Happiness As A Family

Hearing that laugh made Rory's mood a thousand times better. She stood up and walked to the baby.

"Cherry, take a picture of us," Liam passed his phone to Rory without even turning to look at her.

Rory got the phone. It was locked with a password. She wondered if he is still having the same password as before.

When they were married, both of them had access to each other's phones with no restrictions. It was why she didn't let herself doubt whether he was having an affair with Allison even though everything else made her doubt him. He never hid his phone or messages from her.

She looked at him. Holding their daughter, he was smiling and talking to her. With a smile, Rory typed the number 071807. It's a pretty important date for him. It was the only day his mother hugged him as he would recall. He looked very poignant when he told her about that day. But he never elaborated on it further.

He loves his mother very dearly. She is the most important woman in his life.

Rory knew his mother was sick for a while before she died. No one in the family talked about her; even Liam. She thought that they are being considerate towards Liam's stepmother. Liam's father remarried just within a year of his first wife's passing.

Liam hates his stepmother.

Rory still couldn't believe why a mother would refuse to hug her son even if she is sick. But she knew nothing of her sickness and she didn't get any answers when she tried to ask the family about her. She gave up.

"Here, look at the camera…" she said, opening the camera app on his phone. But over Ellie's laughter, he didn't hear her.

But the scene was very pleasing. Along with the lights inside the cabin, some natural light was seeping in through the window. Liam lifted Ellie as she tried to reach for his nose. Her lips were glistening and she didn't stop laughing. Liam was laughing along, taunting her to grab his nose.

Rory snapped the picture… Well, she snapped a couple of them.

"Oh, you can't reach daddy's nose, can you..? What a short arm you have…" Liam teased the baby and lifted her further.

"How did you make her drink from the bottle?" Rory asked.

Liam turned and looked at her with a proud smirk. "Don't you know? I am Fitzwilliam, The Great. There is nothing I can't do!"

Rory rolled her eyes and at the same time, Ellie grabbed a bunch of his hair and pulled it.

"Oww…Owwowowoww!" Liam shouted only for Ellie to laugh more. Rory snapped a couple more pictures before helping Liam.

"You are your mother's child, aren't you, Liah?" he said and gently swayed her.

Liah?

Rory immediately thought of Mia. She calls Ellie Liah too. She wondered if Liah is the aptest shortened form of Aurelia.

Eh, but I like Ellie!

"I didn't want to wake you so I took her out of the crib… She was hungry, but she didn't like the formula. So I just decided to try with the…" his eyes ended up on Rory's chest for a second before turning at Ellie once more.

Rory's heart started to pound by his glance. She remembered the conversations they used to have in the past. He would say pretty vile things about a lot of stuff… And it used to make her feel very hot.

"…breast milk in the cooler bag. She put up a fight. But she had to listen to me, her father! Don't you, little rascal..?" Liam swayed Ellie side to side as she laughed.

Father… he says that very easily… But…

Rory didn't think swaying Ellie was a good idea. Ellie was fed just now and this would certainly lead to an "accident" where he would be coated with white. "Umm, Fizzy…Let her~"

*Blop*

Ellie threw up a little right on Liam's mouth as he lifted her. Liam closed his lips tightly out of instinct and closed his eyes. Rory with a hearty chuckle got Ellie from his hands. She reached for the wipes and offered him one.

He didn't open his eyes and Rory wiped him first. "Eww…" he said letting her do the wiping.

"Go wash up," Rory said with a laugh after cleaning his face. By now the spit had dripped along his shirt and on his trousers. Rory proceeded to clean the baby.

"What a stinky baby," Liam said getting up. Rory laughed. "Wait for me," he told Rory and he pinched Ellie's cheek before leaving.

Rory saw "Jake" in the other room. He didn't interact with her and she didn't mind him either.

Liam returned after changing his clothes. He had asked for a rental car and Jake arranged for it. They packed their belongings and with Liam driving, they traveled to their hometown.

Ellie slept through the car ride and the silence in the car gave an opportunity for Rory to contemplate.

Rory was surprised to learn that the jet is returning immediately back with Jake. She thought Liam would return to the city as he appeared busy but he is planning on staying in his hometown for longer. Or maybe he would return on a commercial flight!

It would be better if he spends a lot of time with Ellie, she thought. But then she felt a prickly feeling in her heart.

I am not planning on staying there for long, am I? Should I maybe… change my plans? For Ellie's sake?

The few hours she spent with her baby and Liam gave her the happiness she always wanted for her little family. She yearned for it to stay for longer.

"Do you have to tell your grandmother about the divorce, Aurora?" He asked breaking the long silence in the car.

Rory said nothing and looked at him. His elbow was on the window and he was holding the steering wheel with just one hand. He called her by her name and she understood that he is going to have a serious conversation.

She didn't know what to say. So she kept her silence. She wanted to know his intentions for bringing up this topic.

And he did.

"I understand you... I know how much you hate your grandmother. You had to..." he sucked in a deep breath.

"...marry me because of your grandmother's insistence and... it obviously didn't work out..."

He gulped. Rory turned to look at the window. She didn't feel comfortable looking at him.

"I understand that you want to get back at her. You want to tell her that her decision was wrong and she failed..."

Rory's heart pounded. Her chest hurt and her breathing got labored.

"Stop the car, Fitzwilliam," she tried to unlock the door. "Stop it! Right now!"