A Pretty Heart In a Tainted World

Greyson had told her that Danny was living in Crownsville, but she’d yet to run into him, until today.  She was walking home after her daily practice session at No Strings Attached with her son when she saw him, “Danny! Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you! How have you been?”  @dannyxtyler

“Oh it’s alright, you’re not wrong, he’s the age now I was when I was expecting him.  He’s been an absolute dream, thankfully, he was an angel of a baby and the sweetest little boy, he doesn’t have the rebellious nature I had, thankfully. He’s going to a boarding school in Atlanta now, so I relocated here to be closer.” Lia smiled at the baby again, “I’m sure you’re doing great, those maternal instincts are no joke, I was terrified when Deacon came along, but it’s so worth it, isn’t it?” 

“My father’s arranging the transport, but if he takes much longer, I’ll go to California and arrange it myself.  I know he wants to be careful, but I feel like part of it is him hoping I’ll change my mind and come home, as if he doesn’t have eleven other kids to focus on.  It doesn’t matter though, as long as my son is living in Atlanta, I’ll be here, we’ll see what happens once’s he’s graduated.”  She smiled and nodded, “That sounds great to me, since my son came home for the summer, I’ve spent most of my time ordering in, I haven’t gone out it ages.” 

Lia hadn’t recognized Chana at first, but eventually she pulled herself out of the music, “It’s true, but I can’t sing to save my life, so between the two of us we’re a great team, we should do this on purpose sometime,” she said with a laugh.  “My Daddy’s still working out the most cost effective way to ship my piano from the house in LA.  I offered to just cover it myself, but since I’m paying for Deacon’s school fees and I bought the house here, he insisted on handling it himself.  That being said, if he takes much longer, I’ll just go back to California and move it myself.  I do love this shop though, the atmosphere is my favorite in town.” 

“I think it’s just the wine right now, it’s really all I drink, but next time I’ll make sure to have some Whiskey for you.”  She smiled and led him to the kitchen so she could get the wine poured out for them, “He’s great.  He’s loving his new school and as odd as it is to be away from LA, I can’t imagine sending him here and staying behind, so I’m very happy that you were in the area, I would be living in some lonely apartment in Atlanta with a bunch of cats waiting for him to come home, this is so much better. “  She handed him a glass of wine, “You’re much better looking, I’ll give you that, but you seem like you’re doing really well for yourself, even if times are hard...you’re one of the best people I know.”

Lia loved spending time in No Strings Attached, but she’d much rather be playing at home where she wasn’t bound to store hours and she didn’t have to share the instruments, that being said, she’d rather do this than nothing, at least until her father was able to arrange shipping her piano to her house here in town.  “Well, I’ll carry on, if you don’t mind,” she said with a smile and then absolutely melted at the sight of the baby.  “Oh she’s beautiful, I miss when my little one was that small, he’s going to be 15 in December and I can’t wrap my head around it.  What’s her name?” 

Lia had been playing the piano since her early childhood, it was what had gotten her famous as a child and how she’d gotten her doctorate a few years earlier, she loved the piano, and it was her biggest passion.  Eventually, she’d get her piano from back in California delivered and she wouldn’t have to be bound to the store’s hours when she wanted to play.  “Oh,” she said, blushing a bit, “well I’m glad you like it.  Typically I try not to hijack the instruments here, but once I start playing I just kind of lose track of things.  I’m Lia, by the way, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Thank you, I miss being able to play at home, but it’s a lot of work moving a piano across the country, eventually I’ll get it delivered to my house when my father can help me arrange it, for now though, I’ll just stay and play here.”  Lia swung  her legs off the bench and smiled, “I’m not sure if it’s your turn or my turn, but I’m starving, so let’s go.  What’s your favorite restaurant here in town? I haven’t been to too many yet.”

Knocking on the door of her apartment, Grey waited for her to answer. Smiling as she opened the door. “That we are, Lia. I’ve missed you.” He smiled and pulled her into a hug before entering her apartment.

Things had been complicated when they first got together, and they were still complicated, possibly even more so, but they were older now and more equipped to handle the things that came their way.  When they’d been together the first time, her son Deacon had only been four years old and required a lot more attention, but now that he was 15, she was able to have her own life outside of just being a mother.  She adored her son, but it was nice for her to get a chance to find herself again. 

“It’s so good to see you again,” Lia said, hugging him back, “Come on in, it’s just me and you tonight, Deacon’s back in LA for the week.  Make yourself comfortable, can I get you a drink?  I’ve got wine, something harder?  Then I want to hear about everything you’ve been up to.” 

She’d never been much of a cook, but she invited him for dinner anyway  and ordered food from a local restaurant, not wanting to risk experimenting and accidentally giving him food poisoning.  Thankfully, what she lacked in culinary skills she made up for in hosting skills, so she was ready for him when he got there, and she was thrilled to see him.  

“I’m so glad you’re here Grey, we’re long overdue for a good catch-up session.”

@greyson-sixx

Lia was born and raised in Los Angeles, though her mother is from Scotland, her father is from England and they lived in Belfast for the first few years of their marriage and their first 3 children were born there as well. 

She is the 5th of 12 siblings and the second of her parents’ 7 daughters.  Her mother always said she suffered from “Hey Look at Me Syndrome” from an early age, which led to her childhood being filled with beauty pageants and acting jobs.

Her father worked as a piano player for a company that scored movies and he began teaching her the piano at the age of three.  She fell in love with it and used her skills to further her career. 

Though she’d been working actively since she was a toddler, she didn’t become a household name until she was cast as a lead in a movie called “The Prodigy” where she was able to showcase her piano skills, and the movie was later adapted into a hugely  popular television show that she worked on from age 7 to 13.

When the show was cancelled, Lia found herself wanting to rebel against the structure that had dominated her life for so long.  Despite her age, she began to party heavily and this led to her becoming pregnant when she was only 14.

Her pregnancy was a huge scandal, which stopped her from getting any work for a number of years, but she didn’t let it bother her.  Her baby gave her a reason to calm down and focus on her future, which proved to be beneficil in the long run.  By the time her son was born, she was doing well in school and was being scouted by arts colleges for her piano skills. 

Initially, due to being a huge Queen fan, she wanted to name her son Mercury, but was talked out of it by her father and instead named him Deacon Taylor, which she still loved, but wasn’t quite so “out there,” as references go.

When she was 19, Lia met and began dating @greyson-sixx, she adored him and they had a lot of fun together, but they were looking for different things from life and eventually they parted ways on good terms and stayed in touch when they could.

Over the next few years, Lia carried on with her schooling while her parents and siblings helped with Deacon and eventually she became of Doctor of Musical Arts.

In late 2018, Lia’s son Deacon was accepted to the Darlington School in Atlanta, a prestigious boarding school that recruited him half way through the school year.  He always showed a talent for languages and she was very impressed by the school, so he started attending there and after consulting with Greyson, she decided to by a house in Crownsville, so she could live near someone that she knew.

She’s not currently working, but she’s looking for opportunities, her main focus is her son and enjoy as much time with him as she can before he has to go back to school for the semester.