Neighbors (Liam Payne AU)

Part 15

"Mom?"

Eva's mom looked up from her book. Arden, her father, sister and nephew were all up at the lodge of the campground. It was the daily craft time and the kids wanted to see what the craft was. Her brother and his wife were on the campsite next to them. Their three girls had gone to the pool. Their family did this trip every year. Harry came the first two years. Her sister's husband was asleep in a small tent next to her parents camper. Eva and Arden would be sleeping in the camper. She didn't want to set up a tent without Harry. It seemed silly. Over the 4th of July weekend, Eva had already booked a cabin, here at this campground. She loved it here. There were twos pool, two beaches, a main lodge with a workout room, indoor pool and arcade. There was also a small lodge, snack bar, putt putt golf and a playground. There was always something to do. July, and a week here, couldn't come fast enough.

"Remember when you told me that if I wasn't sure I shouldn't marry Harry?" Eva asked. Her mother nodded. "What do I do if I'm not happy?"

Her mother closed her book. "Well, you need to think about this. It's not just you, anymore. If it was just you, I'd tell you to leave. But, this is Arden's father you are talking about. Arden needs his dad. Is this something you can fix? Have you gone to counseling? Does Harry know that you are unhappy? Is he unhappy, too? Just to be clear, no matter what you do, you are our daughter. Your father and I will support you, no matter what. If you need somewhere to go, if you feel unsafe, you call us, okay?"

Eva nodded. "I know. Thank you."

"What it is that makes you unhappy, if I can ask? We don't see much of him anymore. Did we do something?"

Eva shook her head. "No. It's me. He doesn't want to be around me. I'm just not...good enough."

Her mother sighed. "Why are you like this? Did your father and I do something wrong? You've never felt good enough."

"Come on, mom! Look at this family. You and dad, perfect. Great jobs, awesome marriage. Mia, the world's most adorable baby. I was such an ugly baby and then you go have a this beautiful baby. And look at her! A master's in zoology. Running that camp. Successful, rich husband. Then Alex. A freaking architect. Married to an architect. Three amazing kids. Mia's kid is amazing. Arden is only in Kindergarten and he already is struggling. Things just don't go right for me. A job that gives me no respect and pay cut after pay cut. A husband who doesn't love me. Never loved me. I've never really had anyone before him. I didn't want to be alone. I figured that being lonely was part of the package. I thought that I'd be okay, being alone so much. I've just really messed up my life. It makes me wonder what I did to deserve this. Like, am I a horrible person? If I do leave Harry, I won't be able to take care of myself. I feel stuck."

"You sister is not as happy as you think, trust me. She's good at pretending. And so? Arden struggles. We will all help him. He'll be fine. And you weren't an ugly baby. All of my children are beautiful. Including you. I'm sorry Harry makes you feel less than amazing. I really am."

Eva nodded, thinking about Liam. Why couldn't she have met him sooner? They didn't even go to school that far apart from each other. Why was a man like Liam stuck with a woman like Sophia? The same reason she was. Lust. She liked how Harry looked. She didn't want to be alone. He seemed to like her. She sighed and went back to her own book, deciding to just enjoy this time with her family and not think about Harry or Liam.

The first Monday in summer came around along with the start of Eva's summer plans. Today it was swimming and the library. When she walked out of the house, fifteen minutes before the lesson, she saw Liam doing the same. "Uh, I was just coming to see..."

Liam interrupted her. "If I wanted to ride together?"

Eva nodded. Liam waved his hand, indicating that she should come over. She smiled, grabbed Arden's hand and the swim bag, and headed to Liam's minivan. Arden happily crawled into the back with Jamie and Ava. Eva got into the front. "Towels? Goggles?" she asked.