm. She picked up her ring and closed her hand over the other. "A pearl?" she murmured, her lips twitching at that. She scooted back and sat up more, leaning forward over the ring, the bag in her lap, studying the pearl. How much must it have costed him? Where'd he get that kind of money? She looked up at him thoughtfully, catching his sheepish tone and anxious expression.

At least he knew it was soon too... It did feel like she'd known him for ages, but it had only been six months--half a year! That was too early to be having strong feelings about him. But she did--she'd told him she loved him twice, and she'd meant it. She looked up at his face steadily now. She wanted him, in more ways than one. Lover, friend, father for Jade, Husband... He fit the bill, better than she had ever dared to hope for. "If you asked..." she said, steeling herself, "If you asked, I would say yes," she said looking into his eyes. Are you going to ask me now? she wondered, her lips parted slightly, like she might voice those words.

He gave a laughing gasp, and kissed her. "That's good ta know," he said once he could. "I suppose I should be down here, he said, sliding off the bed and kneeling down. "Dem, left me speech in the other pants," he said teasingly, slapping his bare thighs. "Let's see how much I remember... Pearl, I love yeh, an' I want ta spend the rest of me life makin' yeh and Jade happy. I ain't comin' ta yeh as a perfect man, or a perfect father. I just come ta yeh as I am, an' that's a man what loves yeh more than life itself. I love yeh, Pearl, and I want ta be yer husband, if yeh want ta be me wife." He smiled, his heart thudding wildly, even though he already knew she'd say yes. "Yeh told me what yeh'll say, but I want ta ask anyhow. Pearl, will yeh marry me?"

She laughed merrily as well, moving to face him and smile at him brightly. She bit her lip against the humongeous smile forming there and considered teasing him. But the smile escaped and she nodded. "Oh, yes, Liam," she said, slipping to floor with him, so she was more level with his eyes. She smiled again. "I would love to be your wife," she said, putting her arms around his shoulders, one hand still clutching the ring. She brought it back down and held it out to him expectantly. "Can I wear it now?" she asked, practically bouncing.

He laughed, taking the ring and sliding it onto her finger. It fit perfectly; it should. He measured her finger half a dozen times with string to make sure it would. The little blue pearl shimmered in the dim light and he flipped her hand around to kiss her palm. He looked up at the bed, picking up the plain gold band there. "They say that a man shouldn't wear his until the weddin' but I've never listened ta 'them' anyway. I want the world ta know how much we love each other." He placed the other ring in her palm and held out his hand to her.

She smiled giddily and admired the ring for a second, before he flipped her hand and kissed it, then she admired that. She smiled at him and took the ring. She was slightly more superstitious than him though. "You sure?" she asked. "People might think we're already married..."

He grinned. "That way all the pretty girls know I'm off the market. Whole lotta broken hearts out there..." He smiled calmly at her, though he was enjoying her excitement. It made him feel much more sure of what he was doing. "In my heart, I'm already yours, Pearl. I have been since that night in the river. I don't care what people think."

Smiles for all of that. Pearl put the ring on his finger and then replaced her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. She kissed him.

Liam kissed her back, his hands twisting through her hair. He was suddenly aware again that they were both nude, and his embraces became a little more seeking. When he pulled away gasping, he pulled back enough to look at her face. "Do you want to get back on the bed?" he asked her. The bed suddenly seemed a long, long way away, even though it was just behind her.

Pearl smirked. She reached back and pulled the cover off the bed, moving on top of him with it. "Nope," she said. She met his lips and then deepened the kiss.



Rosa was up a bit earlier than the rest of the household, getting to work at breakfast. It disguised the fact that she had to go back to her room to get dressed. She was in the kitchen preparing things. Hamnet came out of his room a few minutes later to fetch the water. Liam was out next, waiting a decent time after he'd heard the other stirring before slipping out of Pearl's grasp, who, as far as he could tell was asleep in the blankets on the floor. He nodded sleepily to Rosa and walked out into the cool air. Hamnet brought the water back and then soaked a rag in the icy-cold water and offered it to Liam. He took it gratefully, pressing it to his aching eye with his left hand.

"Looks good on you," Hamnet said softly, nodding at the ring.

"Thanks," he replied. "That bed does too squeak," he replied.

Pearl got up out five to ten minutes later, though she really had been asleep when he left. She would've fixed up the bed, but the sheets should really be washed now... So she got dressed again, and simply left her hair down around her shoulders, to lazy to do anything else with it. Biting her lip and smiling despite it, she exited the room. She looked for Artemis but she wasn't in her bed. So she went to the kitchen and found Rosa. "Hi, Rosa," she said. "Where's Artemis?"

Rosa turned toward her, quick to notice the ring on her finger, but not quick enough to hide her reaction. "She was already gone when I got up... I don't know." She smiled at Pearl. "That's a beautiful ring," she said, nodding at it.

Pearl grinned at her and raised her hand so that Rosa could examine it more closely. "Tell anyone you want," she said, happily. "Tell the whole town! Hell, I'll tell the whole town," she said. She took her hand away and touched the ring.

Rosa smiled. She wouldn't have told anyone if she hadn't said that, and she probably still wouldn't be the one to spread things. "It's beautiful," she told her, showing off her own ring now. Her's had a small black opal, but was also quite pretty. "Come on, spill," she said happily. "How did he do it? Was it romantic? Have you set a date yet?"

Hamnet laughed. "That wasn't the bed, buddy. That was the floor."

Liam smirked softly. "You two were quiet."

Hamnet nodded. "Her parents live here, remember? We've got that whole abstinence until marriage thing..." He shrugged. "Another two weeks until the wedding..."

"Yeh could move the date," Liam suggested, but Hamnet shook his head.

