Meanwhile| HS

twenty-nine

"Your father?" Harry asks feeding Ame some mashed apples and chicken. "Ew icky chicky." he giggles feeding a giggling Ame.

"She happens to like chicken and apples. And yes my father." I mumble putting away groceries.

"Hey Liv I um.. I thought your father was...taking a dirt nap. Yanno the big slumber." he whispers.

"Harry the babies can clearly hear you, and they don't know what death is and won't even remember this conversation. But no my father is very much alive."

"But the car accident..."

"He never died. Just got temporarily paralyzed, now he walks with a limp. Serves the bastard right." I mumble.

"Liv don't say that." Harry scolds as he scoops the mashed turkey and gravy into Jasper's mouth.

"Dadadada." Ame chants pounding her small fists on food tray.

"Awe, Ame did you just talk to daddy? You said daddy?" Harry asks in a baby voice kissing her cheek repeatedly as she laughs.

"Ame you traitor I thought we were gonna say mama first." I fake whine leaning down in front of the babies. I turn and look at Jasper.

"What about you JJ? Can you say mama?" I ask.

"Da." he says poking me in the face.

"Mama." I repeat.

"...dada."

"I see how it is." I mumble wiping away false tears.

"So what about your Dad, Liv?" Harry asks continuing feeding Ame and JJ.

"He is not coming to our wedding Harry. He want's to walk me down the friggin isle, can you believe this asshole?!" I scoff.

"Olivia! Babies."

"Oh they won't remember." I say with an eye roll. We both stay silent for a moment before Harry speaks again.

"Liv..." Harry says. I look up to meet his eyes. "I think you should just yanno, let your dad come to the wedding." he says avoiding all eye contact with me.

"...excuse me Harry, I think I heard you wrong." I say standing up to glare at him.

"You want me to allow my dickhead father who bailed on my mother and I when she got cancer and gave up his rights to me, the man who struck my mother on my ninth birthday, the man who denied I was even his child, the man who came to me when he needed to crash at my place when I was freaking 16 because he was evicted from his? You want me to bring that toxic mess into my life again? He only wants in for the money, Harry, can't you see that?" I question.

"Liv, I- I never knew he was so-"

"It's okay Harry I just don't want him around my wedding or my husband or my babies." I say picking Jasper up into my arms. There's a ring at the door bell. I turn on the surveillance to see who it is.

"Oh, hell no." I grumble marching through the kitchen.

I speed to the front door and yank it open. My nostrils are attacked by the heavy smell of cigarettes and cheap cologne.

"What the hell are you doing here, Charles?"

"Now Ollie, is that any way to treat your daddy?"

Flashback

"Mama, are you okay?" I ask my mother she leans over the toilet bowl expelling the gunk from her stomach.

"Baby, I'll be fine, okay?" she says giving me a reassuring pat on the back.