Zane's words floated through my head all night. My exhaustion quickly turned to curiosity and kept my mind racing throughout the night. Hours after Zane had passed out on top of the comforter beside me, I laid awake, staring at the ceiling as I tried to wrap my head around his words.

"I could have stopped it, all of this."

What had he meant? There was no possible way Zane could have possibly known Marcus got a girl pregnant if Mark himself wasn't even aware. The brothers rarely, if ever, talked face to face. Marcus would occasionally text Zane here and there asking for one thing or another, but never cared to ask how his younger brother was doing. It was unlikely either of them knew what the other was doing on a daily basis, let alone a yearly.

"Those blue eyes," my mother had said once, referring to the Dryer's, "they're windows into their souls, Paige. You've just got to be able to read them the right way."

Rolling over, I stretched my arm out and brushed my thumb along the faint scar under Zane's right eye. I could still remember the sparkler that Mark had tossed at him on the Fourth of July when we were eight that left the permanent mark and had forced Zane into the hospital for a few days. I could feel him twitch under my touch now, his eyes fluttering, lips barely parting as his heavy breaths escaped them.

I was as bad as everyone else. Even knowing Zane my entire life, I had yet to consider him his own person. I had spent so many years comparing him to Marcus, thinking about ways he could improve himself so he'd be as good as his strong, athletic, and gorgeous older brother. It hadn't ever occurred to me that Zane was a masterpiece in his own right. He was smart, far more brilliant than anyone I'd ever met, he had a heart that he left right on his sleeve every day, and even had some of the Dryer features that had left a lot of girls wishing he would give them the time of day.

"Marcus' eyes are a paler blue." I had told McKenna one day when she had asked how I could tell the difference between the boys when they were younger. "Zane's are a deeper, more bottomless blue that always seem to be glistening with awe."

I sat upright in bed, my head whipping toward the boy at my side. His right arm was draped over his chest in a cradling position. The other was halfway off the bed, inches from the lamp on the nightstand. I pushed up from the bed and away from Zane, slowing to a stop beside the bassinet across the room. I expected to find Liam asleep, his eyes shut and breathing happily until morning. I didn't think I'd find his eyes wide open and scanning his surroundings in an awe that was all to familiar to me.

I had been so focused on the note that had been left, Liam's mother, and Marcus, that I hadn't really thought of much more. I definitely hadn't thought of Zane being Liam's father.

Sure, he claimed to be a virgin; having never slept with anyone at all despite his brother burning through girls like dirty socks. He also had seemed genuinely surprised when I'd found Liam. But it did also have its pros that matched the theory. One of them being the apology I had overheard Zane whispering to the infant earlier this evening.

I smiled down at Liam once he realized I was above him. He outstretched his hand, clutching at air. Just as I leaned down to pick him up, Zane's phone went off on the nightstand. He didn't budge.

Crossing the room in a swift movement before Liam could start getting fussy over the noise or it could wake anyone else up, I plucked the phone from the table and stared at the caller ID. When I saw Mark's name lighting up the screen, I decided it'd be better to answer it rather than ignore it and have him call repeatedly for the next few hours.

"Hello?" I whispered into the receiver.

I heard a drunken laugh on the other end. "Figures."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped. "Zane's just spending the night and-"

"And the little bastard is an asshole."

I bit back a snide comment and shook my head. "It's almost two in the morning, Marcus. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to check in on my little bro, can't I do that?" he laughed. "Figured he'd been over there banging you since he knows you're way too good for him."

"Stop being an ass, Mark." I warned.

He snorted. "What are you going to do, Princess? Hang up on me?"

"What do you want, Marcus?" I said through my teeth.

I heard him sigh. "I used to think it was cute, how naive you are, Paige. But now I just think it's ridiculous."

"Naive? How the hell am I naive, Marcus?"

The other line was silent so long I almost hung up.

"You still can't see it?" for the first time in years, there was a genuine antagonizing sound of hurt in Mark's voice.

I looked toward his younger brother on my bed, my free hand clenched at my side.

"See what, Marcus?"

"It wasn't supposed to be him, Paige." Mark slurred. "It was always supposed to be me and you. Paige and Mark. Then he had to get in the way like the little shit he is."

I bit the inside of my lip until a coppery taste filled my mouth. "If you wanted me so bad, why did you run out of the room when I asked you to have sex with me?"

"Because I couldn't. I wasn't ready, you weren't ready. It would have been horrible for you, Paige. You don't understand."

"I don't understand? Why? Because I'm a child? Because I don't fall at your feet like every other little girl does at our school? Because I see you for the real piece of shit you are when nobody else can?" Zane lifted his head, clearly stirred awake by my voice rising.

Marcus let out a sight of frustration, irritation lingering in his voice.

"It was supposed to be us, Paige."

"There was never an us, Mark." I laughed bitterly. "Not when the entire town thought I had sex in seventh grade. Not when you spread so many rumors about me that I'm sure you can't even remember half of them."

Zane sat up, feet hanging off the side of the bed as he watched me with a curious expression.

"Because you're so innocent, right? Little Princess Paige." he snarled.

I met Zane's eyes and shrugged angrily as I responded to his brother.

"At least I didn't have a baby at seventeen, asshole."

There was a stunned silence on the other end for a few minutes, nothing but the quiet chattering of someone in the background as a sign Mark was still on the other end.

"What do you mean?" he breathed.

I could see Zane shaking his head, anger igniting in his eyes.

"I mean you need to stay out of my life, Marcus. Stay out of Zane's. You've ruined enough of it." without another word, I hung the phone up and tossed it back to the boy in front of me.

"What was that?" he growled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it. It-"

Zane stood, his entire expression twisted into a look between anger and disgust. "Didn't mean to say it? He's going to figure it out now, Paige."

"He would of eventually anyway!" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Especially when you go around apologizing for things that don't even make any sense. You couldn't have prevented Liam from being abandoned, right? Then why-"

The words died on my tongue when I saw the shock that made it's way to his eyes. He hadn't expected me to hear a word of what he said, he must have thought I had dozed off.

"It was nothing, Paige." he assured, reaching for my shoulder.

I shook his hand off. "Nothing? Then tell me why you were apologizing for something you had no control over."

He shook his head. "Paige, I. . . I. . ."

He trailed off, watching me in silence as I slapped my palms against his chest hysterically.

"Tell me he isn't yours, Zane!" I pleaded.

He shook his head. "He's not. But. . . but. . ."

"But what?"

I saw a hint of relief wash over him as he took my wrists and pulled me closer, eyes roaming mine as if he were making sure I was ready to hear the answer.

"But I think," he paused, eyes fluttering shut, "I think I may know who his mother is." 

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed! 

Who do you think Liam's mother might be? Is it someone that's been introduced? And what do you think Marcus meant during the call? 

Let me know what you think/thought! 

~ChasingMadness24