"Her parent's are going crazy enough about it as it is without me making things worse. This works well enough, though. That's why I took the smaller room, though. Better flooring in there," he said, smirking at Liam.

The smirks really didn't bother Liam. He had nothing to be ashamed of, after all. Hamnet understood how he was feeling, probably very well, being in the same circumstances himself. "I just want her ta be happy," Liam murmured, taking the rag down and looking at it.

Hamnet bent down and clapped him on the shoulder. "Open your eyes, friend. She is happy, and I bet she's even happier now that you're getting married. It's every woman's dream."

Pearl smiled at her ring as well. She liked hers better, but Rosa's was pretty. "I don't think he meant to ask me this morning," she said, twisting a bit of hair around her finger. "But I asked him why he kept hesitating to say something. He gave me a bag with the two rings in it... He gave me a chance to think about it, and then he got down on his knees and... proposed," she said with a shrug and a smile. "He gave me quite a pretty speech first though." She touched the ring again, feeling it's unfamilar weight on her finger, a gentle reminder of her engagement. It was technically a spur-of-the-moment proposal, but he had obviously thought about it beforehand, so the spontanatiety didn't bother her.

"That is so sweet!" she replied. "You asked him what was bothering him, and he just answered you like that..." Rosa smiled and sighed. "Hamnet always wants to put on this big, tough face. He doesn't ever want to tell me if something is wrong... It's so nice that he's open enough to just come out and tell you the truth!"

Pearl smiled. "I agree," she said, starting to really like Rosa. She would be a good friend, if she didn't gossip about everything you said or did--and maybe she wouldn't, she seemed too nice all of the time. In the past she had dated men more like Rosa had described Hamnet, who would not open up to her. But Liam was a sensitive guy, who still managed to be tough. She smiled at Rosa again after a moment. "Hamnet is a good guy though," she said sincerely. "Maybe once your married you can get him to open up to you more?" she suggested.

Rosa smiled, waving a flour-covered hand. "Oh, I can get whatever I want out of him," she replied casually. "And he'd never lie to me, it's just he prefers to keep things to himself. When there's something bothering him, I really have to corner him and remind him that I'm a big, tough girl and I can handle the truth. He likes protecting me. Can you hand me that bowl over there?" she asked, pointing to a blue piece of stoneware. "Did you two decide on a date last night?" she asked again.

Pearl smiled and handed her the bowl. She moved closer and leaned on the counter. She shook her head. "No," she replied thoughtfully. She wasn't sure if she wanted a long engagement or a short one. "When are you and Hamnet getting married?" she asked instead, to change the subject slightly.

"Two weeks," she replied, sighing. "We've been engaged for just over six months now... a short engagement, I know. My parents are going crazy about getting things prepared. I'm terrified--the wedding will be huge. You will come, won't you dear?" she asked, smiling. "It'll give you ideas... Everything is so crazy!" Rosa liked to talk and informed Pearl of all the pre-wedding insanity for at least five minutes without seeming to breathe.

(more Hamnet and Liam conversation. Will write it later)

Hamnet laughed, and the two men walked back inside, Hamnet with a few buckets and Liam with an armful of wood. Hamnet put the buckets down, and then peered with exagerated stealth towards the other side of the house. "Coast's clear," he said, and then wrapped little Rosa up in a bear hug that ended with a adorably cute kiss.

Liam walked over to Pearl and, once the other couple was finished, asked, "What's all that about?"

Rosa slapped his arms, laughing, to make him let go. "Something he started doing when we were first courting. Spying out for my parents... the goof."

Pearl smiled, feeling Liam behind her, and leaned back on him, slightly. She looked up at him over her shoulder, and smiled into his discolored face. We're getting married! she thought, and her satisfied smile seemed to say it.

He wrapped his arms around her as if to say, "Damn straight!"

Jade walked in a few moments later, rubbing his eyes. "Mm..." he whimpered, and moved towards his mother, crawling up into her arms and nuzzling her shoulder. Liam reached around to tussle his hair like he always did, but Jade cringed, just noticibly. Liam bit his tongue, but then smiled. "Sleepy takes a while to wake up," he informed Hamnet and Rosa. "As wonderful as you've both been, we shouldn't impose on you any longer. We should go home..."

Jade's reaction pulled her smile away, weighted the corners down. She hugged Jade back, and forced a smile as well. "You slept a lonnnng time, Jade," she murmured, patting his head. She glanced at Liam from the corner of her eye and then turned to Rosa and Hamnet, who were watching them.

Rosa looked sad. "Oh, no," she objected, "At least stay for breakfast."

Pearl looked over her shoulder at Liam questioningly, and then back at Rosa, spreading her words between the two of them. "I am pretty hungry, and that smells good," she said.

"Rosa, sweetie," Hamnet said softly. "They probably want to get home... get cleaned up and changed... It's not like they're going to vanish--we'll have them back over for supper in a few days."

"I left bread out to rise yesterday," Liam reminded her softly. "It's probablly filled up the entire kitchen by now, and I have to get the Dowager's roof finished before the rains start..." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "We should go home."

Rosa sighed a little, but she understood. They had lives too, after all, and hadn't been planning on spending the night away from home.

Pearl nodded at Liam and smiled. She squeezed Jade and put him down, patting his head again. She turned to Liam and poked him in his chest. "Then you're making my breakfast when we get home," she said. She paused. "Or you could buy us breakfast," she said with a cute smile.

Liam sighed theatrically. "Work, work, work," he said playfully, shaking his head. He moved over to Hamnet, offering his hand. "Thanks again for everything yeh've done for us," he said, shaking the big man's hand.

"Don't mention it again," Hamnet replied, "Or I'll make your eyes match, Irish." He clapped Liam on the back, and the two men turned to each other's women.

