58 Chapter 58 – Train Sets and Unbreakable Bonds
Chapter 58 Train Sets and Unbreakable Bonds 1
Liam’s POV
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Damian and I drove Evelyn to JFK Airport, and I felt an unexpected hollow ache in my chest as we approached the departure gate. This woman had been my anchor, my constant through every storm life had thrown at me. Twenty–four years of having her steady presence, and now she was leaving for Italy. The arrangement we made for her to return one week each month felt like a small bandage on a deep wound.
“Liam, darling,” Evelyn said, her weathered hand gripping my arm with surprising strength. “I had lunch with Hazel and Chloe today. Tiny Leo asked me to give you a message.”
My heart jumped at the mention of his name. “What did he say, Evelyn?” I couldn’t hide the eagerness in my voice. That kid had wormed his way into my heart faster than I thought possible.
“He wants you to come play with him,” Evelyn’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “And Liam, Hazel is hurting badly. But don’t you dare give up on her
I pulled Evelyn into a fierce embrace, breathing in her familiar scent of lavender and home. “I won’t give up. I promise you that.”
Evelyn filled us in on her lunch, describing how Hazel looked tired but was trying to stay strong, how Chloe’s new boyfriend Jasper seemed like a decent man, and how Leo kept asking about me. Every word about Hazel felt like a knife twisting in my gut. Three days without hearing her voice, without seeing her face. I was slowly going insane. 1
After Evelyn disappeared through the security checkpoint, Damian and I walked back to the car in silence. The weight of her absence already pressed down on me.
“Want to meet Lep?” I asked as we got into my BMW.
Damian raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”
“He invited me to play, didn’t he?” I started the engine, already making plans. “But first, we’re hitting the toy store. I want to get him something special.”
An hour later, we stood outside Hazel’s apartment building, and I recognized the doorman from my previous desperate visits. His face lit up when he saw me.
“Well, well! The persistent one returns!” He grinned and leaned closer. “You still fighting for your woman?”
“Taking your advice about persistence,” I replied, matching his smile.
“Good man. Now, I’m going to s
away from this desk for a minute, and if someone happens to
58 Chapter 58 – Train Sets and Unbreakable Bonds
slip past while I’m gone…” He winked and turned his back.
The apartment door opened to reveal a tall, athletic man with kind eyes and an easy smile. This had to be Jasper, Chloe’s mysterious perfect boyfriend.
“Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked politely.
Before either of us could respond, I heard my name shouted with pure joy. Leo came barreling across the room and launched himself into my arms, his small body colliding with mine like a heat–seeking missile. The impact nearly knocked me backward, but I caught him, feeling his thin arms wrap around my neck with desperate affection. Something deep in my chest cracked open. “Liam!” Leo’s voice was muffled against my shoulder, but I could hear the happiness radiating from him.
“I’m Jasper Evans, Chloe’s boyfriend,” the man said, extending his hand with obvious amusement at the reunion happening in his doorway.
“The famous perfect boyfriend,” Damian grinned as we shook hands and introduced ourselves. Jasper laughed, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. “That reputation is going to follow me forever, isn’t it? Come in, please. I’ll get the girls.
Inside the apartment, I set Leo down and pulled out the gift I’d carefully selected. His eyes went wide as he tore open the wrapping to reveal an elaborate train set, complete with tracks, bridges, and a detailed locomotive.
“This is the best present ever!” Leo jumped up and down, clapping his hands with uncontainable excitement.
“My God, Liam,” a familiar voice said behind me, laced with exasperation and something softer. “Are you trying to compete with Chl and Noah to see who can spoil my son more?”
I turned slowly, and the sight of Hazel hit me like a physical blow. She wore a simple white sundress that made her skin glow, her dark hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. My throat tightened, and I felt the sting of tears threatening. Without thinking, I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms, holding her against me like she might disappear if I let go.
Her body was stiff for a moment, then melted into mine, and I felt her silent sob against my chest. When I finally released her, her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “I miss you so damn much I can barely breathe. Evelyn gave me Leo’s message, so I came. I brought Damian because we were together, and I thought… I trailed off, suddenly unsure.
“Hazel, I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, Damian said gently.
“Not at all, Damian. Please, make yourselves comfortable; she replied, her voice carefully controlled as Leo tugged her toward his new train set.
58 Chapter 58- Train Sets and Unbreakable Bonds
Chloe appeared in the doorway, watching the scene with barely concealed amusement. Leo was practically vibrating with excitement, begging us to help him set up the train in his bedroom where it could stay assembled.
The four of us men ended up on Leo’s bedroom floor, following his enthusiastic but chaotic instructions for track layout. Damian took photos while Jasper and I worked on the
more complex pieces, Leo narrating every step with the serious intensity of a construction foreman. His laughter was infectious, bright and pure, filling spaces in my heart I didn’t know were empty.
“Dinner’s ready” Hazel called from the doorway, and I looked up to find her watching us with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
They’d ordered pizza, and we ate around the coffee table while Leo regaled us with elaborate stories about his train’s adventures. Afterward, he climbed into my lap without invitation, continuing his tales until his voice grew softer and his eyelids heavy. When his breathing evened out, Hazel nodded toward his bedroom.
I carried his sleeping form carefully, struck by how light and trusting he felt in my arms. After tucking him in and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, Hazel and I stepped into the hallway.
I couldn’t help myself. I caught her hand and pulled her against the wall, my body caging her in. “Which room is yours?” I whispered against her car, feeling her shiver. “Tell me, or I’ll have to check each one until I find it.”
She pointed to the door on our right with a trembling hand. I led her inside and closed the door, then gathered her into my arms and kissed her with everything I had. All my longing, my regret, my desperate love poured into that kiss. I needed her to feel what she meant to me, needed her to understand that I was dying without her.
When we broke apart, both breathing hard, I pressed my forehead against hers.
“Hazel, please forgive me. Come back to me. I’m dying a little more each day without you. And Leo… God, I miss that kid already. Please, just come home.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Liam, I can’t. I just can’t.”
“I won’t give up, I said firmly, brushing away her tears. “I’ll remind you how good we were together. I’ll prove that I’m sorry, that I’ll never let you down again. I’ll earn your forgiveness, Hazel. However long it takes.”
I kissed her softly once more, then forced myself to leave the room before I completely fell apart.
In the living room, I found our friends chatting and laughing, the picture of easy companionship. This was what I wanted. This warmth, this connection this family feeling. I wanted Hazel and Leo in my life permanently.
“Damian, we should go, I said, wiping my eyes discreetly.
We said our goodbyes, and I promised Leo I’d visit again soon. His sleepy smile nearly undid me completely.
In the car, I told Damian about Hazel’s rejection, about how she still wouldn’t forgive me.
“So you’re giving up?” Damian asked.
“Hell no. I’m more determined than ever to win her back.”
“Good, because she’s perfect for you. But seriously, that kid Leo is something special,” Damian said thoughtfully.
“He really is,” I replied, unable to keep the pride from my voice.
“You know, he looks remarkably like you. Same eyes, same expressions. And the way he gravitates toward you, it’s like you have some kind of connection, Damian’s voice carried a strange undertone.
“I feel it too. Something I can’t explain. Even if it takes Hazel forever to forgive me, I want to keep seeing Leo. There’s something about him that just… I shook my head, unable to articulate the depth of what I felt for that little boy.
“Yeah, I noticed that connection, Damian said quietly, his expression thoughtful as he stared out the window.
“Well, we better get some rest. We’ve been neglecting work lately, I said, pulling up to Damian’s building and trying to shake off the strange intensity of the evening.
