“Do you have a three or a five step drop?” I ask, curious just how much Nick has taught him.
“I have both, would you like to see?” he asks eagerly. I hold out the football for him to take, watching as he grips the laces like he was born to be a quarterback.
“Here it comes, Nick,” he yells and I’m taken back by the fact that he didn’t call him dad. I watch both routines and notice that he’s a natural, much better than I was at his age. I can only hope Josie lets him make the best decision for his life unlike my father. I’d hate for him to resent her and not have a relationship with his parents over a life altering decision.
When I think of my parents I wonder if they know Noah. Are they a part of his life? Have they been watching my boy grow up without me?
“Wow, you’re so much better than I was at your age.”
Noah smiles and when he does he looks just like Josie. “Thanks. My mom says I’m a natural and that it’s in my blood.”
“Yeah, I think your mom is right.”
Nick walks off, leaving Noah and I to talk. I ask him if he wants to sit down and maybe eat some lunch and he agrees. We stand next to each other and I watch what he puts on his plate. He piles it high with veggies, crackers, cheese and some pasta dish. I add everything that he does because those are all my favorite foods too.
There are chairs set up outside and, even though it’s a crisp day, the sun is providing just enough heat that we can sit out here and relax.
“So, what’s it like to be famous, Mr. Westbury.” I stiffen at 'mister'. In fact, I hate it. And I hate that he asked about being famous because I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted to make music. I wanted to try my hand at something different just to see if I could succeed.
“You can call me Liam,” I reply. “And being famous is okay. I work hard and sometimes I’m away from where I live for a long time.”
“My friend Johnny says rock stars have like twenty girlfriends and you came with three girls. Are they yours?” If I didn’t know better I’d think his mother put him up to this.
“No, I don’t have a girlfriend or a wife. I have a cat, but he doesn’t like me too much.”
Noah starts laughing, his legs swinging on the chair. I want to reach out and put my hand on his knees just like I used to do Josie. Although she’s so tall she could only do this from the tailgate on my truck.
“Your cat doesn’t like you? How come?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. He’s very mean though and I think about telling him to pack his kitty bags and move out.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s in Los Angeles where I live. I have a housekeeper that will feed him while I’m gone.”
“Where does he sleep?”
Odd question coming from a boy. “He has one of those cat palace things. Maybe that’s why he hates me – because it’s a palace and not a race car or something like that.”
Listening to Noah laugh has quickly become like music to my ears. I want to record it and listen to it over and over while I write. Looking at him inspires me to write about him, capture him in song.
“So, what about you? Do you have a girlfriend, wife or a cat that hates you?”
“No, I don’t have any of those. My mom says that maybe after her and Nick get married we can get a dog.”
Married? I bite back a string of slurs that want to fly out of my mouth when he talks about Nick and Josie. I know I can’t say anything. I gave her up, but I won’t lie and say it doesn’t hurt to see her with someone else. I don’t know what I expected, maybe for her to be miserable and as lost as I am.
CHAPTER 10
JOSIE
I never thought I’d see this day. I’ve had many dreams of the day Noah would meet Liam, but never like this. I resigned myself to thinking Noah would look up Liam when he turned eighteen. They could fight or bond or do whatever it is fathers and sons do when they first meet each other. The only thing I didn’t want was for Noah to hate Liam for not being around. I could’ve tried harder to tell him, but I didn’t. I was selfish and wanted to hear his voice. I wanted him to hear my voice and come home. I was angry and it took me a long time to get over that anger.
Now watching them outside, deep in conversation I want to wrap them up in a tight bubble so they can never be away from each other. I know that’s not fair to Liam – he has a life away from here that’s vastly different. He’s different, yet so much the same boy that I fell in love with all those years ago.
The boy I never stopped loving.
Looking at Noah and Liam side by side, there’s no denying they’re son and father.