"Thank you for dinner," Liam said, giving Rosa a hug. "I'll tell the Dowager that yeh miss her when I'm over at her house taday. I'm sure yeh two will want ta catch up an' compare notes."

"It was wonderful to meet you, Pearl," Hamnet said, kissing her cheek. "You too, Jade."

Pearl gave Hamnet a friendly smile. "You too," she said. Jade nodded slightly and yawned. Pearl moved to Rosa and hugged her as well. "Thanks," she murmured. She pulled away and look between their two new friends. She considered mentioning Artemis, but she had a feeling Artemis went home during the night, needing her own bed to sleep in.

Liam gathered up their belongings, the shopping bags from the day before, and smiled one more time. As nice as it was to meet new friends, he was ready to go home. "Come on," he said, walking out the door and heading back for home.

Pearl collected her things and she and Jade followed him out the door, with a final wave to Rosa and Hamnet. But she wondered why he was in such a rush to get home. Watching Jade, she had a suspicion that he hoped things would go back to normal once they were home. That Jade would remember how much he liked him. Pearl doubted that... He would have to try a different tactic. Jade's attitude could become a problem for them.... And it was all Richard's fault!

She touched her ring again and watched Liam's back as she walked a few paces behind him. Thinking about him softened her expression. But... were they too hasty--to be engaged already? A long engagement was starting to look good to her... No. They already knew they wanted to spend their lives together, to raise Jade together... They could have as long of an engagement as they wanted, but what would the point be? If it was to spend more time getting to know each other they shouldn't be engaged. And it wasn't as if they had a lot of arrangements to make... Liam might have family he'd like to track down. But Pearl didn't. And other than Artemis, Rosa, and Hamnet, and a few other friends she would have to track down, she didn't even have very many friends to invite. Although... most of the town would probably try to come to their wedding!

She took Jade's hand and stepped up her pace, touching Liam on the arm and moving her hand down to his. She turned their hands so that she could see her beautiful ring and smiled at him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked at Jade on her other side.

Liam smiled, and if he could read Pearl's thoughts, he might have been surprised to find how correct she'd been in guessng them. He knew it was silly to think everything would be all right once they walked through that familiar door, but he so wanted it to be true. He didn't think much about the wedding or the engagement period, really. It was enough to know that they were devoted to each other. They could stay engaged for the rest of their lives, for all he cared, though he had an inkling of a plan for an Irish wedding that would include gallons upon gallons of ale and include every single member of the town that they could convince into coming. That was one thing he knew how to do: party.

He glanced to the west, feeling a strong, cool wind. "Hmm, that's not good," he murmured, and then turned to the others to explain. "Wind's cold. Storm's coming. I'll have to work fast to get Pernelle's roof finished before the rain hits, or she'll have to stay over at our place..." He lifted his eyebrows, knowing what Pearl would think of that.

Pearl looked horrifed. "I'd rather have a house full of pigeons!" she screeched, gripping his arm more firmly. "We can't let that happen, Liam!!!"

He smiled, glancing over at Jade. "I'll get it done, though I could use some help, Little Man," he noted softly.

Jade stared down at the dirt and didn't reply.

Liam nodded. "Okay." His hand shook a little though. When they got into the house, he dropped the bags on the kitchen table and moved into the bedroom to change into work clothes. He got out of the old clothes and into the pants of the tattered work garments, but then sat on the bed, licking the hole in his mouth where Richard had knocked his tooth free. He sighed, hanging his head.

Pearl watched Liam go, sensing his mood. She'd considered suggesting that Jade help him also, but she didn't want to bring them down any further, she expected Jade's response. His introverted, sullen manner worried her. It wasn't like him. It wasn't like Liam either. She wanted to follow him and talk but maybe a moment alone to think would help him a little. So she went with Jade into his room again for a brief talk. "Jade," she coaxed. "You like Liam, remember?" She looked at him sadly. "He loves you... It makes him sad that you won't be nice to him... Can't you please forgive him?" she asked, "Or at least talk to him?"

Jade frowned, pulling at his thumbs. "I don't want to," he said with surprising firmness. He probably didn't really mean that. He probably meant that he didn't want his mother to tell him to, but in his mind, it was amounting to the same thing. "Stop fussing at me."

Liam closed his burning eyes, and with one last sigh, pulled his clothes on. He didn't have time to be sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He moved for the door, yelling back, "I'll be back in a while..."

He knocked on the door to Pernelle's house, his toolbag on one shoulder. "Anybody home?" he called.

Pearl frowned at him. She sighed, instead of getting mad. She knew he wasn't just being a brat. "Okay," she said, refraining from patting him or anything. "But at this rate Liam won't ever get to teach you how to shave, like he promised, or buy you cookies like last time, or teach you how to do things, or anything else that's fun!" she said.

Jade turned his back on her and started to play with a toy Liam had bought for him. He fiddled with it, trying to think things through in his own little mind.

Pearl nodded and slipped out, leaving the door open.

After a moment Pernelle came to the door. She took one look at him and said. "It's about time!" She took an accusatory tone and pointed at his face, "That's why you're late isn't it? Got into some brawl somewhere. Lucky you didn't get thrown in the stocks again! I just knew you'd be late and my house would flood!" She took him to the back of the house and pointed up. "It's the worst right there," she said.

"Don't worry, darlin'," he growled, stepping inside. "I wouldn't let that happen." He shifted his bag on his shoulder. He ground his teeth together, but still couldn't stop the snappish comment that spilled out of him. "Now, if yeh want me to do the work, that I ain't chargin' yeh for, mind yeh, why don't yeh leave me the hell alone so I c'n finish?" He unslung his bag, and let in thunk loudly onto the floor between them. He took out his tools, and then hauled himself up into the roof with a jump and his powerful arms.

