“And you never got that.”

He shook his head. “But she put a roof over my head for twelve months, even though I spent that year wondering when she’d grow tired of me. I suppose she kept me that long because she felt guilty, and I know she did love my dad. But at the end of that year, she met a man. A wealthy man. He wanted to marry her, but he didn’t want another man’s moping kid in his house.”

Liam spotted a tear fall from Kate’s eye. He wiped it away for her, hating the fact that she felt pain on his account. He leaned in and kissed the trail left from her tears.

“Anyway, it gave Shauna the push she needed. One day, she pulled me out of school and told me my bags were already in her car. She drove me to Aunt Margaret’s, a distant relative of my dad’s who I didn’t know very well, and told me that I wouldn’t see her again.”

“What did you do?”

Liam bit his lip. Since the day Shauna left, he hadn’t wasted a tear on her. But now they fell, and he wanted to slap at the wet tracks on his cheeks, hating this display of weakness. “I begged her to keep me. She was the only parent I had left. I promised to be good, told her I could be a good son to her. That I’d make her proud. She said, ‘Liam, you were never my son. I never wanted you. Now I have a chance to build my own family and you’re not part of it.’”

Kate pulled him into her arms, and he rested his head on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“I felt like my world was over. I’d already felt abandoned because of my parents’ deaths. But this woman, who should have been a mother to me, chose to abandon me. She told me to get the fuck out of her life and never looked back. And I was left with an old woman, who despite her good intentions, had health issues and her own concerns. She only took me in because I was blood, but we were basically strangers. We did grow closer, but it took time, and God knows I added to her stress. Then Aunt Margaret died by the time I got out of high school. Leaving me alone. Again.”

She looked at him, her mouth open, unbelieving.

“When she sent me to stay with Margaret, I was so angry. Shauna had made all the decisions for me and I hated the choices she made. So I made one for myself after she left. I ran away from Margaret’s house and stayed away for a month.”

“Where did you go?”

Liam swallowed hard. He’d already shared more than he’d shared with anyone. Could he tell her everything?

No.

“Liam?”

“I was homeless.”

Kate’s mouth fell open, as if she couldn’t believe the story got worse. He was right. He couldn’t tell her everything. He’d only scratched the surface of his tale and she was already in bits.

“What happened?”

“Look, all you need to know is I straightened myself out. As much as I didn’t want to hang around with an old lady, I realized that it was better than being on the streets. I went back to Margaret’s place and things got better. Let’s just say the streets of Vegas are no place for a kid.”

“Liam.” The word came out as a broken cry.

“Kate, I’ve spent the better part of my life feeling alone and unwanted. Do you understand why I don’t want Michelle to feel like I walked out on her?”

She nodded. “I do. But don’t you ever equate yourself with that woman. Your motives are good, and Shauna was an evil douchebag.”

Despite his tears, he broke into laughter. “Thanks for saying that. Maybe it’s not quite accurate, but it helps to hear.”

“I hate what she did to you.”

“I suppose I don’t blame her. I mean, I wasn’t really her kid.”

She shook her head. “Anyone with half a heart would have done the right thing and kept you. It was her loss. She missed out on something special.”

As she cried, he choked back his own tears and took her in his arms. She climbed onto his lap and he held her, stroking her hair and back. As much as he’d hated reliving his past, he felt better now, knowing Kate understood.

God help him, he was falling for this woman. She smashed his barriers and tore down his walls. She’d commandeered his heart with a few words of kindness, and shone light on a very dark corner of his life. He would always be grateful for it, and would gladly do the same for her.

“What happened to you, on the streets?”

He hadn’t allowed those memories in for a long time. He could almost convince himself someone else lived them. “Forget I mentioned it.”

“How can you say that? I won’t forget it.”

“It’s done. I learned from it. That’s all that matters.”

Her sigh told him she wasn’t done with the topic, but would let it go for now. Well, he’d deal with her questions as they came.

“Did you ever see Shauna again?”

“Only once,” Liam said quietly. “In my early twenties. I was back on track, done with college and apprenticed at a building firm. I got a call from a lawyer one day, telling me Shauna was in poor health, cancer, and that she wanted to see me.”

She looked up. “Did you go?”

“I wanted to tell him to fuck himself and to give her the same message. But I guess I was curious. What could she possibly want with me? As much as I despised her, I knew it would always bother me if I didn’t go. So I swallowed my feelings and visited her.” He closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered the scene. “It was strange to see her, looking so small, in a hospital gown. She’d always been a stunner before. When she saw me, she began to cry. Nothing surprised me more than to learn the ice queen had emotions after all.”

“What did she say?”

“She apologized. Told me God had cursed her for her cruelty by making her barren. She never had that family she wanted so badly. And after a few years of trying, her wealthy husband paid her off and divorced her.” He took a few deep breaths. “Shauna handed me a fat envelope filled with money. Said it was her divorce settlement, that she’d never touched it. She wanted me to have it. Because she hadn’t supported me in life, she wanted to die knowing she was finally supporting me.”

“That’s amazing.”

“No, it’s awful, Kate. Because you know what I did? I took it! I took her blood money and I left. I invested it, and the next year I began plans for my first casino. Shauna’s money paid for my business. And I think I’ve been sick about it ever since.”

Waves of nausea and guilt poured over him. For a moment, Liam thought he’d have to toss Kate onto the bed so he could run into the bathroom and hurl his self-loathing into the bowl. He bit back his feelings, as he’d been doing so effectively for years, and managed to keep it all down.

He must have still looked sick because Kate ran her hand up and down his back, rubbing and soothing his muscles. Perfect. The idea of her seeing him at his worst was as appealing as a vomit popsicle.

Kate massaged the top of his shoulder. “Liam, you did nothing wrong in accepting the money. She wanted to make amends, and I guess it was the only way she could do so.”

“Some days I feel like my business is built on a foundation of shame.”

“It’s not. You built up your business. You are the success behind it, no one else. Plenty of people in your shoes would have climbed into a hole and died. But you turned your life around, Liam Doyle. You became a success. You should be proud.”

He grinned, no longer feeling like a helpless kid. “You know the reason I decided to build casinos is because of the money they make. I wanted to know that if I ever had a family, they’d want for nothing. So I studied the competition and recognized a lot of gaps in the market. I tailored my properties to cater to those gaps. Now I can’t keep people away. But does it make me happy? I don’t know anymore.”

She grabbed his hand and drew whorls on his palm. “Well, despite how I feel about casinos, I’m woman enough to admit you’ve created amazing hotels. The best on the Strip.”

“The best on the Strip. That meant something to me a few years ago. But now? Who the hell knows? Kate, since I opened Vice, I just haven’t been myself. I haven’t been motivated. And I’m sick to death thinking I might end up being the failure she always knew I’d be.” He rubbed his chest, trying to erase the pains that always seemed present.