Pernelle looked shocked. And then she huffed and stormed away. She knew she was being mean, but she was in a bad mood. If she was a more considerate person she'd ask what had him in such a bad mood, and the real reason why he was all beat up. It hadn't escaped her notice that all three of them were gone all day yesterday, and all night. She went into the kitchen and started banging things around. She already ate breakfast, but cooking was calming for her.

Liam felt bad as he worked to finish the thatching of her roof. It wasn't Pernelle's fault that he was in a bad mood, and he shouldn't have snapped at her. It was better just to work, though, and he set himself to the task fully, scurrying all over her roof and working at mind-numbing speed to get everything finished. Around lunch time he paused, crawling out of the roof for a bit and moving to the well, taking a long drink of the cold water and then wetting his hair with it. He felt terrible, and his eye and face ached, but he didn't feel like stopping. It felt good just to be doing something.

By this time Pernelle had calmed down as well. Liam was almost as scandalous as Pearl, mostly because he lived with her, but she liked him anyway. He did kind things for her. When she realized he wasn't on the roof anymore she looked out the window and spotted him at the well. She left the house and went over to him, but at the last second she turned and knocked on Pearl's door.

Pearl wondered about that. If it was Liam he wouldn't have knocked. She never dreamed it would be Pernelle, so she went to the door and opened it. Her mouth dropped. "P--Hi, Pernelle," she said, forcing a smile. She tried to be polite. "How are you?"

Pernelle frowned at her. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked condescendingly, looking around her into the house.

Pearl's mouth twitched. She looked over at Pernelle's roof but didn't see Liam. She invited Pernelle in and just as she was closing the door she thought to look for him at the well. There he was. She put her hand to her head dramatically--how will I ever survive this?--and shut the door.

She turned back to a seated Pernelle, who'd known better than to expect Pearl to know to offer her a chair. She smiled at Pearl knowingly. "You two didn't come home last night," she said, conversationally. "Where was Jade during all that time?"

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, and went into the kitchen without waiting for a response. She looked at a bottle of wine longingly, but she could imagine what Pernelle would say about that, so she simply got water for them both. When she returned to the living room and offered the water to Pernelle, she felt better able to defend herself. "I'm surprised you haven't heard," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Do you want the whole story, or a summary?" she asked. "Since you'll hear about it anyway, and you might as well get it right..." She raised her glass to her mouth, forgetting about the flashy ring she was wearing.

Pernelle's mouth twisted at the sight of the ring. "What a lovely ring, my dear, may I see it?" She raised her eyebrows. "Liam is the one who gave it to you, right?" she asked, sounding curious.

Pearl's eye twitched. "Of course," she said. Before she could stop herself she asked, "Why would you ask that?"

"Oh, well. It's exprensive isn't it?" she asked, implying that Liam could not have afforded it. "And I did hear something about a young man man who fought with Liam yesterday. And he was in such a horrible mood this morning... It would explain a few things if the mystery man had given it to you, dear," she explained.

Pearl snatched her hand away and touched the ring, after setting down the glass. She could've said congratulations. "Liam proposed. He picked out the ring and gave it to me," she said. She took on Pernelle's huffy demeanor, "Aren't you going to tell me congratulations?"

Pernelle smiled tightly. "Congratulations," she said. "We never thought you'd find someone willing to marry you! But you sure proved us wrong," she said. "How about the long version of the story, in case I didn't catch all of the gossip," she said.

Pearl smiled. "Yes, I did, didn't I?" she replied. She frowned again at her request. "Alright," she said. "The mystery man is Jade's father. He and Liam got into a fight. Jade caused Liam to stop, but once he pulled away Richard hit him really hard. He wasn't well enough to come home yesterday so we stayed with Hamnet, and Rosa--she said she knew you," she explained, because it was useless not to tell Pernelle anything--she'd find out eventually.

Pernelle looked surprised, and thought to herself what luck! Rosa will be sure to tell me anything Pearl leaves out! I love that girl. "Oh really? That was nice of them, to help you out. But I'm curious... That's a small house, where did you all sleep?" she asked innocently, without shame.

Pearl's eyes narrowed slightly. "Use your imagination," she suggested.

Pernelle seemed satisfied, mostly because Rosa would be able to tell her the rest of the story. But she had to ask, "Where is this Richard character now?"

Pearl shook her head, and looked frightened despite herself. "I don't know... They locked him up, but usually that's just an overnight thing... He could be anywhere... And I know he'll be back..." She sighed.

Jade heard the woman talking to his mother in the kitchen, and slid his window open quietly. If he was going to be a Highwayman, sneaking out of his own house should be the first step. He clambered out of the opening and walked over to the neighbor lady’s house, knowing Liam would be there. He could hear banging on the roof, and sneaked over, staying out of sight. He sat silent in the shadows for a moment, and then heard a band and a curse. That made him jump; Liam didn’t ever curse around him. A second later he understood as a hammer fell off the roof just in front of him. There was a grumble, and Jade moved out, picking it up. “Here,” he said, holding it up and lifting himself onto his tiptoes to try to give it back.

Liam heard Jade’s voice and looked down, seeing the kid holding up the wooden hammer as high as he could get it. He smiled, and bent down, holding himself with one hand and his feet to get low enough to grab it from the boy. It probably would have been easier just to get down and get it himself, but he didn’t want to disregard Jade’s action. He grabbed the hammer and pulled himself back onto the roof. “Thanks, little man,” he said earnestly. He set the hammer where it wouldn’t roll away again, and looked down at him. “Wanna come up?” he asked.

No matter what Jade thought of Liam, he wouldn’t pass up an offer like that. Mom didn’t like it when he climbed into high places. He nodded eagerly. 

“Go around inside then,” Liam instructed. “Come this way and climb the stairs. You’ll see where I am.”

Jade did as instructed, and reached Liam’s spot with little difficulty. He clambered onto the thatched, sitting on the poles and hanging onto the tied clumps like Liam said. “Don’t tell yer mum I let yeh up here, or she’ll chew off me ear,” he said, sucking at his mashed thumb and licking the little bit of blood away.

“What happened?” Jade asked, scooting a little closer.

Liam held his hand out. “I tried to nail me thumb,” he explained with a smile.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

Liam nodded. “That’s why I dropped me hammer.” He put the digit in his mouth again. “I know I hurt you yesterday too, Jade. Not like this.” He held out his thumb. “Or like this.” He pointed at his black eye. “But I hurt you in here,” he said, putting his hand lightly on Jade’s chest. “I scared you, and I’m sorry Jade. I promise I’ll never, ever scare you like that again.”

Jade bit his lip, looking down at the ground below him. “I don’t like being scared of you,” he admitted quietly. “And I don’t like being mad.”

Liam smiled. “I know, little man. I don’t like being scary. I’m sorry.”

Jade smiled. “That’s okay,” he said, and looked at the roof. “There’s still a big hole,” he noted, and Liam smiled and nodded. “Can I help?”

Liam smiled. “You bet, little man. Sneak back inside and grab a bunch of those leather ties, will you?”

Back at the house. If Pearl had ever thought she was ready to kill Pernelle before this, she had no idea what it really felt like. She had finally stepped away from her and her biting comments to bang around the kitchen and try to drown her out.

Pernelle was not discouraged, but she was offended. She stood up and entered the kitchen. She looked at Pearl and then at the pot she was clanging around. "Are you quite finished?" she asked. "I know what you were doing." She paused. "Do you even know how to cook?" she asked.

Pearl's temper flared again. She imagined clobbering the old bag with her pot for a moment, and just the thought of doing it gave her the strength to reign in her tempter. She sighed and released the pot, going across the room to retrieve her apron. "I can cook a few things pretty well," she said calmly. She thought about admiting that she was more accustomed to cooking the sorts of things you eat on the move, but decided against it--Pernelle would find something wrong with that too. At least she has me thinking before I speak she thought.

Pernelle frowned and thought about Liam and that little boy. She was about to make a very unusual offer. "You should come over to my house," she decided. "I will teach you how to cook," she said.

Pearl looked at her suspiciously--she was being too nice. She had a sudden vision of herself cooking for Liam and having him truly like it. "Maybe I will," she said, too chicken to make such a big committment right this moment. "Thank you," she added.

Pernelle frowned again. "I won't be doing it for you."

Pearl interrupted by rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Pernelle didn't care. "Liam shouldn't have to cook all the time. And poor Jade needs to eat healthier--I can only imagine the kinds of things you feed him," she said. She shook her head. "It needs to be remedied. Come to my house tomorrow morning, we will make breakfast for the men," she said. She heard Pearl's stomach growl and paused. "Perhaps I can start showing you how to make my favorite lunch," she suggested. "That is, if you have all the ingredients," she sounded doubtful.

Pearl sighed again. This woman was stressful. "What do we need?" she asked. "I know my way around pretty well," she said. But that was a stretch--she knew where certain things were in the kitchen, and stumbled across the other things she needed.

Jade came out with the ties, and Liam decided to lay the groundrules of working on a roof. "Now, if you drop anything, let it go, okay? If I had tried to chase after my hammer to catch it, I would have ended up down there with it. It's not worth falling off, because falling off hurts." Jade nodded seriously, soaking information in with a seriousness that Liam found humorous. Liam needn't have worried; Jade seemed to be half monkey, and within ten minutes, he was clambering around with a sort of casual ease that Liam knew had to be learned. "All right, little man, confess now. Where did yeh learn to climb around like this?"

Jade was young enough to still be a terrible liar. "Nowhere..." Liam smiled at him, and ruffled his hair, so Jade came clean. "Sometimes I sneak out of my room when mommy thinks I'm asleep and climb in the tree."

"How do yeh get out?" Liam asked.

"Through the window," Jade admitted. "Mommy doesn't like me to climb trees."

Liam nodded. "That's because she's afraid yeh'll fall."

Jade puffed up his little chest. "I haven't never falled!" he said proudly.

Liam smiled. "Well, monkey-boy. If yeh won't fall off, go crawl around all the house and yell if yeh find places where the thatch is icky-colored like this, okay?"

Jade nodded, and was off, letting Liam get to work.

Back at the house the women had gotten to work. Pearl's kitchen didn't contain everything Pernelle needed, but they found things to substitute for what she was missing. Surprisingly, Pernelle refrained from taking over and stuck to coaching Pearl on what to do, stressing her out. Pearl, for her part, tried to follow her instructions as well as she could, occasionally asking a question when Pernelle used an unfamilar term. She also tried to remember the steps as they went along.

Liam was amazed how much faster the work went with Jade playing step-and-fetch-it for him. The kid had also scurried over the thatch, finding two more spots that would have started leaking within a few months. Liam fixed those up, and was tying the last bundle into place when his stomach rumbled. “Hey little man,” he said, beckoning Jade over. “Let’s go see if your mum has some lunch ready. I’m hungry.”

Jade nodded. “Me too.”

Liam smiled, and dropped casually off the edge of the roof—they’d patched their entrance hole—and held up his arms to Jade. “Jump, little man. I’ll catch you.”

Jade grinned, and threw himself off the ten-foot ledge, landing safely in Liam’s arms, laughing.

“Wee!” he exclaimed.

Liam smiled. “Just promise me yeh don’t go jumping off roofs without me ta catch yeh, okay?

Jade grinned. “Okay!” he said, a little breathless, rushing towards the house. Liam’s smile slipped a bit as he realized that the kid was rushing to inform his mother of what he’d done.

Jade pushed open the door, storming inside. “Mommy, mommy!” he cried. “I jumped off the roofs!”

Pearl was frowning over the plate she had just set on the table. She might've dropped it if he'd come in a second earlier. "How did you--?" she asked looking around, knowing she hadn't seen Jade leave the house. Then the last bit of his sentence reached her ears, just as Liam reached the door. "You what?" she asked. She looked around, her eyes landing on Liam. She put her hand on her hip. Pernelle was in the background, watching them.

Liam shrugged apologetically. “He wanted to help with the roof. Don’t worry, I was watching him, but we closed up the hole he had crawled through, so I jumped off first and caught him,” he explained. “We’ve already agreed that we won’t be climbing on roofs without Liam present, haven’t we?” He looked meaningfully at Jade.

“Oh yeah,” Jade agreed. “I could fall off and break me neck,” he said, not realizing he was mimicking Liam’s accent. “No jumpin’ off nuthin’ without mommy or Liam.”

Pearl looked slightly preturbed, but she let her hand slide from her hip. She walked over and put her hand on Jade's shoulder. "As long as you know that..." she said. She straightened. "Pernelle has been teaching me to cook," she informed Liam somewhat proudly, wondering what his reaction would be.

Liam nodded. “I’m sure she’s a wonderful teacher.” He moved over to the old lady. “I wanted ta apologize for me behavior earlier. I didn’t have a right to yell at yeh like that,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “Forgive an old lout?”

Jade moved over to the pots and pans in the kitchen. “Me and Liam’s hungry, mommy,” he informed her. “We’ve been workin’ hard.”

Pearl scoffed. Pernelle might've helped her make a very good lunch for them, but she wouldn't go so far as to apply "wonderful" to her in any way. She wasn't an easy person to get along with, especially when she was in a controlling situation.

Pernelle raised her eyebrows at him. After a moment she smiled--in any case, the wrinkles in her cheeks drew back and multiplied briefly. "I forgive you, sonny,” she said. She paused. "But why were you in such a bad mood?" she pried.

Pearl issued Jade to the table. She didn't know how she felt about his grammar. Maybe it was the same as always, he was only four, but it still seemed like he was mimicking Liam... She might have to do something about that. But maybe he would drop it after a while, and it showed that he admired Liam again--which was a very good thing.

Liam winced slightly, not about to tell Pernelle the real reason, at least, not with Jade present. “Just getting crabby in me old age,” he replied lightly. “Head tends ta hurt when it gets knocked about.” He smiled then. “But, with Jade’s help, we’ve got yer roof ta the point where it won’t leak none. An’ there’s just a few little things left that I want ta do. Should be completely finished well before nightfall.”

Jade sat down obediently. “I looked for bad spots where the grass on your roof was mushy,” Jade informed the old lady, quite proud of himself. “I found two.”

Pernelle looked suspicious. She nodded though. "I understand," she said. She smiled slightly again, "Ahh, thank you," she said. "It's very unpleasant to get rained on inside one's home." She turned toward the table, though you could say she turned toward Pearl if you didn't know how she felt about her. "Now, I think it's about time we all eat!" she said. She sat by Pearl, so that Liam couldn't--Jade was on Pearl's other side. She smiled at Jade, she'd always liked the boy. "Then I thank you," she acknowledged, as she fixed her plate.

Pearl smiled at Jade and patted his arm, "You did a very good job, Jade!" she said. "I know Liam appreciated your help--he thought he'd be doing that all day."

Liam smiled, sitting in the remaining chair and filling his plate. “Dern tootin’,” he agreed. “Yeh should have seen him, Pearl. Like a little squirrel, clabberin’ around up there. An’ yeh weren’t afraid, were yeh?”

Jade shook his head proudly. “Not ever,” he said, though there was a little bit of lie in his tone, and Liam frowned at him. “Okay, maybe a little at first,” he admitted

The man smiled again. “There’s me honest boy,” he took a mouthful of food, and was surprised by the taste. That wasn’t to say Pearl’s cooking tasted bad... in fact, most of the time it didn’t have a taste at all—everything she cooked was rather bland. “This is really good,” he said, cleaning off his plate and filling it with another helping.

Pearl shook her head at Jade, her expression showing that she was amused. She smiled at Liam knowingly. She would've been surprised by the taste as well if she hadn't stolen a taste the second Pernelle's back was turned. Her food wasn't that bland... But this was a major improvement from anything she'd cooked before it. She turned her head and looked at Pernelle gratefully, not something she normally would have done. But she appreciated her help. Pernelle gave her the slightest nod of her head as she re-filled her plate.

Liam was about halfway through his plate when he asked, “So why were you upset this morning when I came over?” he asked Pernelle. “Did something happen between you and Roger?”

Jade played with his food. He’d eaten most of it, but now the grownups were going to talk about boring stuff. Again.

Pernelle looked at him, really looked at him. It made her feel good that he could tell the difference between her usual harshness, and the meanness she'd shown him that morning, and that he knew it to be more than anxiousness over his being late. Her eyes flicked uneasily to Pearl and Jade. But then she frowned and nodded, her shoulders sagging. "He keeps to himself too much, never talks to anybody," she said irritatedly. "I told him so," she was starting to look angry, "And he told me I was a shameless, heartless gossip, and I threw him out!"

Liam looked at her, setting down his spoon, his face compassionate. “I see. Well, yeh did the right thing, then. It was right cruel of him to say something like that. I bet yeh’re glad ta be rid of a demmed fool like that ol’ Roger. Huh?”

"It sure was!" she said. She paused and frowned at him, realizing he was being sarcastic. She was tempted to stick out her tongue at him, like Jade would do, but she didn't. She looked very sad at his last comment, and shook her head slightly. "No," she muttered, "I'm not..."

Pearl frowned. If she was anyone else, she would've put a hand on her arm to comfort her--but she was Pernelle, albeit a gentler Pernelle than she was used to. She looked at Liam and decided to let him tell her she should go talk to Roger. She ate quietly, though she was thinking to herself.

Liam nodded, his expression still thoughtful and genuine. “Why do yeh think he would say that, Pernelle?” he asked carefully. “Do yeh think he might have had a reason? Roger’s been livin’ alone for over a decade. It’s only been a few weeks since yeh two started seeing each other. Don’t yeh think he might wanna take it a bit slower than yeh might think he should? Do yeh think he might have felt threatened? I really doubt he meant what he said, he was just angry. But, it’s better ta find out about people’s silliness before thin’s get to serious. Now yeh’ve told him off, and he’s out of yer life. Ain’t he?”

Pernelle tried to look angry. "You haven't known Pearl much longer," she muttered. "And he did mean it. Everyone else says the same thing... I couldn't take it from him!" She couldn't quite manage to be genuinely irritated with him--she was thinking about Roger being gone. Her shoulders drooped again. She moved the food around on her plate idly. She nodded a little.

“Pearl and I have had our rows,” he replied semi-honestly. The sure hadn’t gotten along the first few days. “And Pernelle, I don’t think yeh’re a heartless gossip,” he told her seriously. “I think yeh gossip—I know yeh gossip, but yeh’re not heartless. Everyone says thin’s they don’t mean sometimes. I know Roger loves yeh, but if yeh want him back, yer gonna have ta come down off yer high horse an’ apologize ta him.”

Pearl snorted. "Well, she could be a little less ruthless," she muttered. But she lifted her head. "I agree with Liam," she said carefully. Pernelle was watching her, without much of an expression, listening. "You two are in love," she explained, "You shouldn't let it just go away...." She paused. "And Pernelle, you're not heartless--I don't think he meant that either--you just... you don't always think about how what you say affects people... Anyway, Roger makes you happy--you should do whatever you can to get him back."

Pernelle looked at Pearl intently and then nodded between the both of them. "I'll do it!" she said, "...After we finish lunch."

Liam smiled. “There’s a girl,” he said, and then looked over at Jade, seeing his bored expression and his mountain of mashed potatoes, completely with sled-shaped pieces of ham sliding down through the gravy. “Don’t play with yer food,” Liam chided, but studied the work of art, smiling. “That’s really good, little man,” he said. “Yeh done eatin’?” he asked. “Ready to get back ta work?” Jade nodded, starting to stand. “Take yer plate ta the washbin and thank yer mum for the meal,” he reminded.

Jade nodded, not really needing the reminder, but not saying anything about that. He put his plate away, and then snuggled up against his mother, giving her a kiss. “Thanks for lunch mommy. It was yummy.”

Pearl gave Jade a smile like he'd just given her a wonderful present. "Aww, thank you, sweety," she said, kissing him back on the cheek. She set him down and smiled. "You can go help Liam now," she said. "Just... be careful."

Liam gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Featha,” he said softly, kissing her cheek. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.” He turned to Pernelle, tipping his invisible cap, and then returning his attention to Jade. “All right, all right, little man. Back to work.” Jade grinned, and Liam had to hurry to keep up as he rushed back outside.

Back at Pernelle’s house, Liam outlined what was left to do and they got to work. Jade was a little more of a hamper than a help at this point, but he was having a swell time crawling all over the roof.

The storm hit a few hours before sunset, though the storms made everything as dark as night. Lightning split the sky and the rain poured down, but they were safe inside the house. Dinner had already been eaten and cleaned up after, and now the family sat in the living room, sharing the light of the single candle. Liam was patching up a piece of leather harness, and Jade played with a carved horse on the floor. Pearl... (does whatever.) Liam pulled and twisted at the leather, and upon fixing the piece, he looked down at Jade, and wondered how to broach the subject.

Pearl was sitting down with one of Liam's shirts in her lap. It was the one he'd worn to work on Pernelle's roof earlier that day--she was mending a rip in it where he'd caught the fabric on a nail. She'd had much more practice with a needle and thread than most people might believe. She listened to the storm outside as she worked. Now would be a good time to talk to Jade about her and Liam, but she wasn't sure how to approach it. She wasn't sure if Jade still hoped she and his father could be together. Her ring glinted in the dim light as she moved it suddenly and she looked up, letting her hands rest in her lap. "Jade," she said thoughtfully. She and Liam had talked about this beforehand, so she glanced at him. "Liam asked me something important this morning... It's a good thing," she said vaguely, "But I want to know how you feel about it."

Jade put his toy down and looked up at the adults. “What?”

Liam licked his teeth, but he knew it wasn’t going to get any easier. “Jade, I asked yer mum ta marry me,” Liam explained, but then took a deep breath. “In most families, Jade, the mom and dad are married, and then have kids. Sometimes it doesn’t work that way. It didn’t work that way for yer mum.”

“Why?” Jade asked, turning to her.

Pearl smiled slightly. She put aside the shirt and moved to the floor next to Jade. She shrugged slightly. "Your dad and I were friends when we were kids," she said. "He used to be very nice, and a lot of fun.... But once he grew up he was different. I moved away, and came back home to visit. I saw him again and I was lonely..." she glanced at Liam, looking slightly uncomfortable. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me Jade," she said truthfully. "I love you very much. But Richard and I didn't plan to have you--you were a blessing that just came to us. To me, that is, because your father wasn't able to take care of you at the time," she said--still not willing to admit that Richard didn't want him and wasn't willing to take responsibility for him, "So he went away..."

Jade frowned. “But he came back, so we can be together now, right?”

Liam shook his head. “It’s not that simple, little man,” he said softly, carefully. “Living with someone isn’t an easy thing ta do. Like Pernelle. How would yeh feel if said she was going to be yer mum and she moved in with you? She started sleeping in yer bed and playing with yer toys. It wouldn’t be very fun, would it?” Jade shook his head. “Pernelle is a nice person, but yeh wouldn’t want her here all the time. Yer dad is a good person, Jade, but he an’ yer mum don’t want ta live in the same place an’ sleep in the same bed.”

Pearl let Liam talk, but she disagreed with the idea that either Pernelle or Richard was at all "nice."

“But you do,” Jade protested. “You and mommy sleep together every night.”

Liam nodded. “That’s why your mum an’ I want to get married someday,” Liam explained. “Because we really, really, really like being together. An’ I really, really, really like being with yeh, Jade.”

Jade was quiet for a minute. “If mommy had another baby, would you be that baby’s daddy?” he asked, and Liam nodded. “But you’re not my dad.”

Liam shook his head. “No, I’m not. Richard will always be yer dad. I’ll be yer stepdad... an extra dad. Some kids have one dad, yeh’ll have two. Me an’ Richard.”

Pearl nodded, he explained that well. She looked at Jade. "What do you say?" she asked anxiously. "How about having two fathers?" Which was a much better, and still accurate, way to say it than to say that Liam was replacing his real father.

Jade sat still for a moment, really pondering. There didn’t seem to be a downside to this arrangement. “It’s okay, I guess, but...” he started, and then trailed off.

“What is it?” Liam asked.

“If I’m going to have two fathers... can I baby brother for my birthday?” he asked eagerly. “He can stay in my room, and I’ll let him play with my toys...”

Liam looked over at Pearl, trying not to laugh by putting on a stern, thoughtful look. “Well, your mother and I are going to have to discuss that,” he said.

Pearl's lips were slightly puckered, and her eyebrows were raised. It was a look of discomfort and surprise. She swallowed and then coughed. "Ahem, well. Yes, we'll have to talk about that...." she said, her head turning toward Liam. She looked at him questioningly.

Jade nodded, and then looked back at his toys. “Can I play now?” he asked.

Liam smiled. “It’s going ta be bedtime soon,” he reminded the boy. “Why don’t yeh go put yer nightclothes on an’ wash yer face, an’ then yeh can play a bit more before bed, okay?” Jade agreed, disappearing into his room, and Liam turned to his wife-to-be. “That was easier than I thought it would be,” he noted softly.

Pearl nodded and broke into a smile. "He's a great kid," she said, standing and throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him quickly, still smiling. But a second later her smile slipped slightly, becoming more thoughtful. "Do you want to have kids?" she asked seriously. "Because... at the rate we're going we might not have a choice..." she said, looking amused.

Liam kissed her ear, but then rested his chin against her shoulder. “I guess I haven’t been thinking about it,” he admitted. He lifted his face to stare into her eyes. “Yeh’ve gotta admit, any child of ours would be demmed gorgeous, provided she got yer ears.” He kissed her on the lips then, cradling her jaw with his hands. “It’s yer body and yer choice, an’ I will support yeh no matter what.”

Pearl smiled slightly. "Well, maybe you should think about it then," she suggested. Then she went on, "I wouldn't mind having more kids, as long as you're here to help me. I always regretted being an only child." She smiled into his face. "Yes, they would be gorgeous then," she agreed.

Liam nodded. “Call me a traditionalist, but do yeh suppose we should do that weddin’ part before the havin’ kids part?” he asked teasingly. “I mean, it’s just a tradition an’ all, and the makin’ babies part is so fun...” He hugged her a little tighter. “I was raised in the church, and I’d like my children to be as well... Which would necessitate marriage first...” He bit his lip. “But I don’t want to pressure you...”

Pearl's smile slipped again, but she nodded. "It's just... it can happen any time--the next time... or the last time.... Once we get married we can't just say "Okay, now we're ready" it might take a while... Or it might happen before then--but there's nine months before the birth, so I think that even if it happened sooner rather than later we could get married before they were born," she said, her arms hanging loosely around his shoulders. She wasn't exactly ready to stop having sex with him to prevent herself from getting pregnant before they were ready, and doing it less wouldn't necessarily help either--because it could happen any of those times too... She looked at him again, and winced slightly. "I've... Well, my parents weren't very big on religion," she admitted. "So I don't know... everything. And, in this town, with my reputation..." There was a strange expression on her face, one that he probably hadn't seen there before--shame. She worked hard not to show it to Jade or the gossipers, but she was being honest with him so the expression found it's way there.

Liam caught her jaw and kissed her again. “I love yeh,” he reminded her softly. “And I don’t give a flying rat’s arse about what anyone might think or say. Yeh have nothin’ ta be ashamed about. Jade is a beautiful good boy, and yeh should an’ have every right ta be proud of him. An’ I’m not askin’ that we send our baby ta be clergy or a nun, I’d just like a Christian baptism.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “As for the other, there are all sorts o’ ways ta enjoy ourselves what won’t result in a baby,” he reminded her. “I’ll show yeh a few tonight...”

Jade walked back in, and Liam smiled at him as he moved to play with his toys again.

Pearl raised her eyebrows and smirked at that. But then she took his hand and laid her head on his shoulder and looked at Jade on the floor. In a moment she would stand and go back to mending his shirt, but for now she was content just to sit peacefully like this, happy Jade had no problems with Liam being his step-father.



Continued at Pearl and Liam 6